Re: ALCAT Blood Test to control symptoms

[Patte Rosebank]

I’m going to be very blunt: Forget about ALCAT. It is complete quackery, and has been discredited and/or banned outright in many countries. If you suspect you have a legitimate allergy or intolerance to a substance, you should go to a legitimate doctor who specializes in allergies. If you are serious about losing weight, go to a legitimate medical doctor for a complete physical, and to a legitimate dietician for a proper weight-loss diet & exercise program. Do NOT trust your health and your money to anyone who promotes ALCAT.

***The Proof***

ALCAT has been BANNED in South Africa, because authorities found insufficient evidence to support the claims being made.

http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/DietDocs_articles/15-1871,54267.asp

ALCAT is discredited in an article by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. http://www.allergy.org.au/pospapers/unorthodox.htm , and in an article published in the Singapore Medical Journal http://smj.sma.org.sg/5101/5101ra1.pdf

ALCAT has also been discredited by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).

Dr. Adrian Morris, of the Surrey Allergy Clinic, in England, has included ALCAT on his list of allergy tests that are of no proven value. http://www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/introduction-to-allergy/controversial-tests/

Leigh A. Zaykoski has found ALCAT to be an invalid testing method, and supports this finding with evidence that is backed up by references. One key piece of supporting evidence: “Skin testing for allergies is preferred over blood testing for several reasons. Blood testing has been shown to either overstimate or underestimate the body’s response to allergens. This means that swelling of white blood cells cannot be considered an accurate predictor of someone’s allergy or sensitivity to a food or chemical. Blood testing also does not account for different types of proteins in the same foods. This means that ALCAT and other blood allergy tests could show a false positive for some foods.” http://www.brighthub.com/science/medical/articles/40894.aspx

Allergy Advisor lists ALCAT as dubious, because “The test “results” invariably are reported as indicating multiple food allergies, but investigation of these reports shows clearly that there is no correlation with clinical food allergy or intolerance. Studies have shown results to be poorly reproducible when samples a few days apart have been submitted to the same laboratory for testing. Not a single allergy society in the world supports this test for routine diagnostic purposes.” http://www.allergyadvisor.com/educational/Oct07.htm

Wikipedia’s entry for ALCAT discredits it, and cites plenty of supporting evidence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigen_leukocyte_cellular_antibody_test

And good old Quackwatch has ALCAT on its list of Dubious Diagnostic Treatments. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/tests.html

The ALCAT company and ALCAT practitioners claim that their tests and accompanying diet plans, will cure a huge range of medical conditions. Quack medical treatments ALWAYS claim to be the sure cure for a wide range of illnesses & conditions, so as to attract the most customers. And they claim that those who dispute their claims are part of the Establishment, and are only against them, so as not to lose customers.

All of the “evidence” in support of ALCAT testing, comes from the ALCAT company itself, or from holistic practitioners who are selling ALCAT tests and diets. I have yet to find a legitimate medical allergist or organization of allergists, that supports it. In fact, they’re all rather vociferously against it.

Furthermore, there is NO proper scientific evidence to support any theories that diet has any effect on ADHD. But there’s lots of evidence that eating a healthy diet, rich in “good” foods (high-fibre, lots of fruits & veggies, some lean meats or other proteins…), with as few “bad” foods (refined starches & sugars, artificial ingredients, high-fat, high-salt…) as possible, will make you feel more energized and will help you to lose weight. And that regular exercise (even just going for walks) makes you feel better too.

So, by all means, eat a healthy diet, and exercise sensibly. Just don’t put your faith and money into highly dubious “alternative” tests and “cures”. When in doubt, always err on the side of caution. And ask your doctor for his/her professional opinion.

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