Options include scratch, blood or VEGA test
Many people come into the office with asthma, eczema, arthritis, heart disease and many other problems that they have been dealing with for many years.
Most of the options they have tried are not working or only work if they stay on a prescribed drug.
So, one of the important questions they ask is “How can I figure out what is causing the problem?” Another is “Is there anything else I can use that will fix the problem?”
One of the ways to find out what might be underlying the rash, wheezing or joint achiness is to test for environmental or food allergies and sensitivities. That can be done with a scratch test, blood test or VEGA test.
The scratch test is fairly accurate for environmental allergies such as pollens, moulds and dust, but, is not accurate for food allergies.
Blood tests are also available for environmental and food allergies. These require a sample of blood and having exposure to those allergens to measure the number of antibodies produced to specific allergens.
This can result in some inaccuracies if there hasn’t been exposure to that allergen for some time.
As an example, if someone had a blood test done in the winter to allergens they react to in the summer, it may come back negative.
So, if you have that testing done, be sure you go at the right time of year to ensure the highest accuracy.
Blood testing for foods will only pick up on those that produce a strong allergic response. It will not pick up on foods that the body is irritated by or foods that can create inflammation. These can affect the body, so that it doesn’t function optimally.
Therefore, I find the VEGA gives me the most accurate and inclusive information.
It will pick up on allergies/irritants or sensitivities. It is based on the electrical signal of the skin, just like an EKG is based on the electrical signal of the heart.
It was developed by a German physician after the EKG. Just as we can have someone run on a treadmill to create stress to the body to see if the EKG changes, we can put a potential stressor into the system to see if the signal changes.
If it drops, then we know what was entered into circuit is disturbing the signal and therefore is putting stress on the body.
If the signal remains strong, then we know the body is not disturbed by the potential stressor. By using it this way, it can identify food allergies/sensitivities or irritants.
Another way of utilizing the VEGA is to identify deficiencies in vitamin and mineral levels. This is crucial, because that is what feeds the body what it needs to repair, re-balance and strengthen itself. That always needs to be corrected first!
It can also identify weaknesses in organs, so, again can help identify which are the areas of greatest concern.
Then, by asking other questions, I can help direct the supplements, herbs or homeopathics to where they are needed the most!
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Dr. Brenda Gill is a Rossland naturopath