A growing number of studies confirm that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children is partially triggered by sensitivities to substances in food. When children ingest these foods, they experience physical changes like gastrointestinal problems and glazed eyes, or behavioral problems like mood swings, uncontrollable hyperactivity, and inattention. These discoveries led ADHD experts to consider diet and nutrition plans as part of a comprehensive, all-natural approach to ADHD management.
Before we can even speak about ADHD diets, we need to know what specific foods your child is allergic to so we can exclude these from your child's meals. One way we can identify these foods is through an elimination diet, a trial-and-error procedure that involves removing food groups and observing your child for any improvement in symptoms. While elimination diets are a surefire way of identifying which specific foods your child is intolerant to, this is a lengthy procedure that often takes weeks, if not months, of careful monitoring. If you do not have the time to do an elimination diet, you can test for food allergies through a blood test. But take note that food intolerances are different from the classic allergy, and that there is a specific kind of blood test you have to take for food intolerances.
A typical allergic reaction occurs through a specific antibody called immunoglobins E or IgE. IgE antibodies are released by the immune system when it detects the presence of an allergen in the body. When IgE antibodies come out, the child experiences standard reactions like watery eyes, hives, or swollen lips. To get rid of this allergic reaction, an allergist will give a shot made up of a low level allergen so that the immune system does not produce an IgE reaction. The dose is gradually increased until the child becomes tolerant to that allergen. While this method suppresses the allergic reaction, it does not identify the specific substance that causes the allergy.
Food intolerances are a type of allergic reaction, but they work through a different mechanism. Instead of releasing IgE antibodies, the immune system releases IgG antibodies, manifesting in more subtle ways like behavioral problems, inattention, and other symptoms of ADHD. What makes detecting IgG allergic reactions even trickier is that they are delayed-onset allergies. This means that the allergic reaction does not occur until days after the child has eaten the food he or she is intolerant to.
To confirm if your child has an IgG food intolerance, he or she will have to take a blood test designed to identify IgG allergic reactions. The ALCAT (sometimes referred to in Europe as the CytoToxic Test) is one of the best tests for determining food intolerances because, unlike other IgG and IgE tests, it examines the blood directly and looks at all immune pathways for possible reactions. After a blood sample is taken, the lab technician identifies delayed onset allergies by observing how white blood cells and red blood cells react when they are exposed to certain foods. Red and white blood cell samples literally explode when allergens are introduced. What's also great about the ALCAT is that the test is not limited to detecting food intolerances; it can also identify reactions to artificial additives, antibiotics, environmental chemicals, and pharmacological ingredients.
Another method of testing for food intolerances is through a technique called manual muscle testing, or kinesiology. The test works by examining the strength of the child's muscle when he or she is asked to hold bottles containing food extracts. If an originally strong muscle becomes weaker as the extract is held, the child may be intolerant to that food extract. Studies show that muscle kinesiology has a 90% correlation with results of IgE testing.
IgG food tests are techniques that cannot be found in Western medicine. If you think the ALCAT test or the muscle kinesiology test can help your child, ask a holistic health care practitioner or chiropractor to help you order and interpret the results of these tests.
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