Here are my Enterolab results and although much is self expanatory, I'd appreciate help to clarify what I can and cannot eat please
Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score Less than 300 Units (Normal Range is less than 300 Units)
Fecal Anti-gliadin IgA 109 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-casein (cow’s milk) IgA 11 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-ovalbumin (chicken egg) IgA 12 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Fecal Anti-soy IgA 25 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Mean Value # Antigenic Foods 16 Units (Normal Range is less than 10 Units)
Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods 16 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:
Cashew
White potato
Food to which there was some immunological reactivity (1+):
Oat
Rice
Corn
Tuna
Chicken
Beef
Pork
Almond
Walnut
Food to which there was moderate immunological reactivity (2+): None
Food to which there was significant and/or the most immunological reactivity (3+): 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
Grain toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Rice
Grain toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Corn
Meats:
Meat toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Tuna
Meat toward which you were next most immunologically reactive: Chicken
Meat toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Beef
Meat toward which you displayed the least immunologic reactivity: Pork
Nuts:
Nut toward which you displayed the most immunologic reactivity: Almond
Nut toward which you displayed intermediate immunologic reactivity: Walnut
Thanks for your assistance
Mal
Enterolab results help newbie please
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Hi Mal,
Welcome to the group. Here's the way I would interpret those results:
You've either been reacting to gluten for several years, or you are very sensitive to it, so you'll need to avoid even tiny traces of gluten. The same goes for soy. Be careful of all soy derivatives (including soy oil) and legumes (such as beans, peas, gums, etc.). You will need to avoid all dairy products and chicken eggs while you are recovering. After you've been in remission for a while, you may be able to eat eggs in baked products, but start off by trying them slowly (after you've been in remission for a while). It's possible (but less likely) that you'll be able to tolerate dairy products later, also. The problem here is that many of us seem to be able to tolerate dairy products without any digestive issues, but we still continue to produce antibodies to casein, so if we don't avoid them, we continue to have inflammation, which eventually causes other autoimmune issues, such as osteoarthritis. Consequently, we're much better off in the long run if we continue to avoid all dairy products.
Avoid oats, because it ranks as your worst grain, and virtually all of us react to oats, anyway.
Your best grain is corn. You may be able to eat rice now and then, but it will probably be best to not try to eat it every day.
Looks like potatoes are fine for you. Russets are better for baking, but they're harder to digest than red or yellow potatoes because of the type of starch in them.
I would avoid tuna and salmon. Pork and beef will be your best meats out of those tested. However, the safest meats for most of us are lamb and turkey. Almost none of us react to those two. Also, any wild-type meat is safe (such as venison, rabbit, duck, goose, emu, ostrich, quail, etc.) Bison are not as safe, because these days they all have domestic cattle DNA. But bison meat probably isn't available in Australia anyway. Buffalo would be safe.
Chicken will probably be OK once in a while, but don't eat it every day. For everyday meats, consider lamb and turkey. Shellfish such as clams, prawns, shrimp, oysters, etc., should be OK (unless you had a previous allergy to them).
For a milk substitute, you should be able to use almond milk. Cashew milk would be even safer. Hemp milk is another option. Minimize sugar and fiber in your diet, especially while recovering. Avoid commercially-processed foods while recovering. The fastest, easiest way to reach remission is to eat a plain, simple diet of a few foods, heavy on the protein and light on carbs. Salt and light pepper should be OK, but avoid spices and sauces while recovering.
I hope this helps. This is just my opinion, and this is what I would do, if I had those results.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to the group. Here's the way I would interpret those results:
You've either been reacting to gluten for several years, or you are very sensitive to it, so you'll need to avoid even tiny traces of gluten. The same goes for soy. Be careful of all soy derivatives (including soy oil) and legumes (such as beans, peas, gums, etc.). You will need to avoid all dairy products and chicken eggs while you are recovering. After you've been in remission for a while, you may be able to eat eggs in baked products, but start off by trying them slowly (after you've been in remission for a while). It's possible (but less likely) that you'll be able to tolerate dairy products later, also. The problem here is that many of us seem to be able to tolerate dairy products without any digestive issues, but we still continue to produce antibodies to casein, so if we don't avoid them, we continue to have inflammation, which eventually causes other autoimmune issues, such as osteoarthritis. Consequently, we're much better off in the long run if we continue to avoid all dairy products.
