Self-testing for food & allergies

[Andrea]

Hi Lady B.,

Self-testing is incredibly powerful and empowering. Thank you so much for your website instructions and the link, too. I love it!! It has changed how I approach everything related to treatment, supplements, and food. I could really use some help and clarification about how to test food though...

I have extreme food allergies and digestion issues and can only eat a very few foods. What I really need to know from the testing is whether I can eat something, not whether my body can use it. No doubt that I can use a whole lot of foods that my body can't digest or otherwise tolerate.

Therefore, is the question "Can my body use this right now?" the most useful and appropriate? I find a couple of things happening:
1. My body may respond too literally to the "right now" and if I've recently or that day had something I can get a "Neutral/I'm good" response. This is confusing and/or unhelpful. What to do?
2. Do I need positives from all 4 scan points if I get the thumbs up from digestive?
Scanning the body, I may get powerful positives to the item at 2 or 3 of the upper points... then I get to the digestive and/or endocrine and it's a big "no way, Jose." I know that my body could use a whole lot of things that the allergy and digestive issues won't permit.
3. Most of the time when I test the response to rice, it's neutral. Is there anything more I should read into the response? Currently brown rice is a staple in my diet. It's just the way it is - I don't have other options for major calories to keep me going, and can't just go without. Usually I have a couple of varieties in rotation. When I lose a variety or 2 of rice (become allergic), after a day or two my body will respond positively to one or more other varieties. In my pre-allergy life, I didn't eat a lot of starchy carbs so this has been a completely different kind of eating regimen.

Thanks very much for any answers and insight you many share!!
Andrea

[LadyB]

Hi Andrea,
If you have an allergy to something, your body can't 'use' it right now. Doesn't mean your body doesn't NEED some of what's in it, but for where you are at the moment you're testing, no.
If I get a really strong yes or no at one point, I listen to that.
Getting a neutral on the rice says just that. It's a filler. Not doing you a ton of nourishing good, but not setting off any reactions right now.

A neutral/I'm good on some food you've already had some of today makes sense. You're testing for allergies, not with medicines. Does your body strongly NEED that particular food, probably not, but without a solid NO, you should be able to eat more without any allergic response. That's what a neutral is - you don't necessarily NEED it, but it's not going to hurt.

About 6 years ago I discovered that eggs were just NO longer digesting with me. What a shame THAT was, that's what breakfast was all about for me. Recently I boiled an egg and tested for the yolk and white separately. Hal A. Louyah, I got a YAY on the yolks and a huge NO WAY on the whites. So, I boil eggs now, mash the yolks with (funny, egg-FREE) mayo and salt and put 'em on toast and I'm a HAPPY camper. Maybe someday the whites will be ok, but not yet. I keep checkin' in.

I hadn't thought of the notion of 'can my body USE this' as being unclear, but I guess it could be, as in 'sure I could 'use' some of that' but more 'can my body MAKE USE of this in the state it's in right now'. Hope that helped to clarify some.
LadyB

[SweetMelissa]

that's fascinating, LadyB, about the eggs. Your self-testing methods rock my world. Good to know that if you test 'yes' for a food, you're not allergic to it. In the midst of the Lyme, I became gluten intolerant, and after using Teasel for a couple months, I suddenly was getting a strong draw to bread and I self-tested to make sure and it was a "yes". And now, I seem to be OK with wheat again. BUT, my body does not appreciate certain breads, that's for sure - like enriched white flour kinds.

[LadyB]

Oh, that's GREAT feedback, SweetMelissa!
I did something of an elimination diet a whole bunch of years ago where I knocked out both wheat AND corn. I was fine when I added the wheat back in but UGH on the corn. I read labels, and if corn is the second ingredient I'll PASS on that. If there's a bit of cornstarch way down on the list I'll self-test. Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's just too much and I'll get a push back.

Fascinating how it's not the WHEAT, but more the 'enriched' flour that still gets you. Your 'PostLyme' (or getting there) self now wants the GOOD stuff. Isn't that somethin'.
LadyB

[Andrea]

Thanks LadyB. I've expanded the questions, testing separately for "can my body use" "can my body make use of" and "can I eat this." I may get different answers for all 3, so ultimately go with "can I eat this."

Funny you should mention it - boy, I can relate to the eggs. Prior to Lyme dx, I had IgG food sensitivity testing in '05 and eggs came up as highly sensitive, so out the window they went. Eggs were a breakfast or snack staple. :-/ I've had NAET treatments and my reaction to eggs has reduced over time, but at last check wasn't able to eat them. I'd been meaning to test the egg and white separately, which I did yesterday. Looks like I can eat the whites... I'll test again before hard-boiling and trying. Would that I could have mayo of any sort, but I'll take what I can get!

Thanks again!!
Andrea

P.S. Also a huge thank you - my honey was really not well a couple of weeks ago and we didn't know if it was an emergency situation or not. I was able to use my body to test him! It wasn't the time to push him into learning how, and even if he won't admit it, my ability to test was reassuring and a huge relief for both of us.

[Cheryl]

Andrea,

Have you tried the grapeseed oil vegenaise by Follow Your Heart? It will be in the fridge section of your health food store with a purple lid. I have found that quite a few people that can't have may can use the grapeseed oil vegenaise....including my daughter. It is a great mayo.

Take care,
Cheryl

[Andrea]

Hi Cheryl
Thanks for the suggestion. ...I have severe allergies and can only eat a few things. I would make eggless mayo or dressing if I could have something, like mustard, as an emulsifier. In any case, it's not like I can have bread or crackers or... anything to make a sandwich, so no biggie. Glad that your daughter has something workable though!
Thanks much!!
Andrea

[LadyB]

I'm a HUGE fan of Vegenaise.....this stuff is SO good, I've gone LOOKING for things to PUT it on. I squawked at them about the SOY PROTEIN in it and got a nice reply that it's a VERY small amount (as yes, an emulsifier), but they are diligently working on finding something ELSE as so many folks are avoiding unfermented soy these days.

[Cheryl]

Sorry to hear that, Andrea. When you can expand, the grapeseed vegenaise does NOT have eggs nor many of the other allergens. I think it was Sue Massie that talked about food allergies. You can listen to her teleseminar at www.LymeHope.com under "audio" on the left side of the page. She is also on this forum so you can ask her about it.

It is a challenge when food is so restricted. With healing comes food!

Take care,
Cheryl

[Andrea]

Thanks Cheryl. Can't tell you how I'm looking forward to more food variety, along with overall healing. I heard the awesome teleseminar in... Feb (?). Maybe I should listen again for more on allergies. I think I was kicked off sometime during the Q&A, so don't know what I missed.

For the record, I was able to eat egg whites twice, when I tested strongly positive. A third time, my tongue began to react badly after a small bite. I didn't double self-test that time - got too cocky, especially with such a new food.

Interesting to note about self-testing for food - especially where choices are so limited...
The body (mine, anyway) seems to have small windows where foods outside of the "norm" test very strong positives and can be eaten. It may only be true at that hour, or for that meal though. It's happened for me more than once and for more than one food. The down side is that I really don't have time to self-test before every meal.