Food intolerance testing from hair.

Complete and utter CON

I suffered IBS for some time. I cut out blue cheese and hoorah I don't have much trouble now. Stress is another contributing factor to IBS. .

The little cherry tomatoes cause my joints to be painful so I try to avoid those.

However, something else must be causing it at the moment because it is particularly bad this week.

LJPI. I’ve been experimenting and I find that tomatoes ? cause my arthritis to flair up. I’ve been tomato free now for three weeks and, touch wood, almost pain free.

British bread can contain preservatives that are not added in other countries which can cause problems rather than gluten.

Chicken, rice. peas & pears are almost always tolerated. Stick to those to clear the system for 3 days then introduce other items one at a time to assess the effect of each.

Vinegar & tomatoes are often problems even in tiny quantities; some fruits e.g. apricots, figs too. Some bacteria in yogurts (but not all) can cause colic.

People are all different. All your daughter can do is try each new thing on a new day.

Good luck!

Drinking Keffir everyday has really sorted out bloating etc. for me and OH.

I agree with M0nica, it's fairly easy to eliminate various items and re-introduce them to see if any improvement or otherwise occurs.

I had years of pain and feeling generally unwell, was eventually diagnosed with IBS. Left to cope on my own I started to analyse what I was eating and discovered that pain and other symptoms were far worse if I ate chilli, paprika, cumin and cardamon - which is really difficult now as every chef and restaurant seem to mask the real taste of ingredients with these 'hot' spices. Knowing the cause helps tremendously, but as others have said it is important to have monitoring even though I did it myself by keeping a food diary. Good luck to your DD.

Is she under a lot of stress? My IBS has nowt to do with food, and everything to do with stress. Just a thought. If it is, she could maybe get some diazepam for the days it's worst (not regularly, as it's addictive) and use Mebeverine and when it's worst, Buscopan as well. Her GP could prescribe them.

I had a camera procedure after years of IBS then having symptoms pointing to bowel cancer. Fortunately it showed nothing sinister, but GP suggested trying removing gluten from my diet. Within a week I felt wonderful with no stomach cramps at all. So I've stuck to it, but in the mean time my daughter and granddaughter have both been diagnosed as coeliac. I've been told that I am probably as well but I must go back on an ordinary diet for six weeks and then have another camera job/biopsy to make it official. I'm not prepared to go through that, so will just carry on being GF.

The analysis I paid for seemed something of a con. I was given small quantities of the suspect ingredients to hold at arm's length while lying on my back. For each individual ingredient, i had to raise my arm and then the 'Therapist' assess how much energy he needed to apply to force my arm down.The substances to which I was allergic, he said, caused a weakening of the muscles.
Oh my! I decided to knit my own solution which I worked out by an eliminative process.. I allowed for a reduced diet for a few months and then reintroduced the suspected allergens bit by bit. Result.... problem cured and I eat anything.
Was it all psychsomatic? Had I read too much about the way everybody was suffering from an allergic response to so many substances?

I have ibs. I went to a health shop to have a test done for food intolerence. They put something on my thumb and saw how I reacted to about 50 foods. I ended up being intolerent to so many foods i felt there was nothing left to eat. I tried for a week to stick to the new diet but gave up. If it had been a proper hospital test I would have tried harder.

Saxifrage is right in that a blood test for coeliac disease will not show up a gluten intolerance if you avoid eating gluten. So, unfortunately, you have to eat gluten-rich foods for at least the two weeks leading up to a blood test.

If she is an undiagnosed coeliac then an endoscopy could show up whether or not the villi in the small intestine have been destroyed (they should grow back if a gf diet is maintained).
But do suggest to her to ask the GP to do a range of blood tests.

I agree with Saxifrage. If she hasn't already had this done she should ask her doctor to refer her for correct testing to see if she is a Coeliac. I have two in my family, one of whom has only just been diagnosed after years of pain and discomfort.
If she is one, then modern products mean a far more variable and palatable diet than in the past.
I hope she finds out what it is that is causing her problems.

I think one of the problems with IBS is that it is often not one single food that is the problem but a combination can cause trouble. I also think in women the monthly cycle comes into it. Why not cut out gluten for a while, keep a list and see if there is any improvement, obviously going back to the Doctor if things get worse. I have been a lot better since taking calcium and vitamin D tablets no idea why probably all the chalk!

shysal - she needs to be very analytical herself. Have they ruled out anything physical - hiatus hernia for instance? Is there any pattern at all to her pain? Worse or better at certain times etc. I had 'knock you over' 4 day migraines for years. Daughter rebounded home (had done nutrition degree while away). She saw the pattern and said try cutting wheat (it is a common sensitivity) - I said rubbish been eating it all my life. She was right - changed woman. I had been thinking it related to tiredness - it did but only as on busy days one gets by on toast, cake, biscuit. So it can be tricky to sort. Also can be deficiency in stomach acid (try glutamine for that). You can help your doctor but by no means expect them to be expert in these things. And of course there is the menstrual aspect too. Wishing her well.

What sort of pain and where is it? Does it occur after eating or after specific foods have been digested.
Maybe your DD could keep a diary for a week or two, listing what she ate and when and separately, when pain occured and for how long.
Does she have GORD?

Sorry your DD-i misread at beginning.the gastroenterology is to be trusted.its a way to con money to say they can do tests via hair or else consultant would have done them for my son;who didnt want blood tests of any kind.(hes 14)but he had blood tests then a camera down to investigate.but most dont need that.they do skin tests also.

Could it be endemetriosis or polycystic ovaries?

I have suffered for a couple of years with IBS type symptoms. My SIL was diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome on her wrist (she’s a Morris dancer ?) and was due to have an op. Then someone recommended an acupuncturist - she went to him and in addition to acupuncture itself, he recommended a sugar and dairy free diet. Two months later the hospital said she no longer needed the op. I was impressed so I went to see him too. The acupuncture sessions, though not cheap, are very relaxing - and U too have given up dairy and sugar as much as I can. Good improvement! Sorry, that doesn’t answer your question about tests! Worth looking at alternative therapies though?

Try Fodmap diet. I have had IBS for years and this has really helped. Lots of research and science behind it. I found fructose, lactose and gluten make me worse. Just changing to lactose free milk has made a huge difference as I drink so much tea. My dr recommended the diet. So not a fad!

My son sees a consultant in gastric enterology clinic-she said these tests are useless-and dont show true results.get your hubby to gp for referral to a gastro clinic.

Like Skysal Dd I was in constant pain, had all the same tests, nothing. I found out my dire pain was a simple thing like artificial sweeteners. I noticed that I didn’t have this pain one year while I was away and artificial sweeteners were not available or in the drinks. Problem solved and worth a try.

I am coeliac so feel concerned that this is often not diagnosed properly. It cannot be diagnosed with a scan or colonoscopy. You need to check whether she has had the right blood test and gastroscopy. It is very important to keep eating plenty of gluten until after the tests. If she is not sure what tests have been done then she should check with her GP. Good luck with a proper diagnosis.