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MRT Food Sensitivity Testing

Your pain won’t go away no matter what you try, even when you eat healthy foods. The medications you were prescribed did not work. You spent so much time and money on tests, procedures, and doctors’ appointments without answers or clear solutions. You have a food sensitivity and no-one has figured it out or willing to test you. Yet.

Pain, discomfort, and fatigue is stopping you from doing what you love with the people you love, interfering with your relationships, social life, productivity, sleep, and more.

Food sensitivity is making you sick and you may not even know it.

 

Food sensitivity can be involved in an array of symptoms and chronic health problems including:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Heartburn, acid reflux or GERD, stomach pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation
  • Irritable bowel diseases (IBD): Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis
  • Migraines and headaches
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Fibromyalgia and muscle pain
  • Arthritis and joint pain
  • Eczema, hives, and skin rashes
  • Weight imbalances and water retention
  • Insomnia and sleep imbalances
  • Autoimmune diseases

If what you’re eating is causing your illness and discomfort, any medications you take will ultimately fail because they’re not eliminating the source of the problem. If you don’t properly address food sensitivities, you could suffer for many years and spend thousands of dollars on treatments that will never work.

How can a Food Sensitivity Cause Symptoms?

Food sensitivity reactions are complex reactions of the immune system. In people without symptoms, immune cells recognize food particles as safe substances and no immune reactions occur. In people with symptoms, the immune system loses tolerance to certain foods. These food particles become ‘foreign’ substances, forcing immune cells to attack through releasing chemicals called mediators, such as cytokines, leukotrienes, histamines, and others. If these chemicals are released in the gut, gut issues arise. If released in the brain, migraines, headaches, and brain fog can arise. If released in the muscles, muscle pain can arise. The image below shows the different symptoms that can be traced back to food sensitivities.

Food sensitivity testing MRT_Nour Zibdeh

There are several reasons that contribute to the immune cells losing tolerance to certain foods.

Incomplete digestion of food due to lack of or weakened digestive enzymes capacity is a major contributor. Medications that lower the acidity of the stomach (PPI’s like omeprazole, Prilosec, lansoprazole, Prevacid, Protonix, Nexium, etc) lower the overall digestive ability of the gut, resulting in food particles that aren’t completely broken down to structures recognizable by immune cells. Undigested food particles can also get fermented by gut bacteria, causing inflammation that worsens the digestive system’s ability to process food. Leaky gut or increased intestinal permeability causes food particles to pass through the gut to the bloodstream. When immune cells are faced with these undigested and unrecognizable food particles, they attack and react to them, making you feel sick. Other things like gut dysbiosis, infections, food poisoning, and nutrient deficiencies contribute to the development of food sensitivities.

“Fatigue is gone. I am completely off of Aciphex. No more GERD or acid reflux. No more brain fog, bloating, joint pain, snoring and improved vision (WOW).”

-David Galen, Galen Photography, Washington DC

 

A food sensitivity can still be causing your symptoms even though previous food allergy or sensitivity tests showed nothing.

I use the MRT food sensitivity test, which stands for Mediator Release Test. Food sensitivities are not food allergies. Food allergies are IgE immune reactions measured through IgE skin or blood tests. Food sensitivities are completely different immune pathways, they are non-IgE mediated, and non-celiac or autoimmune reactions. Your allergist may have told you that you don’t have a food allergy, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have food sensitivities.

Not all food sensitivity testing are the same.

Many doctors run food sensitivity testing panels using IgG tests. IgG’s are antibodies, and some practitioners use these tests to identify food sensitivities. However, this kind of test is not useful because IgG indicates exposure to the food, not necessarily a sensitivity to the food. In fact, a normal immune system will produce IgG antibodies as a reaction to proteins in the foods you eat, and a high value means that you frequently eat this food and tolerate it. It doesn’t mean you are sensitive to the food. Many of my patients say that they didn’t notice any improvement to their symptoms following an IgG test results, confirming that IgG tests do not uncover hidden food sensitivities.

The MRT food sensitivity test measures end reactions and is more comprehensive.

The single common feature and the key event that lead to every symptom you suffer as a result of food inflammatory reactions is that these foods cause mediator release (cytokines, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, etc.) from various white blood cells (neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, lymphocytes). The MRT food sensitivity test has a 93.6% split sample reproducibility, accounts for the widest range of inflammatory pathways, and capable of measuring both innate and adaptive pathways.

Food sensitivity will trigger your symptoms despite a normal colonoscopy, endoscopy, scans, stool testing, or celiac disease testing.

They tests are important to assess if you have ulcers, gastritis, Crohn’s, colitis, celiac disease, gall bladder stones, and others. However, these tests do not address immune reactions to foods and will not tell you whether you tolerate a food or not. In fact, food sensitivity can be worsening or contributing to these symptoms as it’s estimated that 30-40% of people have a food sensitivity. If you have irritable stomach pain or digestive symptoms, and your doctors told you they couldn’t find anything wrong with you, or if the only solutions you were given are medications or removing your gallbladder or a part of your intestine, and you want a more natural, food-based, non-invasive solution, this is exactly the right program for you.

