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Hi Everyone,

Dilemma:

>I don't know what to do now. My husband will not change his diet unless
>there is 'proof' that he needs to but his doctor won't test him for anything.
>He has bronchial problems and his dad died of lung cancer/heart disease;
>his mum of Parkinson's and arthritis.

Replies:

You are right in thinking that a GF diet will probably help
his asthma too! My husband has greatly improved!

You say: "My husband will not change his diet unless
there is 'proof' that he needs to but his doctor won't test
him for anything".......... Unfortunately he is like 90% of the
population which doesn't trust it's own instincts, and which needs
a 'higher authority' to tell it what it needs to do, that goes for
religion too. Personally I believe that doctors are only
telling us what the insurance companies are telling them, and if
they are refusing tests you ask for you, should get a second
opinion or change your doctor.
Good luck to you Susan, and remember you can take an ass
to water but you can't make it drink.

I was having wheezing, lots of muscous in throat and finally trouble
breathing. I gave up all the dairy products and have been fine since.
With the wheezing I thought I had bronchitis or asthma. I did not go to my
allergist about it orhave any testing done. Just on a hunch figured it out.
But when I did go to my allergist for skin testing and told him about that
he said I had figured it out all on my own.
Thought it was interesting tho that 2 years later when I did have the RAST
testing done for allergies it showed diary products as one of my many
allergies. But having the skin testing done showed no allergies. But I do
have the allergies so I do not have faith in the skin testing.
Maybe your husband could give up dairy for awhile and see if he notices any
change. I noticed a change right away. Have never had any diary since.
And I loved frozen yogurt!!

Here is a web site that you can check to find a doctor in your area that
treats Candida.  It is:  <http://www.acam.org/>www.acam.org If you see a
(YS) beside the doctor's name he treats the Yeast Syndrome Disease.  Good
luck to you, hope this will help in finding a doctor that would listen to
you.

If your husband has some intestinal problems, then see if you can go
directly to a GI doctor who should know to order the Celiac blood tests and
can biopsy him.  Also, they should know about lactose intolerance.

Check out the book DR BRALY'S FOOD ALLERGY AND NUTRITION REVOLUTION by
James Braly MD. It talks in detail about food allergies, elimination diets
to uncover food allergies, and rotation diets and supplementation to deal
with food allergies that you know you have.
Your doctor was right in saying that allergy tests are not reliable - the
only one *he* would give you *is* unreliable. The skin scratch test is very
unreliable and misses most food allergies, primarily because it tests for a
specific type of response that is usually only seen with external allergies
(bee stings, pollen, etc) that involve immediate and noticeable skin or
breathing response. According to Dr Braly (and many others) there are other
type of allergic responses. Food allergy often causes delayed responses
(because of the cumulative effect of eating the allergenic food over time)
that show up in other places than the skin and lungs (joints, organs, etc).
However, there is an alternative to the unreliable skin test or
self-testing by lengthy food elimination trial and error. There is a blood
test called the Human Bloodprint that will test your blood for allergic
reaction to over 100 foods. If you can't find it offered by anyone in your
area (sometimes chiropractors or other alternative health care providers
offer it), you can get it from Dr Braly's own lab. Check out his web site
at <http://www.betterhealthusa.com/>http://www.betterhealthusa.com for
details.
They also offer the blood testing for celiac sprue.  The book also talks
about this test in detail.  I don't have any affiliation with Dr Braly or
his lab, I just think they offer a great service!

Hi Susan, I am not sure if you are aware but the Childrens Hospital do blood
tests for celiac disease, the AGA test referred to is available through most
clinics, they take the sampole and Dr davidson's lab does the test and sends
resultsd back to your Dr. It sometimes takes several weeks because Dr davidson
is a research lab and they do them as they can. The test is not 100% but if it
is positive then a biopsy should be done.
I'm attaching a copy of the notice his secretary sent me. You can get their
number by sending Sharon an e-mail
Allergy tests are notoriuos(sp) for false positives and besides a gluten
intolerance is vastly different from a wheat allergy. Frequently a wheat
allergy causes stuffiness in the nasal passages and itching or hives.

GET ANOTHER DOCTOR!!! There is no other solution that I know of. I had
at least 9 doctors before I found one who really understood celiac
disease and I found him on the Doctor's page of the FAQ page of this
listserve. If you don't have the address, let me know and I will get it
for you.
Also, any nutritionist can help with food allergy info.

