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Program includes

An initial consult 1.5 hours ( worth $130)

6 follow up appointments every 2nd week.( worth $600)

4 products to reduce allergy symptoms and assist gut repair. ( worth $300)

Allergy symptom tracker

Allergy and reactivity booklet with tips and advice.

Meal plan and diary according to your specific needs.

500 items intolerance test ( value $250 )

Recommended blood tests specific to your needs

Total value worth $1350

Any extra products are an extra cost.

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The Rest and Reset Program – An Effective Clinical Solution The aim of the program is to help individuals develop oral and environmental tolerance to allergens, reducing the frequency of any reactive events, provide symptomatic relief if/when they do occur and ultimately regain their quality of life. The program offers a holistic approach which aims to address the underlying drivers of reactivity, involving gastrointestinal, immune and/or detoxification processes.

 

Allergies are considered one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Australia.

 

More than 20% of the population in industrialised countries suffer from food intolerance or food allergy.1 Symptoms of allergic disease can range from allergic rhinitis, hay fever, digestive disorders to eczema and asthma, or life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Allergies occur when a person’s immune system reacts to proteins in the environment that are harmless for most people, such as house dust mites, pets, pollen, other insects, moulds and foods.

 

An intolerance is considered a ‘chemical’ reaction to a substance, commonly food, and does not show up on a traditional allergy test.The term ‘sensitivity’ is less clear, however in complementary medicine it is commonly seen as a delayed and milder reaction, and will be used in this sense here.

 

 The possible manifestations of a food reaction are widespread and also non-specific, they have been linked to gastrointestinal symptoms, skin complaints, respiratory issues, fatigue, headache, migraine, cognitive deficits, neurodevelopmental disorders, anxiety, depression, joint pain, muscle pain, and endocrine disturbances.

 

 Regardless of the cause, be it environmental or food-induced, the impact on an individual’s quality of life can be considerable. An allergic reaction involves a complex interplay between antigens, immune cells (e.g. T cells, Immunoglobulin E (IgE), Immunoglobulin G (IgG), Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies) and effector cell activation (mast cells, basophils, eosinophils). This results in an inflammatory response (a reaction), with localised and systemic symptoms. The consequential sustained inflammation may act as a potential driver exacerbating other chronic conditions.

A Holistic Approach for Long Term Gain

 

When it comes to clinical approaches, the current accepted consensus is to recommend avoidance of the allergen prescribe symptomatic relief when needed.

 

While this may achieve short-term symptom relief, avoidance of food allergens can be a double-edged sword. For example, highly restrictive diets that eliminate entire food groups are generally not recommended long term, due to the potential risk of nutritional deficiencies, especially in children.1

 

Effective symptomatic relief is important in order to relieve the physiological and emotional consequences of allergy symptoms and minimise the resulting local and systemic inflammation. However, it is also imperative that the underlying factors that perpetuate the allergic response be addressed. The mechanisms that result in allergy and sensitivity are modifiable and by focusing beyond the immune system alone, we can positively influence how someone responds to a component within their environment.

 

When you consider why one person reacts to a potential allergen and another doesn’t, it centres firmly on an aberrant immunological response to a common harmless substance; a failure of the immune system to determine friend from foe resulting in a loss of immune tolerance to this innocuous component and subsequent reactivity.
By addressing the factors that influence tolerance combined with therapeutic elimination and gradual re-introduction of a strategically chosen diet, there is the potential to decrease the frequency and/or intensity of the allergic response. Improvement of both short- and long-term health and wellbeing can be achieved whereby the patient experiences an improved quality of life without a long, term restrictive diet or lifestyle.
 

What is Tolerance?
As humans, we are constantly exposed to an array of foreign bodies via the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system and the skin. Each individual’s immune systems interacts with and acknowledges these in a variety of ways, creating situations ranging from no reaction to a serious anaphylactic reaction, and anywhere in between.

The classic allergic reaction begins when the allergen complex (e.g. IgE antibodies) binds to the mast cell, resulting in mast cell degranulation and the release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators.Therefore, in order to reduce the reaction, potent mast cell stabilisation is required. Mast cells reside in the tissues that are involved in the allergic reaction.

 

They form part of the mucosal immune system and can commonly be found in the mucosa of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract and submucosa of skin cells, making these organs key areas for the expression of allergy symptoms.

 

Exposure to food antigens can trigger rapid gut inflammation leading to barrier hyperpermeability, sometimes termed ‘leaky gut’.

 

The resulting leaky gut is not restricted to IgE reactions, but is also a key feature in non-IgE reactions.

The concept of tolerance is central to addressing allergy and reactivity, and applies to both environmental and food-based reactions. A state of tolerance (therefore no or low reaction), is primarily dependent on a strong T cell mediated hyporesponsiveness to the antigen (T cell anergy as opposed to T cell activation). However, if this regulatory process fails, this leads to a resultant hyper-response following subsequent exposure to the same allergen.20
 

Building Tolerance
Increasing tolerance to environmental and food-borne allergens is a key strategy when faced with the myriad of respiratory, skin and digestive allergic/reactive events that can impact individuals of all ages.

 

Current approaches focus on the removal of the allergen and symptomatic relief. The goal of the Metagenics Allergy and Reactivity program is to not just aid in symptom relief but to focus on correcting the underlying processes – immune, gut, microbiome, digestion – and increasing allergen tolerance, through therapeutic elimination and gradual re-introduction of certain foods.

The Therapeutic Targets for Reactivity:
A Healthy GIT is Key
There is no doubt that the gastrointestinal tract plays a crucial role in the development of allergies and intolerances due to 70% of the immune system residing within the gastrointestinal tract. Research over the past decade has highlighted the close connection between the resilience of the systemic immune system and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract.

 

The exposure to food antigens can trigger rapid gut inflammation leading to barrier hyperpermeability, sometimes termed ‘leaky gut’.22 The Immunoglobulin A (IgA) system is re-emerging as an important pathway in the pathogenesis of food allergy. Insufficient secretory IgA (sIgA) at the intestinal barrier appears to contribute substantially to an individual’s threshold for food allergy.

The microbiome also plays a role in the development of immune tolerance with research demonstrating that reduced gastrointestinal microbial diversity in early life is associated with the development of food allergy or food sensitisation.

 

 Microbial-induced protection from food allergy was associated with elevated T regulatory cells (Tregs), IgA, and epithelial barrier function. Improper digestive function due to poor enzyme secretion may be linked to food sensitivities and a lack of tolerance due to food components not being adequately assimilated.

 

 Gastric acid suppressive medications have also been associated with the occurrence of food allergy.28 Supporting healthy digestive function is essential when addressing allergies and sensitivities.

Concomitant support of both the gastrointestinal and immune system is therefore central to providing a more solid and long-term solution to allergic conditions.