Are certain foods causing you health & Lifestyle problems?

These are some of the symptoms often associated with Food Sensitivity and our safe, self-help programme of Elimination and Reintroduction can assist you to identify the potential offenders.

How much does it Cost?

We have three options and the choice is yours entirely.

1) Food Test: First there is the straight food programme of 81 items. This costs £42.00 (Same price for a retest).

2) Combined Food Programme plus Guide to Nutritional Status: As above, plus a guide to your nutritional status. This is useful, for example, when considering the foods to be eliminated (and thus any potential loss of nutrients). The price for this combined test is £49.95.

3) E-Numbers: We have a very useful panel of 28 of the most commonly used E-Numbers and this costs just an extra £10 when taken with either the £42 programme or the £49.95 one above.

Payment: This is made direct to your Nutritional Advisor Gill McInnes and should be by way of cash or cheque (with cheque card). There is a non-refundable £10 deposit paid at the time of booking your appointment.

If you wish to pay by card, this will need to be done in advance through the internet via Paypal. (Please note you do not need a paypal account to be able to use this facility however there is a 4% admin fee for this option)

How to book an appointment

This is arranged directly through the Authorised Location; For Swindon: Natural Therapy Centre 01793 495551. Because of the demand, our Nutritional Advisors are very busy and should you experience any difficulties in getting an appointment please telephone us and we will do our best to help you with details of alternative Authorised Locations in your area.

What is the programme?

We do not test for true allergy, which is often a permanent condition resulting from circulating antibodies in the bloodstream. It is not within our terms of reference to deal with this medical condition.

What is involved?

Our programme is based on several important nutritional markers, including an analysis of the frequency with which you eat each food listed, and reference to our unique guide to "the foods most commonly implicated in the symptoms of food intolerance".

In this way, we can avoid producing long lists of potentially difficult foods, concentrating instead, on a very limited selection linked directly to your own symptom(s).

Questionnaire

At the start of the test we take details of your history, any known food problems, any medicines you may be taking (and for what purpose), symptoms, your typical diet, the foods you eat regularly and those you eat occasionally but most important of all, we need to know that your doctor has checked, and is dealing, or has dealt with, all possible medical conditions before you come to see us. This is on important point for us to establish, because sometimes food sensitivity can mask symptoms of something else going on elsewhere in the body, and we need your confirmation that you have seen your GP about your symptoms.

Elimination & re-introduction

The recognised gold standard for dealing with problems associated with Food Sensitivity is to examine one's history and symptoms, eliminate the potentially problematic foods and then re-introduce them (after giving the body a short rest) In this way, any food which continues to give a problem can be avoided in future, or re-introduced into the diet on a minimal, perhaps rotational basis.

We categorise any foods we ear-mark for elimination, into two parts. Priority One foods, mean that you should consider eliminating those immediately, for the next 4 weeks and then re-introduce.

Priority Two foods, means that you could consider these for elimination if you feel it might help you further. However, the Priority One usually does the trick!

Any side effects?

Sometimes, when you eliminate a food which you have been eating or drinking every day of your life in regular amounts, eg. wheat or coffee, you may find after a day or two into the elimination phase, that you experience withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms of withdrawal might last a few days and could include headache, tiredness, irritability, aching muscles and joints - just like a drug dependant person might experience when attempting to kick their habit.

Your Nutritional Advisor will explain all this and more to you during the test and will also give you some helpful information on keeping a diary, rotating food, using alternative foods during the elimination phase (and maybe thereafter) and he or she will also want to make sure that your nutritional status is not impaired.

Your Questions Answered

Special Groups

When it comes to the Elimination Programme, we are obviously extremely careful with everyone, but especially people with diabetes, anorexia, pregnant women, very young children and people with difficult conditions. We do not test children under 4 years of age, and we recommend you to see your GP, Paediatrician or Health Visitor F/RST Further, we prefer not to test people who have a pacemaker fitted or those with epilepsy. Once again, our advice is - see your GP.

We do not test for...

We do not test for gluten or for peanuts since these can only be dealt with in a hospital with the appropriate methods available. If you think that you have a problem with these foods please see your GP first. And please remember, we do not test for true allergy, you must see your doctor about that.

How long does the test take?

It can take up to 45 minutes to complete your appointment and we suggest that you come along 10 minutes early to answer a questionnaire involving your history, your symptoms, confirmation that your GP has dealt with any 'medical' conditions, any known food sensitivities and your typical diet.

Please remember, our recommendations are directly based on the information you supply us with on your Questionnaire. It is therefore essential that this is completed accurately.

Privacy

We maintain absolute client confidentiality in everything we do.

MOBILE TELEPHONES:

We respectfully ask all of our clients to switch off their mobile telephones during the screening period.

CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE:

Please telephone (01823) 421122

EYESIGHT:

This is just a reminder to bring your spectacles with you should you have difficulty in completing the Questionnaire. Although you should have received this in advance.

The Health Partnership

Who are we?

For 20 years now, we have been providing a sensible programme of measures, to help people to help themselves with simple dietary matters and this programme includes:

• Testing for food suitability

• Giving information on the availability of safe, alternative foods and specific diets

• Keeping a diary to include any symptoms

• Providing ideas on meal substitutes

• Rotating foods

• Providing essential nutritional information

Availability of programme

Since we started our programme in 1987 and to the present day, we have seen over 400,000 people, right across the UK, and the Irish Republic, at places such as health stores, pharmacies, beauty salons, clinics, sports and leisure centres and natural health clinics.

When we first started providing our programme (which was based on the personal experience of the person who started the company), it was always the objective to make the programme easily accessible, affordable to everyone and above all, simple and easy to follow.

Our Nutritional Advisors

At the time of printing this leaflet we have 50 members in our team and each person is well qualified within our organisation for this important role.

In addition, he or she has an on-going programme of study in food sensitivities, nutrition, diet, food characteristics and composition, meal planning and presentation.


For further details : The Health Partnership Telephone (01823) 421122
Web: http://www.nationalfoodsensitivitytesting.co.uk