Can anyone tell me if there is a web site that I can access to try to self diagnose possible food intolerance? I have been feeling so sick on some days whereas other days I feel fine. I did a pregnancy test just to make sure I wasn't pregnant - came back negative. I have tried to keep a record of foods that I am eating but am still unable to pinpoint to any one thing. I cannot afford to go private and my Dr would proably laugh me out of the surgery.
I am sure I have read in a magazine lately (Health and Fitness, Zest and Runners World are only mags I read) about being able to access a database to self diagnose. Can anyone help out there?
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quite pricey though depending on what you have tested - general food groups or specific items
and means you have to experiment with making yourself ill by introducing the allergen
i don't see what's wrong with getting the lab to do one of these tests with pin prick of blood
what's science for , if it isn't to help us find answers quicker?
Good luck!
It has a lot of case studies on individuals and their symptoms, and how identifying the foods improved their lives.
Sassie (allergens: wasps, nuts, wheat, citrus, tomatoes, raw onions, latex and, just to liven things up, since last week, avocado!)
"I dont belive in all that stuff"
Self assessment is difficult and diagnosis should not be rushed into … best to see a professional than can help (as someone above stated – a NHS Nutritionist / allergist or such)
Food allergy can usually be diagnosed from skin and blood tests. Unfortunately there are no such convenient tests for food intolerance (the test above are most likely to be allergy test not Intolerance tests.
The most effective test for food intolerance is to remove all potentially offending foods from the diet for a few weeks (each in turn). If the symptoms resolve on this elimination diet, then generally a diagnosis of food intolerance can be made. Such an elimination diet should not be attempted without dietetic and medical supervision, as the diet is restrictive and may not be nutritionally adequate. (and as also stated above can take some time)
A good starting point is the following list of possibilities
• Additives (asmatics are most likely to be affected by sulphite preservatives)
. Highly processed foods
• Milk
• wheat
• soy
• egg
• seafood
Avoid ready meals, anything with additives/preservatives, eat the wholemeal equivalents off foodstuffs such as bread and pasta, go for brown rice. Fruit and Veg should be fresh and not out of a tin . avoid convince foods such as fishfinger burgers etc
Good luck
WW
Wouldn't touch the "private" self-referral clinics or the pendulum-swingers that do the rounds of the health-food shops.
What we CAN'T do, and the high-street quacks and internet snake-oil touters can't do, is take someone who is feeling vaguely unwell and do blunderbuss testing to see what you might be intolerant to, because the tests have a very poor predictive value except in the context of a good clinical history. All comes down to Bayes' theorem, apparently...
dont go there
Another thing, Sonia, in case it's not food intolerance or an allergy: when was the last time you had a complete check-up with blood tests (which is how my temporary anaemia was spotted), or liver function tests, etc.