<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I suppose I could summarize this easily by saying there were yeas and nays
re allergy testing. However, the many responses I received were so
interesting and varied, and included such interesting information, that I
have included lots of copy/paste. I know it's long, but hope everyone will
find it of interest.
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My Allergist told me that there is not a reliable test for food allergies.
He stated however, that there is a relationship between allergies and
air- borne allergies. Example if one allergic to mold in the air, then they
should avoid foods that contain mold (certain cheeses, watermelon,
cantaloupe, and many other foods).
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You probably have food intolerances and not food allergies and testing for
food allergies is not accurate. I suggest doing an elimination diet.
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My food allergies, including gluten, were diagnosed with an IGg blood test
that measured sensitivity to 91 (I think) common food allergens. After
more than a year of getting good and GF living and then trying my limits on
the other things that showed up, I'd say the test was pretty accurate in my
case. I'm doing better than ever in many respects, although I must say the
GF thing has got to be the most difficult and challenging thing I've ever
undertaken.
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In addition to Gluten, most of the foods contained gluten such as rye, soy
protein, The main ones that didn't were garlic, spinach, asparagus,corn,all
cow milk products,and peanuts. I definitely feel better.
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I used Serimmune PHysicians ELISA test. THey test against 300+
things - food and chemicals. They give you a comprehensive report and a
nutritionist counseling for free
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These are the URLs I've collected
This is best known lab:
http://www.immunolabs.com/
http://www.betterhealthusa.com/home.htm
http://www.drbralyallergyrelief.com/
(First is for doctors, second for consumers, and third is by their medical
director.)
Then on the MS list they are recommending (which is cheaper and less
accurate than the above):
http://www.tahomaclinic.com/ (then click on Meridian Valley Laboratory
along the left)
And there are other labs, like:
http://www.gsdl.com/services/compallergyprofile.html
http://www.foodallergy.com/
But at least the first lab is not allowed to do business in NY state.
Possibly none of the labs are.
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I spoke to Dr. Murray at the International Conference on CD, and he told me
that there is no scientific evidence that food allergy testing works, (I had
the blood antibody testing done). It showed that I had numerous allergies
and going off the foods helped me tremendously. He said that my gut could
still be damaged, and I wasn't digesting the foods, and that is why I
improved when I stopped eating them. I am waiting for my antibody results
to see if I still have intestinal damage, and will go from there. The lab I
used has a money back guarantee if you don't get better within 3 months. (I
found this amazing). Better Health U.S.A. 1-800-684-2231. Their web site
is www.betterhealthusa.com ... I don't know what to tell you. Prior to my
discussion with Dr. Murray, I swore by Better Health, because they made
such a drastic change in my life.
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For the last five years, when it became obvious to me that my symptoms were
food related, I began to question my doctors about food allergies. To my
surprise, most of them denied that there was such a thing as being allergic
to food, some minimized food allergies and the rest said that there was no
reliable method for testing. I finally found a doctor, a naturopathic MD
who agreed that there were food allergies and put me on an elimination diet.
All food intake is stopped, only distilled water is taken at first and foods
are introduced one at a time. It was hard to do, but I learned which foods
I was allergic,or sensitive, to and eliminated them from my diet. I
improved greatly by dropping wheat, corn, dairy, black pepper and refined
sugar from my diet. No doctor recommended enzymes, but I started taking
papain tablets anyway and it seems to help.
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I do know that nuts and seeds make me very hyper. I never had problems with
food like this before getting sick with celiac sprue. Some foods I can tell
fairly quickly, like soy. I eat something with soy in it and within several
hours I have these tiny, black, raised spots in the inside of my mouth.
Now, with eggs I really can't tell. It seems I get kind of ill feeling
after eating them. Lactose creates an instant winner...... diarrhea and
lots of gas.
The elimination diet is tough. There are lots of books out on it, but what
I do is stick to a diet that I know doesn't cause problems, then add ONE
thing in to see how I react. Wait a few days, then repeat with something
else. It took me a couple of years to start feeling that I was healing.
One thing that has made a huge difference in myhealth and digestion (same
thing, huh?), is a yogurt-like drink called Kefir. There is one brand that
I have found that is gf, doesn't contain any lactose due to the fermentation
process, and is loaded with probiotics (the good bacteria that you want in
your gastro system). The name of the brand is "Lifeway". I buy it at Whole
Foods.
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There is a company in Florida, American Testing Lab, 954 923 2990 that does
food intolerance testing all over the country. You may want to contact
them.
I found out that I have other allergies.
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I am in the middle of a long procedure called the food allergy elimination
diet which my allergist said was the only way to truly find out what you are
allergic to. He said that all the other tests have so many false positives
and false negatives that he found them to be unproductive.
