High carb diet results

[spmcc]

As it was, after my ELISA testing, I had no problem cutting out the foods it found I was allergic/sensitive to. I was already not eating them! hahaha. So easy!

I did the Alcat test. I didn't do any special preparation for it and didn't even know that I could or should until I spoke with someone at a local health food store about it. The test was not ordered by Dr. ******. It was ordered by a DO who I decided to see at the time. Dr. ****** was supportive. I had all sorts of co-morbidities at the time: mgd, saponification, and the list goes on and on.

IMO, if you test positive for a sensitivity to a food, what is the harm in eliminating the food for 3-9 months, depending on the severity of the sensitivity. At least, if you are desperate like I was and willing to try anything, give it a go and see what happens.

That was the attitude with which I approached the test results, which to me seemed overwhelming since the list of foods to which I had sensitivities was so extensive. But I had a choice to make. Ignore the test results or eliminate the foods.

I chose to eliminate all the foods.

Friends helped me come up with recipes that would get me through the nine months. One in particular went out of her way to shop for me because I still had a hard time reading anything back then and when you do a diet like this you have to read labels. Rice, for example, is in many gluten-free baked goods and rice was one of the foods I had a sensitivity to.

Allergies and sensitivities are very different. I went to see an allergist who explained this to me and told me she did not treat for food sensitivities. So I was on my own, armed with the Alcat test results and my very good friend.

But I did not rely only on the Alcat test results. There were other foods that I knew I shouldn't consume for whatever other reason e.g. contraindication with medicine for hypothyroidism, chocolate because I break out, foods high in Omega 6's because they are pro-inflammatory, etc.

So the list of foods that I could consume became very limited. Plus Alcat recommended a 4-day rotation diet. Again, my attitude was what would I have to lose as long as I still ate a healthy (for me) diet and drank plenty of water.

It was a personal choice and it was difficult. But it was worth it, IMO.

For a while I kept a daily food diary so that I would be sure not to repeat any foods too often.

After 9 months I started to add back foods one at a time to see what effect they might have. Cooked tomatoes are still an issue as is chocolate. I continue to be gluten-free and avoid anything that slows down thyroid activity.

It's a personal choice. The proof is in the results. But you have to try it to see what happens. It's just you and the supermarket and your kitchen.

No one else is in there with you. If you don't agree with the test results, and you don't follow their advice, and you still have problems, well, that's a choice you make. I made my choice, and it worked for me just fine.

There are other tests besides Alcat. My husband had a different food sensitivity test done on the orders of another doctor. I don't recall the name of the test. He doesn't follow it at all and he continues to have problems. But he wasn't as desperate as I was for relief. He doesn't have mgd and he doesn't have saponification which, if you have it, is just as horrible as sounds: soap in the eye, 24/7. But that's his choice. And I made mine.

[soaps]

[QUOTE=Faith1989;88756]I am in the SAME boat, lids are so inflamed (eyes actually look clear though?!) that ill do ANYTHING!! I am still eating a small amount of fruit (half an apple) in the morning. I still need to cut out grains (like rice). Look up Jessica Adams, she said it took her a year of no sugar but her dry eye is gone! She actually checks back in every year or so to tell us it is still gone (which is much appreciated) I think even SMALL improvements can be a sign it may work, so even if right now we have bad days we can't give up.. What's another year at this point lol

/QUOTE]

hello girls
you can do it but can't assure you it will help ....
I did a year of chicken beef egg rice potato carrot andwater nothing else to manage rosecea . Not sure if it or time helped but eyes much better and bloating tummy problems went away . now everything is super sweet or salty. and id rather home food.
You can do it!!! but don't b as extreme as me

[hosanna13]

ok fixed it!

Hmm I still got the same error for some reason. Could you just message me your email address instead? Thanks!

[Katewest]

ok fixed it!

[hosanna13]

I did the MRT test which tests for food sensitivities. It was 350 all not covered. I'm glad I did it but I know I'm reactive to certain foods that were not on my list…like tuna and yogurt. So I take it with a grain of salt.

Hi Katewest, I tried replying to your message but received the following error: "Katewest has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space." Guess you should delete some old messages!

[spmcc]

I'm not answering for NADE. But when I saw ******, he recommended food allergy/sensitivity testing with a company called ALCAT (https://www.alcat.com/). I wondered if he prefered them because the company is also located in Florida.

My naturopath told me that ALCAT testing was popular ~25 years ago before ELISA testing became available. She said there have been comparison studies between the two and it was found that the ALCAT had less consistency. ALCAT is also a far bit more expensive which is why my naturopath does not use them. Having said that, she said she would use them if I wanted.

I had ELISA testing. But I didn't/don't believe the results!!

