Introduction:

    Hippocrates, over 2500 years ago observed that "one man's food is another man's poison."  So it should surprise us little that Dr. Carroll, a Naturopathic Physician in the middle of the 20th century pointed out...."Health must at all times come from and be maintained by digested foods.  Naturopathic physicians understand this principle and use it to repair the damage done to organs, tissues and cells which have become depleted of the necessary constructive elements.  These necessary elements can come only from digested foods.  After a food is digested, it goes through the circulation to every organ, tissue and cell.  Remember, this process begins first with the digestion of food, and no drug yet offered can rectify damage done by failure of digestion."

    Dr. Carroll's observations showed that recovery from illness could be aided by eliminating certain "constitutionally intolerant foods" specific to that individual patient. 

    Allopathic medicine, in a patriarchal mode, disregarded this thinking and opted for random control testing that supported hypotheses based on the "groups" out come.  Today we realize that in the past, traditional medicine essentially "threw the baby out with the bath water." 

    EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE is the path that knowledgeable researches are now taking......looking at the "individual" in addition to the "group" is the norm in a world where a more feminine approach to life is evolving......the group is important, but let's not forget the individual.

    Dr. Carroll eliminated constitutionally intolerant foods from the patients diet and used  hydrotherapy to re-establish health in the individual.   Hydrotherapy improved circulation of blood and lymph, which also aided in the digestion of foods.

    Dr. Carroll's years of experience in treating sick individuals allowed him to conclude that:
        *that each person has some constitutionally intolerant food, food group or combination of foods.....this means some food or foods that they cannot digest &/or assimilate properly...these foods are constitutional and unchanging, similar to ones blood type.
*that sick persons crave their food intolerance(s)
*that healthy persons, be they children or elderly, rarely eat their food intolerances
        *that depending on the individual's constitution, the response resulting from eating the food(s) will be different.....some people will develop intestinal discomfort, skin eruptions, mucous congestion, asthma, inflammation, irritability, fatigue or mental confusion from even a small exposure to the offending food(s).  Others can eat their food intolerances more than once a day without any ill effects!

    Dr. Carroll, with over 60 years of medical experience, noted that "even though a person's constitution was strong, if he ate his food intolerance, his whole system would be strained and sooner or later penalized."  Colon cancer takes 20 years to develop and breast cancer some 10 to 12 years.

    Adverse reactions to foods can affect any bodily system but the most frequently affected systems are the digestive, immune, cardiovascular and the nervous system.  The most common clinical dysfunctions are cramps, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, Crohn's disease, colitis, congestion, inflammation, and autoimmune disease (like rheumatoid arthritis), cardiac arrhythmia, palpitations, tachycardia, poor circulation, high blood pressure, fatigue, irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression.  The weakest link breaks first.

Food Intolerance vs. Food Allergy

   Are food intolerances and food allergies one and the same? or different? 

    For the purpose of this discussion we will say they are different. Food allergies are mediated through an IgE reaction that is essentially an anaphylaxis response to ingesting a food.  This is complete with difficult breathing, heart stopping, death producing occurrence that typifies these Type I allergic reactions.

    Food intolerances are more Type III reactions that need an anti-body response.  Our body treats the food like it would a micro-organism that is invading the individual....it forms antibodies to it. 
    This is also why the elimination diet works.  By always eating the intolerant food, antibodies are engaging the intolerance causing inflammatory products to "stress" the individual never causing an out right allergic reaction.  Once the intolerance has been eliminated for a time, the antibodies themselves diminish.   Then reintroducing the intolerant food may precipitate a severe allergic-like reaction....hives and all! 

    We also know that there are several known adverse or toxic reactions to the ingestion of certain foods.  These reactions are specific to each individual and can be manifested by mental, emotional, and physical disturbances in the form of confusion, fatigue, irritability, manic-depression, headaches, mucous congestion and various inflammatory processes.  The reactions can be explained by the following well known scientific pathways:
    1) Hypoglycemic reaction, especially from sugars and wheat
    2) Molecular reactive substances known as caseomorphins from milk and gluteomorphins from wheat that affect the brain as a "morphine-like" substance.
    3) Chemical hypersensitivity to toxic substances, such as petrochemicals
    4) enzyme deficiency syndromes, especially for alcohol in the North American Indians, or for gluten in patients with celiac disease or for lactose in the lactose-intolerant individual.
    The above are food intolerances contributed by other than antibody mediated responses.

Screening Methods for Constitutional Intolerant Foods

    1) Elimination Diet: a food or several suspected foods or combinations of foods are completely avoided, and if the patient shows improvement, these foods are permanently omitted from the diet.
        ADVANTAGES: It is one of the most simple and economical methods.  It is also the most precise when combined with the challenge testing.
        DISADVANTAGES: It is subjective, time-consuming, and its usefulness is limited to the symptomatic patient.  It is not a preventive test.

    2) Challenge Testing: Suspected foods are avoided or else the person fasts for 4 - 5 days.  Then the person is exposed to the suspected foods one-at-a-time.  In positive tests, symptoms may show up from minutes to 48 hours after the food ingestion.  Symptoms may last for several days.
        ADVANTAGES: Similar to elimination diet
        DISADVANTAGES: Same as elimination diet. Sometimes creates stresses on the patient.

    3) Pulse Testing: This method measures the pulse rate before and after eating a meal.  If the pulse rises or varies more than 16 beats after the meal or any time during the next 24 hours in a resting state, exposure to an offending food can be suspected.
        ADVANTAGES: Similar to elimination diet
        DISADVANTAGES: Same as elimination diet. Limited to only one type of disturbance(pulse).

    4) Cytotoxic Test: This testing evaluates your white blood cell damage when exposed to extracts of foods.  It is carried out in a test tube.
        ADVANTAGE: Cannot hurt the patient, except for the blood draw.
        DISADVANTAGE: Expensive, subjective analysis by a technician, cannot reproduce easily, many false + and - tests.

    5) RAST Test: Traditional allergy testing. Evaluates IgE in response to specific food antigens
        ADVANTAGE: Good in finding IgE mediated allergic reactions
        DISADVANTAGES: Expensive, limited to IgE's, not good in finding antibody mediated responses, many false + and - tests.

    The testing you decide on should be between you and your healthcare professional.