Discussions can be posted here about mediator release testing (MRT), as offered by Oxford Biological Technologies, in conjunction with the LEAP program, which is claimed to determine a relative level of sensitivity to various foods and chemicals by measuring an increase in the ratio of liquids to solids in a blood sample that has been exposed to a specific allergen.
I have been doing well on my mostly paleo diet plus avoiding those additional sensitivities found on MRT. However, I guess we can never relax. Tonight I tried a new tea - green tea with jasmine flowers were the only ingredients listed. Within one hour I had explosive, battery-acid D. Sigh. I have had D 4 times now within a few minutes. I know it could not have been anything else I ate today. Everything else was truly safe and has been well-tested over many months. Of course, I have no way of knowing if it was the green tea or the jasmine. I have not had any problem with black tea. I wonder what food family jasmine belongs to? Does anyone know?
You know, folks with NORMAL GI function have no idea how fortunate they are!
Hugs,
Polly, who feels like this tonight:
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Wow! That's weird. Jasmine is a member of the olive family.
I don't know what to think about that.
I hope it doesn't last long.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
It could have been something in the processing/handling, rather than the jasmine itself - but whatever it was... I'm so sorry your evening took this unfortunate turn.
I think so-called 'normal' people have more experience with "it must have been something I ate" than we (or they) realize. But OH YEAH, it's a lot more dramatic for those of us in the PP family!
Loving, healing thoughts - and best wishes for a better tomorrow,
yes frightening isn't eat, even jasmine tea. Polly, hope you will feel better soon. I more and more get the impression that besides gluten, milk, soy, egg, yeast and any other food that there is another mechanism to this disease. One that we haven't discovered yet. That makes you react on for example jasmine tea, or causes restless bowels when the broccoli is a little less overcooked than normal.
Maybe it has something to do with the double Q genes (the ones Dr fine's describes specific for MC patients), maybe this makes the bowels extra sensitive to...yet to what that is always a new surprize.
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
Thanks for your condolences and insights. I do think, Sara, that there was probably some contaminant from the processing. I will try that tea again to see what happens - although I guess I should try a different box or brand of jasmine tea. Tex, hmmmmm, the olive family. I have no problem at all with olives. Do you know of any other foods in the olive family?
Harma, your comments are so appropriate. I do think that, for those of us who have the most sensitivities, there are other factors we don't understand yet. For example, your discovery about cooking time. I also think the amount of food eaten at one time is important (Kari has noted this). The combination of certain foods can tip me over the edge on some days, I think. I have even wondered if there might be seasonal influences. Hey, maybe we should pay attention to the moon phases - maybe we have more trouble during the full moon. Who knows? Anyone who has worked in a hospital E.R. will tell you that there were far more problems/complications/deliveries/shootings, etc., during the full moon.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hmmmmmm. That's mighty interesting about the full moon.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Wow Polly - just read this thread - what a bummer. I can tell you that I react to green tea, but I assume that you are fine with it, since you've most likely had it on its own? It is just exasperating what we MC'ers go through :(.
I have always maintained that this disease is just as painful psychologically as it is physically. I remind myself over and over again that I have come such a long way since last July, but I still feel crushed when I have a reaction. How in the world do we manage to keep cheerful with these dreadful disappointments? Perhaps it is time to start another "I love MC because" thread:).
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Actually, that was the first time since MRT that I have tried green tea. Previously it has always been black tea, and I had no problems. Can you drink black? I wonder why this could be?.....didn't someone here say that the only difference between green and black tea is the age of the leaves? Aren't green leaves younger/less "ripe"? Maybe there's a chemical in the younger leaves that disappears as they age?
Hug,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
I'm afraid I won't be much help with your questions, as I have never been much of a tea drinker. When I discovered that I can not have coffee or caffeine, I decided to try caffeine free green tea, as it has so many touted benefits. When I reacted, it put my tea drinking experiment to an end. I have no idea why I reacted - one of the many mysteries .
Hope you manage to figure out what the problem was.
Love,
Kari
P.S. The only drink I typically have is water, but lately I have re-introduced coconut water, and seem to be fine with it. I'm not crazy about the flavor, but I drink it for the electrolytes.
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
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