Food Allergies photo of Dairy

Intro to Food Allergies

& Sensitivities

True food allergy (Type I IGE mediated immunologic response) only represents 5% of the immunologic reactions caused by foods in the human body. The other 95% of the food reactions can be mediated by other immunologic or idiosyncratic reactions.

The Type I reaction is the usual reaction that causes severe, life-threatening swelling of the airway or urticaria (hives) in the body. This is the classic clinical case of the child who eats peanuts then swells up and cannot breathe. The only treatment for this is complete avoidance of the offending food.

The remaining types of food reactions have been difficult to prove in the past. The classic type of delayed food reaction was Celiac Disease caused by a cell mediated response to wheat gluten. As better serologic testing is now available for gluten sensitivity, medicine will eventually realized what Dr. Govett's mentors taught him; wheat gluten is responsible for many illness from cancer to autoimmune illness to neurologic dysfunction. Due to the better serologic testing that is now available through Dr. Govett's office, many more disease states resulting from gluten can be adequately tested and treated.

Food Sensitivity Evaluations

Dr. Govett uses a variety of testing techniques for the evaluation of food sensitivities. He has accounts with laboratories located out of Oklahoma that measure the different immunologic reactions to foods. Dr. Govett encourages his patient to get the financial arrangements evaluated prior to any testing as most of these laboratories require payment prior to running the assay. Provocation-neutralization injection testing for foods is also performed in the office.