Like I mentioned above, I haven't eaten mammal since ~1982. For the ELISA testing, you're given a huge list of foods to expose yourself to prior to the blood draw. When my results came in, it said I was allergic/sensitive to beef... and I had eaten it within 10 days of the blood tests! But I had worked very hard at home making all my meals so that I could include as much as possible of the list of foods (minus, of course, all the mammals that I don't consume).

She told me I must have accidentally eaten/exposed myself beef. I don't know how that happened! hahaha. It's weird.

I also then read this article in April 2012: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/6/666

Dr. Lavine makes an interesting point about food allergy/sensitivity tests:

For example, under “dairy” may be listed cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and so on. This is inconsistent with current understanding of food allergy, which has identified substantial allergenic components of cows’ milk, for example, casein or β-lactoglobulin, in contrast to making distinctions between types of cheese made from cows’ milk.

This was true of my ELISA tests. I had to expose myself to a bunch of different cheeses and dairy products.

I don't know what to think. All of the foods that trigger my rosacea, I was fine with per ELISA.

[Katewest]

NADE- What test did you do?

Yes, you might know about foods that you should avoid that don't come up in the tests. For me one is chocolate. I break out when I eat it and I don't want the same thing happening to my meibomian glands. I didn't come up gluten sensitive in the tests but I know I need to be gluten free because of Hashimoto's. So food sensitivity is a start, or an additional data point, and then you still have to do whatever else you know yourself you need to avoid for whatever other reasons e.g. contraindications with medications, allergies, etc.

[Katewest]

I did the MRT test which tests for food sensitivities. It was 350 all not covered. I'm glad I did it but I know I'm reactive to certain foods that were not on my list…like tuna and yogurt. So I take it with a grain of salt.

When finally finding my current ophthalmologist he encouraged me to see a naturopath who ordered comprehensive food sensitivity and nutrient absorption testing. The tests were expensive but worth it, IMO, and not covered by insurance.

The list of foods to which I tested with sensitivities was lengthy. There was absolutely no way I ever could have figured this out on my own, even if I kept a detailed food diary.

I eliminated all the bad-for-me foods for 9 months and went on a 4-day rotation diet. My complexion improved and I imagined my meibomian glands improving as well. The body replaces its cells every 6-9 months and so if you have sensitivities, staying off the foods to which you are sensitive for that length of time means that you won't be bombarding your body at a cellular level with these foods until you have a whole new body, at a cellular level, and these new cells won't have the sensitivities that your old body and cells had. At least that's the theory, and I have to say, it did work for me.

The issue is that with food it is so hard to figure out your triggers and your sensitivities. For example, when we are told to avoid sugar or fruit, that is a generality for the population. But for you and me specifically, the question is which sugar and which fruit?

So you might consider food sensitivity testing, which is different from testing for allergies.

[Faith1989]

Logan, I appreciate all your advice, but I am starting to think you do not have a "chronic" eye problem like a lot of us. I have had red inflamed lids (mgd) for almost three years up and down. I need restasis although it causes irritation to help control the inflammation. It is the only anti inflammatory available for long term use, as I have a long term condition.

[Faith1989]

I am in the SAME boat, lids are so inflamed (eyes actually look clear though?!) that ill do ANYTHING!! I am still eating a small amount of fruit (half an apple) in the morning. I still need to cut out grains (like rice). Look up Jessica Adams, she said it took her a year of no sugar but her dry eye is gone! She actually checks back in every year or so to tell us it is still gone (which is much appreciated) I think even SMALL improvements can be a sign it may work, so even if right now we have bad days we can't give up.. What's another year at this point lol

Let me know how you are!!

[lizlou29]

Hi Faith,

You mentioned that you are on restasis, so please check out my post on it here:
http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...8743#post88743

Actually I can eat any kind of fruit. I just don't like refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup to clarify. Since the Taurine supplementation, I find I can basically eat anything I couldn't tolerate before, such as pasta and bread.

Logan x

Logan, what effect does the Taurine have on food intolerances?

Faith - 6 days of no sugar, dairy or wheat so far and I've stopped wanting anything sugary now. I figure my eyes are so horrible at the moment that I really have to give this a proper go for at least 2 months then if there are positive effects I will re-introduce the wheat then the dairy slowly so I now what's bugging me. I've brought my humidifier in to work today and everyone is asking why I've got it argh!

[Logandly]

Yes I take vitamin b2 !! Umm do you avoid fruit too? I'm assuming not since you are a vegetarian?

Hi Faith,

You mentioned that you are on restasis, so please check out my post on it here:
http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...8743#post88743

Actually I can eat any kind of fruit. I just don't like refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup to clarify. Since the Taurine supplementation, I find I can basically eat anything I couldn't tolerate before, such as pasta and bread.

Logan x