There was an offer on a food intolerace test on Wowcher recently. I'd bought one years ago, but never actually did it. This time, I bought it, redeemed it, and sent my hair sample off the next day.
I did it because I am having some issues related to eating, and I was curious to know what might be the culprit(s).
I went for the most comprehensive test option, which tests all sorts of things. The test result show "high reactivity", "moderate reactivity" and "no reactivity".
I'm not sure what to think of the results.
On the foods list, I have "high reactivity" to rye/bread rye; eggs (really?!); lemonade; lemon; goat meat; pecans; pine nuts; fish sauce; prawns; shrimps. I eat a lot of Rye - Ryvita is my favourite lunchtime snack, and I thought it was a healthy option! I'm wondering if I was flagging up a sensitivity to Rye and Egg because I eat those all the time?
On the non-food sensitivities, I had a few "moderates", but no "high", which is a surprise as I have severe hayfever. One of the things I am most sensitove to, "rape", was showing as no sensitivity, anywhere near the crop and I get a pounding headache and stuffy head.
On the Additives analysis, I've got 4 "high reactivity" results (and a few "moderate").
I'm also showing as low in Calcium, which is a surprise as I have milk every day, and low in B2. The B2 is especially odd because (a) it's unusual to have a low B2 score but to be OK with all other vitamins, and (b) one of the main sources of B2 is eggs. I eat an egg every day!
I most surprised (and a little disappointed, as it made me question the validity of all the results) that "Capsicum - Red" gave no reaction, because it definitely makes me ill. Not just a reaction, it makes me very unwell. Every time. Even when I don't know that I've eaten it.
I'm grateful that I've got relatively few "moderate" or "high" that actually matter to me. Most of the ones that came up were ones that I don't like anyway, or I don't have anyway. Only "egg" shows as a problem on the Dairy list, I had fully expected cheese to be flagged (at least as "moderate") and it wasn't.
One of the very surprising/unsurprising things was that I had a problem with my gut bacteria. I eat a wide diet, lots of vegetables, very little processed foods, so I was surprised at this section (although not surprised, given that I'm having issues eating). I've only recently restarted taking Kefir every day, so I wonder if I'd get a different result if I tried again in a couple of weeks?
This led to me wondering which bit of the hair was tested. They asked for a sample cut as close to the head as possible. I did that, but I have long curly hair. If they tested the end (rather than the bit where I'd cut my hair) then the results might show a difference because the hair at the bottom is much older than the hair near the skull.
The recommendation is that I do an elimination diet for 4 weeks. Not just the "high" but also the "moderates" (and there are a lot of those, some of which are a bit of an unwelcome surprise. The idea is that food are then reintroduced 1 at a time after that.
I can imagine I might have to do it at some point, just to see what happens. I don't really want to do it now because I don't really have enough confidence in the accuracy of the report, and I've got to get some other blood tests done anyway and I don't want to change things too much in case it affects those other results.
I think I will do a restest in a few weeks - if the Wowcher offer comes up again. Between now and then, I'll make sure I take my Kefir every day, and I'll add almonds back in to my diet for the B2 and the calcium. Ironically I'd stopped eating them because I thought they might be part of the problem. I'll ask DH to stop adding rye flakes to the bread for a while.
When I do the retest, I'll stick the old ends of the hair to a paper strip (or I'll send very short bits), so I know they will be testing the most recent bit.
We'll see.
