Need Help Applying ENTEROLAB RESULTS

[TREESE]

Friends, I am thrilled to say that I got my EnteroLab Test Results this morning!

May I ask a few rather specific questions to help me apply the results to my daily diet?

Where do cooked and raw vegetables come in? And Coffee? And things like Cheese and lettuce, tomato? Where do Condiments come in?

For Example: If I'm Not showing allergy or sensitivity to Dairy, but I Am showing gluten reactions; Does that mean I can again eat Cheese? Or does Cheese have other ingredients like Gluten or that contain gluten that I should Not be eating? This is what I am not yet understanding. If you can help, please do!

My Results are below: Thank You!! *TREESE

Results:

Comprehensive Gluten/Antigenic Food Sensitivity Stool Panel

Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 12 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 5 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 2 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Fecal Anti-soy IgA 3 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 7 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)

While all of the foods tested can be immune-stimulating, the hierarchy of reactions detected were as follows:

Food to which there was no significant immunological reactivity: Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+): Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+): Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+):
Corn
Rice
Beef
Chicken
Pork
Tuna
Almond
White potato
Oat
Cashew
Walnut
None


Within each class of foods to which you displayed multiple reactions, the hierarchy of those reactions detected were as follows:

Grains:
Grain toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Oat

Nuts:
Nut toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Walnut
Nut toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Cashew

Fat Malabsorption Stool Test (Fecal Fat)

Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score Less than 300 Units (Normal Range is less than 300 Uni

TEST INTERPRETATION(S):

Interpretation of Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA: The level of intestinal anti-gliadin IgA antibody was elevated, indicative of active dietary gluten sensitivity. For optimal health; resolution or improvement of gluten-induced syndromes (mainly falling into six categories abbreviated as NAAAGS – neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, asthma, abdominal, glandular deficiencies/hyperactivity or skin diseases); resolution of symptoms known to be associated with gluten sensitivity (such as abdominal symptoms - pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation, chronic headaches, chronic sinus congestion, depression, arthritis, chronic skin problems/rashes, fibromyalgia, and/or chronic fatigue); and prevention of small intestinal damage and malnutrition, osteoporosis, and damage to other tissues (like nerves, brain, joints, muscles, thyroid, pancreas, other glands, skin, liver, spleen, among others), it is recommended that you follow a strict and permanent gluten free diet. As gluten sensitivity is a genetic syndrome, you may want to have your relatives screened as well.

Interpretation of Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA: A value less than 10 Units indicates that there currently is minimal or no immunologic reaction to milk, and hence no direct evidence of food sensitivity to this specific food. However, some immunocompetent people can still have clinically significant reactions to a food antigen despite the lack of a significant antibody reaction (because the reactions primarily involve T cells), if you have an immune syndrome or symptoms associated with food sensitivity, such as chronic headaches, abdominal symptoms (pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation), chronic sinus congestion, arthritis, chronic skin problems/rashes, fibromyalgia, and/or chronic fatigue, it is recommended that you try a strict removal of suspect foods from your diet for up to 12 months despite a negative test. If you have been on a diet reduced or devoid of the suspect food for many months or years (usually but not always requires two or more years), this can also (but will not always) reduce your fecal antibody level to that food into the normal range despite underlying ongoing sensitivity to that food.

Interpretation of Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA: A value less than 10 Units indicates that there currently is minimal or no immunologic reaction to egg, and hence no direct evidence of food sensitivity to this specific food. However, some immunocompetent people can still have clinically significant reactions to a food antigen despite the lack of a significant antibody reaction (because the reactions primarily involve T cells), if you have an immune syndrome or symptoms associated with food sensitivity, such as chronic headaches, abdominal symptoms (pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation), chronic sinus congestion, arthritis, chronic skin problems/rashes, fibromyalgia, and/or chronic fatigue, it is recommended that you try a strict removal of suspect foods from your diet for up to 12 months despite a negative test. If you have been on a diet reduced or devoid of the suspect food for many months or years (usually but not always requires two or more years), this can also (but will not always) reduce your fecal antibody level to that food into the normal range despite underlying ongoing sensitivity to that food.

