The state of scientific discussion
IgG food allergy testing – worthwhile approach or superfluous diagnostics?
Chronic complaints can have a variety of causes. It is therefore important to find out what may be causing the complaints. One assumption is that chronic complaints might be intensified by inflammatory reactions. Among other factors, foods could be responsible for these inflammatory reactions. This might be indicated by an increased level of certain antibodies (IgG antibodies). These IgG antibodies are detectable by laboratory diagnostics. Avoiding the foodstuffs identified in the lab in the patient’s everyday-diet has relieved the complaints in a lot of cases. Various studies suggest that there might be a correlation between the consumption of foods and certain chronic complaints which in turn has led to a promising therapeutic approach. The ImuPro concept is based on this approach.
However, the above mentioned correlations between food intake and the aggravation of chronic complaints has not yet been scientifically proven. Further scientific research is necessary. In addition, these correlations are still a subject of debate in conventional medicine. Therefore, the ImuPro concept belongs to complementary medicine. If you want to follow this approach, therapeutic counselling and a prior medical examination excluding other causes of diseases are prerequisites.
ImuPro – criticism
Critics often argue that every human being produces IgG antibodies to foods and that allergies are rare. However, they usually talk about classical type I allergy and do not sufficiently differentiate between types of antibodies. Type I allergies are associated with rapid symptoms, e.g. a rash. Such symptoms are usually based on the release of histamine in which IgE antibodies are involved. ImuPro, however, tests for IgG antibodies which can trigger so called delayed type III allergies. This means that neither IgE mediated acute allergies (type I) nor food intolerances nor merely so called IgG-4-antibodies are tested for. Instead, ImuPro tests for IgG-1, IgG-2, IgG-3 and IgG-4 antibodies. These differences with regard to types of allergy and the different classes of antibodies have to be kept in mind when evaluating the ImuPro test.
Do you have further questions? Are you still unsettled by criticism on IgG tests? Just contact us. We will be glad to answer all your questions.
