A: With various medical researchers documenting 76-80% of the population as being effected by what are known as delayed food allergies (food sensitivities, food intolerances, etc.), there is an extremely good chance your nagging ill-health conditions are being caused and/or complicated by IgG-mediated (delayed) food allergies.  In fact, out of thousands of individuals who have tested through our office, over 98% were found to be IgG reactive to foods!

Q: What symptoms or conditions are effected by delayed food allergies?

A: Though delayed food allergies are not necessarily the culprit behind every ill-health condition, they could be.  The following symptoms and conditions have been medically linked to be either caused or complicated by delayed food allergies or food sensitivities: feeling bloated, stomach cramps, constipation, wheezing, breathing difficulties, sinusitis, tension, nausea, hives, rashes, itching, Fibromyalgia, loss of appetite, panic attacks, loss of energy, headaches (including migraines), muscle & joint pain, diarrhea, arthritis, Rhinitis, asthma, hyperactivity, multiple sclerosis (MS), Urticaria, eczema, premenstrual symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome,  schizophrenia, anxiety, epilepsy, fatigue, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), depression, infantile colic, colitis, recurrent infections, learning disabilities, dyslexia, conceptual difficulties, celiac disease, fluid retention, weight problems, Crohn’s Disease, psoriasis, mouth ulcers, gastric ulcers, Otitis media (ear infections), plus many more!

Q: What do patients have to say about Optimum Health Resource (OHR) Laboratories' services?

A: A distinct and clear majority of patients taking the test and altering their diet report that they found significant improvements in their condition.

    * Strong improvements were noted in 84% of all cases.

    * Often these improvements were noted as being life changing.

    * The degree of benefit was found to be particularly strong when patients reported they rigorously altered their diets, though benefit was still noted when diet was only moderately altered.

    * An overwhelming majority reported the process to be easy to administer and implement.

    * Over 90% said they would recommend OHR's testing to others.

Q: How reliable is Optimum Health Resource (OHR) Laboratories' testing?

A: Absolutely not... at least not our testing!  Other laboratories charge patients anywhere from over $500.00 to more than $1000.00 for their food intolerance testing services, while OHR's food intolerance screening costs hundreds of dollars less!*

Note: The 96-Food Panel has a list fee of $379.00

  Additionally, and unlike similar testing provided by other laboratories, no blood draw or doctor's appointment is required (both which have their own added expenses)!

(Optimum Health Resource Laboratories provides its M.D. staff physician, at no cost, to be the ordering physician for its IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test!)

Q: What about support?

A: Everyone and anyone who is screened through Optimum Health Resource Laboratories for IgG-mediated food intolerance is entitled to 12 months of complimentary and unlimited telephone and Internet support specific to their test results and its accompanying support materials.  Additionally, and unlike some other laboratories, Optimum Health Resource Laboratories DOES NOT make any attempt to sell any products, services and/or food-stuffs during the duration of this FREE support.

Q: Is your food intolerance screenings services guaranteed?

A: Yes!  In fact, Optimum Health Resource Laboratories offers 2 separate guarantees when you request your very own IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test:

    1. Return your unused kit within 30 days of its date of purchase for a full refund - less a 10% handling fee.

    2. If you have not experienced health benefit* after 3 months of following the recommendations and support provided with the results of your  IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test, simply return all the provided hard copy tests results and support materials for a full refund - less a 10% handling fee.   There's no lengthily forms to fill out and none of the hoops and hassles some other labs make people go through when they are not satisfied with their testing services.  Let's face it, what difference does it make if a lab claims to offer a money back guarantee when they make it nearly impossible and inconvenient for anyone to take advantage of it?

* Please see the terms and conditions of our  money back guarantees by clicking here.

Q: Is the IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test covered by insurance?

A: Many insurance companies will reimburse for our screening services, but it completely depends on the individual carrier. Various factors, such as the following, determine whether or not an insurance company will issue a reimbursement:

a. The insurance company itself.
b. The policy and the services it covers.
c. The group plan of the policy.
d. Whether or not the annual deductible has been met.

The following will help assist in determining if an insurance company will issue a reimbursement for our 96-Food Panel:

a. Procedure (CPT) Code:  83520 or 86001 (Please Note: Different insurance carriers might prefer one CPT code over the other).
b. Billing: 96 Foods at $379.00
c. Description of Service: IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Assay

Also, we have been informed, as long as a policy has no specific exclusions for food allergy testing, our IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test should fall under basic laboratory services.

Q: Is wheat-free the same as gluten-free?