Interpretation of Fecal Anti-soy IgA: A value less than 10 Units indicates that there currently is minimal or no immunologic reaction to soy, and hence no direct evidence of food sensitivity to this specific food. However, some immunocompetent people can still have clinically significant reactions to a food antigen despite the lack of a significant antibody reaction (because the reactions primarily involve T cells), if you have an immune syndrome or symptoms associated with food sensitivity, such as chronic headaches, abdominal symptoms (pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation), chronic sinus congestion, arthritis, chronic skin problems/rashes, fibromyalgia, and/or chronic fatigue, it is recommended that you try a strict removal of suspect foods from your diet for up to 12 months despite a negative test. If you have been on a diet reduced or devoid of the suspect food for many months or years (usually but not always requires two or more years), this can also (but will not always) reduce your fecal antibody level to that food into the normal range despite underlying ongoing sensitivity to that food.

Interpretation of Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods: With respect to the 11 foods tested, a mean value of 7 Units indicates that overall, there was no significant detectable evidence of immunological reactivity to these antigenic foods in terms of fecal IgA production.

Many foods besides gluten, milk, egg, and soy are antigenic in their own right; the main classes of which include other grains, meats, nuts, and nightshades (potatoes being the primary food eaten from this latter class). Minimizing exposure to antigenic foods is an important component of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle to optimize immune system health. This is especially important for those with chronic abdominal symptoms and/or chronic immune/autoimmune syndromes, or for those who want to prevent them.

For immunologic food sensitivity testing, the actual numeric value (in Units) for any given food or for the overall average of a group of foods is important mainly for determining: 1) if the immune reaction is present or absent, and 2) the immune reaction in relative terms to different foods tested in a given individual at a given point in time. It is not a score, per se, to be interpreted as a measure of clinical or immunological severity for that individual or between individuals. This is because the amount of IgA antibody made by a given person is particular for the immune function of that person. Furthermore, sometimes a person can display what can be viewed as immunological and nutritional “exhaustion,” whereby a more significant and symptomatic immunologic food sensitivity is accompanied by a lower positive measured anti-food antibody value (rather than a higher positive). In such an instance, following clinical improvement and improved nutritional status (while the suspect antigenic foods are withdrawn), values can actually be higher for a time before finally falling into the negative range after several years.

Thus, the overall average food sensitivity antibody value for this panel is an assessment of your overall humoral immunologic food reactivity, which can help determine if dietary elimination trials may help you. If the mean value is less than 10 Units, the humoral immune reactions can be considered clinically insignificant (negative); if greater than or equal to 10 Units, they can be considered clinically significant (positive). Rather than reporting the absolute value of a positive result for each individual food, since it cannot be considered as an assessment of severity, the results are reported in semi-quantitative terms between the foods tested (1+, 2+, or 3+). This provides you with the knowledge of which foods are stimulating the most immune response which, in turn, is indeed the most practically applied information to dietary elimination trials.

Dietary Recommendation Based on Test Results to Individual Foods:

Although there was no detectable evidence of immunologic sensitivity to these antigenic foods, if you have an autoimmune or chronic inflammatory syndrome, or just want to pursue an optimally healthy diet and lifestyle, avoiding all grains, meats, and nightshades can optimize an anti-inflammatory diet despite a negative result on food testing. As nuts and seeds are a very healthful source of vegetarian protein and heart-protective oils and minerals, rather than avoiding all nuts and seeds, you can render nuts and seeds less antigenic, more digestible, and more easily tolerated by choosing the few that you seem to best tolerate overall, soaking a one-day supply in a glass jar filled with clean water for 4-8 hours (or for ease, overnight), and pouring off the water and rinsing before eating. The resultant soaked nuts or seeds can be eaten as is (alone or with fresh or dried fruit), blended into nut butters (by adding some water), or added to “smoothies.”

If you do decide to undertake dietary elimination trials, we discourage dietary changes that involve removing too many foods at once. This can lead you to feel too hungry too often, especially if adequate healthful replacement foods are not readily available. Dietary elimination (beyond gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free) is best approached over a period of weeks to months and sometimes years, removing one or two additional foods at a time, rather than removing many foods at once.

