Discover Which Foods Are Making You Sick!
Food Sensitivities & Intolerances Are Common!
Dr. Daniel H. Duffy, Jr. D.C.
Dr. Deborah Johnson D.C.
Dr. DeeDee Duffy D.C.
Functional Medicine Physicians
25 Years Experience
Functional Medicine determines how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root causes of disease for each individual.
"The Functional Medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness. It requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes" (Institute for Functional Medicine)
Call or Visit Us Today!
Highland Wellness Center
5606 Wilson Mills Road
Highland Heights, OH 44143
440-449-1866
Applied Kinesiology
Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine
"That which can be treated by diet should be treated by diet"
-Maimonides
Genova Diagnostics Cyrex
What Is A Food Sensitivity?
A food sensitivity or a food intolerance is caused by an inability to digest a food and occurs in the digestive tract and not the bloodstream, like a food allergy. Symptoms are “delayed onset”, where symptoms do not appear for hours or even days. Food sensitivities are not fixed, and can come and go during the course of one’s life.
Strangely, people often crave foods to which they are sensitive to. Some researchers suggest that our bodies can become addicted to the chemical messengers, such as histamine or cortisol, which are secreted by immune cells in response to allergens in the body. The body may experience a soothing response from the presence of the chemical messengers, increasing the desire to eat more of that food.
Note that food sensitivities and allergies can change every year. Just because you’re diagnosed with a food sensitivity or allergy one year does not mean it will hold true for the rest of your life. This is why we encourage our patients to get tested at least once a year.
What Are Some Symptoms Of A Food Sensitivity?
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Fatigue
- Gas / Bloating
- Weight Loss Resistance
- Thyroid Dysfunction
- Chronic Pain / Inflammation
- Stomach ache
What Causes A Food Sensitivity?
Too much of one food. You can become sensitive to any food you eat too often. Many people eat a relatively small number of foods several times a day. For example, wheat, a common food sensitivity, is found in breakfast cereals, the bread used to make a sandwich at lunchtime, and the spaghetti eaten at dinnertime.
Leaky gut syndrome. The digestive tract plays a vital role in preventing illness and disease by providing an impenetrable barrier. When the lining of the gut is inflamed from a food sensitivity, small openings develop between the tightly woven cells making up the gut walls. This is called “leaky gut syndrome". With leaky gut syndrome, partially digested dietary protein can cross the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream. These large protein molecules can cause an allergic response, producing symptoms directly in the intestines or throughout the body. Additionally, hundreds of yeast and bacteria are released from the gut into the bloodstream where they set up infection anywhere, including muscles, joints, bones, teeth roots, coronary arteries, or even the brain. The early introduction of solid foods to infants before six months of age contributes to leaky gut syndrome and subsequent food allergies and sensitivities.
Deficiency of Probiotics. One of the causes of leaky gut is an absence of probiotics or ‘friendly’ bacteria in the intestines. The friendly bacteria help maintain the health of the intestines by producing fuel for intestinal cells and killing bad bacteria. Parasitic infections, treatment with antibiotics and other toxic pharmaceuticals, stress, poor diet (sugar and flour), smoking, alcohol, excessive hygiene, candida overgrowth and bottle-feeding your baby can disrupt the proper balance of friendly bacteria to bad bacteria.
Over-worked immune system. Constant stress, exposure to air and water pollution, and pesticides and chemicals in our food puts a strain on our immune system, making it less able to respond appropriately to the antigens in food.
Genetics. Food allergies and intolerances seem to be hereditary. Research indicates that if both parents have allergies, their children have a sixty-seven percent chance of developing food allergies. When only one parent is allergic, the child has a 33% chance of developing food allergies. Specifically, a person may inherit a deficiency of an enzyme like lactase, the enzyme that digests dairy. With nightshade sensitivities, there are ten genetic variants for susceptibility, not all individuals are affected equally or at all. A similar case can be made for other food sensitivities. Genetic variations predict the severity of your sensitivity.