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I have used pancreatin for 5 years made from KAL. It has greatly increased
my energy as well as helping to digest me food!
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I had food allergy testing done by Great Smokies
Diagnostic Labaratory in parallel to my Celiac Disease
testing. The latter turned up positive by biopsy,
so I was interested when the food allergy report
came back to see confirmation. Instead, the results
were comical. I got a very pretty report -- lots of colors
and graphs -- but the food listings were absurd.
Wheat was shown as the fifth best thing I could
eat. The top four foods, which they recommended
restricting my diet to, were Lactalbumin, yogurt,
sardines, and alfalfa. Dairy products bother me
a lot (which I now understand is normal for CD
victims), so this would not be a practical diet.
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Since undertaking a course of Nystatin treatment for about 3 months and
cutting out all nightshade, all dairy, all fungi (including
yeast), all alcohol, and all sugar my problems with undigested food have
basically cleared up. I am, however, far from happy with the state of my
gut, and am continuing to pursue health in that department.
I have been told by several allergists that testing for food allergies is a
futile business, and since my adventure with wheat testing (I tested
positive, but not for the gluten factor, which was not included in the
chemical smaple of wheat!, though I am highly gluten intolerant.) I believe
that elimination diet and careful observation of foods and their effect is
the only way to control allergies and manage sensitivities.
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I would recommend being tested - the skin tests are supposed ot be more
sensitive, but a RAST test work as well. There are a lot of false
positives as well as false negatives. There are also non-IgE
intolerances that won't be picked up. What you might consider to start
with is a food diary. List every thing - broken down into ingredients -
and see if you see and symptomatic pattern emerge. If you have
suspicions of certain things you could try an elimination diet and
challenge. Be aware that some things like dairy hide in the most
insidious places and you have to know all the names of ingredients. Corn
and soy are also this way.
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I would definitely avoid the Great Smokies Lab. I heard that was
the best one, so I was tested. Everything that I KNOW I am
allergic/sensitive/intolerant to showed-up as negative. The things I don't
have a problem with, showed-up positive. They say that what you are tested
on is what you have ingested in the last six months. So, when they said I
was allergic to oysters I certainly questioned that. I haven't had any
oysters, or anything in that food family for 20 years. On the other hand,
when I eat soy I immediately have a reaction with mouth sores. They said I
wasn't allergic to soy. The whole thing was a waste of money.
My doctor said the best way to find out about food allergies is to do an
elimination test. I know that wheat/gluten (naturally) is a definite. The
others are: soy, nuts, seeds, citus fruit, lactose and, possibly, eggs.
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I'm allergic to 40+ foods. Some were identified by standard skin testing.
If you have that done, you must be off all antihistimines for 7 days prior
to the test (but it is ok to take prednisone for hives, if necessary). The
extracts used for skin testing must be fresh or you can get false negative
test results. I was still getting intermittent symptoms after eliminating
the foods identified by the skin tests (wheat, corn, pork, soy, turkey,
apples, grapes, nuts, shellfish, etc etc) so my allergist offered to skin
test me with fresh foods. I brought 2 small coolers of every food I wanted
to be tested for - about 65 foods total. The technician would scrape a
place on my back then scrape the food and rub the edge of the needle on
the skin scratch area. After 15min, she looked for redness or swelling.
My physician acted as my 'control' - in other words - every food I got a
test for - she got one too. She has no known food allergies and did not
react to a single one. What a site we made in the exam room! The bill
to my insurance company was over $800, but my share was only 10% of that -
and it was well worth it.
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I recommend a book which your local libraries might carry. It is called:
'MS Something Can Be Done and You Can Do It'. By Robert W. Soll, M.D.,
PhD., and Penelope B. Grenoble, PhD. It is published by Contemporary Books,
Inc., Chicago, 1984. ISBN 0-8092-5469-7.
It connects MS with food allergies, and contains simple methods you can use
at home for testing allergies in your own diet.
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As far as food allergies...you may very well have some additional
problems. I am allergic to dairy, eggs, peanut/legume, tomato, shellfish
and fish in addition to being gluten intolerant...The symptoms are
similar for each of those as are my CD symptoms...diarrhea, abdominal
cramping, etc...I also have environmental allergies which I am taking
shots for (dust, cat, dog, mold, etc). I highly recommend that you find
a good allergist and get tested...some test by injecting a small amount
of the offending item under the skin..others do scratch tests....or you
can have a RAST or ELISA blood panel done and run for those
foods...different drs do different things...you'll just have to ask
around...
Hope this summary was of interest.
Latimer
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