Reputable food intolerance testing

Indispensable_Hobbes

Oh well it's done now, I'll speak to the Drs about my concerns.

FlacosFloozie

Blood tests are great in theory but very unreliable for testing in practice. Currently the best way to diagnose intolerance is an exclusion diet.

Mojisola

brook2jack wrote: »

Ps you should not take b12 as a result of a vega test. Overdosing on b12 can cause Increased cancer risk and nerve degeneration and a deficiency can only be diagnosed by a blood test. If you have reason to suspect you are b12 deficient ask your gp for a blood test.

I don't think this is right - https://www.livestrong.com/article/426003-what-is-the-maximum-dosage-for-vitamin-b-12/

Mojisola

Toothsmith wrote: »

Hair analysis is useless for any such medical diagnosis. It can be used to tell if someone has been exposed to toxic chemicals, or used drugs in the (fairly recent) past.

It cannot possibly tell what someone is allergic to/intolerant of.

Do not waste your money.

I've seen reports where hair samples from the same person were sent to different hair analysis labs - the supposed "intolerances" were different from each sample.

brook2jack

Mojisola wrote: »

I don't think this is right - https://www.livestrong.com/article/426003-what-is-the-maximum-dosage-for-vitamin-b-12/

I am sorry but there are quite a few studies investigating people taking b12 where they are NOT clinically deficient , which is very different from people who are diagnosed as b12 deficient from blood tests. This research indicates that contrary to what people expected taking b12 increases the risk of certain types of cancer if taken when NOT clinically necessary.
http://psa-rising.com/eatingwell/vb12_folate04.html

And a quote from the livestrong website you quoted above ". Vitamin B12 can cause severe and sudden optic atrophy, which is a degeneration of the optic nerve."

There is a problem with people knowing to be healthy you must have adequate vitamin intake and then thinking to be even healthier they just need to take even more vitamins. If you are diagnosed by a doctor as deficient then you must take supplements, have injections etc. But people think you cannot damage yourself by taking too many supplements when in fact you can easily become less healthy by taking supplements you don't need.

Mojisola

Don't rely too much on one unusual finding -

http://psa-rising.com/eatingwell/vb12_folate04.html
The researchers say: "Our results suggest that factors contributing to folate status are not protective against prostate cancer. On the contrary, vitamin B12, associated with an up to 3-fold increase in risk, and possibly also folate, may even stimulate prostate cancer development. These findings are novel and should be explored further in future studies."

These findings may not be replicated in future studies.

I think you quoted selectively - the full text says
"Contraindications for Taking Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is contraindicated for patients with early Leber's disease, which is a hereditary optic nerve atrophy. Vitamin B12 can cause severe and sudden optic atrophy, which is a degeneration of the optic nerve."

brook2jack

There are more studies with similar findings , link below. The point is indispensable hobbes had quack testing using a vega machine which is widely recognised as utterly useless and has no scientific basis. As a result of this he was "diagnosed " as viamin b12 deficient via his acupuncture points!!!!
If in best case scenario he is a healthy individual and starts taking vitamin b12 "just in case" it is not that there is no case for taking b12 if you don't need it , there is a case to say it may cuase harm.

Now if he actually has something wrong, lets say a folate deficiency , the fact he is taking b12 may well "mask" this and make proper diagnosis and treatment difficult. If he has something even more sinister some research papers indicate increasing serum b12 levels may well accelorate things.

In other words don't self medicate on the basis of quackery, if you are worried see a doctor who will properly diagnose you.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19920236

Mojisola

brook2jack wrote: »

In other words don't self medicate on the basis of quackery, if you are worried see a doctor who will properly diagnose you.

100% agree with you on this.