View Full Version : York Tests Nutritionist advice
paranoidangel
05-12-2005, 07:49 PM
I had my consultation with the York Test nutritionist this evening and I was so thrown by what she said that I only thought of questions/stuff that didn't seem to make sense afterwards.
She said that the test doesn't actually test for lactose intolerance, but intolerance to the milk proteins. So, in theory, when I've been naughty and eaten something with milk in it with the aid of lactase pills I should have been ill, but wasn't. Hmm.
Everything they say you are intolerant to they assign a number from + to +4 where +4 is the worst. She said that this means you should eliminate the +1 foods for 3 months, then you can eat them again, the +2 foods for 6 months, etc.
So, by that theory, I can try some of my +1 foods in a couple of weeks. But then how do they explain a +4 rating for milk when I haven't had any since March? Surely that should have been a +2? And what does the rotate list mean?
According to them, you should eat things on the rotate list only every few days. But surely I could eat them if I hadn't had them for a while? And how do they explain shellfish on my rotate list which I've never eaten?
It would be really nice if all of this went away - I'd be quite happy just not being able to have milk if I could have the rest (especially egg, that's in everything). But I'm a bit skeptical about it.
i think the idea is that some people have a tendency to become sensitive to more foods if they are exposed to them too much. some foods are more likely to trigger that sensitivity so you shouldn't eat them too often. ie rotate them and only eat every few days. the idea being that you don't have it everyday and get over used to it then develop a problem with it.
from what i am aware the test detects the antibodies the body makes in response to the problem proteins. which does mean a false negative is easily possible if you have not been eating the problem food. but should also mean that no antibodies are present if you've not had milk in 6 months....so how did it detect you are sensitive to it? me a cynic?
the plus points etc allow you to know how often you can indulge in little treats with limited risk. but it is limited risk not no risk.
i'm still not convinced about york tests. as you'd expect to hear about the occasional person who was not affected by anything but was just having psychosomatic reactions. ie not antibodies just mind causing the probelm.
linny
06-12-2005, 11:35 AM
Hi, it does all sound confusing. All I can comment is that I was told I had a +2 intolerence to cow's milk and they said I would be best to completely remove it from my diet. Mine is easier as I only have an intolerence to 1 group. If you find you're ill after something you've re-introduced into your diet I would eliminate it completely. Good luck.
paranoidangel
06-12-2005, 06:10 PM
I'm more cynical the more I think about it. According to the tests I've got a +1 intolerance to chilli. But I think I'm allergic to chilli and haven't had it in a couple of years. So by their reckoning I can't possibly be intolerant to it.
It is all very confusing, isn't it? :confused:
My hair-analysis results show that I am not intolerant to some of the foods I know I am allergic to (apple [raw only], and eggplant [aubergine]). But maybe that was because I only rarely eat cooked apples, and haven't touched eggplant in years.
And recently I had wondered whether those people who were shown to have a milk intolerance made the assumption that this meant it was 'lactose intolerance,' or whether their results showed it was an actual 'lactose intolerance.' I am sensitive to cow milk products, but in my case the main culprit was identified as casein (a milk protein). This explains why I can tolerate goat milk products as while it contains lactose, it doesn't contain casein. So maybe there are others out there who have been tested sensitive to cow milk (and not necessarily lactose) who may also be able to tolerate goat milk.
my only fear if that's the right word is that we are being taken for a ride by these firms.
most people who approach these firms already know they have an intolerance so it's money for old rope. all they have to do is just tell you to avoid the major food groups and cash the cheque!
It is a lot of big fat cheques too. The York Labs are actually recommended by Allergy UK as the only type of private testing worth having so there must be something that they do right. People do come back with results that appear very similar and usually more intolerances than they originally thought.
PA, I would take the +1, +2 bit as meaning degrees of intolerance or the amount that is showing in your body, you have avoided milk for a long time so it probably not going to be as high as it might be if you had eaten some the day of your test, similarly the chilli that you have a strong allergy to probably didn't react as strongly due to you having avoided it for years, if they tested the day after you had eaten some and had a reaction then you might be a +4. It all sounds very confusing though and doesn't really give you the answers you are looking for. At least they have given you pointers as to what you should avoid, you can then test these out by periodic re-introduction to see if they continue to give you problems.
paranoidangel
07-12-2005, 08:11 PM
Well I've been eating things with egg in it for most of the three months I'm supposed to have stopped, and I've been fine. The plan is to maybe try something over Christmas when I have a week off to be ill in, and see what happens.
whitewabbit2001
07-12-2005, 08:34 PM
i havent had a test yet for any of these things they say im allergic too or cant have
i diagnosed myself with lactose intolerance from alot off readin,
my doctor has given me this week off sick to get used to what foods make me ill so when i do go work on monday i will be ok on certain foods.
rebecca c
07-12-2005, 10:08 PM
I went through a period of time of wanting to have the york test done but my doctor warned me off and it seemed sensible to save my money. Especially as I think I know what makes me ill. It remains to be seen but at the moment I am happy with my decision becuase I have finally found such supportive consultants. But when you are ill and desperate to find out why you will consider these things.
i would personally try to find the problem foods yourself first.
your doctor giving you a whole week...how generous considering that it'll take atleast a fortnight once you eliminate them all...
tigerlily
10-12-2005, 08:10 PM
I would like to know how they expect a 2-year-old who vomits after having had cows' milk and soya to rotate foods....they is nothing left to rotate with!!!
tigerlily
10-12-2005, 08:11 PM
P.S. Eden had the YORKTEST done 2 weeks ago, still waiting . Will keep everybody posted.
