On Sun, Mar 29, 2015 at 05:53:05AM +0000, Jeff Hogan [[log in to unmask]] wrote (in part):
| Janice
| 
| I also wanted to get your opinion about the ALCAT test. 

I tried to find some literature about the ALCAT tests and
apparently much information is proprietary. But based on what I
understand about immunology, ALCAT is very generalized (too
generalized) and methodology depends on white cell reactions to
various apparently proprietary components that are intended to
represent foods/allergens. This is already problematic since it
does not not actually trigger specific antibody response.

An antibody is a specific protein made in reaction to a specific
antigen (an irritant, infection, a protein, etc). That antibody
remains specific for the irritant and after its development, when
inflammation has been addressed by 'attacking' the interloper,
the antibody level in the body reduces, but the titer of antibody
will increase when the interloper resurfaces again.
http://faculty.stcc.edu/AandP/AP/AP2pages/Units21to23/immune/abinfo.htm

On the other hand, white blood cells are complex organic cellular
structures with complex internal organelles. Their reactivity can
be influenced by energy state of their organelles, they may have
various generalized reactions to things ('look! it's something
NEW!' or 'look, it's kinda like that other thing we didn't like',
'or OOPS, this reminds me of strep, so I'm going to attack this
human heart cell or joint with excess vigor!' <autoimmune
response> etc) and so the ALCAT test doesn't identify the
particular antigen to which a body is sensitized.  So a person
might have positive results with a host of things, some might
actually be cross reactions or transient reactions that don't
have specific applications for improving health.


Additionally when ALCAT choose for something to represent a
potential antigen, such as 'beef' or a specific grain, of the
dozens or more, of potential proteins, which one(s?) did they
choose and why? Uhuh... we don't know, it's proprietary. There
may possibly be useful information in there if a person's
lifestyle is very closely examined.

At best, ALCAT might be used in =addition= to specific antibody
tests. Not all antigens which cause problems are currently
accurately identified. But it may actually produce a lot of red
herrings.

Ref your other post. I'm sorry your daughter is going through
this. I hope you find solutions. 

I want to talk about exposures here--
Another clue regarding the generalized immunology of white cells
in vivo:
 (dirty living) 

It's been well established that children who grow up on farms, in
large families, and families that have pets seem to have immune
systems that are more resistant to allergies than their urban
brethren. Their white cell activity is probably in frequent
stimulation. I have seen farm toddlers eating mouths full of
dirt, dropping food into loam and consuming it anyway, growing
kids kissing their pet and farm animals and sharing ice creams
with a pony or dog.
 
The ALCAT testing may be a form of exposure that prompts white
cells to react to de novo irritants, and so while it doesn't
replace 'dirty living' it's probably a sort of expensive
artificial short term flooding of the immune system--thus the
reaction of the WBCs to the material, is not necessarily an
established disease reaction. In a farm setting this sort of
exposure is prolonged, subclinical, fairly constant and helps
build allergy resistant kids, but the ALCAT system simply
triggers reactions to exposure. So diagnostic value is probably
low. 

When you travel to a new country, new foods, new dirty exposures,
are probably again like the ALCAT. Some things you might have a
more serious reaction to, but more likely, if your microbiome
cannot handle a new bug, you might just get sick for a while.

I hope that helps clarify what I see when I read about the ALCAT.
-- 
Janice - proofreading? what's that?