Finally, since 1 in 500 people cannot make IgA at all, and rarely, some immunocompetent people can still have clinically significant reactions to a food antigen despite the lack of a significant antibody reaction (because the reactions primarily involve T cells), if you have a syndrome or symptoms known to be associated with food sensitivity, such as chronic headaches, abdominal symptoms (pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea and/or constipation), chronic sinus congestion, arthritis, chronic skin problems/rashes, fibromyalgia, and/or chronic fatigue, avoiding antigenic foods may help you despite a negative test. If you have been on a diet reduced or devoid of the suspect food for many months or years (usually but not always requires two or more years), this can also (but not always) reduce your fecal antibody level to that food into the normal range despite underlying ongoing sensitivity to that food. If you have no syndrome or symptoms associated with food sensitivity, and have been eating any or all of these suspect foods, you can continue to follow your normal diet and retest in 3-5 years.

Interpretation of Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score: Provided that dietary fat is being ingested, a fecal fat score less than 300 indicates there is no excessive malabsorbed dietary fat in stool, indicating that digestion and absorption of fat and other nutrients is currently normal.

[tex]

Where do cooked and raw vegetables come in? And Coffee? And things like Cheese and lettuce, tomato? Where do Condiments come in?

The EnteroLab test results have nothing to do with those items. The best you can do is to follow the guidelines that most of the rest of us follow, until we are able to prove to ourselves that our recovery is not jeopardized by the inclusion of those items in our diet. Those guidelines are:

1. No raw vegetables until after we have been remission long enough to allow some significant intestinal healing.

2. If coffee sent us to the bathroom soon after we drank it before our MC symptoms began, then it will continue do do so if we drink it now. If it didn't send us to the bathroom previously, then it probably won't send us to the bathroom now. Beware of so-called "non-dairy" creamers though — most of them contain casein.

3. If your test results are valid, then the casein risk won't apply to you, so cheese should be OK.

4. Iceberg lettuce is absolutely the most irritating of all raw vegetables, and should never be eaten until sometime after you have been in remission for a while.

5. Tomato is a fruit, and contains large amounts of citrus, which causes most of us to react while we are still in recovery. Most of us can handle tomatoes after we have been in remission for a while.

6. Be very careful with condiments, and read the label very carefully. The longer the ingredient list, the higher the risk of a reaction. The only seasonings I use are sea salt, garlic salt, and jalapeños, depending on the food.

For Example: If I'm Not showing allergy or sensitivity to Dairy, but I Am showing gluten reactions; Does that mean I can again eat Cheese? Or does Cheese have other ingredients like Gluten or that contain gluten that I should Not be eating? This is what I am not yet understanding. If you can help, please do!

To be honest, so many negative results make me wonder if you might have selective IgA deficiency. If you haven't had that blood test previously, it might be a good idea to ask your PCP to test you for selective IgA deficiency, just to validate the EnteroLab test results. If you do not have selective IgA deficiency, then your test results are valid, and you should be able to eat cheese. Pure cheese does not contain gluten. If you find that you react to cheese, then either your gut is still inflamed and you are reacting to lactose in the cheese, or you have selective IgA deficiency, so your negative test results are false negatives.

Tex

[TREESE]

Hi, TEX - I appreciate your Food Tips and I will also phone my Physician Tuesday (after the Holiday) to see about the IgA deficiency Test.

QUESTIONS: Is that a Blood Test? I had a Blood Test the other day which included a TISSUE TRANSGLUTAM AB IGA and a an IGA SYRUM. Is that the Test you are speaking about? Value came back as 1 on that first part, with a reference range of <4U/mL. The SYRUM part came back 261 in a range of 81-463 mg/dL.

Also, they tested for Vit. D,25- OH, Total, IA. Came back 57 with a range of 30-100 ng/mL What does that mean? Am I deficient in Vit. D????

Reply when you can - VERY Grateful, again!
TREESE

[TREESE]

Hello, again - just to UPDATE you all from my last post...

I did have an IgA deficiency Test already and it showed that I am not deficient. Therefore, my EnteroLab results are accurate.

My Task now is apparently to learn more about going Gluten Free. I will research this Forum for thoughts and ideas, for suggestions and recipes, and for learning from all your shared experiences - Thank You!

Might just get that GF Bread Making Machine at some point, too!
TREESE

[tex]

Hi Treese,

Since I've already previously responded to your email, I'll just tack the response on here, so that no one will think I'm ignoring you.

