Blood tests (Mediator Release Testing)

[mbozard]

So, I've resolved to get the stool testing but I just saw the link on the Home Page about Blood tests (Mediator Release Testing) and on the provided link about, MRT III®: The Future of Food Sensitivity Testing. Do I need to do both the stool testing and the blood test?

[Zizzle]

You don't need to do both. Enterolab identifies the biggies for you, namely gluten ,dairy, soy, eggs, meats, etc. I did MRT and found it helpful in the short-run. We all have leaky intestines, so we are likely to react to the foods we eat most often. In my case, the MRT reported 26 problem foods and chemicals for me at a yellow level (moderate reactivity). They included apples, bananas, avocados, garlic, onions, cucumbers, white potatoes, sodium benzoate, Blue food coloring, pork, lamb, shrimp, etc, etc. but not milk, wheat, and soy (perhaps because I don't eat them?). They acknowledge that they are a point-in-time analysis, and you can avoid the foods for 60-90 days and try reintroducing them. I suppose by then you'll be sensitive to the foods you were eating while eliminating all the MRT foods!!

I have since reintroduced nearly all my MRT yellow foods, some I never eliminated, and nothing really changed either way.

However, if you get RED level results on MRT, those may be worth avoiding long-term.



Since you are in the business of testing, another test I found helpful (I've had them all!!) was the Cyrex Labs Celiac Cross-Reactivity test. But I have celiac genetics and presumed celiac (not sure if that matters). That test showed that I react to buckwheat, amaranth, sesame seeds and coffee in the same way I react to gluten. Interestingly, I had noticed reactions to all those foods before doing the test, so I avoid them all now.

[tex]

If you are unable to achieve remission by cutting out all of the foods that the EnteroLab results show to be a problem for you, then the MRT will offer some additional foods to consider avoiding. But the accuracy of the MRT results typically are not as reliable as the EnteroLab results, and MRT results often/usually miss the main offenders (such as gluten, casein, etc.). Here's the way I view it:

EnteroLab results always trump MRT results. But MRT results can supplement EnteroLab results, to help track down additional food sensitivities that the EnteroLab tests do not cover.

Most members here order the EnteroLab tests first, and if they are not able to achieve remission by applying that information, then they consider ordering the MRT.

Tex

[Polly]

Well said, Tex. I needed both to achieve full remission, but the MRT was used secondarily, to "fine tune" my diet.

Love,

Polly