If you’re one of the millions out there without health insurance but with suffering from chronic migraines, body aches, pains, un-explainable rashes or skin flushing, etc that you suspect is caused by something you ate, we’ve got a simple test to help you. . . and you can do it in the comfort of your own home without spending a dime using the poor man’s (Accurate) food allergy test.
The Coca’s Pulse Test
First and foremost, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet (or tv, for that matter). What I am is an avid reader, researcher, and above all, Concerned mom who seeks answers when her kids seem off or out of kilter from their normal joyful selves.
With that said, I’m also one of the Millions of Americans living without health insurance, which suits us just fine (aside from the couple of broken arms we’ve had to pay for out of pocket the last few years!).
When you don’t have insurance, you study ways to find out what you need, which is how I came across this interesting tip that you can do at home. It’s a simple sensitivity test, a home “Food Allergy” test if you will.
Did you know that when you consume something that your body has a sensitivity to, your body reacts by releasing histamines triggered by that particular food and then, in turn, your body’s adrenal glands react by releasing cortisol (an anti-inflammatory hormone) which “runs to the rescue”, so to speak.
What that means, in very basic layman’s terms is that trigger foods = a measurable increase in your pulse rate.
The Coca’s Pulse Test was developed by an Allergist in the mid-’50s named Dr. Arthur Coca who discovered this simple, yet profound test to easily identify sensitivities to foods.
Source: Video by Dr David Jockers**
How to Test yourself (or a Loved One)
Some of the symptoms of food allergies/sensitivity include chronic migraines, sinus infections, digestive upsets, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, eczema, headaches, tension, etc. You might be surprised at the cause of your recent growing fatigue, high blood pressure, and inexplicable weight gain.
1. Sit down, get comfortable, and just breathe a few deep controlled breaths. Then, take your pulse on your wrist for a full 60 Seconds, (NOT with your thumb). Be sure you take the full 60 seconds, don’t cheat, and do it for 20 and multiply, etc, Literally count your pulse for a full Sixty Seconds and jot the number down.
2. Get to your feet (Yes, just stand up) and stand there for 15-30 seconds.
3. While standing, take your pulse for another 60 seconds (just like the first time) and jot that number down.
Compare your two results, If your pulse rate jumps 6 or more beats when you’re standing on your feet than it did while you were sitting, you are experiencing tension related to food sensitivities.
How to Determine Which Food (or Item) is Causing the Sensitivity
This can actually be a rather lengthy process, but let me give you a heads up… the foods we crave the MOST are most often the ones that cause sensitivities and allergy reactions. So… if you’re suddenly craving a certain food be sure to test THAT item first.
1 Prior to eating anything (best case scenario 1-2 hours prior!), sit down, relax and take a couple of deep controlled breaths. Take your pulse as directed above- for the full 60 seconds and note the number.
2 Just Prior to eating (meaning, it’s just about on the table and you’re about to chow down any minute) take your pulse again for another 60 seconds, jot down the number.
3 Take a Single bite of food you suspect to be a trigger food. It’s much easier to narrow down the cause of the sensitivity if you use simple foods first. For example, eating a piece of broccoli vs a bowl of broccoli soup with 6 other ingredients.
4 With the food item STILL in your mouth, take your pulse for another 60 seconds (but don’t swallow the item just yet!) and then jot the number down.
If your blood type is O and your pulse increased by more than 5 beats, Or if your blood type is not O but increased by more than 6 beats, you most likely have a sensitivity to that food (and at this point, you might want to spit it out).
If your pulse did not increase or increased by just a beat or two then it’s not a trigger food for you at all.
It’s best to wait at least an hour in between tests to accurately determine the triggers and narrow them down. Keep a food diary or log of your results so you can track any reactions or sensitivities you encounter with each trigger food.
This can also be used to test sensitivities to environmental allergens such as laundry detergents, shampoos, deodorants, conditioners, lotions, scents/fragrances/perfumes”, etc.
Things that can Affect Results
– as long as a person is not suffering from the items below, it is safe to assume that a measurable increase in the pulse is in fact an allergic reaction.
- Sunburn
- Infections or Colds
Resources: You can read more about the food allergy test in here The Pulse Test by Dr. Arthur Coca, MD
Alternatively, You can Read his Book about The Pulse Test.
Once you narrow down trigger foods you can either choose to avoid them altogether or you can visit an allergist and be tested directly for those particular allergens, thereby saving money from multiple appointments.
Additional Disclaimer for SUE Happy Peeps:
I’m actually saddened that I have to add this COMMON SENSE Disclaimer, but if you KNOW you have an allergy to something, do not “test” this particular food item at home. Example- if you have a Peanut allergy DO NOT EAT PEANUTS. (duh, right?)
