My York Tests results

[paranoidangel]

I got my York Test results back. They must work because I came out really highly intolerant to milk. I thought it wouldn't appear at all but the small amount of lactolite I have on my cereal must have been enough.

Anyway, I am also intolerant to wheat, gluten, egg white, almond, cherry, vanilla, parsley, chilli pepper and ginger.

The first two worry me more than the rest because I hardly ever have the rest! I had suspected wheat because I've felt so crap for so long, and been randomly ill, and the only thing I've had really is that.

The strangest thing on there, though is that I'm slightly intolerant to crustaceans even though I've never eaten them! And I think I might be allergic to chilli, so I've stayed off that as well (but at least now i have a definite reason, I suppose).

Luckily, I have tomorrow off so I can spend time working out what food I have that I can't eat and spending ridiculously large amounts of money at my local Waitrose and health food shop (who are both very good for free from, thank goodness).

Edit: So how did the doctors test not pick any of this up (and told me it was just IBS)? Useless lot, they are (only bright side is my doctor quite happily accepted that I am lactose intolerant)

[Pen]

Years ago I mentioned to my family doctor that I had a bit of bloating and some abdominal pain but she didn't offer any useful advice nor suggest any tests. Having had those problems for as long as I can remember, I just assumed they were a 'normal' part of digestion.

Thankfully, in January, a friend suggested I see a Medical Intuitive friend of hers, and well, it has changed my life. She 'energetically' detected Leaky Gut Syndrome and suggested I needed to find out what foods were aggravating the problem. Hair analysis (I know, not everyone's choice of test) revealed the foods I needed to eliminate. I change my diet, and voila!, not only did my digestive problems disappear in a very short time, but I was (and am) much healthier in other ways. I just didn't realize how ill and toxic I felt before.

So now if I have something that bothers me, I will head for a naturopathic doctor, holistic practitioner, or intuitive who provide me with the information I need to take responsibility for my own health.

Paranoidangel, good luck with finding foods that are both dairy- and gluten-free. I find it isn't easy being on a gluten-free diet (dairy is less of a problem for me as I eat goat milk products)--it can be time-consuming, as grabbing a sandwich (unless it is on vile rice bread) for lunch is out of the question. I tend to eat potatoes, rice and rice pasta as my carbohydrate. Amaranth and quinoa are both gluten-free grains that you might want to try (sweetened as a 'porridge' or savoury for main meals). Apart from wheat, avoid barley, rye, oats, spelt, and kamut. There is gluten hidden in other foods--you might want to check out http://www.dietsite.com/dt/diets/foodsensitivities/glutenfreediet.asp (scroll down to the list).
Hope your health improves soon.

[matt]

pm sent caeliacs website also worth a visithttp://http://www.coeliac.co.uk/

[Pam]

That's a lot of changes to make to your diet. I hope the results make it all worthwhile and that you feel better soon. Don't you get a follow up counselling/advisory session with York? they should be able to give you more information about what you can eat.

[linny]

Good luck with the new diet. Yes you do get a follow up consultation with York. They give you a food diary to keep too. Thankfully mine only showed dairy intolerent, although I still suffer with my stoamch as I get gastritis.

Matt I do like your new picture!

[paranoidangel]

Thanks all. I am so far unimpressed at the one brown bread replacement Waitrose could muster up. But then I suppose it's the equivalent to soya milk, so we'll see.

[ellsie]

Good luck PA with the new regime. Oatcakes are good and quinoa is delicious in olive oil with garlic!:)

[Pen]

Oatcakes are good
Unfortunately, oats are not considered safe as part of a gluten-free diet.

But even some foods that are labelled 'wheat free' or 'gluten free' are not free of those things!! See http://www.celiacawareness.org/Hidden/49/?vobId=250&pm=63. Horrifying, isn't it?

[paranoidangel]

That is horrifying! Copper has just discovered the coeliac people on the website Matt mentioned are having a tasting session in my local Waitrose on October, so that could be quite interesting.

I might have a go at making some bread in my landlady's breadmaker, which she hardly ever uses, so I'll see what that tastes like. I think I'm going to be trying lots of things (not exactly a hardship, except when they taste horrid, and cost a small fortune).

[matt]

make sure that breadmakers very very clean. otherwise it'll have some gluten.

[paranoidangel]

Arg, nothing's ever simple!

[Fozzybear]

Edit: So how did the doctors test not pick any of this up (and told me it was just IBS)? Useless lot, they are (only bright side is my doctor quite happily accepted that I am lactose intolerant)

That seems to be how my doctors treated it too, just told me IBS and that I'd have to live with it, although I'm fortunate in that I seem to only have lactose intolerance. Sorry to hear that you've got all those other food issues, but it's good that you've got something to work from now. Can't really offer any advice, other than a breadmaker is a very good idea as mine is used all the time!

