Lyme Disease Support Group

Another bombshell came in the mail. The results of a food allergen blood test sent to Alletress Medical Laboratory in Massachusetts. Their website said they use Erisa testing. In addition to the usual gluten sensitivity common in Lyme patients, and the sugar free, diary free etc., a list of foods that have become staples are now listed as "sensitive" or "allergic". These are Almonds, green beans, mushrooms,cabbage, codfish, corn, oats, eggs,haddock, most nuts, bluberry, cherry, dates, raspberry, strawberry, canteloupe among others. Are these tests reliable? Is this good science? Marcc

It can be tricky testing food allergies and sensitivities when you have an infection that affects the immune system. Antibiotics can make your immune system very finicky as well. Any intestinal issues contribute to this further.

If you seem to be fine eating some of these foods, continue to eat them. Eggs have histamines in them so this could be a false positive or you could be sensitive to the histamines in them. Nut allergies are common. If you are having any allergy symptoms when you eat nuts, you should avoid them.

Food allergy tests are not very accurate when you have any condition that affects your immune system. If you eat some of these foods all the time, and have no reaction, there is no reason to stop eating them. Just be aware of the possibility of an allergy developing.

Keep some Benadryl quick-dissolve strips on hand or liquid Benadryl (dye-free, sugar-free, alcohol-free) just in case of any allergic reactions since your immune system is sensitive.

Good grief! What the heck are you supposed to eat????

It seems that the sensitivities may not be immediate and could take up to three days to manifest themselves. Since there is always stomach upset and headaches and general sickness, it is hard to pinpoint any one particular food that may be causing problems.

If you are unsure about cutting out all of the food sensitivities this test pinpointed, cut out all the foods marked on the test for 2 weeks; then add in one food at a time very slowly (no more than 2 new foods a week).

Do not try and eat any foods you have reacted to with an IgE mediated immune response (an allergy, not sensitivity). Sometimes food sensitivities manifest because your immune system is irritated by any foreign body. Foods you eat all the time will become an easy target.

Cutting out all these foods for some time, then adding them back in slowly, gives your immune system enough time to 'forget' about them. This only works sometimes, and it will not work for a true allergy.

If you have celiac disease (which is autoimmune, not a gluten allergy), it takes months for your GI tract to heal. Any sensitivities will be especially apparent with a damaged intestinal tract. This could be part of the reason you are reacting with so many sensitivity reactions.

A good majority of your immune system is in the GI tract, so any problems with it, will have a huge effect on your immune system.

You may find that cutting out all of these foods makes a big difference in your health (or at least your stomach ). It could take awhile to notice the effects.

Post edited by: smoxito, at: 03/21/2010 09:05 PM