Blood Test
for Delayed Food Hypersensitivities
by Barbara D. Allan
Author of Conquering Arthritis
Delayed Food Hypersensitivities and Arthritis
Food allergies are one of the major underlying causes of arthritis.
The type of food allergies that cause arthritis are technically called delayed food hypersensitivities. They can be difficult to identify because they take 24 and sometimes as much as 36 hours to show up after eating a problem food.
There is no single food or single list of foods that cause arthritis. The list differs from person to person. That is why everyone must be individually tested.
One of the keys to healing arthritis, therefore, is knowing exactly what foods you personally need to avoid.
The ALCAT Test
When I wrote the book Conquering Arthritis the only reliable way I knew to test for delayed food hypersensitivities was elimination of all possible problem foods either through fasting or through a very limited hypoallergenic diet and then testing by selective reintroduction. This still works and I still recommend it, but since then I have also discovered a blood test that is an even better place to start.
The name of the test is the ALCAT test. The ALCAT can screen for sensitivity reactions against any of a hundred or so common foods, many food additives and chemicals in our environment.
Bottom line: This test gives you a huge head start in your healing process. Even in the rare event that you have no food sensitivities, you will know for sure that you don't and can stop wasting your time and effort wondering if food and chemical sensitivities are contributing to your problems.
My New Food Sensitivity Testing Recommendation
I still highly recommend fasting because of the healing it initiates all on its own, totally apart from using it to identify food sensitivities, but if you have the $700 or $800 or so (including blood draw) that the ALCAT test costs, I highly recommend it as well. This is because it is such an easy way to screen for many substances, all at once. It takes so much of the guesswork and time consuming trial and error out of sensitivity testing.
You can even test for sensitivity to many environmental chemicals that you would never want to voluntarily expose yourself to.
I recommend buying the Comprehensive Wellness 3 test panel. It costs $675. It tests for:
- 150 foods
- 10 food additives
- 10 food colorings
- 10 environmental chemicals
- 20 types of mold.
If you are actively taking anti-inflammatory drugs you might also want to be tested with the 10 Anti-inflammatory Agents Panel.
The ALCAT company made a special test panel they are calling the “Barbara Allan” panel. This panel tests for everything in the Comprehensive Wellness 3 panel plus these ten anti-inflammatory drugs:
- Advil/Motrin
- Aleve
- Aspirin
- Clinoril
- Dolobid
- Feldene
- Indocin
- Penicillamine
- Tylenol
- Voltaren
If you are tested, you will know if you have an adverse reaction to any of these drugs.
If you would like to be extra comprehensive I also offer the deluxe Platinum Comprehensive Panel for $1099 which tests for everything the alcat company can test for:
- 200 foods
- 10 food additives
- 10 food colorings
- 20 molds
- 20 pharmacoactive agents
- 10 environmental chemicals
- 10 antibiotics
- And 10 anti-inflammatory agents
If you have special needs, please contact my office. We will work with you to put together the perfect combination for your needs. For instance there is a 50 food panel for children 3 and under and a special 150 food panel for vegetarians. We can also upgrade our other packages from testing 150 foods to testing 200 foods.
You can view the exact foods and other substances tested for on the ALCAT website.
However, make sure you purchase through this website or our office
if you would like a free phone consultation with me,
where I go over your test results with you.
Once You Have Ordered
Alcat will ship your test kit to you using FedEx.
Before shipping your test kit, Alcat will call you to help you arrange for a blood
draw.
Alcat works with a large list of draw sites around the United States. This includes
Concentra Labs, hospitals, medical facilities, and other locations. Alcat also has an Exam One Mobil
phlebotomy service which can come to your home or office. This service costs
about $55.
The cost of blood draws vary from one location to the next. Usually the draws you
travel to cost about $35. Once in a while my clients luck out by living near a location that provides blood
draws for free as a courtesy.
If you live outside of the United States, call the ALCAT folks to see what is available in your
area: (954) 426-2304.
Once you have had the blood draw, it takes a couple weeks to get your result back. Good educational materials included with the test results to help you know how to best use the results.
Website Special
Buy the ALCAT test through the links below and I will provide a free 30-minute phone consultation in which I help you understand your ALCAT test results and what they mean in terms of healing your arthritis.
- Comprehensive Wellness III $675
150 foods, 10 food additives, 10 food colorings, 20 molds, 10 environmental chemicals
- Barbara Allan Test Panel (Comprehensive Wellness III plus 10 anti-inflammatory agents) $775
- Comprehensive Wellness 1 $850
200 foods, 10 food additives, 10 food colorings, 20 molds,10 environmental chemicals
- Platinum Comprehensive $1099
200 foods, 10 food additives, 10 food colorings, 20 molds, 20 pharmocoactive agents, 10 environmental chemicals, 10 antibiotics, 10 anti-inflammatory agents
Insurance Coverage
Will your insurance cover the cost of an ALCAT test?
Yes, certain insurance policies will pay for all or part of Alcat testing.
Enter you name and email address below and I will gladly send you information on how to pre-verify whether your insurance covers the Alcat test:
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