[alexx]

Good luck PA - although it is a pain to stick to, my Yorktest has literally changed my life, my boyfriend jokes that I have saved the cost of the test on medicines in 3 months!
Dove's Farm do a gluten free flour that is supposed to be OK for baking - you can get it in Waitrose and some large Sainsburys, probably somewhere online too.

[Copper]

PA is coming to stay with me this weekend. I have baked some double chocolate muffins (dairy free, gluten and wheat free) so she will be able to taste test them. I have also baked a white gluten and wheat free loaf for her to try. I have found the Doves's Farm flour in Tesco but I have not found their brown bread flour, I will have to get that online I think.

[paranoidangel]

I've not had a lot of luck finding gluten-free flour suitable for bread-makers. Specially brown. But I am leaving Copper to do the work first, so I can taste test, then try it myself :)

[matt]

when shall i come round copper?:o my goodness the smilies work again;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) :rolleyes: :lol2:

[cnc]

I agree with Matt! Although I don't think Pooles quite close enough for me to visit :)

[Copper]

Ah the joys of living in Poole - nobody pops in on the way to anywhere :( We are on the road to nowhere :D

[cnc]

Yeah sorry it is a bit of a trek for me, especially on a student loan!

If you were a bit closer, than I'd have been there!! I'd be happy to accept food parcels though :D

[Copper]

I am struggling to keep up with PA's new diet. I will be sending her home with a food parcel on Sunday :)

[matt]

hey, not too far for me to travel! i'm sure i can find a cache nearby to find. certainly loads down in purbeck which makes poole sort of on the way.

what time do you want me round?

[Copper]

You mean you would trust my cooking then? You would be welcome to pop in for a chocolate muffin (dairy, wheat and gluten free) any afternoon Matt :) My next batch of muffins will be egg free too :p

[PinkyPrincess]

I do find it very interesting when other people get their York Test results back.
At first I did wonder how much science was involved as they always seem to recommend eliminating dairy, wheat and gluten.
Does anyone know anyone who WASN'T told that this is what was making them poorly?

(Same experience with docs saying I had no food problems, HAHA it would be funny if it wasn't such a hugely important issue!)

Someone needs to educate these people!

Pinks

[Copper]

I can honestly say that PA's test results appear to be accurate. I am sure that she will confirm this when she has the time.

I intend to have the tests done sometime as I want to see if my personal diagnosis of my various intolerances are correct. I am not sure what my GP will say about the results though.

[PinkyPrincess]

Yeh I'm sure mine are too. It's very hard to keep it up but I'm 100% sure it's making a huge difference.
I have so much more energy, I don't fall asleep during the day at my desk (yes it's bad but I used to!!) and I just feel so much better within myself, confidence wise too.
It's expensive but it's so worth doing.
I was just being cynical about the typical foods we're told to eliminate - but then again presumably they are just more likely to cause problems which is why they are more common allergy/intolerance causers!
(hope that makes sense!!)

[Copper]

I overheard a lecture once - diet and nutriton - there are certain foods known to be likely causes of allergy and then they were listed. I can't remember them all but the list included dairy, eggs and fish. I have a problem with all of them amd more besides :)

[rebecca c]

I guess if I could spare the money I would do the tests. Problem is when you have kids there are always other financial priorities (like renting a house!!)

Problem is I would dread eating the things to get the tests to show results and not get double negs. because I know I would get ill again

[Copper]

Hmm I am not sure that PA ate all of the things that come up positive in her tests. In fact the tests show a problem with shellfish and none of us have ever eaten a shellfish in our lives.

When I get mine done sometime in the next year it will be interesting to see if honey, egg, tea, onion and bananas show up as I have not eaten some of these things for years! To say nothing of lactose of course.

[Pam]

If they only cost about £30 to do then I'd have mine done straight away but I can't afford £200. I'm pretty sure that mine are dairy, onion, possibly wheat (I've noticed a big difference since I started eating bread again), cauliflower and probably a few more.

I'm sure doctors would save a lot of money in the long run if they offered tests like these to people with skin and digestive problems, not to mention recurring headaches.

[paranoidangel]

Like Copper says, mine seems to be accurate. While I was waiting for the results I had already diagnosed wheat for myself, as it was the only thing I was eating that could have been making me ill.

Once I've actually managed to eliminate all the things I'm supposed to I might try bringing some of them back in and see what happens - if they make me ill it'll be proof they're right!

