Functional Medicine - private stool tests

[callistodevi]

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2003, but in the past 4 years have had a variety of symptoms: tingling arms and legs, swollen glands, IBS, foggy brain...... All GP tests come back normal, B12, thyroid, iron etc. So, I've been reading up on Functional Medicine. They claim that diet and lifestyle changes can help with autoimmune disease and do much more in depth testing on stools, urine, saliva and blood, then advise on supplements and diet

if necessary. Does anyone here have any experience of this? I've had an initial Skype consultation from Www.healthsolutionsconsultants.co.uk and feel confident, but the cost of lab tests could run in £100s.

[Hidden]

Hi callistodevi, I think that there is more to having coeliac than collapsed villi as many members feel. All your symptoms are symptoms of an autoimmune issues here's a link:

autoimmunemom.com/new-autoi...

Because gluten free only means below 20ppm you might be having a reaction to low levels of gluten from wheat derivatives, pure oats, codex wheat malted cereals etc. If you are very sensitive you have to be careful with some supplements as they use maltodextrin and manitol which can both be wheat deriv's but manitol is also used as a baby laxative so we have to be very careful especially when feeling run down.

If you want my honest opinion you might do better by seeing a nutritionist with a view to going on an elimination diet and keeping a food diary, without paying for these tests when your GP's tests have come back negative. Which is what you could end up trying with health solutions after paying for lots of blood and urine tests.

So if you do go with them do let us know how you get on as other related symptoms come up again and again.

And good luck with this.

[Penel]

Hi Callisto

Have a read of "The Paleo Approach" by Sarah Ballantyne which explains how diet and lifestyle can affect your health and how to regulate your immune system through what you eat. It's a long and detailed book with plenty of science. It might be useful and possibly save you some money. Sarah Ballantyne is on line as Paleo Mom. Also do some research on the gut biome, if you haven't already.

Good luck with sorting out your symptoms.

[Marz]

When you are told normal for the thyroid and B12 I am wondering if you have copies of those results with ranges. So often GP's say normal when they mean in range - however it is where you are in the range. Normal is an opinion and NOT a result. Your TSH needs to be 2 or under and your B12 over 500 at the very least.

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

I have Hashimotos - Crohns and B12 issues - so do ask if there is anything I can help with. You can click onto my name to read my profile Scroll down in the above link to read the signs and symptoms .....

You are entitled to all copies of your test results as a legal right

[callistodevi]

Many thanks for your replies here. Checking on my bloods, my B12 was 283, which looking on here and at the resources yiu suggest, is too low. TSH 1.07. Will write more later on - big brain fog at the moment ...

[Marz in reply to callistodevi]

The result of 283 is VERY low as only 20% of the result is available to be transported to the cells where it is needed. Sadly GP's do not seem to be aware of this. Read the link I gave you to see what other testing is required to establish the cause of your B12 Deficiency.

Also have your Ferritin - Folate - Iron and VitD tested as these too need to be optimal.

Your TSH looks fine - was it a fasting test done early in the morning ? Also the TSH is a poor guide of thyroid function - the FT4 and the FT3 also need to be tested - along with the thyroid anti-bodies Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg. The thyroid stimulating hormone comes from the Pituitary and tells the thyroid to produce T4 - a storage hormone. T4 then has to convert into the Active thyroid hormone T3.

I have Hashimotos - the auto-immune thyroid condition. When diagnosed everything was in range - just the anti-bodies were very high - so it is important to have all the tests done .... without them all I would not have been diagnosed and found wellness.

I would focus on reading up on B12 and correcting the levels before embarking on expensive Functional Medicine costs. I have mostly sorted myself by learning from others on the Thyroid UK forum and the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum. I am afraid in many instances we have to read and learn to help ourselves to find good health.

[erdfreak]

I agree with Penel that the Paleo approach is well worth looking into. I would also suggest looking at the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), particularly the book by Elaine Gottschaal. I personally have only found improved health through the SCD, and find the Paleo resources to be very useful in supplementing the SCD approach. I am convinced that healthy foods and lifestyle changes are key to improving our health, and particularly avoiding virtually all processed foods in supermarkets. Maybe many Coeliacs don't have to be this extreme, but I for one certainly do.

Good luck in your search for what works for you.