I would like to know how they expect a 2-year-old who vomits after having had cows' milk and soya to rotate foods....they is nothing left to rotate with!!!
Sorry to hear you are having such a bad time Tigerlily. I don't have any experience with dietary rotation but I just did a websearch for 'rotation diet for milk intolerant child' and found this http://www.specialfoods.com/specialfoodsdiet.html. Not sure if it has any useful info as I didn't read it all, but it mentions elimination and rotation. Also from my search I found a title of a book that might be of use to you--"Raising your child without milk" by Jane Zukin, ISBN:0761501312. Also there is a Dairy-free, Gluten-free website www.gfcfdiet.com (http://www.gfcfdiet.com) (relates to autism, but the dietary advice may be useful to anyone). Hope you can find out some useful information.
Copper
11-12-2005, 11:51 AM
Eden's results should be there very soon. I can't see how you can rotate anything for her when it makes the poor little thing sick.
From what PA has told me (PA is my eldest daughter) you have to eliminate all foods that make you ill for months before you introduce them again and possibly rotate?
PinkyPrincess
16-12-2005, 02:16 PM
Have you heard back about Eden's results yet?
rebecca c
16-12-2005, 07:15 PM
The doctor I saw at Guys yesterday said that they did blood tests for coeliac and gluten allergies which were clear. So I will try to gently reintroduce gluten at low levels.
He said I can discuss the rest of the things I think or know I react to with the dietician.
He did not tell me I was wrong about anything but when just asked me why I avoided certain things and listened to my reasons.
He said anyone saying they could test for an intolerance was lying as they are complex things which probably work on different levels for different people and so are not possible to test.
tigerlily
16-12-2005, 07:56 PM
Yes: Eden tested positive for DAIRY and NUTS - which came as a complete surprise, esp. since that one usually does not go away and gets worse with age (mind you, there is a family link of NUT ALLERGY!).
We went to see a homeopath yesterday (we have a hopeless GP!!!) and he suggested Eden be tested for Gluten as she still has terrible diarrhea ,and her symptoms apparently match those of C. Disease.
I will keep you all posted.
Thank you for the links, I will check them out now.
Vanessa.
Copper
16-12-2005, 08:19 PM
Does this mean that according to the York tests Eden has no problem with soya then?
tigerlily
16-12-2005, 09:47 PM
No, Soya did not come up as a problem food. I find this interesting because Eden also has problems with eggs and tomatoes ONLY WHEN SHE IS SICK (i.e. transient), and maybe it's the same with Soya now. We'll re-introduce in early January. Eggs and tomatoes didn't show up as problem foods either yet Eden will vomit after she had them - when she is sick.
Mind you, she hadn't had soya for weeks when we did the test - may that's why it didn't show.
I know someone who has all the symptoms of Celiac Disease, and has done so for years, yet when she had the test for it, it was a false-positive result! However, she is off gluten for life.
Vanessa.
Copper
17-12-2005, 10:54 AM
My doctor told me that lactose intolerance is a transient thing. I can see now that I was born with it and got over it until I was about 7. It did go away again and now is back for ever as far as I can see. When it went away after the bout between ages 7 and 11 I expect I was really keeping to the limit I could tolerate. I have never really liked milk, so I have never had much in my diet apart from cheese for lunch every day!
PinkyPrincess
18-12-2005, 06:15 PM
Quick thing re Eden and sickness - York tests do reiterate that they ONLY test for intolerances NOT classical allergies, so they make clear that if there are known allergies you should definitely not consider eating the food which causes a reaction.
Do let us know how you get on with this.
It's very hard to get my head around the whole 'testing for 113 foods' thing, because I can't see how I would e.g. have antibodies reacting to shellfish when I've probably never eaten them in my life, certainly not recently before the test.
see that's one of the problems i have with the tests. the doctors say that if you've not been eating the food for a while then you will get a false negative becasue you don't have the antibodies...but york tests still find them..either damn clever or......
i'm sure they help some people but i can't get out of my hea that they are just preying on the needy and desperate. fairly safe bet that anyone who comes to the either has or thinks they have intolerances, so give them standard list number 2 then tell them to go away. if they come back with more symptoms then add the next batch of foods that cause probelsm, continue until customer stops coming back. result the custoemr thinks they've had a personal service and gets releif from the symptoms either because the food has been removed or they believe it has if their symptoms were psychosomatic.
ok so i'm a cynic but the above would work. anyone want to go into competition with york?:lol2:
Elaine
19-12-2005, 01:26 PM
I'm feeling a bit jaded about York Test as a friend of mine was recently tested by both York Test and his own GP. The results from each were totally different. Not a single agreed intolerance (and there were quite a few from each). He had the tests done at about the same time and hadn't given up anything beforehand. So I'm wondering if I've just flushed £115 down the pan. I'm going to keep dairy and wheat free for a bit longer - no point throwing in the towel just yet. I've also been recommended to talk to a nutritionist by a friend - so maybe a more 'holistic' approach is called for?!
