Many patients describe having digestive problems similar to other members of their family. A patient recently expressed that her sister, mom, and even grandma all had digestive problems. So she assumed that her problem was genetic.
Fortunately, she didn’t assume that there was no hope for helping her. That is why she came to our clinic. But many people do not understand that just because a problem runs in the family, does not necessarily mean they have to suffer from it.
What do we mean by that?
In most cases these symptoms are caused by something external to the body. By this we mean caused by something in the environment, such as food, bacteria, or yeast.
Often the cause is a genetic problem, especially if a food allergy is the trigger. What we often do not realize is that the trigger can be avoided. We do not have to expose ourselves to the same foods as our relatives, but most of us do.
Most people also consume very few base foods, such as wheat, dairy, eggs, potatoes, sugar cane, and more. But we combine them in many different ways with many different flavorings and spices. Therefore family members generally eat the same kinds of foods, even when they do not live together.
If a food allergy is triggering a symptom, which it often is, then it should not be too surprising when other members of the family suffer from the same problem.
Fortunately, problems of this nature can usually be sorted out. Food allergies that cause digestive problems can be detected with the proper kind of blood testing. And with the proper education you can learn how to truly avoid that food and find suitable alternatives, which is often easier said than done.
Having other family members tested can then help them sort out their digestive problems. These test results usually prove to be very interesting.
Family members usually see a great deal of overlap in their results due to the strong genetic component of food allergies.
They can then also have improved health, with the added benefit being that you will likely have something in common when it comes to the foods you use to prepare dinner.
Article Courtesy: Dr. Stephen Wangen
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