Elimination Diet

[kimis]

has anyone ever tried the eliminatiom diet? It looks hard and loooooooong! Going gluten free was no problem at all for me.....you can still have everything...just a bit differently. It seems like a good diet to try if you are having unexplainable symptoms, but it also seems like a pain in the a$$.

[CMG]

I am in the middle of the elimination diet for myself and my two daughters. We started almost a month ago. It is annoying, but also very enlightening. It also gets easier as we add back more items and notice no reactions. The downside is that that everyone seems to be reacting to different things, so I'm going to have to permanently modify my cooking accordingly.

Are you continuing to have symptoms that you hope to alleviate with the elimination diet?

[kimis]

I am in the middle of the elimination diet for myself and my two daughters. We started almost a month ago. It is annoying, but also very enlightening. It also gets easier as we add back more items and notice no reactions. The downside is that that everyone seems to be reacting to different things, so I'm going to have to permanently modify my cooking accordingly.

Are you continuing to have symptoms that you hope to alleviate with the elimination diet?

Yes! I have a whole bunch of things bothering me. Joint muscle and headaches are the worst, and acne, weight gain and foggy headedness are bad too.

What kind of symptoms did you have? How long did they take to go away after starting? What are your reactions like? What kind of foods did you start out with? Sorry for all the questions....I just really want to know what it's like

[CMG]

Yes! I have a whole bunch of things bothering me. Joint muscle and headaches are the worst, and acne, weight gain and foggy headedness are bad too.

What kind of symptoms did you have? How long did they take to go away after starting? What are your reactions like? What kind of foods did you start out with? Sorry for all the questions....I just really want to know what it's like

Most of my symptoms had gone away after going gluten free. Most significantly, I have rheumatoid arthritis. I noticed a big improvement after going gluten free, then another big improvement on the elimination diet. Same with minor intestinal symptoms that continued even after going gluten-free. All the symptoms that you have mentioned are ones that my naturopath has indicated are typical of food sensitivities and that people see clearing after doing the elimination diet. Also, my eye doctor says I should expect improvement in my dry eye symptoms.

I started out with mostly whole fruits and veggies, fish and white meat, rice, quinoa, potatoes and such. I had to eliminate all the common allergens, some of which surprised me: gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, beef, pork, citrus, strawberries, corn, chocolate, vinegars, shellfish, caffeine, alcohol. (I've cheated a bit on the wine, but have noticed no ill effects.) Arthritis flared up when I added back corn. Heart palpitations from beef. So far everything else I have added back has been ok - soy, eggs, citrus, pork.

One of my daughters complained of tummy aches and some intestinal upset after eating beef. The other had big dark circles under her eyes, rash on her cheeks and was whiny and irritable all day after both soy and eggs. (I already knew she had issues with soy.)

I hope this helps. I'm happy to share more if you are interested - either on the board or by PM.

[burdee]

has anyone ever tried the eliminatiom diet? It looks hard and loooooooong! Going gluten free was no problem at all for me.....you can still have everything...just a bit differently. It seems like a good diet to try if you are having unexplainable symptoms, but it also seems like a pain in the a$$.

I also had continuing symptoms (mostly fatigue, cramping pain, bloating and irregularity) after eliminating gluten and casein. I did NOT want to guess or unnecessarily restrict my diet with an elimination diet. So I found a naturopath who heads a local IBS treatment center. He's also a celiac who believes that many gut symptoms are usually caused by celiac disease, food allergies, parasites, bacteria or fungus (like candida). He uses blood tests (ELISA) to diagnosed food allergies (or intolerances for purists) mediated by IgG, IgE or IgA antibodies. He uses stool tests to diagnose bacteria, parasites and fungus.

