Hi all,
I am very new to this forum. Just really taking my diagnosis seriously and trying to do something about it. I read a review somewhere that did not speak highly of Enterolab results. I'm wondering if most people here have done the testing and if it was worth the money? If so, what tests would you recommend. Also, I have been on a very limited elimination diet for 3 days now. If I decide to do the testing, will the limited diet skew my results?
Thanks for any help...
~Lou
Enterolab. Is it worth it? Which tests?
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Louise,
EnteroLab is a fully accredited lab (accredited and regulated by the State of Texas). The last time I checked, there were no official complaints filed against them. Enterolab stool tests are highly accurate and repeatable (reliable). The blood tests are not suitable for detecting food sensitivities — they are only useful for detecting classic respiratory or skin allergies. The EnteroLab tests will detect sensitivity to gluten at least a year and usually 2 years after you have removed it from your diet. Sensitivities to the other foods will be detected for at least several months after removing them from your diet. It depends on how long you have been reacting. The longer you have been reacting, the easier they are to detect and the longer they can be detected. If you have been on budesonide for over 6 months, the tests might not work. You might get false negative results because corticosteroids tend to suppress the immune system. If you have selective IgA deficiency (about 1 in 500 has it), the tests won't work (but IgA blood tests such as the celiac screening test won't work either).
Most people order the A1 + C1 Panels. They have different tests for vegetarians or vegans. I've stopped recording them a year or so ago, but here are some of the previous results for members:
Food Sensitivity Test Results For Names A–J
Food Sensitivity Test Results For Names K–Z
I hope this helps.
Tex
EnteroLab is a fully accredited lab (accredited and regulated by the State of Texas). The last time I checked, there were no official complaints filed against them. Enterolab stool tests are highly accurate and repeatable (reliable). The blood tests are not suitable for detecting food sensitivities — they are only useful for detecting classic respiratory or skin allergies. The EnteroLab tests will detect sensitivity to gluten at least a year and usually 2 years after you have removed it from your diet. Sensitivities to the other foods will be detected for at least several months after removing them from your diet. It depends on how long you have been reacting. The longer you have been reacting, the easier they are to detect and the longer they can be detected. If you have been on budesonide for over 6 months, the tests might not work. You might get false negative results because corticosteroids tend to suppress the immune system. If you have selective IgA deficiency (about 1 in 500 has it), the tests won't work (but IgA blood tests such as the celiac screening test won't work either).
Most people order the A1 + C1 Panels. They have different tests for vegetarians or vegans. I've stopped recording them a year or so ago, but here are some of the previous results for members:
Food Sensitivity Test Results For Names A–J
Food Sensitivity Test Results For Names K–Z
I hope this helps.
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.
.jpg){kind=avatar}
I totally agree with Jean. The best thing that helped with getting life back to "normal" was the the Enterolab testing. I was a total mess until I had a place to start recovering from. Not to mention this forum! Information is power.
Laura Turner
.........
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in". - Leonard Cohen. 1934-2016
.........
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in". - Leonard Cohen. 1934-2016
Good for you, Lou! Knowledge is power and you will know exactly what you need to stay away from. I never would have learned about all the sneaky ways soy appears in food had I not done the test. (I naively thought that I didn’t eat soy:). The turnaround time is very quick and you’ll be on the road to better health. Make sure you look at the forum for info on Vitamin D as it is important to take with Mag. Just a tip too ~ check your Vitamin D ingredients ~ I had to switch brands as my original one contained soy in the gelatin capsule.
Pam
Pam
Hey Pam! You had mentioned at one point that you also had learned a lot about problems with "leftovers and histamines". I don't know anything about this. Can you enlighten me? Also, can you give me some examples of foods that have hidden soy?
I appreciate your help so much...and everyone else on this site! So helpful! And so nice to have people I can talk with about "poop" without being embarrassed!
~Louise
I appreciate your help so much...and everyone else on this site! So helpful! And so nice to have people I can talk with about "poop" without being embarrassed!
~Louise
Hi Louise,
You sound so upbeat! It's always good to be taking action rather than just to accept that MC will come and go like the GI's like to tell us.
I am actually going to defer to the more seasoned people on the group who have a lot more information than I do about histamines. I was amazed that there was a connection - I think I first learned about it when reading the book Tex wrote on Microscopic Colitis. If you haven't read it, I definitely recommend it - you can order it at Amazon.com.
Pam
You sound so upbeat! It's always good to be taking action rather than just to accept that MC will come and go like the GI's like to tell us.
I am actually going to defer to the more seasoned people on the group who have a lot more information than I do about histamines. I was amazed that there was a connection - I think I first learned about it when reading the book Tex wrote on Microscopic Colitis. If you haven't read it, I definitely recommend it - you can order it at Amazon.com.
Pam
If you look on the Main Topic page of the forum, there is an area called Food and Ingredients that Should Be Avoided. I believe this list of Soy Names was put together by Jean and I have attached the link
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=736
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=736
Louise, If you haven't got the book handy, here's an old post that discusses the issue of leftovers and histamine (and antihistamines):
Are anti-histamines worth it?
The information you're looking for is in the second post in that thread (the response by me).
Tex
Are anti-histamines worth it?
The information you're looking for is in the second post in that thread (the response by me).
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.