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Allergies and intolerances

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Original poster

Where can I have a food intolerance test?

26 replies

ChocFudgeCake · 13/04/2009 22:54

After a month of stomach upsets I decided to go for it. I knew that Superdrug offered this service, but cannot find it on their website now.
Do you know of somewhere reliable and not too expensive in London to have it?
Thanks!

OP posts:
used2bthin · 13/04/2009 23:00

I had one at a health food shop once, don't think it was Holland and Barret but similar, maybe worth asking in these places because this was someone that cam once every few months. It wasn't the blood test type though if that is what you mean?

Original poster
ChocFudgeCake · 13/04/2009 23:20

I meant something that does not involve blood, but some machine where one places a hand. But I just read that such test was proved to be unreliable by Watchdog, maybe that's why Superdrug is not doing it anymore.

Then the blood test might be better. I'm happy to have it.

OP posts:
DrZeus · 13/04/2009 23:22

York test here do intolerence testing. I had one done last year.

BootyShake · 13/04/2009 23:22

I saw the episodeof watchdog and the tests were rubbish so I'd give them ones a miss

navyeyelasH · 13/04/2009 23:44

I just ordered that £10 test to see if I do have any allergies as I have been unwell for nearly a year and a half now and I apparently have IBS/candida, depending on who I talk to. Will be interesting to see what the test says.

DrZeus, what test did you have and has it helped you at all, if you don't mind my asking?

navyeyelasH · 13/04/2009 23:45

Also why is it that my gp can't do this test?!

BootyShake · 14/04/2009 08:20

Very intrested in this as my excema is playing up something rotten at the moment and my GP keepdasking me if I have a food intolerance. I keep saying I dont know but he never suggests testing me.

If the test worked for you DrZeus I will order one

Jambuttie · 14/04/2009 08:25

I would also be interested in this for my DS's

tabbytoo · 14/04/2009 22:17

I don't think you can 'test' for food intolerance other than with a food elimination diet. These hand scanners do not work - it's a con IMO.

However, it is possible to check for food ALLERGY with a skin prick test. A food allergy is an immune system response. It occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food usually a protein as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. Allergy symptoms develop when the antibodies are battling the "invading" food which usually results in a rash or swelling surrounding the area tested.

This isn't the case with intolerance. Food intolerance is a digestive system response rather than an immune system response. It occurs when something in a food irritates a person's digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest or breakdown, the food.

It might be worth keeping a food diary with any symptoms so you can take that to your GP for further investigation

navyeyelasH · 15/04/2009 20:04

I've kept a food diary for nearly 9 months - it's hard to determine what is effecting me because no-one can be certain how long after ingestion you start to feel rough IYSWIM?

Does anyone know if there is there a safe way to just eat something basic like rice and meat for x weeks and then introduce one food at a time to try and pinpoint what is making me feel so bad? When I tried this I felt really faint all the time and was worried I wasn't getting enough vitamins etc. Also I might have candida rather than an intolerance and candida sufferers aren't supposed to eat rice.

My gp has been no good at all, they keep saying it's IBS and to keep a food diary. I've been really really ill for nearly 18 months now and easily 80% of the time I'm in agony . Also my symptoms keep getting longer and longer but am not sure whether I am over analysing my body, it's such a pain!

Any advice, from anyone who may have experienced similar / had one of these intolerance tests with a positive outcome, would be very much appreciated!

mistlethrush · 15/04/2009 20:27

There was a radio programme (R4) on food intollerances this afternoon - you might be interested in trying to listen to it.

I only caught part of it - but with intollerances, the person that helped with coeliac problems at the end was saying that it was possible to do an exclusion diet - she was recommending dropping one thing for up to 4 weeks to see if things improved.

I have previously done an exclusion diet having had advice from hospital - they suggested a 'stoneage' diet for 4 - 6 weeks, then introduce foods at one per 2weeks. Unfortnately I'm vegetarian, lactose intollerant, and one of the things that I was concerned about was bananans - so that was all of the things that they recommend out of the window! I ended up with green fruit and veg, rice and sunflower seeds for 4 weeks, then added things gradually.

In terms of 'prick' tests for allergies, even those aren't conclusive - came up negative for paracetamol but eating one lands me in A&E....

tatt · 15/04/2009 21:48

most of the so called tests for intolerances are a waste of money. I could put your hand in an empty box, tell you not to eat gluten and/or dairy and maybe one or two other things based on what you tell me and chances are you'd feel better. You'd then think the "tests worked". Actually you probably wouldn't have issues with both gluten and dairy. If you have a digestive problem that's only lasted a month its possible probiotics would sort it quite quickly.