Since I had already eliminated gluten, dairy and soy (self-diagnosed from symptoms) before the ELISA test, that test diagnosed my cane sugar and egg allergies. A stool test diagnosed Klebsiella. After eliminating sugar and eggs and treating klebsiella bacteria, I still had lingering symptoms. Another version of the ELISA test (for herbs and spices) diagnosed vanilla and nutmeg allergies. I would have never guessed those allergies from 'elimination' diets, but accidental contamination since those diagnoses confirmed what the ELISA results said about vanilla and nutmeg.

Because I continued to have gut symptoms I continued to take regular stool tests which diagnosed 2 more bacteria, a parasite and candida during the past 3 years. An elimination diet would have never diagnosed those gut bugs. I've since eliminated all but the last bacteria, which I'm still treating with tapered doses of an antibacterial drug while I take probiotics to repopulate my gut with good bacteria. After I finish the antibacterial drug, I will take a very high dose probiotic (127 billion good bacteria per dose) for a week to quickly restore my good bacteria back to normal levels.

I realize that tests for food allergies and gut bugs are expensive. However, some health insurance covers alternative medical care (mine partially reimburses). Nevertheless, I might still be doing 'elimination diets' and maybe doctor shopping to determine the source of my symptoms if I had not tested for other allergies and gut bugs.

SUE

[CMG]

I also had continuing symptoms (mostly fatigue, cramping pain, bloating and irregularity) after eliminating gluten and casein. I did NOT want to guess or unnecessarily restrict my diet with an elimination diet. So I found a naturopath who heads a local IBS treatment center. He's also a celiac who believes that many gut symptoms are usually caused by celiac disease, food allergies, parasites, bacteria or fungus (like candida). He uses blood tests (ELISA) to diagnosed food allergies (or intolerances for purists) mediated by IgG, IgE or IgA antibodies. He uses stool tests to diagnose bacteria, parasites and fungus.

Since I had already eliminated gluten, dairy and soy (self-diagnosed from symptoms) before the ELISA test, that test diagnosed my cane sugar and egg allergies. A stool test diagnosed Klebsiella. After eliminating sugar and eggs and treating klebsiella bacteria, I still had lingering symptoms. Another version of the ELISA test (for herbs and spices) diagnosed vanilla and nutmeg allergies. I would have never guessed those allergies from 'elimination' diets, but accidental contamination since those diagnoses confirmed what the ELISA results said about vanilla and nutmeg.

Because I continued to have gut symptoms I continued to take regular stool tests which diagnosed 2 more bacteria, a parasite and candida during the past 3 years. An elimination diet would have never diagnosed those gut bugs. I've since eliminated all but the last bacteria, which I'm still treating with tapered doses of an antibacterial drug while I take probiotics to repopulate my gut with good bacteria. After I finish the antibacterial drug, I will take a very high dose probiotic (127 billion good bacteria per dose) for a week to quickly restore my good bacteria back to normal levels.

I realize that tests for food allergies and gut bugs are expensive. However, some health insurance covers alternative medical care (mine partially reimburses). Nevertheless, I might still be doing 'elimination diets' and maybe doctor shopping to determine the source of my symptoms if I had not tested for other allergies and gut bugs.

SUE

Very helpful information, Sue. My naturopath also does stool tests for parasites etc. My daughter has 2 parasites, one of which is "abundant". She currently is being treated. I also have a mild case of one parasite, but am not being treated yet, as I am allergic to the medication that was prescribed and I have not heard back about an alternative treatment. I'm interested in the ELISA test and will look into it. This has been a very frustrating process. My older daughter and I seem to react to all of the same things - gluten, dairy, corn, beef. My younger daughter has a whole separate set of issues - dairy, soy, egg, pork. So far. We are still in process of adding things back.

Catherine

[kimis]

how do yo find a doctor like that?

[CMG]

how do yo find a doctor like that?

I found mine just by chance - reading this board. Someone posted a link to an article, and the doctor who had written it has a practice about 20 minutes from where I live.

I just did a quick search and found a site naturopathic[dot]org, which has a tool to find a naturopathic practitioner in your area. You also might try posting in the 'doctors' section of this board to see if anyone can recommend someone.