The ELISA test info- for food allergies(Calvin)

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here is a link to order the ELISA test to check for food allergies............Lynn

York Nutritional Laboratories, Inc... Optimum health is at the tip of your fing

York Nutritional Laboratories, Inc... Optimum health is at the tip of your finger!

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Answers To Frequently Asked Questions & What Others Are Saying the foodSCAN

The following are a number of questions we are regularly asked regarding the technicalities of our testing services. Click here to read what others are saying about the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test.

Q: How do I know if I have an IgG-mediated (delayed) food allergies? A: With various medical researchers documenting 76-80% of the population as being effected by what are known as delayed food allergies (food sensitivities, food intolerances, etc.), there is an extremely good chance your nagging ill-health conditions are being caused and/or complicated by IgG-mediated (delayed) food allergies. In fact, out of 32,000 patients recently tested by York Nutritional Laboratories (YNL), 97% were found to be IgG reactive to foods!

Q: What symptoms or conditions are effected by delayed food allergies?

A: Though delayed food allergies are not necessarily the culprit behind every ill-health condition, they could be. The following symptoms and conditions have been medically linked to be either caused or complicated by delayed food allergies or food sensitivities: feeling bloated, stomach cramps, constipation, wheezing, breathing difficulties, sinusitis, tension, nausea, hives, rashes, itching, Fibromyalgia, loss of appetite, panic attacks, loss of energy, headaches (including migraines), muscle & joint pain, diarrhea, arthritis, Rhinitis, asthma, hyperactivity, multiple sclerosis (MS), Urticaria, eczema, premenstrual symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome, schizophrenia, anxiety, epilepsy, fatigue, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), depression, infantile colic, colitis, recurrent infections, learning disabilities, dyslexia, conceptual difficulties, celiac disease, fluid retention, weight problems, Crohn’s Disease, psoriasis, mouth ulcers, gastric ulcers, Otitis media (ear infections), plus many more!

Q: What do patients have to say about York Nutritional Laboratories' testing?

A: The results of a study involving 2,157 patients (the largest ever pertaining to IgG ELISA delayed food allergy testing) reported the following regarding the testing services provided by York Nutritional Laboratories (YNL):

* A distinct and clear majority of patients taking the test and altering their diet report that they found significant improvements in their condition.

* Strong improvements were noted in 74% of all cases.

* Often these improvements were noted as being life changing… with over one fifth of all patients awarding the highest score possible (5 out of 5).

* The degree of benefit was found to be particularly strong when patients reported they rigorously altered their diets, though benefit was still noted when diet was only moderately altered.

* An overwhelming majority (94%) reported the process to be easy to administer and implement.

* 86.6% said they would recommend YNL's testing to others.

Q: How reliable is York Nutritional Laboratories' testing?

A: In addition to the previously mention study of 2,148 patients, York Nutritional Laboratories' IgG ELISA testing has been proven to be reproducible, reliable and of the highest quality. In fact, so impressive is YNL's testing, the British Allergy Foundation has validated YNL and its foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test with its January 22, 2001 Audit Study, which was published in the August/September 2002 issue of the prestigious medical journal, The Townsend Letter For Doctors.

Additionally, the University Hospital of South Manchester presented the findings of its 100% independent double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study on May 19, 2003 at the internationally recognized Digestive Disease Week, which validated the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test.

Also, on October 26, 2001, Dow reported in The Wall Journal the findings of its assembled medical review board's investigation of 18 laboratories' at-home medical kits. York Nutritional Laboratories was one of only a few of the 18 investigated laboratories which were hailed as providing a highly reliable and accurate screening.

Finally, York Nutritional Laboratories has surpassed every time in independent split-sample trials against competing laboratories. The findings of one such trial can be found on-line at www.drtheo.com.

Q: Is this testing very expensive?

A: Absolutely not... at least not the foodSCAN! Other laboratories charge patients anywhere from over $500.00 to more than $1000.00 for their food intolerance testing services, while YNL's food intolerance screening costs hundreds of dollars less! Additionally, and unlike similar testing provided by other laboratories, no blood draw or doctor's appointment * is required (both which have their own added expenses)!

(* Note: York Nutritional Laboratories provides its M.D. staff physician, at no cost, to be the ordering physician for the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test!)

The 113-Food In Depth Panel has a list fee of $379.00 [uSD] and the 42-Food Mini Panel has a cost of $229.00 [uSD]. This equates to about $3.35 per each antigen (food) in the 113-food panel and about $5.45 per antigen (food) in the 42-food panel.

