Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Optimum Health Resources Laboratories


Jimmy P

Recommended Posts

Jimmy P Newbie

I believe I may have some type of gluten intolerance, so I ordered the $370 kit from optimum health resources laboratories, and sent it out on 11/05/07. I recieved one letter 2 weeks later saying that they were running a little late, but thats it. I have not recieved anything yet, and I will not get a response to my e-mails or phone calls. Does this company have any type of customer service? I am starting to think that I got ripped of, and may call my credit card company to try to refund me my money. What do you guys think?

What place do the rest of you recoommend that I get a test from? Thanks

Jimmy


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Nancym Enthusiast

Personally I'd use enterolab.com, in fact, I did! I think that lab, Optimum, might have been called "York" before and they had just horrible customer service. People waited months and months for their tests. Sounds like (if it is the same lab) nothing has changed.

slimsalmon Newbie

I am having a similar experience.. My saga with them started in last November. I ordered an at home test and the 96-allergy send off test. After not receiving or hearing anything for 3 weeks I sent an email and they claimed that my order was lost in the mail, but of course had no tracking number. The fact they weren't concerned about my mail delivery and didn't add a tracking number the second time, made be confident they were lying.

Despite the fact that it was 5 weeks before I even got the test strips for the send off test, and the at-home test was backorded and didn't arrive until mid-January, they still charged my credit card for the full amount the day I placed the order in November.

I got one email confirmation when my strips were received saying that it would be 6 weeks before the lab work would be done. That was Dec 27th and it is now Feb 28th. They appear to have stop responding to all emails and I've never had anyone answer a phone there. I'm confident that this company is a scam and I'm going to file a fraud report with my credit card.

Maybe a number of us should get together and file an action in court to bring these jerks to justice. I think even if I were to suddenly receive some test results at this point, I would consider it likely that they were just made up.

Jimmy P Newbie

I called my credit card copmany and I did dispute the charge, stating I have not recieved what I payed for, and that there is no one there to answer phone calls or e-mails. They did temporary credit my account wtih $370, and told me they will give YORK(optimum health resources laboratories) 40 days to respond to them.

Yea, I wouldn't trust the results either after seeing how poorly run this company is.

holdthegluten Rising Star

I went through this company and the only way to get your results is to fax the company a threatening letter. After i faxed them, i got my results in one day. A @#$&* terrible company, but the lab might be accurate........i would get my money back and go through enterolab or biohealth. Good luck!

  • 6 months later...
pmabee Newbie

I have the same type of problem. Bought the $379 kit from them in Feb '08. Didn't receive the kit until April '08. As of September '08 I've gotten no response from them. I've tried email, fax, snail mail (with delivery confirmation so I know they got the letter) and phone and they do not respond. Since it's so long since I paid for the kit I can't get my credit card company to get the money back for me. I believe the maximum time I could have waited was three months. I've filed a grievance with the Florida Attorney General's office. If anyone else would like to do the same, you can find the form (and other contact info) here.

Open Original Shared Link

Maybe we can get something done about this. Unfortunately threatening them did nothing for me.

Penny

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,899
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    dcarter1682
    Newest Member
    dcarter1682
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.