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Food intolerance test

Food intolerance test

Old Nov 19th 2013, 5:29 am
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Question Food intolerance test

After suffering from IBS for almost all my life I have decided to go ahead with a food intolerance test. Every time I keep postponing it.

Any recommendations? I hope a reference from a GP is not required? I am in Vic.

Thanks.
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Old Nov 19th 2013, 11:46 am
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

Don't know about the tests but as a life long IBS sufferer found that 3out of 6 of grandparents and parents were diagnosed as celiac by mid fifties so 5 years ago (in my early 30s) decided to try gluten free diet. After decades of hospital trips suspected anything from appendix to ectopic pregnancy due to severity of pain, I can happily say I have had NO symptoms, mild or severe, for five years!
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Old Nov 19th 2013, 4:31 pm
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

I had one done by Allergy Services, 02 49825842 (no affiliation whatsoever and coincidentally I just found the report when tidying yesterday!) My chiropractor recommended it and gave me a referral and at first I poo-pooed the idea thinking it was a whole load of nonsense (and reviews from the medical profession suggested as much but reviews from people who had done it suggested it was a life saver for them). Then I thought it was only going to cost a couple of hundred, what did I have to lose except my money. I got back some surprising results and went cold turkey on all the indicated items for about 3 months before gradually reintroducing them occasionally. I fall into the "life saver" category I'm afraid! Initially the weight just fell off and I lost the first 25kg very easily. Also, my sleep apnoea disappeared overnight (literally) and I didn't have to live on Zantac to be avoid stomach cramps. Usual suspects for me - wheat and dairy but a dozen other things like cocoa, avocado, beef, potatoes etc

I had had a coeliac blood test done earlier but no one told me that you should be gluten challenged when doing the blood test and I wasn't.

From being a total sceptic I am now a grateful believer!
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Old Nov 19th 2013, 6:17 pm
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

There are a lot of quacks out there who will happily take many hundreds of your dollars and use scientifically unsound tests and then recommend that people avoid lots of foods for totally illogical reasons. There are some tests for food allergies, where tiny quantities are introduced into the skin (skin prick tests) or blood tests. Food intolerances are a different kettle of fish - gluten as in Coeliac Disease is picked up by biopsy of the small intestine during an endoscopy - but mainly it's by eliminating suspect foods and keeping a diary of symptoms, then gradually re-introducing foods and seeing what happens in the body. It can be a long and complicated business, best to see an expert in the area, eg a dietitian who specialises in food allergies and intolerances. You don't need a referral to see them, but you would need to see a doctor to ask about endoscopies, ie gastroscopy and colonoscopy, to exclude other causes of your symptoms. There is a specialist food intolerances handbook available to the public from RPAH http://www.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/all.../handbook.html.

Have you looked at some information on IBS? Try http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...bowel_syndrome and http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/ and http://shepherdworks.com.au/disease-...ow-fodmap-diet.

quoll - what type of tests are done by the company you used? I can't find a website for them.
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Old Nov 19th 2013, 10:30 pm
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

Originally Posted by bitzenpces
There are a lot of quacks out there who will happily take many hundreds of your dollars and use scientifically unsound tests and then recommend that people avoid lots of foods for totally illogical reasons. There are some tests for food allergies, where tiny quantities are introduced into the skin (skin prick tests) or blood tests. Food intolerances are a different kettle of fish - gluten as in Coeliac Disease is picked up by biopsy of the small intestine during an endoscopy - but mainly it's by eliminating suspect foods and keeping a diary of symptoms, then gradually re-introducing foods and seeing what happens in the body. It can be a long and complicated business, best to see an expert in the area, eg a dietitian who specialises in food allergies and intolerances. You don't need a referral to see them, but you would need to see a doctor to ask about endoscopies, ie gastroscopy and colonoscopy, to exclude other causes of your symptoms. There is a specialist food intolerances handbook available to the public from RPAH http://www.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/all.../handbook.html.

Have you looked at some information on IBS? Try http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...bowel_syndrome and http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/ and http://shepherdworks.com.au/disease-...ow-fodmap-diet.

quoll - what type of tests are done by the company you used? I can't find a website for them.
No idea - IgG perhaps? It was a blood test just like the gluten intolerance test I had had done before. Who knows if it is quackery? I guess the proof of the pudding was that for me it worked and it was obvious to those close to me as well. I know it may well not work for everyone and certainly an elimination diet may be cheaper (I had a friend who lived on pears for weeks on his diet and ended up with pears and brown rice for the longest time poor chap!).
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Old Nov 20th 2013, 3:00 am
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

Originally Posted by quoll
No idea - IgG perhaps? It was a blood test just like the gluten intolerance test I had had done before. Who knows if it is quackery? I guess the proof of the pudding was that for me it worked and it was obvious to those close to me as well. I know it may well not work for everyone and certainly an elimination diet may be cheaper (I had a friend who lived on pears for weeks on his diet and ended up with pears and brown rice for the longest time poor chap!).
Some background info for you on one company (Imupro) - there are others - who are offering IgG food intolerance tests:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/...ay/#more-18957

Perhaps a fair and accurate conclusion would be IgG testing = scam.

The IgE tests are for food and other allergies, a different thing, as it involves the immune system. As far as I know, there is no blood test for gluten intolerance, or any other food intolerance. There is a blood test to detect if you have the gene for Coeliac Disease, but that does not mean that you have CD, which can only be confirmed by having small intestine biopsies done during an endoscopy, after being challenged by eating gluten-containing foods beforehand.

The different types of food intolerances can be due to naturally occurring chemicals in some foods, or to substances added in by the manufacturing process, eg preservatives. Some people even react to medications or toiletries. Finding out about food intolerances is a bit of a detective job and needs expertise if you can't/haven't got time to work it out yourself.

quoll, it's great that you found relief from your approach. I met someone who spent about $700 on these "diagnostic" tests and ended up on a very restrictive diet long-term, ie she was told to totally eliminate a whole load of foods from her diet forever, with no scientific basis, and putting her health at risk by missing out on various nutrients, with big effect on her social life as well.
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Old Nov 20th 2013, 6:15 am
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

Yup, before I paid the dosh I read reviews where the medical profession said it was bunkum and the people who had done the tests said it had saved their lives. I took the view that, if nothing else, it would be interesting! The outcome, I am guessing, for most would be a recommendation to follow a paleo lifestyle. On balance I think I'd rather have a blood test than a biopsy in the first instance. As I said I can't recall what kind of Ig test it was it's just that one of the Igs sprang to mind.
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Old Nov 21st 2013, 2:57 am
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Default Re: Food intolerance test

You can go to GP who can get blood tests for you for coeliac disease (reaction to gluten)

http://www.coeliac.org.au/diagnosis/
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