Q: What about support?

A: Everyone and anyone who is screened through York Nutritional Laboratories for IgG-mediated food intolerance is entitled to 12 months of complimentary and unlimited telephone and Internet support specific to their test results and its accompanying support materials. Additionally, and unlike some other laboratories, York Nutritional Laboratories DOES NOT make any attempt to sell any products, services and/or food-stuffs during the duration of this FREE support.

Q: Is your food intolerance screenings services guaranteed?

A: Yes! In fact, York Nutritional Laboratories offers 2 separate guarantees when you request your very own foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test:

1. Return your unused kit within 30 days of its date of purchase for a full refund - less a $10.00 handling fee.

2. If you have not experienced any health benefit after 3 months of following the recommendations and support provided with the results of your foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test, simply return all the provided hard copy tests results and support materials for a full refund - less a $10.00 handling fee. There's no lengthily forms to fill out and none of the hoops and hassles some other labs make people go through when they are not satisfied with their testing services. Let's face it, what difference does it make if a lab claims to offer a money back guarantee when they make it nearly impossible and inconvenient for anyone to take advantage of it?

For additional information regarding York Nutritional Laboratories' money back guarantees, please click here.

Q: Is the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test covered by insurance?

A: Many insurance companies will reimburse for our screening services, but it completely depends on the individual carrier. Various factors, such as the following, determine whether or not an insurance company will issue a reimbursement:

a. The insurance company itself. b. The policy and the services it covers. c. The group plan of the policy. d. Whether or not the annual deductible has been met.

The following will help assist in determining if an insurance company will issue a reimbursement for our 113-Food In-Depth Panel:

a. Procedure (CPT) Code: 83520 or 86001 (Please Note: Different insurance carriers might prefer one CPT code over the other). b. Billing: 113 Foods @ $379.00 / 42 Foods @ $229.00 c. Description of Service: IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Assay

Also, we have been informed, as long as a policy has no specific exclusions for food allergy testing, the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test should fall under basic laboratory services.

Q: Is wheat-free the same as gluten-free?

A: Definitely not! Gluten (or gliadin) is a complex of protein which occurs in wheat, oats, rye, barley and four other common grains. It causes toxic reactions in people with a particular genetic make-up. This can cause them to develop Celiac Disease, or intestinal villus atrophy. Being sensitive to wheat is a very different thing; in this case your reaction may be to any one of the proteins contained in the grain and it is likely to be a true immunological reaction, not a toxic one. Therefore, the fact that food is wheat-free is no guarantee at all that it is gluten-free. However, there are several wheat-free products on the market which do happen to be gluten-free also. Clearly you need to read product labels carefully.

Q: What is the milk we test?

A: The foodSCAN screens your blood serum when it has been combined with extract of whole milk from organically fed cows. This contains all the milk as it comes out of the cow, without any removal of cream or any processing. Whole milk is divided commercially into several different components, chiefly; cream, cheese, buttermilk and whey. It is possible that allergens which are in whole milk will not be present in some of these components, although clearly an allergen which is present in one of the component parts must be present in whole milk. Our advice to you is to assume initially that if you react to whole milk, you react to all components. Skimmed milk is formed by removal of some of the fat from whole milk, leaving the protein. Since nearly all sensitivities are to protein, it is unlikely that skimmed milk will be tolerated any better than whole milk. Evaporated milk, however, involves bringing the milk to boiling temperature. This changes the protein (just as boiling an egg changes the protein and turns it into white). Some people, but not all, will therefore react to whole milk, but not to evaporated. You can test this yourself after you have eliminated all milk products.

Q: What about goat's milk?

A: Although the goat is a different animal from the cow, the two are closely related. If you are sensitive to cows' milk there is about a 50% chance that you already react to goat's milk. If you don't already react to goat's milk, but you start using it regularly, then there is a good chance that your body will start to react to it quite quickly, because of the similarity between goats and cows. Sheep, however, are more distantly related, a larger proportion of people sensitive to cow's milk are able to tolerate sheep's milk and sheep's milk yogurt and cheese. These products are increasingly available from both health food shops and supermarkets.

Q: What about cheese?

A: People who react to milk very often react at least as badly, if not more so, to cheese because of its higher protein content. Also, cheese is prepared using yeast type organisms and this may cause a reaction in people who are yeast sensitive. The relationship between goats', sheep's' and cows' cheese is similar to the relationship between their different milks.

