Surprised by IgG and IgE/EIA test results

[ViPeRx007]

I recently went to a naturopath for some anxiety issues that I have. I didn't feel like they were major but were enough to at least see what someone thought. I wasn't really interested in prescription meds either because, again, I don't think they're really major, so that's why I thought a naturopath might be a good option. In our discussion I mentioned having asthma (not severe by my own account) and some seasonal allergies which have gotten a little worse over the years but, still, I manage, and my symptoms seem relatively minor compared to some others I read about.

Anyway, long story short, she ordered some blood tests for me; general standard blood test and one that tested food allergies. Everything on the standard blood test came back pretty much normal, but the food allergy one was a bit of a surprise. Basically she told me that from this point forward I would never eat corn again.My IgE level was 0.25 EIA (enough to fall into the level II category; the whole scale goes up to VI). I also had a number of foods that came up positive on the IgG test. Without going into every single detail, I'm essentially on a no corn, wheat, dairy, or gluten diet for the next 3 months because she suspects "leaky gut". The only one she told me I'd probably have to eliminate forever is corn, and the others, I assume, would be just something I have to make sure is in moderation.

The thing that is really hard for me to get into my head is the fact that I think back to all of the corn I've had over the years, in the form of popcorn, chips, just plain corn itself, and just about everything else on the planet that has corn in it, why do I not have more symptoms? Food allergies cause different reactions in people, I know, but when you look up food allergies online the most common symptoms you read are itchy/swollen mouth, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, rashes, headaches. I've had none of those. The only thing I could possibly even match to it is the whole asthma/breathing thing, which I've just always had anyway; most people in my family do. And it seems to flair up on a more exercise-induced basis and during certain parts of the year (seasonal allergies). I've never really recognized a problem any other time, specifically food-wise, unless I'm just desensitized to it.

It's just hard to hear you can't eat corn anymore when I know I've had a ton of it in my life (most people have) with no real problem I can specifically point to. Is there any chance at all that this is an overreaction or maybe the test isn't entirely accurate? What would you suggest? Maybe I'm just in denial but I'd appreciate any input from others who are more experienced with allergies than I am.

Thanks.

[Tammy2009]

I agree with skydnsr - I never had reactions related with my food allergies (wheat and dairy) until I cut them out of my diet and felt much much better.  For a while my stomach was so upset (nausea, diarrhea, cramps) that the only thing that I could eat comfortably was wheat bread and butter!

But when I finally removed all traces, so many things improved - went from severe asthma almost on pred daily and using two different rescue inhalers 3 times weekly minimum to only needed to use my preventative steroid inhaler during pollen season and colds; aches and pains went away; I was developing arthritis in my hands - that went away 100%, my sinuses improved, my energy and sleep improved, and my concentration and memory improved.  None of these symptoms I thought were related to food at all, or even needed attention.

Guaranteed though I think blood tests are bull - I always test completely negative for food and i react to some gluten free foods because of cross contamination.  I also tested negative on my blood for cat allergy when I tested positive level 4 on my skin test - done the same day.  So follow the direction on the elimination diet and see how it goes.  All the best.

[skydnsr]

I don't think that blood testing for allergies is accurate enough that anyone can use that as a basis for saying that you should never eat a given food again.  I think that, at best, the blood testing is a starting point for an elimination diet.  It gives you an idea what foods to eliminate.  The elimination diet is the gold standard for food intolerances.  

I personally would eliminate all grains, including corn, even though you don't have any noticable reaction to corn.  The reason why I would eliminate corn under these circumstances is because sometimes the body accommodates to your eating something that you really don't tolerate but that you are still eating frequently.  The "reaction" might be some kind of mild, chronic symptom that you don't associate with the corn, because the symptom is always present.  It might even be a symptom that you don't realize you have until it's gone.  When you eliminate a food long enough to completely clear it out of your system, the body has a chance to go back to its normal baseline functioning, and when you reintroduce that food, then you see your "true" reaction (if any).  Give it a shot.  I'll be curious to know how it goes.

[ViPeRx007]

I appreciate the reply. I'm perfectly on board with the whole "3-month" elimination thing, because you can take away the allergy stuff entirely and it's just a smarter way to eat in general. Everyone could benefit from not eating as much wheat, gluten, and dairy, and even corn (which I've heard is one of the hardest things for people to digest anyway) that's just common sense for anyone's diet. But to directly tell me "you're done eating corn for the rest of your life" is crazy to me, based on the whole "no obvious reaction" thing. I realize I appear to have some kind of negative reaction to corn on paper, but is it really THAT bad to have to go to such an extreme? Not a week ago, before I knew all this, I ate a big bowl of popcorn (Yes, I try to keep it somewhat healthy; nothing but coconut oil added...haha) and didn't bat an eye at it. Wouldn't an "eliminate it entirely forever" sort of allergy get pretty ticked off if I'm eating what is essentially 100%, straight-up corn? Or does it just mean I'm a ticking time bomb and any time I could have a crazy reaction to it? If that's the case, what is the chance of that happening? Is it worth spending the rest of my life worrying about corn in every little thing on a slim chance that I might have a terrible reaction it it?

Those are the questions I'm trying to figure out. I agree though, the only way to really know for sure is to try the diet, see if I feel different, and then reintroduce things and see what happens. Thanks again. I'll be sure to post updates as I go along for anyone else that may be going through similar things.

[skydnsr]

Yes, there's obviously a chance that the test is not accurate, but what will be accurate is an elimination diet.  I would give the diet a chance.  Do it as an experiment.  Stay off of the foods that have been identified by the test as problem foods, and see if your symptoms go away.  Then, later on, reintroduce the eliminated foods, one by one, and see if any of them trigger a reappearance of symptoms.  It will take you a few months to work through the whole process, but if it should turn out that any of these foods are causing problems for you, it will be worth it to find out.  Good luck, and please do let us know what happens.