3 replies to this topic

[bklyn]

I'm reposting this in hopes of some help. I had this test done and the results are confusing to me. I scored the highest on tuna and cane sugar. Many other foods were listed, many of which I never eat. My question is how do I remove all of these foods, most are things I eat daily (milk, corn, rice). How reliable are these tests. My GI dr. doesn't consider them at all. Also, why wouldn't wheat or rye show up and oats did. (Don't eat any of them).

Please advise.


Thanks


Kathy

[Jestgar]

Kathy,
the tests aren't at all reliable. To know for sure what bothers you, eliminate the foods from your diet one by one. Start with the highest scoring foods (tuna) and don't eat any tuna for 2 weeks. Do eat everything else. Keep careful notes. If you notice absolutely no difference, start eating tuna again and remove cane sugar. If you aren't sure if there's any difference, don't eat tuna for another 2 weeks.

Do this with all the foods you tested positive on (and actually want to eat). Any that you decide make you feel bad, remove from your diet completely. After you've tested all the foods, you can try eating a little of the ones with less intense reactions to see if you can tolerate them in small amounts (except gluten).

Does that help a little?

[vbeighley]

Kathy -

The real test of whether you are intolerant will actually come when you add the food back in. If you are intolerant, it will hit you like a brick wall. Watch for nausea, headaches, swelling in the extremities, bloating of the abdominal area, excess flatulation among others. If you add the food back in on a daily basis, you should know within 2 days if you intolerant. You may be able to eat the food on an irregular basis, though not daily.

An excellent source for food allergy information is a doctor who suffers a lot of these allergies himself - Dr. William R. Walsh, M.D. - his book - Food Allergies: The Complete Guide to Understanding & Relieving your Food Allergies is very helpful.

[AndreaB]

My doctor told me to eliminate everything I tested positive for (but I could leave in the ones below the midpoint low) for two weeks and then add back in one food at a time every 4-7 days. You need to give yourself time to recover from a reaction should you have one, which can take up to 3 days. You also need to consider that you may be ok at first and start reacting once you've had more of that food, say a couple days later.

I've copied over a paper my doctor gave me. Hopefully it will help.

Food Allergies

Food allergies are a problem created by a disordered immune system. Normally, the immune system, or body’s military team, is designed to attack disease-causing germs such as bacteria and viruses. Sometimes, however, the immune system gets “confused”, and begins attacking harmless proteins such as those breathed in the air [pollens, mold spores, etc.] or ingested [proteins in our foods]. We call such a reaction an allergy. Allergy symptoms are many and diverse; the most commonly recognized being itching of eyes and nose, runny or stuffy nose and sinuses (“hay fever”), difficulty breathing or asthma, and rashes such as hives or eczema. Not as commonly appreciated is that these immune system reactions can also cause many other symptoms such as; headaches, especially migraines, fatigue, sore throat, arthritis or joint pains, stomach distress, colitis, gall bladder attacks, etc. Even such disorders as epilepsy, spontaneous miscarriages, heart attacks, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, high blood pressure, etc., may have an allergic basis.

You might say, “I feel fine nearly all the time; why should I check for allergies. While it may not be necessary, many individuals discover that they are able to enjoy even better quality of life when they avoid their “problem foods”.

How does one know which foods are “problem foods”? That can be a difficult question. Fortunately, several tests can be useful. One measures the amount of immunoglobulin G present in the blood which is specific to a certain food, another measures the amount of immunoglobulin E. Other tests check for concentrations of antigen:antibody complexes, or look for swelling in white blood cells. The test most frequently useful is that which measures the concentration of the immunoglobulin G, or “IgG”.

Depending in which type of testing is performed, the significant levels will be listed differently. If RAST testing is done, [e.g. Serolab], usually the important foods will have counts greater than 3,000 (or _____). If ELISA testing is done, [e.g. US Biotek], levels greater than “No Reaction” are usually considered relevant.

However, laboratories can make mistakes. Therefore it advisable to experiment with the “problem” foods to see if they actually do produce any problems.

The preferred method is called “elimination diet and challenge testing”. It means strictly avoiding any food which is on the “problem list” (shows an elevated level of antibodies) for about 3 weeks [at least 2 weeks]. Then testing or “challenging” each food one time only, beginning with those foods having the lowest positive [but significant] reaction. Do not eat the tested food again until all problem foods have been tested. The next food is tested after 3 days, (or 24 hours after any reaction has subsided--whichever is first). The amount of the test food is usually not critical. Any amount from 1 tablespoon to 1 quart is acceptable. Other “safe” foods may be eaten at he same meal as the test food.

Observe carefully for any symptoms, especially within the first hour, 6-8 hours after ingestion, and 24 hours after the test meal. It is wise to keep a diary or journal, so you can recall what specific symptoms were experienced, and how long it was after the test meal until they occurred. It is sometimes helpful if a family member also is observing for any personality changes or other objective symptoms.

A typical reaction to a problem food might be as follows. The “problem food” [cheese, for example] is eaten for breakfast at 8:00 am. Half an hour later, you notice some sniffling and sneezing. An hour later, you feel jittery, shaky inside. Four hours after breakfast slight nausea is noted. Seven hours after the test meal [3:00 PM], you get a headache. This continues, gradually worsening, the rest of the day. The following morning you awaken feeling very tired, exhausted. As you drag out of bed, you notice that your joints feel stiff and a little sore. They gradually “limber up” as the day progresses, but you feel tired throughout the entire day. The following morning you awaken beginning to feel more like your normal self. Just eating one problem food once could cause this 48-hour ordeal.

After all problem foods have been tested, decide which ones caused symptoms worse than the trouble of trying to avoid the causative foods. Ideally, one strictly avoids all those foods for a period of 4 to 6 months, after which they are each tested again. The goal is to assist the body in “forgetting” those foods are “problem foods” so they may be safely eaten again. This may take some time, but can be worthwhile.

Another method of dealing with allergy foods is to eat them only occasionally. Eating a problem food at intervals of 4 days or more frequently minimizes the symptoms produced. This can be easier than strictly avoiding the food, though the immune system may not “forget” to “fight” a food that is eaten intermittently. The “bottom line” rule of thumb is to be no stricter about your diet than you need to be in order to feel as good as it is possible for you to feel.

If you would like a more thorough explanation of this topic, please consult one of several excellent books that are available.