Let's start with a few definitions
Misconceptions About Conditioned Food Sensitivity
Conditioned food sensitivity is not:
- “In your head”: Medical professionals often dismiss their patient’s concerns and may suggest the patient is exaggerating their suffering. However, conditioned food sensitivity causes debilitating, physical symptoms.
- A person’s fault: Most people suffering from mysterious symptoms get very little support from the medical system, which leaves them vulnerable to the fearful food messages that fuel the Food Avoidance & Sensitivity Trap (next chapter). Conditioning is an unconsciously learned reaction.
- Permanent: You can change the automatic reactions that are causing your conditioned symptoms.
- The sole cause: In many cases, both conditioned and physically-driven reactions (e.g., celiac disease, food allergy, etc.) contribute to an individual’s food sensitivities.
C-FAS Assessment
I am working with a team to validate an assessment to identify individuals that may be experiencing conditioned food avoidance & sensitivity. We hope to finish the C-FAS assessment in the fall (2023). If you would like to be notified, please enter your email address below.
Team members :
Madison Simons, PsyD
GI Psychologist, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Simons specializes in treating motility related gastrointestinal conditions. She is particularly interested in the precipitants and consequences of dietary modification in digestive disease and the overlap between gynecologic and gastrointestinal conditions.
Johannah Ruddy, MEd
COO and Executive Director of the Rome Foundation
Ms. Ruddy is a doctoral candidate in public and population health with a research focus on the impact of stigma in chronic illnesses and gender related bias in healthcare and serves as the COO of the Rome Foundation, an independent not for profit 501(c) 3 organization that provides support for activities designed to create scientific data and educational information to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction.
Hannah Hunter, MSc, RD
Allergy Specialist Dietitian, Guy's Hospital
Ms. Hunter splits her time between outpatient clinics, research, and health professional education. Her research interests include peanut allergy, pollen food syndrome and eosinophilic oesophagitis.
Sarah Ballou, PhD
GI Psychology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Dr. Sarah Ballou is Director of GI Psychology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She specializes in behavioral therapy for patients with chronic digestive conditions, with a focus on disorders of gut brain interaction and inflammatory bowel disease.