Unlock the Mystery of Your Food Sensitivities

The Gajer Practice Blogs

March 17, 2025

Dear readers,

Are you eating “healthy” but still not feeling your best? Do you experience persistent health issues despite your best efforts to maintain a nutritious diet? You might be reacting to foods that are typically considered “good for you,” and these hidden sensitivities could be undermining your health goals.

When Your Healthy Diet Isn’t Working For You

Many of my patients come to me frustrated: “I’m doing everything right, but I still feel terrible.” They’ve eliminated obvious triggers like processed foods and sugar, yet continue to struggle with symptoms like:

  • Stubborn weight that won’t budge despite diet and exercise
  • Chronic digestive issues and unpredictable bowel movements
  • Persistent skin problems and unexplained rashes
  • Joint pain and inflammation
  • Brain fog and fatigue
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Autoimmune flare-ups

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and the answer might be hiding in your body’s unique response to specific foods.

The Missing Piece: Understanding Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities differ from traditional allergies. While food allergies cause immediate and sometimes life-threatening immune responses (like anaphylaxis), food sensitivities produce delayed reactions that can develop hours or even days after consumption, making them notoriously difficult to identify through elimination diets alone.

These sensitivities can trigger inflammation throughout your body, affecting virtually any system and manifesting as a wide range of symptoms that might seem unrelated to what you’re eating.

The ALCAT Test: Your Body’s Unique Food Fingerprint

At our practice, we now offer the ALCAT (Antigen Leukocyte Cellular Antibody Test) by Cell Science Systems—a revolutionary test that reveals your body’s individual “fingerprint” of food sensitivities.

How Does the ALCAT Test Work? It’s All About YOUR Cells

What makes the ALCAT test so different is that it uses YOUR actual blood cells—not generic markers or population-based data:

  1. Your Blood, Your Answers: We collect a small sample of YOUR blood, containing YOUR unique immune cells that carry the information about YOUR specific sensitivities.
  2. Your Cells Tell Your Story: Your blood sample is sent to the laboratory where YOUR white blood cells (leukocytes) are carefully isolated—preserving their ability to react exactly as they do inside your body.
  3. Testing Against YOUR Cellular Reactions: The lab then exposes YOUR cells to hundreds of foods and substances. This isn’t based on statistical averages or population studies—it’s YOUR cells reacting in real-time.
  4. Measuring YOUR Unique Inflammatory Response: The sophisticated equipment measures how YOUR specific cells change in size, number, and structure when exposed to each food—capturing reactions that are completely unique to YOU.
  5. YOUR Personal Food Roadmap: The results create a comprehensive, color-coded report that shows exactly how YOUR body responds to each tested food—not how people “typically” respond, but how YOU specifically react.

Think of it as allowing your cells to “vote” on every food, revealing which ones your body welcomes and which ones it fights against. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach or a generic elimination diet—it’s a precise map of YOUR body’s individual relationship with food.

Why Generic Diet Advice Fails: Your Biology Is One-of-a-Kind

Have you ever wondered why your friend thrives on a diet that makes you feel terrible? Or why certain “superfoods” leave you bloated and tired? The answer lies in your unique biology.

The ALCAT test reveals what makes your body different from everyone else’s:

  • As Individual As Your Fingerprint: Just as no two people have identical fingerprints, no two people have identical food sensitivity profiles. The ALCAT test captures YOUR specific cellular reactions.
  • Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Testing: Unlike standard tests that look for general markers or common reactions, the ALCAT test observes how YOUR specific immune cells behave when exposed to different foods.
  • Your Full Spectrum of Reactions: The test doesn’t just identify extreme reactions—it captures the subtle inflammatory responses that might be sabotaging your health without obvious symptoms.
  • Your Complete Food Picture: With testing for up to 450 different foods and substances, the ALCAT creates a comprehensive map of YOUR unique dietary landscape.

What works for “most people” might not work for you. The ALCAT test cuts through the confusion by showing exactly how YOUR body responds to specific foods—not how it “should” respond according to generic dietary guidelines.

Who Can Benefit From Food Sensitivity Testing?