[matt]

you need to do a blind reintro or you will just react to the knowledge that you are trying out new things.

i am a huge cynic. i think that lots of the time people have slightly bad reactions to certain foods which is increased due to personal circumstances. then when you get told all problems are due to the foods...positive thought can acheive lots. but then i'm also as guilty as the next person sa i've been trying to reintro wheat. at the smae time i'm feeling very depressed. now is that a reaction to the wheat? is a recognised reaction, or just a coincidence? or just me making it up in my head? am i mad, well we all know the answer to that....:lol2:

[rebecca c]

As you know I kind of feel the opposite. I have physical problems - which are not caused by but may be exacerbated by my stressful life. At times of extreme mental stress my problems are not necessarily worse and have been at their best. Other people who are under a lot of stress and even having nervous breakdowns because of it (doctors for instance) do not have the problems I have.

[PinkyPrincess]

As far as I'm concerned it's nothing to do with the power of the mind. The reason I became convinced that the York results were accurate are because of this:
One day I had prepared a normal meal of chips, chicken and veg - there was nothing unusual and nothing from my list of avoid foods. I ate it and then immediately afterwards I noticed that my stomach had that all-too-familiar swollen appearance and I felt bloated and lathargic and really annoyed that this had happened after so long.
I checked the bag of chips again, just in case, and low and behold it was the dregs of an old pre-diet bag which did have wheat coating on.
Apart from being really annoyed that I'd eaten them by accident, I realised that the swelling had GOT to be because of the wheat because I'd accidentally introduced it again and had the symptoms back.
I can understand that Matt thinks it's something to do with how you think, but I truly believe that certainly in my case it's down to the foods themselves causing the reactions, and not the way I think. Matt if wheat is making you feel poorly (or you even think it) you may as well not bother re-introducing it. You need at least 3 months without symptoms before they recommend you start eating problem foods again, and even then you should limit the amounts and have them every 4 days or so.

[matt]

don't think for one minute i'm suggesting we're all cranks who are imagining our problems!:o
nothing further from the truth. my potential problem is with the testers, they are making a very good living off the backs of ill people and i'm just concerned that they might not be as benevolent as they make themselves out to be, like i said i'm a cynic.

i've been wheat and dairy free for a long time don't think any wheat for atleast 18 months. re intro by having literally half a hobnob biscuit a day on two days. not had any major digestive type probs but did have a significant dip in mood. now whether this is due to external factors, a coincidence or the wheat i don't know.

i'd love to be able to eat wheat again as it would decrease my costs and increase the variety. ie i could eat things like madeira cake again!:lol2:

too easy for me to just remain on the status quo, need to challenge lots of things food being one of them.
but then maybe life's too short to worry just sit back and let sleeping dogs lie.:rolleyes:

[tigerlily]

This is very interesting! My daughter had the R.A.S.T. test done at 12 months of age (she will be 2 in 4 weeks) and came out clear on all accounts even though she is clearly Lactose Intolerant. For a couple of days now she's had terrible diarrhea again (the kind she had when she first came down with it) and I'm suspecting that the little Lactolite she has may be too much.

Where can you have the York tests done? Are they okay for toddlers?
Her pediatrician, as well as GP, are HOPELESS!!!

Vanessa.

[Copper]

Hi Vanessa

My daughter PA had NHS tests done and was told that she was not intolerant to anything!!! She got worse, so between us we paid £250 for the York tests. They are expensive but were worth every penny. It means you have to stab your daughter's thumb and get some of the blood up some very small glass tubes.

See here for more details

http://www.homeinonhealth.com/categories.php4?cPath=3

I hope that this helps

[Pam]

It might be worth contacting the York Labs first as I'm sure someone said they weren't suitable for young children. It would help you to find out what are the problem foods though.

[Copper]

Somebody here had a baby tested but I don't know where the tests were done.

I have just been to the Yorks test site again and in the real life stories somebody had their children age 5 and 8 tested. The ony way to find out if a 2 year old can be tested is to contact them and ask.

[paranoidangel]

I can see that the mind can be part of it, but I think feeling that sick is entirely my stomach! I want to find out how much of these things I can tolerate, though, so I will certainly need to re-introduce them at some point.

[matt]

good idea to find out how much you can tolerate. just to make things absolutley clear try to find a way to test by someone sometimes sneaking a little in to a meal. not everytime so that you don't come to expect it. then you will know definately the amount that you can tolerate without any stress increasing the reaction. the person can then tell you after the exact amount they gave you.
good luck.:cool: