Enterolabs?

[daron5780]

i see this name popping up alot, what is enterolabs and how do they differ from regular docs testing?

[happygirl]

www.enterolab.com for more information.

They can't diagnose Celiac, only potential gluten (and other foods) sensitivity. Many doctors don't accept their results. It is a stool test. The test done at your doctors is a blood test.

His results have not been duplicated yet, nor has his stool testing method results been duplicated by others. He is supposed to be working on an article to be submitted for peer review.

There are pros and cons to using them. Many turn to them after traditional methos.

[gfpaperdoll]

& some people that have a positive biobsy use them to then find out if they have a problem with dairy etc & to get the gene test. & then they have their whole extended family tested - because enterolab is easy to use. You can order it from anywhere in the world & you do not need a doctors referral to order the tests. And it does not go on your medical records.

And some doctors do use them & some doctors do accept their lab results...

And a lot of people, like me,do not care if they submit their findings for peer review or not.

It is not like the medical profession is going to do anything with a published paper anyway...

I mean it is not like you need a prescription to eat a healthy diet...

There is a lot of good info on their site. Dr Fine also thinks that we should not be eating grains even the gluten free ones or dairy & I agree with him...

[daron5780]

are they definitely credible? any idea of the costs?

thanks alot for the info!

[gfpaperdoll]

They are very credible, go to their web site & decide for yourself. They are located in Dallas...

Dr. Fine is an MD gastro specialist... He is cited by other doctors that are studying gluten intolerance which has just about been totally ignored by the medical community, why if you have a negative blood test they usually will not even do a biobsy... which is absurd... well you could test negative via blood & biobsy & still be dying from gluten intolerance - which I think is worse than just damaging the villi - gluten intolerance can affect any organ including the brain - a lot of DQ1 people have neurological symptoms, we also get all the other auto immune illnesses like diabetes, MS, arthritis, cancer...

[momandgirls]

It's up to you to decide if Dr. Fine is credible...personally, no, I don't think he is. He is not accepted by the medical community. He has not published any papers, published no peer reviews, is not affiliated with or supported by any university or health care facility or hospital. And I disagree with the above poster - it IS important to be published. If he would do valid studies and publish his results, he would have the support of the medical community.

[hathor]

Is there any other test available for gluten intolerance that hasn't reached the level of villi damage or that affects other parts of the body and which is accepted by the majority of the medical profession? No.

The problem is that the medical community is divided. I read an article about it once. (I wish I had kept a link.) They don't even agree on what the disorder IS. Is there only celiac, and is it only present with certain genes and verified villi damage? Some say yes. Others accept the possibility of other genes or accept the disorder even without seeing villi damage. Some accept a positive response to dietary change as sufficient and don't get hung up with labels. Some even accept Enterolab. Dr. Fine is not in the majority camp, it is true, but he is not by himself either.

Plenty of what doctors say about celiac, judging from comments on this board and what I've read historically, were never supported by studies. Plenty of what they do in this and other areas is not supported by research.

If Dr. Fine publishes ... and I wish he would BTW ... I don't expect many of the medical profession to accept what he says even if the study was done perfectly. Plenty of studies get ignored if they don't fit into the prevailing group think in the profession or aren't brought to the fore in glossy magazine ads for drugs or drug representative visits. Those who think there is only celiac are not going to accept a test for something broader. They don't think the something broader even exists. (Those of us who feel better without gluten but aren't confirmed celiacs are a "cult," don't you know? A word used by a gastroenterologist at a meeting ... there's a thread about it.)

You can read on the web site how his research was done & see what you think. Yes, it isn't perfect; it would be better if put through the crucible of peer review & replication by others. But in the real world we often don't have the alternative of perfect information and studies. Folks who have a positive response to the diet and don't want to go back on gluten (but want some sort of confirmation and baseline for their antibodies & absorption), those who have DQ1 and thus are considered by some doctors as not at risk for gluten problems yet by others to be at risk, etc. can reasonably decide to go with Enterolabs. IMHO Of course, others may disagree ... and do

An article that may be of interest:

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1417

[EBsMom]

But in the real world we often don't have the alternative of perfect information and studies. Folks who have a positive response to the diet and don't want to go back on gluten (but want some sort of confirmation and baseline for their antibodies & absorption), those who have DQ1 and thus are considered by some doctors as not at risk for gluten problems yet by others to be at risk, etc. can reasonably decide to go with Enterolabs. IMHO Of course, others may disagree ... and do

Not me! I couldn't have said it better if I'd tried (really hard, lol!)

Rho

[daron5780]

interesting. hathor, what do you mean by DQ1?

[happygirl]

The costs are on the website.

There is no definitive answer on if he is credible. Food allergy and intolerance testing, having nothing to do with Dr. Fine, is notoriously difficult, less than reliable, etc.

Personally, I would first go to the dr. and have the full Celiac blood panel run. Covered by insurance. After that, look in other directions.

[hathor]

interesting. hathor, what do you mean by DQ1?

It is a gene variant that many of us with gluten intolerance seem to have, but it isn't one that is considered a "celiac gene." It has been found in those with neurological manifestations of gluten problems, in addition to the regular celiac genes of DQ2 and DQ8:

Open Original Shared Link

I don't know that I accept the idea of there not being a gastrointestinal presentation of gluten sensitivity with DQ1, because I seem to have such problems as do other DQ1s I've talked with. That's how I got into this gluten business to begin with. Since I've had digestive issues since I was a little girl and my dietary changes early this year have finally begun to resolve some problems, I feel like I've found my answer.

This seems to be one of those areas where more research is needed. Meanwhile, we all can only try to find the diets that make us feel the best.

[lonewolf]

It's up to you to decide if Dr. Fine is credible...personally, no, I don't think he is. He is not accepted by the medical community. He has not published any papers, published no peer reviews, is not affiliated with or supported by any university or health care facility or hospital. And I disagree with the above poster - it IS important to be published. If he would do valid studies and publish his results, he would have the support of the medical community.

Hmmm, have you looked at his "Curriculum Vitae"? He has an impressive resume and is well-respected. Not everyone agrees with him about his findings with Enterolab, but that doesn't mean he's not credible. You should read this:

Open Original Shared Link

Then go to one of his seminars, speak to him in person and then decide if he's credible. That's what I did.

[daron5780]

thank you for the article, hathor. it was very informative. thanks everyone for all the replies!

[mftnchn]

Yes, I agree. Check out Dr. Fine's resume.

Also, someone here on the forum has worked in a laboratory and looked into Enterolab. I found her comments interesting. She said that Dr. Fine's tests on stool are the exact same reagents etc that are used in the blood tests for celiac.

I too hope that he publishes. However, I had this experience: I was made fun of by a rheumatologist who considered himself an expert on lyme--because my LLMD thought I had it, and was willing to test me with a test that the "rheumie" considered not reliable. It took 8 months of antibiotics before I began to improve, and treatment by my LLMD has literally given me my life back.

Therefore, I do not ignore Dr. Fine because he is not published or well accepted yet by the mainstream. I try to weigh everything as information to consider. I think he is a bit extreme on milk for example, but Enterolab is how I discovered my gluten problem and 6 months after gluten-free I can see some clear improvements.