Silver = Top 100 food item

Allergy and intolerance are often confused, or thought of as similar conditions when in reality they are very different. Allergy is an immediate, sometimes dangerous, or life-threatening reaction to a food or drink. This is often present from a young age and always involves the antibody type IgE. Intolerance can be developed later in life and takes longer for symptoms to present themselves, making it more difficult to pinpoint the culprit food(s). Testing can be beneficial to discover the trigger foods and drinks quicker. With a suspected food allergy, always seek profesional medical help.

Some Health Insurance Providers will cover the costs. Contact your provider for more info.

We test for over 350 types of food, including wheat, eggs, nuts, etc. We also test for over 350 non-food items, like pet hair pollen and detergents. If you need a full list, get in touch and we can get you one.

We don't test anybody under the age of six.

Optimum nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding is vital for mother and child. To reduce any possible risk to the mother or baby, it’s Intolerance Lab’s protocol not to offer tests, advice or lifestyle changes during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding.

The tests are as painful as plucking a hair from your body..

Your hair does not have to come from your head. It can come from your leg, arm, or even chest.

This will not have any effect on the results.

No. Our tests examine your hair at the cellular level, so there’s no need for you to have been eating your trigger foods recently. They will still be found by our testing equipment.

These two tests are very different in what is tested, the process and the results. A blood test checks for IgE-mediated allergies and will only produce results listing reactions in the immunoglobulin system (these are estimated at only 2% of all allergies). Our hair sample test examines changes at the cellular level because the latest science shows that up to 43% of allergies are in fact a reaction in T cells. The two tests measure totally different reactions and will produce totally different results.

We only offer hair sampling here at Intolerance Lab. Currently, the main way to identify the two types of allergies (IgE and Non-IgE) is on the reaction time from consuming or being in contact with the item. If you notice a reaction that is almost instant or within two hours (max), you would normally consult with your GP and he or she might consider a blood test. These are normally essential for more serious allergies—which, fortunately, only account for 2% of all allergies. If your reaction time is slower or you are unable to identify the link between your symptoms then it is more than likely you have a non IgE mediated allergy. In this instance, we would recommend our hair based non IgE mediated allergy test.

Yes absolutely! In fact, this is the method we use here at the intolerance lab.

There are several great reasons why we choose to use a hair sample to perform your food intolerance test.

1.  it is non-invasive. There is no blood sample, and you can cut a small piece of hair in your own home and send it directly to us. This also makes it perfect for children and adults who are sensitive to touch or anxious about medical procedures.
2.  The turnaround time for testing your hair sample is quick. This means you have your results faster and can get back on track to good health quicker. We are also able to lower the costs and pass this on to you due to the efficiency of the process.
3. Using your hair sample also allows us to test a large number of items during the process. We currently test for over 700 items using your one hair sample. This includes 350 food items and 350 non-food items such as cleaning products and chemicals used in the home.

We believe ours is for several reasons:

1. It’s so non-invasive and does not require any blood samples. You can cut a small piece of your hair in the privacy of your own home and send it to us for testing. It’s easy to do children with this test as well!
2. The results this test gives are truly life changing. You can see our customer testimonials right here on this site!
3. With one small hair sample we can test for over 700 substances that you may be intolerant too. Blood tests cannot test for such a large number of items with just one sample.

The most common food intolerances include:

• Lactose
• Casein
• Gluten
• Egg
• Nuts
• Yeast

We’ve found through our testing that these come up a lot, however people can be intolerant to many different foods and products. It’s always best to test, not guess.

Examples of food intolerances include lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, egg intolerance and yeast intolerance. People can be intolerant to any foods; it depends on the individual.

It can be tricky to pinpoint a food intolerance because everyone reacts differently. However, there are some symptoms that are very common among sufferers. These are the most common symptoms you might have if you suffer from food intolerances:

• Bloating
• Flatulence
• Constipation
• Stomach cramps
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Skin rashes
• Runny nose

This question does not have a simple answer. Food intolerances can be caused by a variety of reasons, here are some of them:

• Genetic history of the intolerance
• Poor gut health
• Over use of antibiotics
• Bacterial imbalance in the gut
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Previous gastro infections
• Auto immunity

It also depends on the individual, and your personal health history.