Testing
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Graceful585
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 9:25 am
- Location: Upstate New York
Testing
Wondering what testing would be good for me to do. I don't eat meats, cheese or milk/butter so finding out if I'm allergic to these wouldn't matter much as I don't consume them. Veggies, nuts, grains, beans (soy), fruits. Am I missing anything? thank you!! Wonder if this testing would be covered by insurance??
Hi Graceful,
I think Tex referred you on another thread to the Enterolab testing. It is a stool test that many, even most, on this forum have done. I have done it and showed reaction to gluten, chicken egg, and soy. It is very accurate in identifying the main foods you are reacting to and Tex pointed out that they have a vegetarian panel so it would test for more of the foods that are your staples. If a doctor orders it, I believe most insurance will cover it. If you get it done without a doctors order it may be possible to get reimbursed. Less on here have done the MRT testing. It's my understanding that this can be helpful for people who have eliminated their main triggers as identified by Enterolab but have multiple sensitivities that make healing elusive. It can help to identify the more obscure foods you might be reacting to. I can't comment much further because I have not done the test.
Since you are vegetarian, the Enterolab would be very useful for you to find out if you are reacting to soy. I think you may not be getting much input on what to eat because most people here know that many people who have MC and do Enterolab testing find out that soy is a trigger food. There is a thread on here that shows the Enterolab results for everyone who agreed to post them. Maybe Tex or someone else will chime in and provide that link. You can see for yourself how many people react to soy. Obviously for a vegetarian, this greatly limits your options for protein. So we are at a loss for what to recommend since normally the advice for healing is to eat plain animal protein and starches you don't react to along with well cooked vegetables and small amounts of peeled, low acid fruits. But maybe Enterolab would show that you don't react to soy. Then, at least you would know that is a safe option.
Maybe someone else will give you more info on MRT and MRT vs Enterolab.
Gigi
I think Tex referred you on another thread to the Enterolab testing. It is a stool test that many, even most, on this forum have done. I have done it and showed reaction to gluten, chicken egg, and soy. It is very accurate in identifying the main foods you are reacting to and Tex pointed out that they have a vegetarian panel so it would test for more of the foods that are your staples. If a doctor orders it, I believe most insurance will cover it. If you get it done without a doctors order it may be possible to get reimbursed. Less on here have done the MRT testing. It's my understanding that this can be helpful for people who have eliminated their main triggers as identified by Enterolab but have multiple sensitivities that make healing elusive. It can help to identify the more obscure foods you might be reacting to. I can't comment much further because I have not done the test.
Since you are vegetarian, the Enterolab would be very useful for you to find out if you are reacting to soy. I think you may not be getting much input on what to eat because most people here know that many people who have MC and do Enterolab testing find out that soy is a trigger food. There is a thread on here that shows the Enterolab results for everyone who agreed to post them. Maybe Tex or someone else will chime in and provide that link. You can see for yourself how many people react to soy. Obviously for a vegetarian, this greatly limits your options for protein. So we are at a loss for what to recommend since normally the advice for healing is to eat plain animal protein and starches you don't react to along with well cooked vegetables and small amounts of peeled, low acid fruits. But maybe Enterolab would show that you don't react to soy. Then, at least you would know that is a safe option.
Maybe someone else will give you more info on MRT and MRT vs Enterolab.
Gigi
LC diagnosed July 2014
Gigi has done a good job of addressing your questions, I believe. You can see some examples of test results for members at the links below. The first link will take you to listings of EnteroLab results, and the second is for MRT results (which you've probably already seen).
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=56
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=68
The main difference between the two testing methods is that the members here find the EnteroLab results to be much more accurate and reliable than the MRT results (or any other blood test results). The way that most members use the MRT testing is as Gigi mentioned: they first use the EnteroLab tests to pin down the main food sensitivities, and then if they are still unable to achieve remission by following those guidelines, they do the MRT testing.
