Food Sensitivity Testing – Edmonton

Name: The Genomic Clinic
Address: 16923 127 St NW, Edmonton, AB, T6V 0T1
Telephone: 780-476-5637

The Genomic Clinic is an Edmonton medical center dedicated to disease prevention and reversal.

At the Genomic Clinic Dr. Harvey Rao MD, has 20 years of medical expertise in functional medicine. He is dedicated to understanding, treating and reversing medical conditions by identifying root causes of diseases.

Dr. Harvey Rao has an avid interest in food and nutrition and specifically screening and treating food sensitivities. An increasing number of people are experiencing symptoms related to food allergies and intolerance to food substances. In most cases, there is an upregulation (hypersensitivity) of the immune system. This exaggerated immune response to food (and other allergens -chemical, bacterial, inhaled) can result in inflammatory states which can affect any part of the body. There are many symptoms that may be linked to food sensitivities. If you suffer from any of the symptoms or conditions below your condition may be aggravated or even caused by food sensitivities.

Food Sensitivity – Edmonton Medical Clinic
LDA Immunotherapy & Food Sensitivity Testing
Dr. Harvey Rao MD
16923 127 St. Edmonton
Food sensitivity testing questions?
780-476-5637
Call to book a consultation with Dr. Rao, or click below:
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Edmonton Food Sensitivity Treatment Clinic

Symptoms or Conditions that may be linked to food sensitivity:

Gastrointestinal disease
– Vague abdominal cramping, diarrhoea, bloatiness
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
– Inflammatory bowel disease (including crohns disease, ulcerative colitis)
Joint and muscle disease
– Reactive arthritis (RA)
– Other autoimmune arthropathies such as rheumatoid arthritis
– Ankylosing spondylitis
– unexplained muscle joint pains with fatigue
Neurological conditions
– chronic unexplained headaches
– Cognitive decline
– Mental fog
– Depression
– Anxiety states
– Fibromyalgia
Dermatological conditions
– Eczema
– Psoriasis & other inflammatory skin states
Seasonal allergy states- such as hayfever, sinusitis, etc.

At the Genomic Clinic, we identify food (and other allergens) triggers and treat them using research-backed therapies such as LDA therapy. Dr. Harvey Rao is an MD who is able to combine conventional medical treatments with functional medicine to formulate cutting edge treatments for his patients.

How do we diagnose a food sensitivity?

After an initial functional medical consultation, Dr. Harvey Rao aims to identify potential food allergens that may be causing sensitivities and bodily disruption.

In many cases, exposures to toxic “food-like” substances, can aggravate our immune system leading to multi-system symptoms.

At the Genomic clinic, Dr. Rao utilizes his medical expertise and diagnostic tests to identify foods that may be causing aggravation and sensitivity in the body.

The Ig G Food Sensitivity Test

One of the key tests utilized to identify food sensitivities/ allergies is the Ig G Food Sensitivity test. This is a simple blood test that tests for 222 different foods. The panel can be useful in specifically identifying foods you may be sensitive to. Foods are screened in all categories including dairy/eggs, grains, fruit, vegetables, herbs/spices, nuts/seeds, fish/seafood and meat.

How do we treat Food sensitivity?

Once food testing is complete, Dr. Rao formulates a dietary plan and treatment strategy which is custom-tailored to the individual patient. Alongside the diet plan, one of the key treatment therapies utilized to regulate the hyperactive immune system is LDA (Low-dose-allergen) therapy.

LDA is an extremely safe well-researched therapy that has been shown to alleviate food sensitivities.

LDA therapy is administered every two months in the form of a simple intradermal injection (into the skin). This is in conjunction with a customized diet plan (devised by Dr. Harvey Rao) and supplements to aid in calming the immune system.

LDA therapy mixtures are made up of over 300 extremely low dose allergens that can act to treat patients who are sensitive to most food substances and food additives. The formulations of allergens provide coverage to stimulate a protective immune response within your body.

LDA Immunotherapy is a safe effective therapy which can help alleviate the symptoms many suffer with as a result of sensitivity to foods, environment and chemicals. It offers a long term therapeutic option to calm the immune system and restore balance in the body. food allergy testing - the genomic clinic

Why Dr Harvey Rao MD?

Dr Harvey Rao is a UK born and trained MD who has 22 years of experience as a physician. He also has a first-class honors degree in Physiology further cementing his interest in human performance. His in-depth skill and expertise of conventional medicine combined with his passion for functional medicine makes him a unique expert who can analyze and treat patients with the full scope of mainstream and functional medicine. Being an MD allows him to provide a complete medical treatment strategy.

So what is the next step?