Should you ever experience a reaction that feels scary, induces hives, or any signs of anaphylactic shock (such as itchy rash, swelling of lips or throat, etc), call 911 for help. I wouldn’t think we’d have to tell anyone this but we’ve been contacted repeatedly telling us that the general public must be protected from itself, so we’re reiterating that information to you.
Sources:
Biofeedback Testing: Dr. David Jockers is a doctor of natural medicine, a functional nutritionist, and a corrective care chiropractor. He currently owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia. See Also: The Pulse BioFeedback Food Sensitivity Test
Dr. Arthur Coca’s Credentials: Dr. Coca studied at Haverford College, received his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1900), studied at Heidelberg (1905–1909), and was assistant under von Dungern at the Cancer Institute of Heidelberg, in charge of the chemical laboratory (1907–1909). He was Bacteriologist at the Bureau of Science in Manila (1909–1910), Instructor in Pathology and Bacteriology at Cornell University Medical College (1910–1919), Assistant Professor of Immunology (1919–1924), Professor (1924–1932), Professor of Medicine, New York Postgraduate Medical School, Columbia University (1931–1935) and Medical Director, Lederle Laboratories (1931–1949).
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / Nanisimova
i never really thought about it that way, that we crave the things that are bad for us. i was always taught that if we were craving something it was because our bodies needed it.
i know this is a terrible thing to share but i’ve been craving blueberry unfrosted poptarts for the past 2 weeks and I picked some up yesterday when I went shopping. I decided, for fun, to try this little test and I have to tell you the results were a bit scary to me.
My pulse increased 42 BEATS in just 1 MINUTE within after eating the poptart.
That was sitting down, I didn’t even stand up first. 42 BEATS.
I have a tendency to get nauseaus or light headed or just feel “off” after eating certain types of junk food, but this was a real eye opener as to the amount of stress this junk food puts on my own body.
Thank you for sharing the test, very interesting!
get checked for diabetes, high carbohydrate foods also increase pulse for diabetics, also blood sugar issues causes nausea and feeling off, so does thyroid.
i’ll give it a try, for i am an avid reader as well! i’ll keep you posted!
what a great tip. i’m going to give it a try. i think i will skip checking coffee tho lol :coffeebath:
very interesting….will have to try with dairy products….it took me 30 + years to figure out that Dairy causes me to have Bronchitis or Pneumonia…not lactose intolerant but allergic or sensitive to Casein..
Just wondering where do you test the environmental allergens? I can’t imagine wanting to put them in your mouth for testing. Is there a place on the body that is best for testing those?
This is so interesting! I’ve been doing a modified version of this, where I take a food substance at the grocery store and hold it against my body. For things I am sensitive to, I notice that my pulse increases (like a can feel it as I stand there and sense my heart) when its a food I shouldn’t have.
You could likely do that with non-ingestible substances. Hold them to your chest and watch for pulse changes.
I also do “show me a yes” and feel an internal falling forward sensation and “show me a no” and feel an internal falling backward sensation. Then I hold the substance and do the test asking internally for a yes or a no.
It must look rather funny as I stand in the grocery aisle holding foods to my heart and falling slightly forwards and backwards but it has made a HUGE different for me in lowering my anxiety around what I eat. And it allows my body’s wisdom to guide me on my various trips to the store, as I find my physiology changes slightly all the time. Sometimes I can handle dairy for instance, and sometimes I can’t.
I am taking homeopathic remedies which are supposed to help with dairy (Bovista giganta remedy) so I can track if that’s having any effect with the pulse checks too.
So happy to find a thread that validates this connection between pulse rate and the sensitivities!
Wow. I wash my produce to an inch of its life because of all of the handling it gets between farm and my fridge, but yep. .
.never pictured someone at the store holding vegetables against her body while rocking back and forth and presumably putting back the “no”s for the next customer to “enjoy”.
Sounds more like POTS to me than food allergies. Check it out and it will to you too.
The sitting vs standing pulse is ridiculous, because, in a normal person, pulse is supposed to go up by 10 beats, and sometimes up to 20. It is a test used by medical folk to check for dehydration– the pulse would go up by more than 20. Lots of other reasons too.
horrified doctor here- You’re right, pulse just goes up on standing as a normal physiological response (when you stand up your blood pressure drops because of gravity, so your heart increases pulse in order to compensate for the BP drop.
Here’s my advice:
If you think you’re ‘allergic’ (intolerant) to certain foods, just don’t eat them for a few weeks and see if you feel better.
If you think you have POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) then you probably have health anxiety / generalised anxiety disorder / panic disorder and need to spend less time reading scary posts on the internet and more time making sure you are well hydrated.