One cause of health issues that your Naturopathic Doctor considers when helping you is whether you are dealing with allergies and sensitivities to different food and drink compounds.
This can be a complex issue and it is best to consult with your Naturopathic Doctor about this topic however there is a simple test that you can use to provide yourself with indications of allergies and sensitivities which we want to share with you today.
The Difference Between Allergies and Sensitivities
First let’s define the difference between allergies and sensitivities: allergies refer to any compound which is a protein, so for instance if you react to eggs (which is quite common) this is an allergic reaction. Anything that you might react to which is not a protein would be a sensitivity, so for instance wheat and gluten would fall into this category.
Unknown and untreated food and drink allergies and sensitivities can cause many health issues, some of which can be quite significant: some examples would include conditions like weight gain/difficulty losing weight, migraine headaches, eczema and other skin conditions and gut issues such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
A common approach to treat these kinds of conditions is to suppress them with drugs which can potentially over the long term make them worse – and it does not target the cause.
Cocoa Pulse Test
Dr. Cocoa MD was a renowned immunologist and allergist in the 1950’s and 60’s. He discovered that when individuals consume foods and drinks that they may have reactions to that it would raise their resting pulse rate.
How to Do the Cocoa Pulse Test
This assessment is best done in a calm environment as significant stimuli can affect the results. Upon rising in the morning, before eating or drinking anything except water choose a food or drink item that you want to test for and sit down for a couple of minutes and take your pulse for a full minute and record it (you can monitor your pulse on your wrist or neck). Now take the item you want to test into your mouth and chew or swish it around for approximately 30 seconds without swallowing it. Now again take your pulse for a full minute and compare the results.
If your pulse goes up six beats per minute or more, this means you are reacting to the compound you tested and you should cut it out of your diet for approximately three months.
After three months, you can try re-introducing this food or drink compound back into your diet and see how you react to it: sometimes giving your metabolism a break from a compound will allow you to start consuming it again. In some situations, cutting back on a particular compound in terms of the amount or frequency you consume it will resolve the issue. Consult with your Naturopathic Doctor for more details about this.
If you are planning on testing more than one compound spit out the food/drink compound and swish out your mouth with water and wait for a few minutes before testing any additional compounds.
We like this simple test because this empowers patients to take some control to monitor their own health. Sometimes a more comprehensive lab test is appropriate for determining food allergies and sensitivities which your Naturopathic Doctor can provide you with further details about.
For more information on the Coca Pulse Test, talk to your Naturopathic Doctor and/or you can review the document below.