Aloysa Hourigan
Food Intolerance Dietitian
While mouth ulcers, nausea, colic, irritable bowel, headaches, fatigue, irritability, sinus, asthma, hives and eczema can be attributed to a spectrum of causes, food intolerance can sometimes be the underlying factor. Often overused as an explanation without correct investigation, or mislabelled as a food allergy, food intolerance can be a real problem if not pinpointed and managed correctly.
Although some may see this specification between food intolerance and food allergy as petty, for those suffering from either condition, the correct diagnosis and dietary modification can have a huge impact on their quality of life.
While food allergy is an immune reaction to specific proteins, food intolerance is a little more ambiguous, does not involve our immune system and can manifest as a large variety of symptoms. The treatment of food allergy is pretty clear cut, avoid the offending protein sources, whereas food intolerance requires a more flexible approach.
A bit about me…
I have been a dietitian for over 3 decades and have in a range of areas including hospitals, Universities, Nutrition Australia and private practice. In addition to my dietetic qualifications, I have a Graduate Diploma in Counselling from the Queensland University of Technology.
Having a counselling qualification alongside expertise in nutrition and food has led me to focus on the area of eating disorders, gut disorders and food intolerances and have a great deal of compassion and experience providing support for long-term recovery.
Some of the ways I can help:
Identification of possible food chemical intolerances
Provide practical tips and strategies for managing elimination diets where they are recommended
Quickly identify the most likely food or chemical causing your symptoms to avoid wasting precious time and energy on unnecessary restrictions or diets
Challenge and increase tolerance for your trigger foods and food chemicals
A note about..
Food allergy and intolerance testing
Skin prick testing is the most convenient method of allergy testing and has been shown in clinical studies to improve the diagnosis of allergy. Skin prick testing should only be performed by a health professional who has been trained in the procedure and who knows how to select the allergens, interpret the results and deal with any generalised allergic reaction that might very rarely occur. Medicare rebates may be available for this test when provided by a registered health professional.
Allergyfirst offers skin prick testing and is conveniently located in Mudgeeraba which is very close to our clinic and offer an all-in-one appointment system: consultation, testing and results. Consultations are bulk-billed and Medicare rebates are available on skin prick tests.
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