Food intolerance: tests out of reach

For many, the simple consumption of a glass of milk, grain products, or some fruits and vegetables causes bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea, and flatulence due to food intolerances.

It is said that up to 20% of the population suffers from the problem related to the digestive system.

For those trying to put their finger on the foods that are poisoning their lives, there is a simple way. The best way to identify a food intolerance is to try stopping certain foods and see if there is an improvement in symptoms in the following days., Dr. Melanie Belanger, president of the Association of Gastroenterologists of Quebec, AGEQ, explains.

Basically, you keep a food diary, write down everything you eat and monitor your reactions. For food intolerances, symptoms depend on the amount you eat. Therefore, it is very easy to remove food and see an improvement in symptoms.she adds.

She does not support intolerance tests which, in her view, are poorly available and inconclusive.

But the company is still providing its services. Food intolerance canada It is proposed to identify intolerances by testing hundreds of allergens, i.e. allergens.

But allergies and intolerances are two completely different problems, both in terms of mechanism and symptoms. According to Dr. Marie-Noelle Primo, the use of the word sensitive Selling tests intolerance sows confusion.

People may think they can diagnose their allergies because we test against allergens, Explains the person who holds the position of vice-president of the Society of Allergists and Immunologists of Quebec.

We asked Drs Primeau and Bélanger to browse the website of Food intolerance canada. They both cannot believe the comments made by the company.

To put it poorly, I found this site to be completely off-puttinggastroenterologist Melanie Belanger supports.

exactly, Food intolerance canada He uses an amazing method: hair analysis.

Under no circumstances can a hair analysis reveal an intolerance, allergy, or even any allergy to a food, other allergen, or substance., Allergist Marie-Noelle Primo explains.

I have been practicing medicine for about 20 years and have never heard of hair testing to measure or monitor any disease, food intolerance or anything else.

Two different results for the same person

To test scientific claims for Food intolerance canadaOur plan is to send two hair samples to a colleague who suffers from intolerances and allergies.

We purchase two basic tests at a cost of $39 each and mail our partner's hair to the address provided as if they were two separate people.

After a few weeks, we receive the results. What is clear is that the 32 intolerances detected varied significantly depending on the sample analysed.

In fact, only three of the intolerances are identical and the other three are relatively similar. Furthermore, shellfish, to which our colleague is severely allergic, was considered a minor allergy in one test and was not detected in the other.

But the fact remains that such results mislead patients, and can even be dangerous, according to the experts consulted.

The risk associated with the test is believing you are allergic to something when you are not, which could lead to unnecessary dieting or vice versa. [nous amener à] Believing that you are not allergic to something when you are and may continue to be allergic to somethingDr. Primo specifies.

Point of view Food intolerance canada

We called Food intolerance canada To confront them with these contradictions, but there was no one to answer our questions, as we were told. However, it says it guarantees 100% compensation to unsatisfied customers.

Please note: It is written in small print on its website that Internet users who rely on its content do so at their own risk and that bioresonance, the method used by the company, is not recognized in conventional medicine.

It also calls on the public to consult a doctor.

Despite this warning, lawyer Marie-Annick Gregoire believes that… Food intolerance canada It is problematic under competition and consumer protection laws, because of the overall impression it creates.

For example, on the site I noticed pictures of many people wearing white coats and mentions of a partnership with accredited laboratories.

It is quite clear here that we are giving ourselves a scientific veneer. It is not our place, on a website, to make people believe there is scientific value to a product when there is none.

Mysterious company

Food intolerance canadaunder this name, is not a registered company in Quebec or Ontario and does not appear in major federal records either.

However, it does have an address in Toronto that corresponds to a coworking space. But when we go there, we don't learn much about it.

We just process their mail, weanswers the receptionist on the floor when we ask him if he knows Food intolerance canada.

Open in full screen mode

In addition, we discovered that many nearly identical websites were targeting consumers elsewhere in the world by offering similar services.

Their civil addresses, in some cases, may be… PO Boxes.

Indicators lead us to believe that leaders Food intolerance canada They are in the UK. But it is impossible to be sure.

No asylum

Asked about practices Food intolerance canadaThe College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario says it has no opinion on intolerance testing.

For its part, its Quebec counterpart, the College of Physicians, claims it has had no jurisdiction since then Food intolerance canada He is out of the province.

You experience opacity Food intolerance canadaCaution is required, especially since hair contains valuable personal information. Years because we have been developing technologies related to DNA. There, we send our DNA to a company. We don't even know where it is located. Anyway, I find it very disturbing”text”:”We see that we have been solving crimes for 20 years because we are developing DNA-based technologies. And there, we send our DNA to a company. We don't even know where it is located. On Anyway, I find it very annoying”}}”>We see that we have been solving crimes for 20 years because we are developing DNA-based technologies. There, we send our DNA to a company. We don't even know where it is located. However, I find it very annoying, Consumer law lawyer Marie-Anick Gregoire believes.

The College of Physicians of Quebec and the combined physicians are also calling on residents to be cautious.

I feel sad when I see things like this, because it will make patients focus on solutions that… [ne] It won't help themconcludes Dr. Melanie Belanger.

I would like to warn the population against all tests in general that will give you the answer to all the symptoms that you are experiencing without even meeting you, and without even asking you about the symptoms that you are experiencing.