The ALCAT test can be particularly valuable if you’re struggling with:

  1. Stubborn Weight Issues: Food sensitivities can trigger inflammation and fluid retention, making weight loss resistant to traditional diet and exercise approaches. Many patients experience significant weight loss after removing their trigger foods.
  2. Digestive Problems: If you’ve been diagnosed with IBS or suffer from bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or other digestive complaints, food sensitivities could be the root cause. The ALCAT test helps identify specific triggers that conventional testing might miss.
  3. Skin Conditions: Unexplained rashes, eczema, psoriasis, and acne often have a strong connection to food sensitivities. By identifying and removing trigger foods, many patients see dramatic improvements in their skin health.
  4. Autoimmune Conditions: For those with autoimmune disorders, food sensitivities can trigger flare-ups and worsen symptoms. Identifying these triggers can help manage conditions like Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and others.
  5. Chronic Fatigue: When your body is constantly fighting inflammatory responses to foods, energy production suffers. Many patients report significant improvements in energy levels after eliminating their sensitivity triggers.
  6. Migraines and Headaches: Certain foods can trigger headaches through various mechanisms. The ALCAT test can help identify your specific headache triggers for better symptom management.

Real Results from Our Patients

“After years of struggling with what doctors called IBS, the ALCAT test identified several ‘healthy’ foods that were causing my symptoms. Within weeks of removing these foods, my digestive issues resolved completely. I wish I’d done this years ago!” – Sarah M.

“I had been at the same weight for three years despite trying everything. After getting the ALCAT test and removing my trigger foods, I lost 18 pounds in two months without changing anything else about my routine.” – Michael T.

“The constant brain fog and afternoon crashes were affecting my work performance. The ALCAT test showed I was reactive to several foods I ate daily. After adjusting my diet, my energy is consistent throughout the day, and my focus has improved dramatically.” – Jennifer K.

Your Personal Food Blueprint: The Testing Process

Creating your unique food sensitivity blueprint is a simple process:

  1. Your Personal Health Story: We begin with a consultation to understand YOUR specific symptoms, health history, and goals—because your test results will be interpreted in the context of YOUR unique situation.
  2. Capturing Your Cellular Information: A simple blood draw collects the immune cells that carry the data about YOUR particular sensitivities.
  3. Your Cells at Work: Your blood sample is rushed to the laboratory where YOUR white blood cells are exposed to hundreds of different foods and substances.
  4. Creating Your Unique Food Map: The laboratory analyzes how YOUR specific cells respond to each substance, creating a detailed report that’s as unique as your DNA.
  5. Your Custom Results Consultation: Within approximately 7-10 days, we’ll review YOUR personalized results together—not generic recommendations, but a specific plan based on YOUR body’s actual responses.
  6. Your Tailored Implementation Plan: We’ll create a nutritional strategy customized specifically for YOU, taking into account your preferences, lifestyle, and specific reaction patterns.
  7. Your Ongoing Support: As YOUR body heals and changes, we’ll continue to refine and adjust your plan, ensuring it evolves with your improving health.

Discover YOUR Personal Food Code This Spring

As we enter spring—a natural time for renewal and rejuvenation—there’s no better moment to decode what foods are truly right for YOUR individual biology.

Stop guessing which foods might be causing your symptoms. Stop following diet plans designed for someone else’s body. The ALCAT test reveals YOUR personal food code—the specific foods that either support or sabotage YOUR health.

Think about it: You wouldn’t take someone else’s prescription medication. Why would you follow someone else’s food plan?

If you’ve been struggling with unexplained symptoms, weight loss resistance, digestive issues, skin problems, or fatigue, I invite you to discover YOUR unique food sensitivities through the most personalized testing available.

Schedule YOUR Individualized Food Sensitivity Consultation

 

Taking the first step toward identifying YOUR specific food sensitivities is simple. Contact our office at +1-703-866-4144 to schedule your initial consultation, or use our online booking system to find a time that works for you.

Remember: Your body is one-of-a-kind. Your diet should be, too. Let’s uncover the foods that will help YOUR unique body thrive rather than just survive.

Best,

Dr. Alex Gajer

SHARE THIS
Search
RECENT POSTS
RELATED ARTICLES
April 10, 2025

3 Dangerous Men’s Health Myths Debunked

In my years of practice, I've noticed that men often receive less nuanced healthcare information than women. While women's health has rightfully received increased attention and specialized care, men's health often remains oversimplified and clouded by persistent myths. These misconceptions can prevent men from seeking appropriate care and addressing issues that significantly impact their quality of life.
April 9, 2025

These 3 Foods Are Uncanceled!

In the ever-shifting landscape of nutrition advice, certain foods have been unfairly vilified, only to be later redeemed by advancing science. As a physician focused on evidence-based nutrition, I've watched with fascination as research continues to overturn outdated beliefs about several nutrient-dense foods.
April 8, 2025

From Health Care to Sick Care: How Our Medical System Lost Its Way

In theory, our healthcare system exists to help people live healthy lives. In reality, we've created a sophisticated sick care system that excels at treating diseases but largely fails at preventing them.