How Food Sensitivities Can Destroy Your Health...
INFLAMMATION is one of the biggest drivers of weight gain and disease in America. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol are ALL inflammatory based conditions. Food sensitivities cause systemic inflammation throughout the body, beginning in the gut. For exmaple, in people with gluten sensitivity, the immune system attacks the intestinal cells to which gluten attaches, inflaming the gut. And, when the lining of the gut is inflamed, the body is prone to even more food sensitivities and reactions, and the problem spirals out of control. The other important thing to remember is your small intestine is where you absorb your nutrients. So if you’re sensitive to gluten, this destroys your small intestine leading to nutrient deficiencies. It’s the nutrient deficiencies that can lead to a whole host of symptoms and conditions. This is one other reason why we test for deficiencies if you are indeed intolerant to gluten.
The other problem is that most people eat foods they have become sensitive to several times a day. Every time that food enters the body, the immune system whips itself into a frenzy. But because symptoms are delayed up to 72 hours after eating, a food sensitivity can be hard to spot. Without diagnosis or awareness, the damage is repeated over and over, meal after meal. Eventually, inflammation seeps throughout the body, establishing an environment ripe for weight gain and chronic disease.
What Food Testing Can Benefit?
- Nutrtional and health status optimization with a tailored food and supplement plan
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Women's health; fertility, pregnancy, lactation, perimenopause, menopause, and others
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High performance and/or severe stress
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Sports nutrition
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Pre and post surgery
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Weight management, obesity
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Burnout, fatigue, depression, mood swings, low vitality
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Chronic conditions, and/or metabolic syndrome (increased blood pressure and blood sugar, excess body fat, abnormal cholesterol)
What's The Next Step?
If you think you may be sensitive to certain foods, the best thing to do is to simply test. It's a simple finger prick done in under 3 minutes. Remember, we’re testing the delayed immune response / reaction and this makes any sort of elimination diet next to impossible. Call our clinic to today to set up a consultation with Dr. Duffy or Dr. Johnson and to see if food sensitivity testing may be right for you.
Remember - We Help Patients From All Across Northeast Ohio Get Food Tested!
- Food Sensitivity Testing Cleveland, OH
- Food Sensitivity Testing Highland Heights, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Mayfield, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Westlake, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Avon, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Mentor, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Painesville, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Beachwood, OH
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Food Sensitivity Testing Rocky River, OH
We Offer A Professional, Comfortable, Relaxed Environment!
Call Today For A 100% FREE Consultation With Dr. Duffy or Dr. Johnson
440-449-1866
Meet Our Doctors
Dr. Daniel Duffy, Jr.
Dr. Duffy Jr. was accepted into National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, Illinois. Upon graduating in 1994 Dr. Duffy Jr. moved to the Northeast Ohio area to study with his father in the family clinic. Dr. Duffy Jr. is certified in Applied Kinesiology having over a thousand hours of basic and advanced study. He is a member of the International College of Applied Kinesiology, a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine, and has completed the Institute’s Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice Course. Dr. Duffy has also completed his Fellowship in acupuncture through the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture.
Dr. Deborah Johnson
Dr. Deborah Johnson spent her undergraduate years studying Biology at Lewis University while excelling on the court playing NCAA Division II Basketball. After finishing her undergraduate studies, Dr. Johnson attended National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, Illinois. At National College of Chiropractic, Dr. Johnson discovered her passion for helping others achieve their optimal level of health. Dr. Johnson's special interests include Applied Kinesiology, Functional Medicine, Women's health, and is a certified Thermographer. She has completed over a thousand hours in basic and advanced study in Applied Kinesiology. Dr. Johnson is also a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine and International College of Applied Kinesiology.
Contact Us:
440-449-1866
Highland Wellness Center
5606 Wilson Mills Road
Highland Heights, OH 44143
Hours:
Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 3pm
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