“I handle food better, as in digest things better, without suffering the effects of a bad digestive system. I am not in pain, or bloated, or lethargic anymore. I haven’t had a headache in a long time. I have more energy. I feel more present. 
I really enjoyed working  with Mrs. Zibdeh. She honestly wanted me to be better. She will do everything to help you succeed.”

–Sophie R, Herndon, Virginia

 

Typical elimination diet protocols are tedious and not useful.

Typical elimination diets that start you on certain foods are completely based on guesses. I have not been able to identify a single food that was safe for every patient I worked with over the years. Any food, healthy or not, and including spices and herbs, can trigger a reaction. Eliminating some foods, without clearly knowing which ones are safe, will not give you the relief you’re looking for.

Food sensitivities are not easy to uncover without testing.

The process of uncovering food sensitivities without proper testing can be long and tedious. Food sensitivities are delayed reactions, and symptom can appear after 72 hours of eating the food. Food sensitivities are also dose dependent, and eating a small amount may be tolerated but a large amount is not. Considering that you can eat 100 items (including foods and food chemicals) in a 72-hour time frame, pinpointing problem foods, even with a food diary, is almost impossible.

I wanted to try a different approach for my migraines. I went from having 2 severe migraines a week to none (a mild headache if any). I thought I would never feel any relief from them. After following the protocol, I have definitely seen positive results. I would encourage anyone with migraines to look into a nutritional protocol, especially the MRT test, because you will be surprised what foods that you may be eating might be causing some type of trouble without you knowing it. You will see positive results, as long as you remain steadfast and consistent for the most part.

—Lujain S, young mom of 2, Leesburg VA

 

Food sensitivity symptoms are subtle and can go under the radar for years.

Food sensitivity symptoms are often subtle, slow, chronic, and delayed, compared to food allergy symptoms that are acute and immediate after eating the food. You can live years with headaches, brain fog, fatigue, bloating, muscle pain or other related symptoms before you address the problem. You may have forgotten what it is like to feel good, healthy, and energetic. You will find out how good your body can feel after you go through the food sensitivities program.

“This is the best I have felt in a long time. This program [MRT-LEAP food sensitivities program] has changed my life. I went from having to drag myself through the day to being energetic, alert and feeling wonderful over-all.”

–Glen S, Executive Recruiter in Marshal, Virginia

 

Untreated food sensitivity is a chronic internal physical stress and inflammation.

A chronically activated immune system that’s constantly fighting food is considered a source of inflammation. Inflammation predisposes you to many chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancers, and inflammatory bowel conditions. Inflammation and stress elevate your cortisol level and prevent you from losing weight. They also contribute to swelling and water retention. Without addressing food sensitivities, these conditions will persist and even get worse with time.

Take this questionnaire to see if food sensitivities are affecting you.

(ps. there are no wrong or right answers on the questionnaire. Any symptom is related to food sensitivities, and multiple symptoms indicate more chances of food sensitivities playing a role)

“I don’t miss the way I was eating [before food sensitivity program]. I’m feeling awesome. It’s been so easy. Now I see the giant light at the end of the tunnel.”

–R.S., Great Falls, Virginia

 

Food sensitivity Testing and Program

Food sensitivity testing is included in my full VIP, 4-month coaching program Eat to Thrive. Here’s more information on what to expect and a timeline. If you would like to see if this is a good fit for you, the best step to take is to schedule a strategy session with me here.

This program is for you if:

  • You’re dedicated to your improving your health and getting rid of your symptoms
  • You’re willing to cook your own food for at least 1 month
  • You’re willing to let go of any food, even your favorite ones, if it comes back reactive (but only for 3-6 months) 
  • You’re willing to try new foods
  • You’re willing to give up alcohol for at least 1 month
  • You’re willing to combine food sensitivities program with overall gut healing protocol that involves specialized dietary supplements (recommended for best results)

This program is NOT for you if:

  • You’re not willing to give up certain foods from your diet
  • You’re not willing to make your own meals
  • We do not offer the test without consultations. The results are not always easy to interpret, and there are many layers involved when we select the foods you will eat on this plan. Your success depends on us working together.

 

Click HERE to book a strategy session to find out if you’re the right fit for this program.

Florida Gators basketball team is using this test to improve energy, performance, and help players eliminate joint pain!

Before working with Nour, I experienced intestinal pain off and on for for 54 years with minimal success on medications. I have benefited 100% from Nour’s program as I am now pain free!

A lot of time and money was wasted on foods that I thought would help my digestive struggles [diarrhea, bloating, hunger], but in fact I was making it worse. The main benefit is getting a handle on what negatively affects my digestive symptom. Doing a total 180 to my eating habits has been pretty amazing.

Learn more about what I do