An overview of ELISA/ACT: what it tests & why by Dr. Russell Jaffe, MD ELISA/ACT is the name of a blood test that measures a person's reactions to a wide variety of common substances: medications, foods, additives,and preservatives, as well as environmental chemicals. In a healthy state, we are able to tolerate the substances we eat or are exposed to in the environment. When the load of foreign exposures exceeds our reserves, our immune system is activated and we mobilize defenses against the invaders, lest they interfere with our cellular health. When we become sensitive, our immune defense and repair system diverts itself to combating these foreign exposures. This means that we defer repair until the immediate assault of foreign exposure is over. For too many people, the assaults are regular and create sustained deficits in repair of usual wear and tear. In this state, we are also more hospitable to bacterial or viral infections because our finite immune defenses are preoccupied with neutralizing the foreign substances to which we are sensitive. Further, since our immune system is only a part of a larger hormonal and neurochemical control system. Over-work (and possible exhaustion) by the immune system imposes stress on the hormonal and neurochemical control systems as well. This over-work in the immune-hormonal-neurochemical system can 'short circuit' energy systems in the cell, and leave the body on the energy-inefficient acidic side as a result of immune reactions. Diets too high in fat/protein/sugar and too low in buffering minerals, nutrients, and complex carbohydrates ('carbs'), and distress (which, itself, rouses acid forming chemical pathways) can all lead to exhaustion until the cycle of immune overload and essential nutrient deficits is reversed. ELISA/ACT is distinctive in identifying reactions to all delayed or hidden immune reactions. This includes antibodies (functionally significant IgA, IgM, and IgG) as well as immune complexes and cell-mediated responses. Only a cell culture of all relevant lymphocyte (white cells with long life in circulation) types can give this information. ELISA/ACT is a highly sensitive cell response test which provides a specific fingerprint for each person by identifying substances (typically 6-20 items out of up to 340 that can be tested) which ought be avoided (substituted) for a period of three to six months. During this three to six months, a program of repair and immune system 'resetting' is carried out. The repair program is _base_d on both the results of the cell culture test and a Health Appraisal questionnaire developed by the lab and tested for over 10 years. For more information, contact client services as 703 758-0610. QUESTIONS What is the _link_ between immediate and delayed reactions? We are still learning about the _link_s between the types of immune reactions. We have often heard that when the delayed/hidden reactions are 'reset to tolerance' through the ELISA/ACT program, that immediate reactions either disappear or are much less intense. The goal of immunotherapy, for example, is to increase the protective type of IgG4 (a subclass of IgG antibodies) which neutralizes the IgE, the usual trigger to immediate reactions. Can ELISA/ACT help with sensitivity to Candida? Sensitivity to Candida occurs when our digestion is impaired and thereby leads to repair deficits in the intestines and a consequent 'leaky gut syndrome'. This is often _link_ed to a long retention of digestive remnants (long 'transit time') on which yeasts like Candida can grow as they try to further digest what should have been previously more fully digested, assimilated, and eliminated. Eating foods which are immunocompatible (e.g., _base_d on ELISA/ACT testing) lowers the work load on the immune system. A concurrent repair program, perhaps including enough buffered ascorbate to stimulate intestinal repair and shorten the transit time, can often allow the body to get ahead of resistant Candida sensitivities. How delayed are delayed sensitivity reactions? Delays between several hours and days (sometimes up to a week or more) can occur in different types of delayed sensitivity reactions. That is why detection of the delayed or hidden reactors has been so difficult in the past and why a system that looks at all the different delayed pathways is so valuable. This is part of why the ELISA/ACT system of testing by lymphocyte culture was developed. Are symptoms related to delayed sensitivities similar to conventional allergies? Delayed sensitivities usually show up as symptoms related to an autoimmune condition. The 'weak _link_' in the body is the organ or system that first shows symptoms. Examples include irritable bowel to ulcerative colitis in the intestines; migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis and cerebral focal swelling [cognitive interference / 'brain fog'] in the brain; Fibromyalgia and fibromyositis in muscles; rheumatoid arthritis and related arthrities in the joints; etc. In contrast, conventional allergies usually manifest as hives, wheezes, itching, and anaphylaxis. While there can be an overlap of both types, immediate and delayed immune reactions have different mechanisms and different symptoms. Are cognitive symptoms common? When immune reactions affect the brain, focal swelling can occur. In addition, when energy reserves are depleted by immune reactions and maldigestion, the brain can be deprived of what it needs for sustained function. How common is the _link_ between CFS and delayed sensitivities? While definitive epidemiologic studies have not been reported yet, clinical reports suggest that it is common for CFS folks to have delayed sensitivities (often unknown until proper testing is done). Immune reactions are energetically demanding and also leave acidic residues. When cells are too acidic, cellular machinery functions poorly and can easily become energy-starved. The best easily available measure of cellular acidosis is the urinary pH after a 10+ hour rest. The first morning urine can be tested to see if cellular acidosis is likely. The recent work showing swollen, underfunctional mitochondria (energy powerhouses in the cell) can be made worse (and perhaps be caused) by persistent immune reactions. When chronic fatigue doesn't respond to therapy, testing for delayed sensitivities (which ought then be avoided for three to six months) combined with a program of cellular and energetic rebuilding (provided on request as part of the interpretation of ELISA/ACT testing including both specific supplementation and healthy habits to reset distress patterns) is a sensible primary step to take. Discuss this with your physician.