Hi Treese,

That appears to be the correct IgA test, and your result was normal, so the EnteroLab test results should be valid.

Your vitamin D test result is fine. 57 is a very good result for vitamin D.

You're very welcome,
Tex

[TREESE]

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I must say of TEX that he has been the most generous and kind-hearted gentleman to me throughout all my ramblings about CC, offering hours of patience and selfless sharing of his time and experience to help me cope, understand, and become re-empowered to act on my own behalf, often when I was closest to throwing my hands up in despair.

Never Once did this gentleman ignore a single post of mine or make my repeated questions seem insignificant. I felt validated and human again, every time I signed in to the Forum. Not to mention his Books, so clearly written and educational.

This is Not to minimize the vast contributions of Every One of You who Also assisted me with my zillion questions in Any way! Each of you added a piece to my puzzle, filling in the many spaces until a pretty complete picture emerged.

I do hope to somehow be of assistance to all of you, as well.
QUESTION: How is it that you find out when someone has posted something like a new Topic?! Do you log in and search in a particular way?

I'm sure I will still have questions, but for today, May you All have a wonderful day!!
TREESE

[tex]

Hi Treese,

Thank you for the kind words. We always appreciate such thoughtfulness.

When I log in, I just look for new posts by looking for the orange flags that mark new posts. But many members click on the link at the upper right of every page, that says, "View posts since last visit".

I hope that you're having a good day, too.

Tex

[Lilja]

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I must say of TEX that he has been the most generous and kind-hearted gentleman to me throughout all my ramblings about CC, offering hours of patience and selfless sharing of his time and experience to help me cope, understand, and become re-empowered to act on my own behalf, often when I was closest to throwing my hands up in despair.

Never Once did this gentleman ignore a single post of mine or make my repeated questions seem insignificant. I felt validated and human again, every time I signed in to the Forum. Not to mention his Books, so clearly written and educational.

This is Not to minimize the vast contributions of Every One of You who Also assisted me with my zillion questions in Any way! Each of you added a piece to my puzzle, filling in the many spaces until a pretty complete picture emerged.

I do hope to somehow be of assistance to all of you, as well.
QUESTION: How is it that you find out when someone has posted something like a new Topic?! Do you log in and search in a particular way?

I'm sure I will still have questions, but for today, May you All have a wonderful day!!
TREESE

Your words to Tex are beautiful, and I do agree.

Lilia

[Trigger2298]

indeed beautiful and what i would exactly express if I could find the words and convey them.. I struggle with it immensely... Hope all are doing well and had a great labor day weekend.

[Erica P-G]

I completely agree with your feelings and thoughts too Treese

Tex is one of the most thoughtful and kind people I've had the pleasure to converse with too

[TREESE]

Reading all the comments posted about my words to you, TEX, I am just so glad that I was able to express even some of what so many of your on-line family feels about you and wishes to say to you, themselves!

We ALL Celebrate You, dear Friend!
TREESE

[tex]

Many thanks to each of you. I definitely appreciate you, and your kindness. You're the reason why I look forward to logging on every morning.



Tex

[twirlitgirl]

Oh I have to say same thing, thank-you , thank-you. I don't know where I would be if I hadn't found this site and gotten so many answers to my confusion and fear of what my body was going through, just reading your kindness with every reply you give to the many members here, shows what this site means to you and helping those scared and lost. You are a true hero and if I was there I would give you a great big hug, maybe someday who knows we can all gather together at a Microscopic colitis society gathering in one place to celebrate being the pioneers in taking our health back and realizing we have the power to heal our bodies and our new normal is what we want it to be... no looking backward in that rear view mirror of the foods that are poison to us, we can develope
new tastes and enjoyment from all our creativity and gratitude we still get to live and be in this world together with our loved ones
and I don't know about any of you, but I would take that over any peice of gluten filled bread any day...... hugs to you all and have a fantastic day,, I know I am thankful for each and every one, and the ones where there are flares, it is a bump but the rest of the road is always clear somewhere. look to the future and remission , it sure will be bright with alot of faith in yourself and what you can do.. Tex is proof we can all get there toooooo...