> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paleolithic Eating Support List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Adrienne Smith
> Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 10:09 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: dietary antigens and food allergy tests - need help
> 
> 
> In a message dated 8/17/2008 7:38:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
> 
> if humans are not yet adapted to grains, why does this not show up in
> at
> least some sensitivity when an allergy panel is done?
> 
> I would question the validity of most if not all allergy tests.
> Richard
> Mackarness MD wrote much on this subject.  

Yes, they are controversial, and food intolerances are actually much more
common than food allergies. Also, being intolerant of a food does not
necessarily mean you will have noticeable symptoms, especially if you don't
do an elimination challenge where you avoid the food completely and then
re-introduce it. The majority of the Masai test as lactose-intolerant
despite not having any obvious symptoms.

> So many people suffer
> needlessly only
> to be told by allergists that they are not allergic or not sensitive to
> things
> when in fact they are.  Symptoms are more reliable than test results.

Yes, a food challenge in which the food is avoided completely and then
re-introduced is considered by many healthcare practitioners, both
conventional and complementary, to be the best test. The downside of it is,
a lot of people, including some physicians, don't believe in intolerances or
allergies unless they can see some numbers backing it up, and even then some
still don't believe in them. 

> I know
> my joints ache when I eat grains but do not test "allergic" to wheat.

Yes, there are a lot of different ways that modern foods cause ill effects
beyond just intolerance or allergic reactions. They tend to be
pro-inflammatory, some are highly glycemic, can contribute to intestinal
permeability, can have opioid effects, can interfere with the body's natural
signals to turn off cell division, etc., etc. So one shouldn't base one's
diet solely on food intolerance and allergy tests, whether or not they have
any validity.

> accurate.  Dr. Ron Hoffman in NYC has mentioned that his autoimmune
> patients fare
> better with a paleo type diet and he has seen thyroid antibodies reduce
> when
> dairy and grains are omitted from autoimmune thyroid patients' diets.
> This is
> not necessarily true for everyone -- but worth a trial diet change in
> my view.

Yes, I've heard his radio show and Dr. Hoffman says good things about the
Paleo diet and has even had Dr. Cordain as a guest.