Ordering
How to send in your blood sample
– Patients, individuals seeking health, athelets, corporate wellness, others –
How to order your Alcat Test
To purchase an Alcat Test a written order is necessary. If you are not sure which test panel is right for you, please call us any time at +49 (0) 331 7400880 and let our team advise you.
It is also possible that your doctor’s/health practitioner’s practice is familiar with the Alcat Test and can order your test. If you would like to order directly from us, you can use the contact form. We will shortly connect with you to either process the order or explore your options – before you will receive an invoice. The procedure includes follow-up support, monitoring of the whole handling procedure including courier shipment and also a free test result consultation – but no diagnostic or health statements. We recommend that you read the following disclaimer carefully to understand what we can do and what the Alcat Test is not intended for.
+++ Disclaimer +++
The Alcat Test is to be understood as a nutritional concept and health consultation of complementary nutritional therapy and is NOT a diagnostic or healing method. Nutrition alone is NO substitute for careful diagnosis and medical care in the case of illness.
The Alcat Test should therefore be carried out in consultation with a healthcare professional in the case of a pre-existing illness. This practitioner can integrate the Alcat Test into the treatment plan in an integrative and compatible manner. However, a healthy diet according to the Alcat principle can easily be used for prevention.
We emphasize that the Alcat Test does NOT measure parameters of the specific immune system, i.e. no antibody levels are measured and it is not an LTT /lymphocyte transformation test, but cell-mediated food-related hypersensitivities are examined, which are mainly mediated by the innate immune system.
Thus, the Alcat Test does NOT diagnose food allergies (type 1/IgE – allergies have to be avoided!) and NO enzymatically caused intolerances to e.g. lactose, fructose or histamine.
It is possible that the innate immune system may be activated at the same time despite existing classical allergy or intolerance and therefore does not exclude cell-mediated pro-inflammatory reactivity as measured by the Alcat Test.
The Alcat Test is NOT an IgG test – we explicitly distance ourselves from antibody tests of IgG class(es).
Video 4: This is why the Alcat Test may be important for you
Video 10: environmental responsibility /focus on prevention
Testing procedure
Our opening times: MO – FR from 8 am – 18:00 pm
1) Send your written order or let your healthcare practitioner order for you
A private order is only subject to a charge once all questions concerning testing, handling and payment have been clarified. You will then receive a “test kit”*.
2) Blood draw – pack specimen correctly and close test kit*
3) Order same day pick-up (pre-addressed airbill will be enclosed in test kit*)
4) Next day: Quality check of your specimen and performance of the Alcat Test
5) Test results within 5-7 business days
6) Schedule free education & results review (optional)
* Kit content: instructions, lab request form, Medical history form, blood collection system, swabs, biohazard bag, packaging material (P650), and courier airbill (or call us to schedule a pick-up request).
Good to know
Science based lab data
Responsibility with regard to health & treatment
Diet is important for everyone. Regardless of which health goal you have set yourself: optimized prevention & lifestyle (self-care, weight management, fitness etc.), improvement of a chronic illness or other. Nutrition according to the Alcat principle will support you.
Which test is best for me?
Broad range – flexible modules:
Ask us, if you are not sure!
For your daily diet: panels from 100 – 250 foods (only organic extracts) / Advanced (add-on) modules: 120 medicinal herbs, 95 additives, pharmaceuticals, sugar replacements & environmental chemicals, 18 biogenic amines, 20 moulds
We offer professional expertise
Knowledge. Experience. Support
Implement test results in an easy and convenient way and take advantage of the free results consultation: We support you with questions regarding test results, interpretation or lifestyle questions and the recommended dietary changes.
Specimen handling
In the laboratory, each blood samples undergoes a multi-stage quality assurance process which prepares the sample for analysis. After completion of the pre-analytical validation, the Alcat Test will be performed.
Specification
Functional leukocyte activation test for determining pro-inflammatory non-allergic cell reactions to foods, chemical substances, medicinal herbs, and many others.
Stability of specimen
Leukocytes have a life spam of up to 10 days. The Alcat samples can be processed at room temperature for ≥ 24-48h (individually up to 72h).
Restrictions and rejection criteria
Specimen too old, coagulated blood sample, use of wrong test tubes, insufficiently filled tubes, too few test tubes, too low cell count, missing information on laboratory request form
FAQs
Is fasting required before taking the Alcat Test?
No, fasting is not required before taking the Alcat Test but being well hydrated is recommended.
However, direct consumption of meat or highly fatty foods (e.g. some types of sausage) prior to blood collection is not recommended.
Should the blood sample be shipped immediately?
The whole blood sample is time-sensitive due to the relatively short life-spam of the innate immune cells. Therefore, the sample should be shipped immediately, on the day of blood collection, to avoid all unnecessary delays (weather or longer delivery time due to unexpected circumstances).
If this is not possible (Sunday or holiday), the sample should be shipped the next day. Please note that all tests undergo a pre-analysis to validate the integrity of the immune cell before performing the Alcat Test. Usually the sample can be tested 24 to 72 hours after blood collection.
Do I need to fill each vial to capacity?
Yes, each vial collected must be filled to capacity. The number of vials is clearly indicated on the lab requisition form.
Are there medication restrictions?
It is not necessary to postpone testing despite medication use. If possible do not take any medications 3 to 4 hours prior to blood draw.
Taking medication is part of the patient’s daily life and should therefore also be considered in Alcat testing.
The situation is different in case of a one-off infection. After a course of antibiotics, the patient should wait 14 days.
Are blood draws possible on FR and SA?
Our regular blood collection days are from Monday to Thursday.
If you would also like to send in blood samples on FRIDAY or plan to pick them up on SATURDAY, please contact us.
One of our courier partners provides special airbills and delivers on Saturdays – and also collects your samples on Saturdays.
Is there any special handling for the sample?
Blood is collected in the blue top vials provided in the test kit and should be stored at room temperature until shipped. Specimen should not be frozen, spun or refrigerated. Sample should be viable for at least 48 hours.
The laboratory will determine if the cells viability are within specifications for testing.
Does the Alcat Test also test food allergies type 1?
The Alcat Test is NOT a food allergy test. It is designed to test for sensitivities, which have a delayed reaction. Although in common parlance, the terms have been used interchangeably, food allergy and food sensitivity are quite different from one another.
The main difference is that for allergies, parameters of the specific immune system are tested (antibodies), whereas the Alcat Test is a cellular test, with primarily innate immune cells as target cells. – Please note, that these are two very different pathways and may not exclude each other.
However, the Alcat Test detects sensitivities and NOT allergies. The patient should still avoid all items to which he/she has a known allergy.
Should previously reactive foods be reintroduced or consumed before (re-) testing?
Yes, the consumption of previously reactive foods before re-testing after 6 months or foods that the patient considers problematic may set a clear accent before testing.
Foods that are not consumed regularly (provided there is no allergy or coeliac condition) can thus be consumed two or three times within the week before taking the Alcat Test.