What’s the difference between allergy and intolerance? 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 suspected food allergy, always seek profesional medical help.

Are the tests available at the NHS? Some Health Insurance Providers will cover the costs. Contact your provider for more info.

What do you test for? 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.

What age is the youngest you would consider testing? We dont test anybody under the age of six.

Can I take the test if I’m pregnant? 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.

Are the Tests painful? The tests are as painful as plucking a hair from your body..

My hair is very short can you still complete the tests? Your hair does not have to come from your head. It can come from your leg, arm, or even chest.

My hair is dyed, will this affect the results? This will not have any effect on the results.

I’ve been cutting out foods already. Should I reintroduce them? 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.

How does your test compare to the blood test? 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.