There is a 7 foods diet recommended for testing for intolerances. I forget exactly what they were but I know it was rice, lamb, pear and I think turkey, asparagus and carrots. You only drink water. That's pretty hard to stick too but you could include butternut squash, sweet potatoes, chicken, green vegetables, olive oil.

JADE23 · 16/04/2009 17:06

HOW WOULD I KNOW IF MY CHILD HAS AN ALLERGIE

mistlethrush · 16/04/2009 17:24

WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR CHILD HAS AN ALLERGY? And you might want to stop shouting before you reply too!

Original poster
ChocFudgeCake · 16/04/2009 22:02

Thanks to all. I'm including probiotics (the yogurts, right?) in my diet, but not much improvement. Also I would prefer not to have some drastic food elimination diet because I'm pregnant (to be honest I'm also lazy). But if that is the only reliable way, well..

OP posts:
mistlethrush · 16/04/2009 22:29

If you're pregnant you shouldn't do any exclusion diet without medical adivce... Go and see your Dr and keep going until they do something positive about it!

diddy1 · 16/04/2009 22:30

Try a chinese herbalist ChocFudgeCake. They are very good in diagnosing allergies. I was very ill at one time and I had test done with them. Found out I was allergic to loads stuff. I have stopped eating and drinking the allergens and have been fabulous since. They test your hair! It works though.

Original poster
ChocFudgeCake · 16/04/2009 22:54

Thanks Mistlethrush and Didddy1. My GP said that diarrhoea can be normal in pregnancy so if I don't have an infection then that's it, just a pregnancy symptom . The obstetrician suggested to keep a food diary. The idea doesn't appeal to me.
I'll ask about some good herbalist around here (can you recommend one in London?), the testing of hair sounds good. I had that done when I was "preparing" for conception for DS a few years ago, but it wasn't to tell about food intolerances, rather to check levels of vitamins, minerals and toxins.

OP posts:
Poppity · 16/04/2009 22:58

Kinesiology might be good for you?

mistlethrush · 16/04/2009 23:01

I found that I was very 'loose' when I was pregnant, could it be similar?

Original poster
ChocFudgeCake · 16/04/2009 23:20

Poppity, do you mean complementary medicine? I'm having homeopathy.
Mistlethrush, I'm def. very loose. But I have the feeling that there is something wrong, it had never been a symptom in pregnancy. However last year I was loose for a few weeks and had pains and felt weak. I thought that it was happenning after I ate pasta, but not sure. So to avoid discomfort during the summer holidays, I had less bread and pasta than normal (and had holiday in Italy!), I obviously lost the extra weight (hurrah!) and maybe I felt better. When I came back hte GP sent a blood test for intolerance to gluten or caeliac disease and it came negative. I was feeling better and forgot about the whole thing, until now.

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mistlethrush · 17/04/2009 08:37

I think you'll have to be very careful as you are pregnant. However, if you have a feeling it might be wheat (not necessarily coeliac though - the tests would have shown this up) - as long as you were eating plenty of replacements I would have thought that you could miss out that one thing - I mean plenty of people do this all the time with no problem, even when they are pregnant. Just make sure that you are having sufficient other grains.

I had accupuncture every 2 weeks throughout my pregnancy - it was great - she sorted out all the niggles each time and left me floating on a cloud - I certainly found it helped with energy levels and sleeping etc. However, when you are pregnant you can expect to feel tired, so don't expect to feel 'normal' and put tiredness down as a possible 'symptom' ifyswim!

tatt · 17/04/2009 11:23

If you are pregnant than an exclusion diet is definitely not recommended. You could avoid wheat but if you try one of the digestive enzymes that help digest gluten you may be fine. You can get ones like Peptizyde that are expensive or just try Biocare Glutenzyme Plus - which is cheaper and easier to get but possibly less effective.

They are still expensive so you may want to eat more rice and potato and less wheat.

Poppity · 17/04/2009 12:07

here is the Wiki link explaining it. Although it doesn't seem like they are impressed!

I have a friend who used to practice pre children, it worked very well on my excema. She suffered ME, and helped her get well, she was so impressed she did the training to become a practitioner herself once she was well enough.

They test your muscle reactions to chemicals/foods etc, she then gave me a diet plan based on what she had found. I'm not sure how it works. There's no needles though....

I googled for a list of practitioners and found this

Original poster
ChocFudgeCake · 18/04/2009 22:05

Ok, I bought corn pasta, gluten free flour, soya milk and rice milk today I'll try to dodge the croissants that come my way.

mistlethrush, I need to see about an acupuncturist nearby, my mum has also been suggesting.
tatt, I'd never heard about this enzymes (don't know much about enzymes . Is it something that my GP would prescribe?

Poppity, I'll check the links carefully, thanks. I took a look and it seems interesting.

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