I diagnosed myself with candida and then found out from Don Wiss that I
probably have celiac disease. I have been dealing with candida problems for
about 20 years and I know it was real. My MD doesn't believe in candida
either and refused to test me for celiac disease because I don't have the
full-blown symptoms. But my symptoms disappeared after I stopped eating
glutens. I also react to glutens now, even though I didn't notice it before
I stopped. I hope you husband can find a doctor who will test him since he
seems to need a diagnosis, which is understandable. I was on the
yeast-list, and they could probably help him find a doctor. I guess I'll
never get diagnosed now because I don't want to ever eat glutens again.

There is a reliable, self-test that arlton Fredericks recommended years
ago that my allergist said worked. DR COCOA'S PULSE TEST FOR ALLERGIES
is is paperback and on the market.
The test is simple--eliminate the suspected food for a week to ten days.
It must be eliminated in all forms. Then, take the pulse and register
it. Take a tablespoon or two of suspected food--it doesn;t have to be a
huge ant--then 30, 60, 90 min after taje the pulse. Any increase over
ten percent indicates an allergic reaction. The higher the pulse, the
greater the allergy. It's that simple.

Yes, your dr is correct--an allergy scratch test is only as good as
the technician reading it. Years ago I had to bake the TINE test for tb
and the techician who read it said it was positive. However, a dr
friend told me that I was allgeric to the shot, not positive!

Would your husband's doctor agree to anti-gliadin antibody and casein
intolerance testing? If positive, they should indicate that the body is
mounting an immune response to these proteins and these foods should be
avoided. I believe that one doesn't have to have celiac disease to have a
gluten intolerance - if only my beliefs made me right. :-)
I share your frustration with a doctor who insists that candida is not a
real condition.

P.S. My grandfather had Parkinson's disease. He was never tested for
celiac disease.
A good friend of my mother has had Parkinson's Disease for years. In the
last year she was diagnosed with celiac disease after a lengthy illness and
since going on the diet is feeling healthy and looks great. She still has
Parkinsons.
I have no *scientific* proof that Parkinson's disease is related to celiac
disease: but, I do wonder if this is possible; i.e. if the damage done by a
gluten intolerance to an area of the brain, as opposed to the intestine, is
irreversible. You mentioned dairy products - my grandfather avoided all
dairy products as he found that they bothered him.

Some years ago I purchased a book called "Eating Alive" written by an
N.D. who seems to specialize in the digestive system. I gained a great
deal of knowledge and help from this book and felt that if I lived in
B.C. that I would definately visit this doctor.
At the time he was living in North Vancouver; the publisher of this book
is 'Crompton Books'; if you cannot find Dr. Jonn Matsen in the book,
perhaps they can help.

We just moved from Vancouver to Calgary about 2 weeks ago. I had my son
tested for allergies (after complaining about a constant runny nose and
irritability for 1 1/2 yrs) by an allergist named Dr. D. Stark located
at the corner of Oak and 16th (207-3195 Granville St.) 734-4848. He did
the skin test on my son and tested for dairy, grains, pollens (the
standard one I guess) and that's when he reacted to wheat, beef and
pork. We suggested doing the elimination diet and seeing what
happened. I have to be honest, he is not very informative. I got alot
of information by calling a dietician from the front of the phone book.
I had also heard about another woman who tested a more natural way. I
can't remember if she was a homeopath or naturopath or an allergy
specialist. Last September (1997) in the Western Living magazine there
was an article about allergies to wheat and gluten and they interviewed
her. I have the name at home and I will look it up if you are
interested. Hope this is helpful.

I live in Vancouver. The doctor that I went to was Dr. Horan - he is an
allergy specialist. I tested positive to wheat and milk products via
injections (not scratch test), and only then would my doctor send me to
the gastro to have the CD biopsy done.
The name of the woman from the magazine article is Dr. Janice Joneja in
Vancouver. The only number I could find in the phone book was for a J.
Joneja on Oak at 739-7091. The magazine might have further information
or the medical assoc. She was apparently the 1st doctor in Vancouver to
start a food allergy clinic.

The name of the woman who practices NAET in Victoria is Fiona Shamess,
996 Lucas Ave, Victoria 250-727-9502. I have read a bit about this
and if you go to the St. John's website, there is a newsletter such as
the celiac one for NAET: <http://www.naet.com/>www.naet.com

The Author of Winning the War on Asthma and Allergies is Dr.  Ellen
Cutler, you can get a brief overview at
<http://www.allergy2000.com/>www.allergy2000.com

Thank you everyone for the replies.