If you suffer from itchy skin, did you know that the food you are eating could be the cause of the problem?  According to leading charity Allergy UK up to 45% of the population suffers from food intolerances.   YorkTest has a food intolerance programme that can help you to identify which foods you are reacting to.

 

YorkTest Laboratories is Europe’s leading provider of food intolerance programmes with over 30 years’ experience, and is recommended by leading medical charity Allergy UK. 

 

When our skin itches, we tend to scratch it. However, because scratching usually provides only short-lived relief, and the itchiness (pruritus) often returns more intensely than before, we can get into a cycle of itching and scratching that becomes hard to break. Itching may be localized to a certain area of the body, or can be all over, or generalized. Dry, itchy inflamed skin can make life a misery. It is estimated that at any one time around 25% of the population has a skin problem that could benefit from medical care; skin conditions account for between 15 and 20% of a GP’s workload. One cause of itchy skin is eczema, a general term encompassing various inflamed skin conditions. ‘Atopy’ is the term used for the tendency to develop eczema, asthma and/or hay fever. Atopic people have an overactive immune system and their skin easily becomes inflamed. Eczema is not contagious and, like many diseases, currently cannot be cured. However, for most patients the condition can be managed well with treatment and avoidance of triggers.

 

Despite the overwhelming evidence of an association between itchy skin, and eczema, and hidden food allergies, very few sufferers are tested for food sensitivity by their doctors. Tests for allergies are sometimes carried out but food intolerance, which is less easy to diagnose, is frequently overlooked. Diet plays an important role in the management of skin symptom flare-ups, however, it is difficult to determine which foods, or combinations of foods, are responsible for each individual’s condition. Everyone is unique with a different biochemical make-up to others with the same condition. Cow's milk, nuts and yeast may be responsible for some people’s itchy skin but safe for others.

 

For those with skin symptoms, acknowledging that certain food combinations can contribute to symptoms, and then identifying and eliminating the specific foods from their diet, is an important step forward. The problem with attempting any dietary modification is that first you need to know what to change. Currently the best accepted method for confirming food sensitivities is by elimination diet. This involves eating a restricted diet for several weeks. If there is no reduction in symptoms during this time, it is assumed that the food type that has been restricted is not the problem and the process is repeated with another food type. Using this method it is impossible to test all the different combinations of food types that may be causing the problems, it is a very ineffective process.

 

In a survey* of 263 people suffering from skin symptoms such as rashes and itching, and 183 eczema sufferers, 86% of those with rashes and itching, and 83% of those with eczema, showed a reduction in their skin symptoms if they removed the foods from their diet that showed food -specific IgG antibody reactions in their blood . The test used in the survey is the YorkTest FoodScan 113, it only requires a few drops of blood from a finger prick that can be collected in the comfort of your own home.

 

 

Please call our food specialists on 0800 074 6185 who will be happy to provide you with free, confidential expert advice and guidance on the First Step test. Alternatively click here for further information or buy now.

 

* Survey commissioned by Allergy UK and further analysed by the University of York: Originally published as Hardman, G. and Hart, G. “Dietary advice based on food-specific IgG results”. Nutrition and Food Science (2007) 37, 16-23.