Avoid oats, because it ranks as your worst grain, and virtually all of us react to oats, anyway.
Your best grain is corn. You may be able to eat rice now and then, but it will probably be best to not try to eat it every day.
Looks like potatoes are fine for you. Russets are better for baking, but they're harder to digest than red or yellow potatoes because of the type of starch in them.
I would avoid tuna and salmon. Pork and beef will be your best meats out of those tested. However, the safest meats for most of us are lamb and turkey. Almost none of us react to those two. Also, any wild-type meat is safe (such as venison, rabbit, duck, goose, emu, ostrich, quail, etc.) Bison are not as safe, because these days they all have domestic cattle DNA. But bison meat probably isn't available in Australia anyway. Buffalo would be safe.
Chicken will probably be OK once in a while, but don't eat it every day. For everyday meats, consider lamb and turkey. Shellfish such as clams, prawns, shrimp, oysters, etc., should be OK (unless you had a previous allergy to them).
For a milk substitute, you should be able to use almond milk. Cashew milk would be even safer. Hemp milk is another option. Minimize sugar and fiber in your diet, especially while recovering. Avoid commercially-processed foods while recovering. The fastest, easiest way to reach remission is to eat a plain, simple diet of a few foods, heavy on the protein and light on carbs. Salt and light pepper should be OK, but avoid spices and sauces while recovering.
I hope this helps. This is just my opinion, and this is what I would do, if I had those results.
Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
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.
Thanks for your detailed reply Tex. Much appreciated. I bought your book in 2017 and it has a wealth of valuable information as well
A couple of other questions please
1) I was diagnosed with LC in April 2017, and Entocort cleared the diarrhoea, however like most others, the D returns soon after I stop the drug. I have been fairly good with diet protocols, but now realize I have to be very strict . (I have started a strict GF, DF, SF diet)
I was subsequently diagnosed with Osteoporosis late in 2017 .
While I have flareups, I have read that taking Entocort does not have much effect on bone density, and hence I restarted it 2 weeks ago. What is your opinion re taking Entocort for those of us with Osteoporosis? How long is it safe to take the drug in your opinion?
2) With osteoporosis I need to keep my calcium intake up (from foods mainly) By cutting out dairy it will be very hard to get 1300-1500mg. Sanitarium make a brand of almond milk with 300mg calcium per serve, with no dairy, but one ingredient is vegetable gum (gellan), and you advised against gum. Thoughts?
(Pure almond milk, hemp milk, cashew milk etc from health food shop is far too expensive for me.)
kind regards
Mal
A couple of other questions please
1) I was diagnosed with LC in April 2017, and Entocort cleared the diarrhoea, however like most others, the D returns soon after I stop the drug. I have been fairly good with diet protocols, but now realize I have to be very strict . (I have started a strict GF, DF, SF diet)
I was subsequently diagnosed with Osteoporosis late in 2017 .
While I have flareups, I have read that taking Entocort does not have much effect on bone density, and hence I restarted it 2 weeks ago. What is your opinion re taking Entocort for those of us with Osteoporosis? How long is it safe to take the drug in your opinion?
2) With osteoporosis I need to keep my calcium intake up (from foods mainly) By cutting out dairy it will be very hard to get 1300-1500mg. Sanitarium make a brand of almond milk with 300mg calcium per serve, with no dairy, but one ingredient is vegetable gum (gellan), and you advised against gum. Thoughts?
