ALCAT Allergy Testing
Intolerances/Sensitivities to foods + food additives + food chemicals + environmental chemicals + herbs/dietary supplements + moulds can cause a wide range of symptoms and disorders. The ALCAT® diagnostic system detects changes in the size and number of leucocytes (i.e. immune cells) in response to exposure to the offending foods, chemicals, additives, herbs and moulds.
The ALCAT® diagnostic system is a useful test which can be used to screen for intolerance and sensitivities to:
- Foods
- Food Additives
- Food Chemicals
- Environmental Chemicals
- Herbs/Dietary Supplements
- Antibiotics and Anti-inflammatories
- Moulds
This diagnostic system detects changes in the size and number of leucocytes (i.e. immune cells) in response to exposure to these analytes.
A significant advantage of this system is that it uses whole blood which contains all of the immune factors, cells and serum proteins that might be involved in an adverse reaction to a foods, chemicals and moulds. Regardless of the pathways that may underlie an adverse reaction to an analyte, i.e. immune or non-immune, the final common pathway may involve release of chemical mediators. These substances such as histamine and cytokines will alter the activity of the white blood cells which is detectable using the ALCAT® technique. In addition, the ALCAT® test will theoretically detect changes in the innate immune system (phagocytic white blood cells) and any cytotoxic effects of a tested analyte
