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Originally Posted by Msudawg89
Have you researched ALCAT food testing. I did the test as it was ordered by my Neuro surgeon. I found the results amazing. I have food intolerances that I would have never figured out. Will see a doctor next week to see what she says about all this. One doctor told me by taking away the offending food for 6 months, my gut should clear up.
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ALCAT food testing is one of those areas where I would tread cautiously. Did your neurosurgeon actually
order ALCAT testing or just
mention/suggest it? I ask because it seems odd that a neurosurgeon would order such a test, and then you would see another doctor for evaluation of it.
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The [ALCAT] test is not supported by research and is not considered to be a reliable medical diagnostic tool; since it has not been appropriately validated it is not a suitable guide for therapeutic decisions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALCAT
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"[The] results have been shown to not be reproducible, give different results when duplicate samples are analysed blindly, don't correlate with those from conventional testing, and 'diagnose' food hypersensitivity in subjects with conditions where food allergy is not considered to play a pathogenic role."
Ibid.
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One doctor told me by taking away the offending food for 6 months, my gut should clear up.
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The
Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) does something similar (though perhaps more radical) by eliminating most all foods for a time, and reintroducing them slowly, one at a time. I followed the SCD religiously when I had a major IBS flare (the one misdiagnosed as Crohn's Disease) and my life-threatening symptoms were reduced by 50% within a month, 75% within 6 months, and 100% a year later. I credit the diet with saving 1/2 my bowel, however it has come under criticism as well.
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The diet is claimed to treat inflammatory bowel disease and various other gastrointestinal and systemic diseases. However, scientific evidence of the diet's effectiveness is lacking, and the diet may pose a health risk due to reduced nutritional quality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_Carbohydrate_Diet
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According to WebMD the diet has not been proved by scientific evidence, may pose a health risk because of its low nutritional quality, and should not be adopted without first consulting a physician.[2] The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America say that "there is no evidence to suggest that any particular food or diet causes, prevents or cures inflammatory bowel disease" and that there have been only limited studies of the SCD in relation to Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.
Ibid.
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Doc