Food sensitivity can be likened to a milder form of food allergies.  We have all heard the stories of people with true food allergies.  After enjoying a delicious shrimp dish, a person stops breathing and is rushed to the hospital.  Children can not eat in the same school room as children with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  After eating a dish containing soy products, a restaurant customer must rush to the restroom even before the dinner is over.  These reactions are severe, and have been diagnosed for years.  Allergists have used skin scratch tests or a blood test for IgE to determine if the allergy exists and advise their patients to avoid the allergens.  The reaction to the food is quick and severe.  It is relatively easy to determine exactly which food item caused the symptoms.  Even though allergies and sensitivities are quite different, having allergies makes you more likely to also have food sensitivities. 

Food sensitivities are far more common than once realized.  Research indicates that 15-25% of the population has a chronic condition that is caused by foods that trigger the immune system’s defense mechanism.  The reactions to food sensitivities are not as life threatening as allergic reactions and they can occur anywhere from a few hours after eating the food to several days.  The immune system starts treating a few food items as the “enemy”.  It is the same way it would treat a truly harmful thing such as bacteria, viruses or parasites.  Toxic chemicals are released into the body from immune cells to fight the “invader”.  It seems to be the inflammatory and pain-inducing effects of these chemicals that make us feel sick.   Symptoms can include chronic headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and digestive problems including irritable bowel syndrome.  The symptoms of fibromyalgia and migraine headaches may be greatly reduced after identifying food sensitivities. It is extremely difficult to determine which foods provoke the symptoms.  Most people suspect that certain foods may cause them problems, but are unsure what those foods (or food additives) are.  Although the answer to why this problem occurs has not been discovered as yet, research has shown us how to detect food sensitivities and provides us with a solution. 

The LEAP Program has been developed to help individuals determine their food sensitivities and provides guidelines for healthy eating.  A simple blood test called the MRT Test identifies your personal reaction to 123 foods and 27 chemicals.  With the help of a Certified LEAP Therapist who is also a licensed registered dietitian, you are guided through the phases of the Leap Dietary Protocols that many have found to produce significant symptom reduction in as little as seven to ten days. 

 For more information on the LEAP Program