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Many thanks to the people who responded to my request for information
comparing the ALCAT test and the IgG test for food sensitivities.  Here is a
summary of the responses:

--One person wrote to say that the IgG food allergy test can detect food
sensitivities the ALCAT won't pick up.

--Another response: I have had both the ALCAT and the IgG4 food allergy
assays.  I think the IGg4 was done through MetaMetrix labs in Atlanta.  Of
the two, I found the IGg4 to be much more accurate, in my case.   I worked
closely with a really advanced ENT and also an incredible endocrinologist
and eventually I was able to get my food intolerances down from about 70
items to just 4.  

--IgG ELISA is very accurate, with an emphasis on the "ELISA" protocol.
(Example: An ELISA/ACT is no the same type of laboratory screening an as IgG
ELISA.)There is a LOT of published literature supporting IgG and its
accuracy.  For your review and consideration, here is some of the
peer-reviewed, scientific literature that has been published over the past
many decades supporting IgG:
http://www.bettercontrolofhealth.com/citations1.html 

Also, a recurring observation different clinicians have reported with the
other test you mentioned is the issue of its inability to reproduce results
with split samples on a regular basis.  Maybe the other test has finally
resolved that problem, but it has been a reported issue for a long time.

-- My IgG tests were very accurate and most helpful. Both the ALCAT and the
IgG testing have been criticized for similar reasons. Nonetheless, they seem
to help a lot of people, myself included.  (I used Immuno Labs in Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla.)

You may notice, in the peer reviewed medical literature, that many
researchers make use of IgG testing despite the criticisms. IgG is the most
widespread and the most common antibody we produce. Where we are mounting a
measurable immune reaction against a food, I would argue, we should be
avoiding that food. But many of the critics of this form of testing are
distressed by the implications of the results it shows: For instance: 

1. at least 12% of Britons, and 11% of Americans are sensitive to one or
more components of gluten

2. given an additional 6% of the US population that has an innate immune
system reaction, at least 17% of Americans should be avoiding these foods.
This flies in the face of much conventional dietary wisdom which promotes
these grains as healthy. 

3. IgG testing, although somewhat unreliable when dealing with cross
reactions and mild reactions, becomes much more accurate if it persists
through greater numbers of dilutions. Serum samples are diluted with
distilled water until they are either abolished or they persist through the
maximum number of dilutions that lab does.  For instance, if a reaction is
identified after only one dilution, it is assigned a 1. If that reaction
persists after two dilutions, it is given a 2. If it persists after 3
dilutions it is given the number 3. And if it is still showing up after 4
dilutions, it is given the number 4. Thus, the stronger reactions are
labeled as 3 or 4. Weaker reactions are 1 and 2.   But the strength of a
given reaction can be influenced by several factors: 1. how recently you ate
the food that contains the protein being tested 2. how closely the proteins
in the test panel resemble the foods that you consume in your area. For
instance, there are more than 2,000 variants of wheat, and that number grows
every year with the genetic mutations imposed by sunlight. These changes are
much more rapid among species that mature and reproduce within a single
growing season, so each generation incorporates the previous season's
mutations. The longer it takes for a species to mature and reproduce, the
slower it will experience genetic change. 3. how many allergenic proteins
from a given food form the allergenic substance against which the serum is
tested. 4. the duration for exposure of the serum to the antigen in the
laboratory's wells

--And the last response: You may find this article quite interesting.
http://thedr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-Conundrum-of-GS-.pdf

Thanks again,
Diana

 

 

 


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