Bloating after a bowl of cereal. Fatigue after a slice of pizza. Stomach discomfort that you have learned to live with but never quite explained. For many people in New Hampshire and beyond, dairy and gluten sensitivities quietly shape daily life, often without a clear diagnosis. If that sounds familiar, you may be wondering whether there is an approach that addresses the cause rather than asking you to simply avoid your favorite foods forever.
A food sensitivity differs from a classic food allergy. A true allergy can trigger a rapid, sometimes severe immune reaction, while a sensitivity tends to produce slower, lower-grade symptoms such as digestive upset, inflammation, fatigue, or skin issues. Both, however, point to an immune system that is reacting to something it should be able to tolerate. With dairy and gluten, that reactivity can make everyday eating feel like a minefield.
Part of what makes these sensitivities so frustrating is how difficult they can be to pin down. Symptoms may appear hours after a meal, build gradually, or overlap with other issues, leaving many people to cut out entire food groups through trial and error. While elimination can bring relief, it often means a narrower diet and ongoing vigilance rather than a true resolution.
Allergy Release Technique (A.R.T.) approaches lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, and related conditions by focusing on the root cause: an overloaded, hyperactive immune system. Rather than managing symptoms through permanent elimination diets, A.R.T. works to identify the toxins and stressors burdening the immune system and to calm the body's reaction to specific foods.
Imagine the immune system as a bucket filled to the brim. When it is overloaded, it can begin to treat ordinary foods like dairy and gluten as threats, launching a defensive response that leaves you feeling unwell. A.R.T. aims to reduce that burden and retrain the body's response, so that a gradual, careful reintroduction of foods may become possible over time.
The approach pairs an FDA-approved radio-frequency device, used to identify the stressors weighing on the immune system, with mind-body tools that help ease the anxiety many people feel around eating. That second piece matters more than it might seem. When you have felt unwell after meals for years, food can become a source of stress in itself, and calming that response is part of the work.
A.R.T. has supported clients with a wide range of conditions and sensitivities, including lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, food sensitivities, eczema, and digestive concerns. A published pilot study by Boston Children's Hospital and Boston University in 2019, appearing in The Journal of Alternative and Integrative Medicine, found that individuals who received A.R.T. treatment showed less severe allergic responses after skin prick testing, were ingesting more of the food allergen in their diets, and reported a lower impact of their food allergies on quality of life compared with those receiving standard management.
A.R.T. is not a fit for everyone, and the right starting point is a conversation about your specific symptoms and history. Some people come to A.R.T. after years of restrictive eating, while others are just beginning to connect their symptoms to certain foods. Wherever you are in that journey, understanding your options is the first step.
If dairy or gluten sensitivity has been holding you back, it may be worth exploring whether this holistic approach makes sense for you. The goal is not simply to avoid foods indefinitely, but to address why the body is reacting in the first place. Serving clients across New Hampshire, Northern Massachusetts, and Maine, our Nashua, NH practice offers a holistic path for those struggling with food sensitivities.
To find out whether A.R.T. is right for you, contact Deepal Vora Parikh, A.R.T., NTP, the only A.R.T. practitioner in NH. Call (781) 526-6042 or email info@allergyhealthbalance.com.
