Igg Testing Results And Food Elimination

[JamiD]

What has been your experience w/ eliminating foods that you tested postive for?

Did eliminating all the positive foods result in your GI symptoms clearing up?

[JamiD]

hhmm? No responses. Maybe I didn't word my question well?

I guess I'm wondering how helpful and thorough food sensitivity testing is. I see individual enterolab results and others listed at the bottom of differents posts and I'm interested in whether that resolved the GI symptoms.

I've been doing an elimination diet and food challenges, but it's painstaking and I think I'm probably making some errors along the way w/ cross contamination.

I'd like to hear that food testing will give me all the answers, but I'm doubtful that it could be that easy.

Anyone?

[Dr. Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.]

What has been your experience w/ eliminating foods that you tested postive for?

Did eliminating all the positive foods result in your GI symptoms clearing up?

It took a few days but yes, my GI symptoms cleared up after eliminating everything I showed a reaction to (IgG ELISA testing)

best wishes,

Ron Hoggan

[goodlife]

JamieD, I've read quite a few medical journal articles that are testing this hypothesis: one gets a blood testing for IgG food intolerances and then goes off the offending food for a while. Then, they follow up with patients in the short term and about one year later to see how they do. Many of these studies are done on people with IBS or other functional bowel diseases, rather than celiac. (The ones I've been researching anyway).

The results look promising, so there is an argument for having blood tests from Great Smokies Lab (they changed their name and I can't remember) or another lab. However, I had great results from doing a formal elimination diet to see what I was intolerant of. The blood tests are not foolproof and my favorite author, Dr. Jonathan Brostoff, believes they are not necessary.

I suggest reading the following book: "Food Allergies and Food Intolerance: The Complete Guide to Their Identification and Treatment." by Dr. Jonathan Brostoff and Linda Gamlin. I hesitated to buy it 5 years ago, but I am so glad I did. It's so chock full of good, research-based, and sensible information that I refer to it regularly. I followed the elimination diet information in there to detect my food intolerances long before I ever got full testing from Great Smokies and Enterolab. Some of the results were different and I always trust the elimination diet results over the blood tests. That's why I am currently gluten-free. My elimination diet told me I reacted to wheat, but my blood tests from Great Smokies show no adverse affect!

[mftnchn]

Elimination diets work very well.

Where it gets tricky is when a person is allergic to many or most foods. The other place it gets tricky is that you can have varied levels of sensitivity. So if you eliminate it then rechallenge it you might not test positive right away. So you have to figure out if you can eat it, and then how often you can eat it.

Then also, some foods cross-react with similar foods. For example, grains are notorious for cross-reacting.

So yes, it takes some reading and education, and perhaps the guidance of a very good allergist sometimes to figure it out.

[JamiD]

Thanks for the responses.

I'll get the book.

I'm also seeing a malabsorption specialist next month, so fingers crossed, that he'll be helpful.

I've been doing an elimination diet, down to beef, unprocessed pork, chicken, green veg, fruit, tea, & olive/canola oil for 2 months.

I admittedly add sugar to my tea and unsweetened gluten free canned fruit, because I feel sorry for myself for having to give up so much. It could be contributing.