Key takeaways
A food allergy involves the immune system; a food intolerance involves digestion. They are not the same thing.
A naturopathic assessment looks at your food, sleep, stress and history together, and may include functional lab testing.
A simple food and symptom diary gives your naturopathic doctor useful detail to work with.
Testing is chosen for a reason, starting with an initial consultation.
Bloating, gas or an uneasy stomach after certain meals can be hard to sort out on your own. A naturopathic assessment gives you a place to talk through what you eat, how you feel and what, if anything, is worth testing.
Ready to talk it through? Book a naturopathic assessment at Nature Doctors or call 204-943-6079.
What is the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?
A food allergy is an immune system reaction to a food. Mayo Clinic explains that a food intolerance is not an immune system reaction; it happens when the body cannot digest certain foods or use certain nutrients. Mayo Clinic lists excessive gas, bloating, cramping or stomach pain and diarrhea as intolerance symptoms. NIDDK notes that people with lactose intolerance may have symptoms within a few hours after having milk or milk products, and that symptoms may be mild or severe depending on how much lactose they have.
Allergic reactions can include hives, swelling of the lips, face or tongue, wheezing or vomiting. If you or someone near you has trouble breathing, swelling of the throat or tongue, or faint feelings after eating, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away.
Many people use the word "sensitivity" for a food that does not seem to agree with them. A careful, individual conversation is a good way to put your own pattern into words.
What does a naturopathic assessment look
Naturopathic medicine at Nature Doctors takes a root-cause approach, which means looking at the whole picture. The clinic's naturopathic medicine page describes dietary and nutritional therapy among its tools, and digestive health is among the areas of interest on the team. For example, Dr. Miranda Ball, ND lists women's health and digestive concerns among her areas of focus.
At an initial consultation you can expect conversation about:
What you eat in a typical week, and when you notice how you feel afterward
Your bowel habits, energy, skin, sleep and stress
Your health history and any patterns that run in your family
Which laboratory tests, if any, would add useful information
The Nature Doctors testing page notes that it is best to start with an initial consultation with a naturopathic doctor rather than ordering tests on your own, and that follow-up appointments are used to review results together.
Which laboratory tests might be part of the picture?
Functional lab testing adds information to the conversation. According to the Nature Doctors testing page, the clinic offers food sensitivity and allergy testing, non-invasive stool testing that looks at digestion, absorption, intestinal function and the gut microbiome, and metabolic and nutritional testing.
Laboratory testing such as blood work can also be part of an assessment. Depending on your history, your naturopathic doctor may review markers such as nutrient levels, thyroid function and blood sugar measures, and will talk through which ones make sense for you. Results are pieces of a larger picture, reviewed together at a follow-up visit.
What is a food sensitivity test, and what can it tell you?
A food sensitivity test looks for signs in a blood sample that your body may be reacting to particular foods. At Nature Doctors it is one of the functional lab tests your naturopathic doctor can order after your initial consultation, and it is chosen for a reason rather than done by default. Ask which test is being suggested and what it measures, since different tests look at different things.
Here is how the process usually goes:
Consultation first. Your naturopathic doctor reviews your food diary, symptoms, history and any recent blood work to decide whether testing would add anything.
Sample collection. The test is based on a blood sample. Ask the clinic how and where it is collected and whether any preparation, such as fasting or staying on your usual diet, is needed.
Results at a follow-up visit. Results are reviewed together, side by side with your diary, so the list of foods on the report is matched against what you actually notice.
A short, specific plan. If certain foods stand out, a guided and time-limited elimination followed by careful reintroduction is a common next step, with nutrition kept in mind.
It helps to know what a test can and cannot do. An intolerance is not an immune allergy, and allergy societies, including the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), supported by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, caution that IgG-based food tests are not a reliable way to diagnose food allergy, and that a positive result on its own does not prove a food is the problem. That is why a sensitivity test works best as one piece of information alongside your symptoms and diary, and why it is a conversation starter, not a verdict. If your symptoms suggest a true allergy, such as hives, swelling or wheezing, that needs urgent attention (see the 911 line above).
Questions worth asking: What exactly does this test measure? What will the results change in my plan? Is there anything else, such as stool or nutrient testing, that would explain my symptoms better? How will we decide when to retest, if at all?
What can I prepare before my first visit?
A little preparation makes the first appointment more useful:
Keep a food and symptom diary for two to three weeks. Write down what you ate, the time, how you felt and when, plus notes on sleep and stress.
Make a simple written list of what you take, including anything prescribed.
Bring any recent laboratory results you already have.
Jot down your top three questions so they do not slip away mid-conversation.
Avoid removing many foods at once without guidance. Cutting out whole food groups can leave gaps in nutrition, and a naturopathic doctor can help you plan changes that are specific and time-limited.
How do supplements and the dispensary fit in?
The professional dispensary at Nature Doctors carries professional-grade supplements and botanical tinctures that are registered with Health Canada. The clinic notes that some products require an existing treatment plan from a naturopathic doctor there, so supplements are chosen as part of your personalized plan rather than on their own.
What do trusted sources say about food reactions?
Mayo Clinic and NIDDK both describe how digestive symptoms after eating can differ depending on whether the body is having trouble digesting a food or reacting to it through the immune system. Mayo Clinic notes that intolerance happens when the body cannot digest certain foods or use certain nutrients, and NIDDK notes that lactose intolerance symptoms tend to appear within hours of dairy. Understanding that difference is the first step in knowing what to track and what to ask at your visit.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nature Doctors offer functional lab testing?
Yes. The testing page lists food sensitivity and allergy, stool, hormone, metabolic and nutritional, environmental and other testing.
What does a food sensitivity test involve?
A blood sample, ordered after an initial consultation. Your naturopathic doctor explains what the test measures and reviews the results with you, alongside your food diary.
Do I need testing at the first visit?
The clinic recommends starting with an initial consultation, and tests are chosen from there.
Can I be seen virtually?
The naturopathic medicine page states that virtual appointments are available for most patients, and the clinic offers virtual appointments anywhere in Manitoba.
Is it safe to cut out dairy or gluten on my own?
Short, planned changes are common, but removing several foods at once can affect nutrition. A plan tailored to you is a better starting point.
Ready to look at your digestion with a plan?
A naturopathic assessment can help you sort out what to track, what to test and what to change. Book online with Nature Doctors, call 204-943-6079, or visit us at 7-1200 Waverley Street, Winnipeg.
Sources
Mayo Clinic, Food allergy vs. food intolerance: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20355095
NIDDK, Lactose intolerance symptoms and causes: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/lactose-intolerance/symptoms-causes
Bock SA, AAAAI support of the EAACI Position Paper on IgG4, J Allergy Clin Immunol 2010: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2010.03.013
Nature Doctors, Functional lab testing: https://www.thenaturedoctors.ca/testing
Nature Doctors, Naturopathic medicine: https://www.thenaturedoctors.ca/naturopathic-medicine
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