The main problem with the MRT program is that the tests often miss most of the main food sensitivities (false negative results), and typically both positive and negative results may have to be verified by trial and error testing (because the test results have only marginal reliability). This results in a lot of trial and error testing after the results are available. The main advantage offered by the MRT results is that occasionally they can detect a sensitivity to certain foods that are not tested by EnteroLab, and subsequent trial and error testing can verify that the food or foods are indeed a problem. Here's part of what I say about the MRT on pages 149–150 of the book, and it includes a brief description of how the test is claimed to work:
I definitely agree with Gigi that soy (and legumes) is critical to a vegan lifestyle. MC is a tough disease to control, and if I intended to try to recover on a vegan diet, the first thing I would do is to verify that I was not producing antibodies to soy, because soy is vital to a vegan diet.
If you will do some searches of the archives, and read enough posts, you will find that we have many members here who were prior vegans or vegetarians, and they either believe (or in some cases suspect) that the high fiber content and/or whole grains in vegetarian or vegan diets was a primary cause of the development of their MC. Some don't specifically accuse the diet of causing their MC, but point out that after they adopted the diet, their health began to decline, and they soon developed MC. Of course we are all different, so what happened to others is no guarantee of what may happen to us.
Tex
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=56
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=68
The main difference between the two testing methods is that the members here find the EnteroLab results to be much more accurate and reliable than the MRT results (or any other blood test results). The way that most members use the MRT testing is as Gigi mentioned: they first use the EnteroLab tests to pin down the main food sensitivities, and then if they are still unable to achieve remission by following those guidelines, they do the MRT testing.
The main problem with the MRT program is that the tests often miss most of the main food sensitivities (false negative results), and typically both positive and negative results may have to be verified by trial and error testing (because the test results have only marginal reliability). This results in a lot of trial and error testing after the results are available. The main advantage offered by the MRT results is that occasionally they can detect a sensitivity to certain foods that are not tested by EnteroLab, and subsequent trial and error testing can verify that the food or foods are indeed a problem. Here's part of what I say about the MRT on pages 149–150 of the book, and it includes a brief description of how the test is claimed to work:
As far as coverage by insurance is concerned, that depends on your insurance company, but most are probably more likely to pay for the EnteroLab test panels than the MRT (but I'm just guessing, based on past history that I've seen posted by members). The MRT covers a lot more foods and chemicals than the EnteroLab tests, but of course the downside is that the reliability is rather low (despite claims to the contrary on their website). Personally, I have little use for inaccurate tests, because if I'm going to have to verify the results by trial and error anyway, why pay for the test? I can do trial and error testing free of charge.The primary problems with the MRT program seem to be a lack of specificity and a lack of repeatability. The test does not measure any specific antibodies, nor does it quantify changes in the numbers of any other specific inflammation modulators. Instead, the results are based on an indirect method that 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 given allergen.
Regardless of how the test results are determined, and regardless of the details of the actual test results, all foods that are rated as safe in the MRT results still have to be tested in the diet by trial and error to verify tolerance or reactivity. In some instances, the ratings do not necessarily coordinate very well with actual tolerance or intolerance. Also, experience shows that test results can change dramatically from one sample to another, for the same patient, especially if a significant amount of time passes between the occasions when the respective samples are drawn. The test also seems to be notorious for missing various foods that cause gluten-related reactions, such as wheat, rye, and barley. Still, many people find the test and the associated LEAP program to be helpful for ferreting out difficult-to-detect food sensitivities that they haven’t been able to track down by other methods.
I definitely agree with Gigi that soy (and legumes) is critical to a vegan lifestyle. MC is a tough disease to control, and if I intended to try to recover on a vegan diet, the first thing I would do is to verify that I was not producing antibodies to soy, because soy is vital to a vegan diet.
If you will do some searches of the archives, and read enough posts, you will find that we have many members here who were prior vegans or vegetarians, and they either believe (or in some cases suspect) that the high fiber content and/or whole grains in vegetarian or vegan diets was a primary cause of the development of their MC. Some don't specifically accuse the diet of causing their MC, but point out that after they adopted the diet, their health began to decline, and they soon developed MC. Of course we are all different, so what happened to others is no guarantee of what may happen to us.
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.