Food allergies

[Scarlett]

Has anyone ever been tested for a food allergy, which has really helped them i.e- been accurate? If so, what sort of test was it, and where did you go for it?

[willow74]

Holland and Barrett do food allergy testing for about �40.00. 

My friend went and had it done and it told her the usual... cut wheat, caffeine out etc.  She did this and she said she feels so much better.  When she does eat these things now she says she notices bad headaches straight away. 

I don't know how much a saturday assistant working in a health food shop would know but she swears by this test. 

[FP]

I had tests done years ago by a 'qualified' person.  One of the things that came back on the list of my allergens, as well as all the common ones, was water.  I kept the list for posterity, but must admit could not take the results seriously after that. 

 

I definitely feel better without dairy products and coffee and too much wheat makes me feel quite ill.  Alcohol can also trigger my arthritis pain, but I haven't given it up - we do need some treats in life!

[Weaza_cfc]

When I had a severe allergic reaction a few months ago, i went to my doctor. After giving me something for the reaction, he refered me to an allergy specialist in Cambridge. I havn't been to see them yet, but what i am trying to say is if you think you are allergic to something, go to your doctor about it.

[mumma]

I have allergies to raw fruit, raw veg, nuts, seeds etc - basically anything raw. I get a reaction whereby my mouth and throat really, REALLY itch and sometimes I become wheezy and cough.  I went to the GP who did a blood test to check my immunoglobulin level (I think this is what he said - it was a few years ago now!) which confirmed that I had allergies as it was off the scale.  The next step was RAST tests where they take a drop of blood and test it with 100 different food stuffs at a cost of �1 per food type = �100 of NHS money (at that time).  The results came back and guess what!!!  Well I never!! I am allergic to the things I react to!! What a revelation!  What a waste of money more like!  Anyway, I have a choice of not eating the thinks I react to or taking anti-histamine every day for the rest of my life.  I choose to be a salad dodger!

My mum, however, has a wheat/ yeast/ dairy etc intolerence - which is different to an allergy and has felt loads better since cutting it all out - as well as losing a shed load of weight!

Good luck with your allergies or intolerances - but don't expect to be able to eat out much!! 

PS Why do no restaurants/cafes etc listen to the words "no salad or garnish whatsover please, I have an allergy"?

[pansycow]

About twelve years ago I suddenly lost a lot of weight (over two stone) leaving me extremely thin. I wasn't unduly worried but a friend who was a healer and kinesiologist picked up that my weight loss was due to an undiagnosed allergy. 

She gave me some diagnostic tests (muscle testing) and recommended that I avoid soya products (I had been eating a lot of Thai food!), which were causing the weight loss. Basically my body had shut down its digestive system in protest, also affecting my thyroid and causing me to lose weight. Somehow she also taught my body to recognise foods and other products containing soya, causing my hand to jump away from risky items, this ability still remains with me to this day.

This was the first time I had ever heard of someone being allegic to soya, however cutting out soya from my diet has worked, though it took three years to put the weight back on. 

A word of warning though, make sure you choose a reputable practioner, a while later my symptoms reappeared (due to soya being added to bread products and many common foods in the mid '90s), so I consulted a different kinesiologist, this one also trainied as a nutritionist. She could not believe her own results, so told me I was allergic to everthing (lactose, gluten, soya and meat) and advised me to go on a severe elimination diet that basically left me with steamed vegetables and rice to eat! 

So before choosing a practioner, do your homework and ask for references and find out if they have complimentary skills that could assist you in balancing and healing yourself.

You can find out more about kinesiology here:

htttp:///www.systematic-kinesiology.co.uk

Wishing you good health and success ):(*)