Food allergy testing question

[Pinkpurple4]

I had food allergy testing. I am allergic to dairy, casein and coffee. I've removed that from my diet (it has been about 3-4 weeks). I'm not feeling any different (bladder issues, stomach pain, bloated...). I'm thinking about starting an elimination diet to remove soy, eggs, sugar and gluten. But, if my food allergy testing came back ok with these foods, is it possible they would still be bothering me?

[Galixie]

I can only relay my own experience but the short answer is yes.

I had elisa testing done a few years ago and it showed that I had a strong response to casein and whey. A different doctor from the one who ordered the test told me those tests were mostly bogus. I was inclined to believe that since I had never had any problems with dairy - or so I thought. I continued to have dairy and thought no more of it.

There was a chocolate shop that made these marvellous drinks, and I got in the habit of having one just about once a week. I started noticing a pattern that I would be sick the following day after having one of these drinks. So I asked the barista exactly what went into the drink. It was chocolate, whole milk, ice, and a powder they referred to as a 'binder'. The binder had a high whey content. It was basically dairy with extra dairy in it.

Even with that knowledge, I still reasoned that, since I didn't get sick every single time I had one, it might not be related to dairy.

For unrelated reasons, I decided I was going to do a liquid fast for a few days. The liquids I drank were broth or juice. I wasn't intentionally omitting dairy, it just happened that way. But what got my attention is that I immediately came down with a bad sinus headache, followed shortly by my sinuses completely clearing up for the first time in *years*.

It wasn't until I was completely off of dairy that I was able to see what symptoms I had been living with not knowing that they were a problem. I wouldn't have drawn a connection between dairy and sinus problems if I hadn't had the experience I had.

Similarly, I had dizziness for years and didn't figure out that it was gluten ataxia until I went off of gluten. I didn't think there was any change (because I was expecting that a change would be gut-related). I went back on gluten, had my dizzy spells return, and finally realized there was a connection.

It's possible that your sensitivity is causing symptoms that you haven't realized are connected.

[virgolizzy]

If you did a standard allergy test ie an Ige test, then this doesn't cover foods that you may be intolerant to. There are other tests around but the best way is a strict elimination diet. However before stopping gluten, make sure you have a Ttga blood test done for Coeliacs. Good luck.

[Pinkpurple4]

Thanks for your responses. My next question is...what elimination diet do I do? There are so many of them! I look online and get so overwhelmed!

[Penel in reply to Pinkpurple4]

Perhaps have a look at Sarah Ballantyne's Autoimmune Protocol. She explains why certain foods may be a problem. She blogs as PaleoMom.

thepaleomom.com

Some food allergy tests don't seem to have any good science behind them, so it's best to be sceptical. My allergy tests, done in a clinic, were pin pricks on my arm to introduce possible problem foods into my system. An allergic reaction can give you various symptoms, like a rash, runny nose, swollen throat or tongue. Allergic reactions tend to happen very quickly.