(Pure almond milk, hemp milk, cashew milk etc from health food shop is far too expensive for me.)
kind regards
Mal
I'm aware of individuals who have used budesonide at full strength for several years plus many years at 3 mg (or less) per day with no serious consequences (IOW only minor or no bone loss), but some people are more sensitive to corticosteroids than others. Published research shows that it will be less effective (and probably more likely to cause bone loss) if you have ended budesonide regimens and then restarted them again, multiple times. Each time you restart a treatment, budesonide becomes less effective. Eventually it won't help much.
IOW, if you stay on a low dose (even as low as one capsule every five or six days) and never stop taking it, budesonide will never lose it's effectiveness. It's stopping and restarting treatments that causes it to lose effectiveness. If a user is budesonide-naive (IOW, the first time you take it), there's no bone loss. Bone loss risk increases with subsequent treatments. I have no idea why that's true, but its been proven by published research. But even so, IMO budesonide is a minor contributor to bone loss (for most users). Most bone loss (osteoporosis damage) is caused by gluten in the diet of anyone sensitive to it, especially if they have one or more DQ-2 or DQ-8 genes. Once you have cleaned up your diet, there shouldn't be much risk of osteoporosis damage.
I'm not a doctor, but my personal opinion (based on the experiences of hundreds of users who have shared their experiences here) is that budesonide can be safely used by most people at full strength for at least a year or two. And at a reduced dose, it can be safely used for many years. Remember though, that some people might be to be more sensitive to it than others.
Taking a calcium supplement is not necessary for good bone health. In fact, taking calcium supplements can be dangerous (it can carry cardiovascular risks). Most people already have plenty of calcium in their diet, but they're unable to absorb it. The secret to absorbing plenty of calcium that most doctors don't seem to understand is that vitamin D is necessary for absorbing calcium. And adequate magnesium reserves are necessary to allow insulin to transport calcium from the bloodstream to the bones and everywhere it is needed. Virtually all of us can use almond milk, even those of us (like me) who react to almonds. Most of us don't seem to be bothered by the gums in almond milk. Apparently the amount in there is low enough that it doesn't cause problems. Anyway, if you use even a small amount of it, you should have more than enough calcium in your diet for good bone health, if you keep your vitamin D and magnesium levels up.
MC depletes vitamin D and magnesium. So does celiac disease. And without either one of them we cannot utilize the calcium in our food, no matter how much calcium is in there. That's why so many people develop osteoporosis damage before they get their symptoms under control and get their vitamin D and magnesium levels restored. That seems to evade most doctors, and they prescribe calcium instead, which does no good, of course.
Many of us react to garlic and onion while we're still recovering (or in a flare). Otherwise, all the spices you named are usually OK to use in moderation after we've been in remission for a while. But all seasonings other than salt and maybe a little pepper should be avoided during recovery. The simpler and blander a recovery diet is, the faster we usually recover. Chilies should be OK after you've been in remission for a while.
I hope this helps.
Tex
IOW, if you stay on a low dose (even as low as one capsule every five or six days) and never stop taking it, budesonide will never lose it's effectiveness. It's stopping and restarting treatments that causes it to lose effectiveness. If a user is budesonide-naive (IOW, the first time you take it), there's no bone loss. Bone loss risk increases with subsequent treatments. I have no idea why that's true, but its been proven by published research. But even so, IMO budesonide is a minor contributor to bone loss (for most users). Most bone loss (osteoporosis damage) is caused by gluten in the diet of anyone sensitive to it, especially if they have one or more DQ-2 or DQ-8 genes. Once you have cleaned up your diet, there shouldn't be much risk of osteoporosis damage.
I'm not a doctor, but my personal opinion (based on the experiences of hundreds of users who have shared their experiences here) is that budesonide can be safely used by most people at full strength for at least a year or two. And at a reduced dose, it can be safely used for many years. Remember though, that some people might be to be more sensitive to it than others.