When I had the York test done it came up with intolerances to wheat, gluten, corn, yeast, carrots and caffeine. carrots and sweetcorn are my favourite veg so it seems to me that just because I eat a lot there appeared to be a lot of antibodies which had built up. I still eat carrots and they dont seem to affect me at all. I have never drunk tea or coffee in my life having been allergic to milk as a kid so how I had a caffeine intolerance I dont know. However, after giving up wheat and gluten I have seen a dramatic improvement in my health and particularly gluten which was a 2+ seems to affect me quite a lot. I dont have a great deal of self control I have to admit so frequently eat stuff I shouldn't and always pay the consequence if its had gluten in it.
I am sceptical about the tests but I would never have known about the gluten problem if I hadnt taken the test and life has been so much better without gluten in my diet. Also, as I had a dairy allergy as a kid I naturally assumed this had come back and never thought for a minute it could be gluten. So to anyone still thinking about having the tests done, although I'm not convinced they work in their entirety, it was still worth having it done in my particular case
Copper
19-12-2005, 08:30 PM
I still think I will have the York tests done sometime. I know that I have a number of food intolerances and I am sure that I have more that I have not pin pointed yet. I think that the tests might give me a few clues.
The way I found out that eggs were a problem was to remove them from my diet for a good two weeks, then I ate one as a test (I did wish that I had not bothered)
My only other option is an elimination diet but as I am a fussy eater and dislike rice I can't see that happening.
paranoidangel
19-12-2005, 10:25 PM
Some of my results I'm not 100% convinced of, but some of them I have proved to myself are true. Although the nutritionist told me that I am intolerant to the protein in milk, which I know is untrue because I've been fine with milk and lactase.
one point that is rarely mentioned.
if you have a gluten problem this can affect the intestines ability to absorb other foods hence the ibsand so on. this could mean that you haven't actually got a problem with the other foods just gluten. so you can give the intestines a chance to repair, i do mean several months. then retry some of the other food groups.
the only way to be really sure is to do an elimination diet pref with a dietician helping. then you know for sure what causes the problems.
PinkyPrincess
20-12-2005, 12:30 PM
ok so i'm a cynic but the above would work. anyone want to go into competition with york?:lol2:
Found this: http://www.immogenics.com/pagify.php?page=how_does_novo_work&lang=english
They've got a full page advert in Zest magazine. Looks really appealing - they do the same sort of thing but actually provide you with eating plans etc, so you can manage it more effectively. I wish I had the money so I could see how it compares to York results. It's £300. Here's a sample results thing: http://www.immogenics.com/pdf/english/sample_results.pdf
Elaine - I can see where you're coming from but my GP said there was nothing wrong with me but I feel SO much better since cutting out the foods. The tests for gluten and dairy came back negative, i.e. they said I could eat them, but I KNEW it was making me ill.
I did see a nutritionist but I knew more than she did, I want science!!
Bet, that's interesting how similar our test results were - we should compare moans and maybe even recipies! That's very odd about the caffeine though.
Copper I think the elimination diet would be SO hard. And I guess York say it's not like you can eat something then immediately react and therefore know what you shouldn't eat. But usually when I have something bad I blow up like a balloon within 20 mins so it's quite obvious.
Angel - how did the nutritionist know that you were intolerant to the protein in milk?
Matt - really good point re the gluten. I have been on my diet since Aug 1st and NEVER knowingly sinned. Won't be drinking at Xmas, boo! But still when I have something accidentally the symptoms are worse than they used to be, probably because my body is more used to not fighting it. This gluten stuff, it's like some wierd dark side force, i don't know what it looks like I just know it's evil!!
:D
Copper
20-12-2005, 01:00 PM
All of my intolerances (the list keeps growing over the years :( )give me the same symptoms. Stop reading now Matt. I spend hours feeling full and very sick. I get over it eventually but I hate feeling ill for hours.
Another thing I wonder about - is it normal for so many foods to repeat on you? To me it is normal but maybe it isn't and that is another symptom.
My list of food intolerances so far -
Dairy, Honey, Spices, Tea, Onion, Banana
Just to back track slightly; Matt - I think thats a very good point you have raised about the gluten - after Xmas I will try and go on a total elimination diet for 3 months and then re-introduce other things to see what happens. Wish my willpower was better than it was but too many temptations at Xmas time. Will just have to enjoy and then suffer!!
paranoidangel
20-12-2005, 10:32 PM
PinkyPrincess - the nutrionist said that they tested for the protein in milk and I came out a +4, hence very intolerant to it. Which can only be true if it's started since I became lactose intolerant and stopped eating milk - which is completely contrary to what she said about the interolances going away after a certain number of months!
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