No More Chocolate!

[errantember]

For years I've had various depressive symptoms, sleep complications, and general fatigue. In an effort to improve things, I decided, after much research, to explore food sensitivity testing. In addition to the symptoms I've had, food sensitivities can cause migraines, muscle aches, bowel problems, and a host of other crazy symptoms. I decided on the MRT test from Signet, which is expensive but currently the best thing going. The general idea is that many people have an immune reaction to foods that isn't allergic. There are three types of food problems. Allergies are what most people are familiar with. For instance, I'm allergic to peanuts. Food intolerances, like lactose or gluten intolerance, are situations where you body is actually genetically unable to properly digest something. The MRT test if for the last category, in which food substances trigger an incorrect immune reaction. This can sometimes happen hours or even days after the food is eaten, making it very difficult to detect. The test works by exposing blood to various foods and food additives (150 in all) and measuring the response.


Once you know which items are problem children, you create a diet that excludes those foods for about a month. Then, you slowly add in the "yellow" and "red" foods one at a time to see if you react to them. If you do, they're off the list effectively forever. If they're ok, you can eat them occasionally. One thing about the way food sensitivities function is that continuing to eat something one is sensitive too makes it continually worse, kind of a residual effect. However, if you get off that food for a while, it's reactivity goes down. Your immune system actually creates custom chemical tags for each food, which is how the residual effect works.

So, major stinkers for me in the Red List are cucumbers, grapes, cranberries, bananas, cashews, and crab.
Unfortunate inclusions on the Yellow List are Apples, Apricots, Avocados, black pepper, cane sugar, chicken (ouch!) cinnamon, cocoa (no chocolate!) coffee, egg, eggplant, fructose, honeydew, hops (don't drink anyway,) oats, tumeric, and yellow squash.

We'll note that while I'm allergic to peanuts, they register Green on this test.

Comments

[oracle-tx.livejournal.com]

Yarg, that sucks. I had some food allergies a while back, said "Oh hell no...", then started getting acupuncture for them, they went away in ~6 weeks or so. I don't know if it will help in your case though. I bet avoiding black pepper, fructose, chicken, and eggs is going to be tough! Good luck.

Interesting.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

What were you showing allergies to, and where did you go for treatment?

Re: Interesting.

[oracle-tx.livejournal.com]

I was allergic to chocolate and eggs, and went to AOMA's student clinic. There is a professional clinic too, but it costs more.

Re: Interesting.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Excellent, thank you. How did you find out about the allergy?

Re: Interesting.

[oracle-tx.livejournal.com]

I had an allergy test many years ago, around '92, and those things reacted. Around 2001 I started having diarrhea after eating eggs, along with massive sulfuric burping. Chocolate was the same way, but without the sulfuric burping. I talked to my allergist about it, and he said, "Avoid chocolate and eggs." Like hell, so I started looking for alternatives. The first I tried was acupuncture, I went in with a decision to try it for a couple months, and an open mind. I've gotten lots of other benefits on the side.

Re: Interesting.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Excellent, thanks for the info!

[bouncyone.livejournal.com]

Fascinating!

It makes me wonder what sensitivities I might have.

Ouch.

[dj-warhammer.livejournal.com]

You live in Austin and you can't eat guac now? Oh honey, I weep for you.

Don't even get me started on the chocolate aspect. If it was me they would have to pry that stuff out of my cold, dead, happy hands.

Re: Ouch.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Might have to check the accupuncture angle on the chocolate thing.

[austingoddess.livejournal.com]

I can't find a price - how much was the 150?

[errantember.livejournal.com]

$599.00. :)

Loki's upcoming surgery is being advertised at $2400.00. I'm looking for a second opinion.

[austingoddess.livejournal.com]

That's a fairly reasonable price for what all they do. Expensive, but reasonable-ish.

Oww, yeah. For cheap, you may try Wells Branch Pet and Bird, who I think now has a south location. They'll nickel and dime you, so get all the charges in writing, but there are always coupons for them out there. You might also call ATA and see if they can recommend someone?

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Note, however, that there are several other food sensitivity tests that are cheaper but still have good reputations.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that insight. It looks like there are several alternative to pursue if there's something (chocolate) that I can't (chocolate) live (avocados) without. Luckily although I really like black pepper and it's on my "no" list, I also really like red pepper, which is currently fine.

Re: Since no one else is stepping up to the plate...

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Your generosity is heart-rending.

I'll find a plastic bag.

Keep in mind...you may be next. :)

[felisviolaceous.livejournal.com]

"One thing about the way food sensitivities function is that continuing to eat something one is sensitive too makes it continually worse, kind of a residual effect."

That is unfortunately, very true. I used to eat pomagranite every year for about 2-3months while it was in season. About 3yrs ago, I noticed that I was having UTI issues. Went to Dr. and he said nothing is showing up on urinalisis. But he gave me antibiotics anyway and UTI symptoms went away. I had also not eaten a pomagranite in about a week.

A week later I realized I have a pomagranite in fridge trying to hide from the eventual attack and I ate it and symptoms came back. WHAT???? Then, if I didn't stop I started getting pain in my stomach like something was poking a sharp knife from inside my stomach.

I somehow developed a sensitivity to the best fruit in the world! I still try to eat it, but it's very far and few between to keep stomach pain from happening and I'm chugging lots-o-water to keep the UTI symptoms from occurring.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

It's very interesting to hear all these stories. Evidently food sensitivities are more common than people realize.

[comodulate.livejournal.com]

My sister had this testing, as well as allergy testing, done last year. She is vegan, so the results changed her diet entirely. She stopped eating milk, soy and wheat. She did this for about two months, and decided she didn't feel any different, and went back to the diet the way it was before.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

I will be interesting to see how much of a difference it makes for me.

[comodulate.livejournal.com]

About the chocolate-

I have read multiple research articles on the effect of chocolate and coffee being due to an allergic reaction we have to them. We feel good/wake up because our bodies are reacting to them- which are allergic reactions we like.

Let me go see if I can find any of the articles.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I'd like to read that, thanks!

[comodulate.livejournal.com]

My search on EBSCO came up with none I could access online. I haven't given up searching though!

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Thank you for looking.

[gailmom.livejournal.com]

reading the back logs of all my new friends lj's and came across this. Think you were talking a bit about this, but without details, on sunday morning at FS. Interesting. I have never been tested for sensitivities and if i end up with some chunk of cash some time i may try to do this for me and the kiddos both. We have all been allergy tested, but this is different. Most of their food sensitivitiees I learned while nursing them...if I ate a certain food they got "colic" if i avoided it/them no colic. I don't think colic actually exists as its own thing like the docs say, i think it is just undiagnosed food sensitivities. my mom had the same experience while nursing me and my brother btw. Each of us to a certain food she was not ok to eat without making us have issues, both foods we ended up able to eat later so she assumed we outgrew it...bro has food allergies and I technically have none, but food sensitivities? hard to say.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Evidently some people with stuff like fribro have seen improvement in their condition by discovering that some food sensitivity was causing their immune system to hypersensitize. There are cheaper tests than the one I took that are supposed to be fairly reliable.