Q: Can I react to some parts of egg and not others?

A: Yes, we do see people who react to egg yolk and not so much to egg white, or even vice versa. Also, most but not all people who react to chickens' eggs are able to tolerate duck eggs and goose eggs without any problem. The eggs tested on the pin-prick test are chemical-free, range fed chicken eggs.

Q: Does cooking get rid of the allergens in food?

A: This is often true; there are quite a few people who react to whole milk but not to evaporated, to raw tomatoes but not to cooked ones, and so on. You cannot be certain of it, however, and if you have a reaction on the test to a food, you should avoid it and then test different forms of it individually, unless you are instructed otherwise by your practitioner.

Q: Could I be reacting to the chemicals in meat rather than to the meat itself?

A: The meats which we test are all prepared from organically fed bovines, so they should contain no more chemicals than your body. It is therefore very unlikely that you would be reacting to the chemicals, rather than the meat. In real life, of course, most meats have a significant level of chemicals, which are usually fat-soluble, and are therefore present in higher dose in animal fats and in fatty meats.

Q: What about the chemicals on vegetables?

A: We take great strides to ensure all the vegetables which we test are organically grown. Therefore a positive reaction on the test is very unlikely to mean a reaction to chemicals, rather than to the vegetable. Nevertheless, many people do react to chemicals used in modern agriculture and food processing; therefore, it is preferable to use only fresh vegetables, or even better, fresh organically grown produce.

Q: What is the importance of food families?

A: It has long being known that if you react to one member of a biological family, there is an increased risk that you might react to other members of the same family. This does not mean that if you react to beef, you will react to all other meats, but it does mean that if you react to beef, you are more likely to react to all other beef and cow products including dairy products. Another reason for considering food families is that the continual ingestion of several foods from the same family can lead to the development of sensitivity. For instance, relying heavily on vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and turnip, could lead to the development of an sensitivity to that whole food family (brassica). These statements are true statistically, but need not be true for any one individual.

Q: If I suspect I have a problem with a particular food and I have not eaten it for a while, will this food show up in my test?

A: Our research shows that 86-100% of the foods an individual is IgG-reactive to needs to completely be eliminated from their diet for at least 6-9 months before the elevated Immunoglobulin G antibodies subside to the point where these foods become non-reactive. Typically, more than one food could be contributing to your condition so it is worth taking the test to discover which are causing you problems. Also, it is not uncommon for multiple foods to work together against the body and cause ill-health problems.

Q: Is there much difference between bakers' and brewers' yeast?

A: We have not yet found anybody who shows more than one category difference between their reactions to baker's and brewer's yeast. They are closely related strains, with very little allergenic difference between them.

Q: Why don't you test sugar?

A: White sugar is a highly processed/purified substance with very little trace of protein. For this reason, it is rare for an IgG ELISA food allergy assay to accurately report a genuine food intolerance to sugar, thus it is not included in our test. However, sugar can produce ill-health symptoms. It disturbs your blood sugar, it requires vitamins and minerals in its metabolism and it can encourage the growth on infecting organisms such as Candida albicans.

Q: What medicines or medical treatments can effect the outcome of the test results?

A: Medications containing steroids can weaken the immune system and cause what is known as a "false negative" in any IgG ELISA food intolerance test. A false negative is where the body is reactive to a particular food antigen, but due to the IgG antibodies being suppressed by the steroid medication the reactive food it is reported as being negative (safe). The amount of time a steroid medication would need to stop being taken in order to not have an effect on an IgG ELISA food intolerance test would depend upon the means of introduction (.i.e. - topographical cream, inhalant, oral medicine, etc.). It is VERY IMPORTANT to never stop taking a doctor's prescribed and/or recommended medication without first consulting with the physician. Also, chemotherapy and radiation treatments have been reported as causing false negatives as well as certain immune weakening health conditions such as AIDS and leukemia.

Additionally, there is another condition known as a "false positive". This is where an individual is reported as being reactive to a particular food antigen when they really are not. Our laboratory has taken the extra steps necessary to ensure the reactions identified are real rather than false positive reactions (something which plagues competing tests) by coating levels of the extracts so they are optimized for sensitivity. Also, our food extracts are obtained from FDA/CBER approved sources to ensure the highest quality extracts and lot-to-lot reproducibility with our prepared microtitre plates..

Click here to read what others are saying about the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test

Please click here to request the foodSCAN IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test

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