Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with FM about 2 years ago. Shortly after that, I went to see a doctor who did a blood test for food sensitivities. The results showed that I had many food sensitivities. The big ones were gluten, dairy, corn and soy. But it also showed I was sensitive to certain fruits, vegetables, and nuts. So, I cut out all of the foods on my list. I noticed an improvement in my pain within a week. Within 4 months, my pain was about 90 percent better. Within 6 months, I was off of Cymbalta and Neurontin, completely. I felt almost normal again. Let me know if you want to know more about my experience. Thanks. Dave
I did NAET (Nambudirpad's Allergy Elimination Technique) to eliminate most of my food allergies. I gave up all dairy for 5 years before I found out about it because it gave me OCD. Yeah, food allergies can be a big part of autoimmune dysfunction.And behavior problems as well. Kudo's for you for getting such good relief with the trial of elimination! Blood testing for food allergies is not very accurate though. They test for IGG, IGM antigens mostly, and the majority of food allergies are not evident with those immununeglobulis.The NAET website will have referral to practitioners of that technique.
I'm confused. I have asked doctors for years about testing. They finally did an allergy test. It came back fine. They said allergies and sensitivities are not the same thing. They said there was no test for sensitivities to anything. I know if I eat pineapples, shrimp or flaxseed that I get this pain in my shoulder blade. So I don't eat those things. I'm sure I have other issues, but I have no energy to shop and the cook some diet, take notes and figure this out all on my own. I can barely get through a work week and that is with my husband driving me to work.
Hi KJ, I was tested for food allergies and it came back negative, too. But, they do have blood tests for food sensitivities. I had to have the test done at a specialized lab. I am not sure if you need a prescription or not. I was seeing a doctor, at the time, who wrote the order. So, you are correct, allergies and sensitivities are not the same thing. A sensitivity is less severe than an allergy. That's why sensitivities don't show up on an allergy test. An allergy test is only looking for allergies. But both an allergy and a sensitivity trigger your immune response which, over time, damages tissue in your body. That's what causes the FM symptoms. I would suggest that you find a doctor who specializes in this. My doctor was a chiropractic neurologist. I would do a google search in your area to find someone near you. If you are able to find out what foods you are sensitive to, the most important thing to remember is that you need to eliminate them from your diet 100% in order to get the best result. I would be happy to share more details about my experience, if you are interested.