Taking a calcium supplement is not necessary for good bone health. In fact, taking calcium supplements can be dangerous (it can carry cardiovascular risks). Most people already have plenty of calcium in their diet, but they're unable to absorb it. The secret to absorbing plenty of calcium that most doctors don't seem to understand is that vitamin D is necessary for absorbing calcium. And adequate magnesium reserves are necessary to allow insulin to transport calcium from the bloodstream to the bones and everywhere it is needed. Virtually all of us can use almond milk, even those of us (like me) who react to almonds. Most of us don't seem to be bothered by the gums in almond milk. Apparently the amount in there is low enough that it doesn't cause problems. Anyway, if you use even a small amount of it, you should have more than enough calcium in your diet for good bone health, if you keep your vitamin D and magnesium levels up.
MC depletes vitamin D and magnesium. So does celiac disease. And without either one of them we cannot utilize the calcium in our food, no matter how much calcium is in there. That's why so many people develop osteoporosis damage before they get their symptoms under control and get their vitamin D and magnesium levels restored. That seems to evade most doctors, and they prescribe calcium instead, which does no good, of course.
Many of us react to garlic and onion while we're still recovering (or in a flare). Otherwise, all the spices you named are usually OK to use in moderation after we've been in remission for a while. But all seasonings other than salt and maybe a little pepper should be avoided during recovery. The simpler and blander a recovery diet is, the faster we usually recover. Chilies should be OK after you've been in remission for a while.
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.
Thanks again Tex for the very useful information. It all is starting to make sense
I’ve stopped and restarted Entocort several times sice May 2017. In fact when I restarted on 26th October 2019 it was the sixth time! Usually last on it no more than a month. Normally the Diarrhoea clears in about 3 days but this time Entocort not having an effect. The GI suggested I just take 6mg because of osteoporosis but do you think the usual 9mg , then slowly wean off (with a very low maintenance dose afterwards) when symptoms hopefully improve?
I’ve stopped and restarted Entocort several times sice May 2017. In fact when I restarted on 26th October 2019 it was the sixth time! Usually last on it no more than a month. Normally the Diarrhoea clears in about 3 days but this time Entocort not having an effect. The GI suggested I just take 6mg because of osteoporosis but do you think the usual 9mg , then slowly wean off (with a very low maintenance dose afterwards) when symptoms hopefully improve?
Yes, when Entocort (and all other corticosteroids) begins to lose effectiveness, more of the drug is needed in order to have the same effect that smaller doses previously had. IOW if a full dose was previously required, it might take more than a full dose to trigger the same level of effectiveness after it begins to lose efficacy. Doctors know that this is the case with prednisone, but for some unknown reason it never dawns on them that it also has to be true for Budesonide (since it's a corticosteroid). But of course, bigger doses mean a higher osteoporosis risk.
The secret to staying in remission after ending a budesonide treatment is to wean off very slowly. Following the taper that doctors recommend results in an 85 % relapse rate. To avoid a relapse, spend at least two or three weeks at each dose level. But don't stop at one capsule per day. Go to one capsule every other day, then one every third day, one every fourth day, one every fifth day, etc. Some members here go as far as one capsule per week, and they stay on each level for up to a month. The slower you taper, the better the odds that that you'll be able to remain in remission. Some people begin taking a daily antihistamine tablet or capsule when they finally end the budesonide treatment, and continue for a couple of weeks or so. An antihistamine in this situation can be almost as effective as budesonide. If you relapse after a slow taper, there's almost surely a problem with your diet (or a medication you're taking).
I hope this helps.
Tex
The secret to staying in remission after ending a budesonide treatment is to wean off very slowly. Following the taper that doctors recommend results in an 85 % relapse rate. To avoid a relapse, spend at least two or three weeks at each dose level. But don't stop at one capsule per day. Go to one capsule every other day, then one every third day, one every fourth day, one every fifth day, etc. Some members here go as far as one capsule per week, and they stay on each level for up to a month. The slower you taper, the better the odds that that you'll be able to remain in remission. Some people begin taking a daily antihistamine tablet or capsule when they finally end the budesonide treatment, and continue for a couple of weeks or so. An antihistamine in this situation can be almost as effective as budesonide. If you relapse after a slow taper, there's almost surely a problem with your diet (or a medication you're taking).
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.