The first step towards diagnosing and treating food sensitivity is to schedule a functional medical consultation with Dr Harvey Rao MD. This consultation typically lasts about 30 minutes and allows Dr Rao to analyse your symptoms and determine whether you may be suffering with food sensitivity or intolerance. If necessary Dr Rao will utilize tests to determine whether you are suffering with food sensitivity (using food sensitivity panels) and also rule out other related conditions such as leaky gut syndrome, Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or Gut dysbiosis/microbiome dysfunction, parasite/ yeast overgrowth.

Once a diagnosis of food sensitivity has been made, the next step is to begin treatment. This involves

A customized treatment plan comprising tailored diet plans
Low dose allergen (LDA) therapy
Dietary nutraceutical supplementation (if needed)

The aim of the plan is to prevent, reverse and mitigate any disease process which has been directly or indirectly triggered by food sensitivity.

How is food sensitivity different from food allergies?

The difference between a food allergy and sensitivity is the body’s response. When you have a food allergy, your immune system causes the reaction. If you have a food sensitivity or intolerance, the reaction is triggered by the digestive system.

How much does food sensitivity testing cost?

Ig G food sensitivity testing involves coming to the clinic and having a blood sample drawn. This is sent off to a private lab for diagnostics. The cost of this panel (which measures sensitivity to 222 food allergens is $650. It allows Dr Rao to formulate a more targeted dietary plan before commencing LDA therapy.

Is LDA treatment for food sensitivity safe?

In larger scale studies LDA has been demonstrated to be extremely safe. The reason for this is that the dosages of the allergens used are extremely low and hence the risk of any adverse reaction is negligible. As with any treatment, milder side effects are possible, but in most cases extremely short lived. Local reactions and skin irritation to injections have been reported.

How long does it take to respond to LDA?

Many patients notice an immediate benefit in their symptoms after the first shot. This can be temporary, lasting a few weeks after which symptoms sometimes come back. Most patients notice a more sustained benefit within the first two to three treatments. The full benefit of the therapy can take longer. Initially. the improvements take time to sustain but as the therapy progresses the body is able to maintain longer periods of symptom improvement. The total length of treatment is variable but in many cases, patients can stop LDA after 10-15 doses.

Who can benefit from LDA immunotherapy?

Anyone suffering from symptoms related to food or autoimmune conditions. Virtually any symptom can be related to the reaction to the food we eat. Patients are usually the best judge of their symptoms being aggravated by foods. The range of symptoms that can be treated with this very safe therapy is huge.

What is the aim of LDA immunotherapy?

LDA immunotherapy is the best therapy for sensitivity. The vast majority of us suffer with vague sensitivities to food, chemical and inhaled allergens. In mainstream medicine these sensitivities are not easily treatable and for many the severe impact on lifestyle leads to avoidance and severe restriction in dietary habits and activity.

LDA therapy has the huge advantage of not only treating the immediate GI symptoms of food sensitivity but also many systemic auto-immune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, reactive arthritis, psoriasis etc. Many of these conditions have in research studies been linked to cross reactivity with allergens and bacteria. Some food and bacterial allergens share structures with those of our body organs. Therefore reactions against these allergens can lead to “molecular mimicry” whereby your body mounts a serious autoimmune response to itself leading to systemic diseases. Many research studies have shown that such molecular mimicry may underlie many autoimmune conditions.

LDA therapy helps manage the bodies response to these antigens and over the course of treatment resolve associated symptoms.

How do we utilize LDA immunotherapy to treat food sensitivity and sensitivity to other allergens?

Following a consultation with Dr. Harvey Rao, a course of LDA immunotherapy may be utilized. In some cases prior to administration of LDA therapy, food sensitivity panels may be undertaken to test patients for particular suspected food allergen sensitivities. We utilize food panels which test for virtually all common food substances. Knowing specifically which foods a patient is sensitive to can help shape diet plans during LDA therapy. In some cases, patients may be suffering from a mixture of food and inhaled allergen sensitivity. Depending on the presenting symptoms a customized program of LDA therapy is formulated.

Patients are advised on preparations and modifications which may need to be undertaken prior to the LDA immunotherapy. In most cases, patients are placed on a restrictive diet for three days around the LDA injections. This greatly improves the results.

LDA immunotherapy is administered every two months at the clinic. The treatment is very safe and there has been no report of serious adverse effects in numerous research studies over many years. After the first six to eight treatments in most cases, the intervals between injections can be extended. This is because LDA injections will “immunize” as treatments progress and create a growing population of protective lymphocytes. These confer more protection as time goes on.

How much does LDA cost?

Initial consultation fee with Dr. Harvey Rao: $150
LDA injection therapy costs $350 per injection, administered every two months.

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