A: Definitely not!  Gluten (or gliadin) is a complex of protein which occurs in wheat, oats, rye, barley and four other common grains.  It causes toxic reactions in people with a particular genetic make-up.  This can cause them to develop Celiac Disease, or intestinal villus atrophy. Being sensitive to wheat is a very different thing; in this case your reaction may be to any one of the proteins contained in the grain and it is likely to be a true immunological reaction, not a toxic one.  Therefore, the fact that food is wheat-free is no guarantee at all that it is gluten-free.  However, there are several wheat-free products on the market which do happen to be gluten-free also.  Clearly you need to read product labels carefully.

Q: What is the milk we test?

A: Our IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test screens your blood serum when it has been combined with extract of whole milk from organically fed cows. This contains all the milk as it comes out of the cow, without any removal of cream or any processing. Whole milk is divided commercially into several different components, chiefly; cream, cheese, buttermilk and whey. It is possible that allergens which are in whole milk will not be present in some of these components, although clearly an allergen which is present in one of the component parts must be present in whole milk. Our advice to you is to assume initially that if you react to whole milk, you react to all components. Skimmed milk is formed by removal of some of the fat from whole milk, leaving the protein. Since nearly all sensitivities are to protein, it is unlikely that skimmed milk will be tolerated any better than whole milk. Evaporated milk, however, involves bringing the milk to boiling temperature. This changes the protein (just as boiling an egg changes the protein and turns it into white). Some people, but not all, will therefore react to whole milk, but not to evaporated. You can test this yourself after you have eliminated all milk products.

Also, in addition to cow's milk, goat's milk, casein, whey and various cheeses are included in the 96-Food Panel.

Q: What about goat's milk?

A: Many individuals who are allergic to cow's milk ARE not allergic to goat's milk - and visa versa.  Because of this, we do include goat's milk as part of our 96-Food Panel.

Q: What about cheese?

A: Many people who are allergic to cow's milk are not allergic to certain cheeses due to the main active protein of cow's milk (casein) being "burned" off during the commercial process of making these particular cheeses.  Because of this fact, some cheeses are included in our 96-Food Panel.

Q: Can I react to some parts of egg and not others?

A: Yes, we do see people who react to egg yolk and not egg white - and visa versa.  This is why we test the two individually in our 96-Food Panel.

Q: Could I be reacting to the chemicals in meat rather than to the meat itself?

A: The meats which we test are all prepared from organically fed bovines, so they should contain no more chemicals than your body. It is therefore very unlikely that you would be reacting to the chemicals, rather than the meat. In real life, of course, most meats have a significant level of chemicals, which are usually fat-soluble, and are therefore present in higher dose in animal fats and in fatty meats.

Q: What about the chemicals on vegetables?

A: We take great strides to ensure all the vegetables which we test are organically grown.  Therefore a positive reaction on the test is very unlikely to mean a reaction to chemicals, rather than to the vegetable.  Nevertheless, many people do react to chemicals used in modern agriculture and food processing; therefore, it is preferable to use only fresh vegetables, or even better, fresh organically grown produce.

Q: What is the importance of food families?

A: It has long being known that if you react to multiple members of a biological food family, there is an increased risk that you might be "cross-reactive" to the entire food family - or most of it.  

Q: If I suspect I have a problem with a particular food and I have not eaten it for a while, will this food show up in my test?

A: Our research shows that 86-100% of the foods an individual is IgG-reactive to needs to completely be eliminated from their diet for at least 6-9 months before the elevated Immunoglobulin G antibodies subside to the point where these foods become non-reactive.  Typically, more than one food could be contributing to your condition so it is worth taking the test to discover which are causing you problems. Also, it is not uncommon for multiple foods to work together against the body and cause ill-health problems.

Q: Is there much difference between bakers' and brewers' yeast?

A: Yes.  Because of this we test these two yeasts individually in our 96-Food Panel.

Q: What medicines or medical treatments can effect the outcome of the test results?

A: Medications containing steroids can weaken the immune system and cause what is known as a "false negative" in any IgG ELISA food intolerance test.  A false negative is where the body is reactive to a particular food antigen, but due to the IgG antibodies being suppressed by the steroid medication the reactive food it is reported as being negative (safe).  The amount of time a steroid medication would need to stop being taken in order to not have an effect on an IgG ELISA food intolerance test would depend upon the means of introduction (.i.e. - topographical cream, inhalant, oral medicine, etc.).  It is VERY IMPORTANT to never stop taking a doctor's prescribed and/or recommended medication without first consulting with the physician.  Also, chemotherapy and radiation treatments have been reported as causing false negatives as well as certain immune weakening health conditions such as AIDS and leukemia.

Additionally, there is another condition known as a  "false positive".  This is where an individual is reported as being reactive to a particular food antigen when they really are not.  Our laboratory has taken the extra steps necessary to ensure the reactions identified are real rather than false positive reactions (something which plagues competing tests) by coating levels of the extracts so they are optimized for sensitivity.  Also, our food extracts are obtained from FDA/CBER approved sources to ensure the highest quality extracts and lot-to-lot reproducibility with our prepared microtitre plates..