It doesn't matter whether serum is used, or DNA material is scraped from the lining of the inside of the cheek, or a piece of someone's nose is used to provide the DNA. The test validity will be the same, as long as the test is properly done, and the sample is not contaminated with someone else's DNA.WhirledPeas wrote:Is this particular gene test that Enterolab offers medically accepted by GI doctors for identifying gluten sensitive genes? Just wondering if my doctor will "value" the results the same as he would the blood test. Just want to know what's what.
I can't answer your question with a simple answer, because it's a loaded question. If you had asked about celiac genes, my answer would have been, "Yes". But since you asked about genes that predispose to gluten sensitivity, I have to say, "No". The problem is that most doctors are still living in the dark ages when it comes to dealing with gluten sensitivity, and most of them still believe that ruling out celiac disease rules out gluten sensitivity, despite obvious symptoms in their patients. The test itself is accepted, because it's the Red Cross test, but the spin that EnteroLab puts on it to also detect non-celiac gluten sensitivity, is still something that is not on the radar of most doctors, and even when it is, they rarely understand how to deal with it. And it's human nature to distrust anything that we do not understand, so doctors are more likely to distrust those test results.
Doctors are quite good at pretending to be incredibly dense and hard-headed when they want to be, and they don't like to admit that they have been wrong, so they are typically slow to embrace radical departures from past policy. Many of them are not even aware of the existence of non-celiac genes that predispose to gluten sensitivity, so any information regarding non-celiac gluten sensitive genes means nothing to them. And many more are aware of the issues, but they refuse to change their policy on dealing with them, until "more information becomes available" — IOW, until they are forced to accept the changes.
I realize that you would like to "please" your doctor (we all would), but remember that you are the one who has to live with your genes and/or your gluten sensitivity (if you have gluten sensitivity). Either way, it's no hide off your doctor's back.
Fortunately, we don't need a doctor to advise us about our diet, because doctors have virtually no training about dietary issues to begin with. Experience shows that those of us who have been naive enough to try to please our doctors regarding gluten sensitivity issues, have virtually always regretted it, because it almost always prevents us from healing.
So we just smile and nod our head in cordial agreement as our doctor explains to us how we can't possibly be sensitive to gluten because our test results show that we don't have celiac disease, and/or we don't have a celiac gene. Then we go home and ignore his or her advice and do what has to be done to get our life back.
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