IgE vs. IgG vs. MRT

I want to talk about food allergies and sensitivities. It wasn’t until I adopted my dog, Hank, that I truly understood how much food sensitivities can impact our health. 

An IgE reaction occurs from allergies. It’s what most people think of when we get stung by a bee or when someone has a severe peanut allergy. This is an immediate reaction to a foreign substance– eyes swell, throat closes, tongue gets big or fuzzy, and immediate medical attention is needed. Hank likes putting his nose where it doesn’t belong and paid the price (just kidding—I did. In vet bills.)

When I adopted Hank, I was told he had food sensitivities. This is an IgG reaction which results in inflammation. Even though Hank has an expensive prescription food at home, he loves to share in his friends’ dinners whenever we go to their house (sound familiar?). You might have an IgG reaction if you feel an immediate need to use the bathroom, or you might have a difficult time trying to go to the bathroom (side note: everyone should poop 1-2 times a day). You may have patches of dry and itchy skin (eczema or psoriasis). You may have excessive stinky toots (fun fact: the average person toots 5 times a day). These types of reactions can occur after several hours or up to three days later, making it very difficult to pinpoint the trigger food. 

Now, there are many ways to test these types of reactions. You may be familiar with the scratch test done in a doctor’s office where you wait to see if the small sites on your arm get red, itchy, or have a bump. This is for IgE reactions.

An IgG allergy is done with a blood sample. Many times, though, the trigger food must be present in the person’s diet to initiate a response. These food-specific reactions are just that—specific.

Now when we talk about the MRT, let’s get a little more scientific. When a food is eaten that your body deems “unknown” or “not safe”, cytokines, histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, etc. are released and your white blood cell count goes up. Not to mention our white blood cells have a pretty darn good memory and will react to this bad guy every time it tries to enter. This is your body’s “attack” to keep the bad guys out. When our white cell count increases, our blood volume increases. The technology with the MRT looks at the total blood volume and allows it to distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic foods and chemicals. This makes it the gold standard, in my opinion, especially compared to food-specific tests (IgG) which does not necessarily correlate with inflammation or symptoms since it is so limited in the type of reaction being identified.

I personally have benefited from the effects of this test and have seen many of my clients benefit as well. Years ago when I was told to eliminate all common food sensitivities (gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, corn) due to inflammation, I had some temporary relief. It wasn’t until I did my own testing and found I was allergic to brewer’s yeast (rare) and a few innocent herbs (tarragon, nutmeg and basil) that I was finally able to heal. I’ve since been able to reintroduce eggs AFTER 13 YEARS. My gosh they are good! Not to mention the inflammation around my stomach has decreased, I have beautiful poops that don’t give me stress, and I don’t have to plan my runs around where the park toilets are or the most recent construction sites (if you know, you know).

Maybe you have been eating all the “right foods” but deal with unexpected bloating and discomfort (this was me, too). You just may not be eating the “right foods” for YOU. Nothing beats n=1. There’s a better way.

So reach out. Sign up for a free consult. Let’s get you back to healing.

By Kathrine Jenkins