IBS Archives - Lifelab Testing

Tag: IBS

Migraine & IBS

Posted on by Donna Mastriani

Anyone who has experienced a migraine will tell you it is debilitating. It can completely destroy any ideas you had of productivity for the day and can make your life miserable. Suffering them occasionally is bad enough, but, for some people, migraines are almost a routine experience that can occur VERY regularly. Does this sound familiar?

We have identified a link that you might not have considered…

Is allergy and intolerance testing useful to understand triggered symptoms?

At Lifelab Testing, we know that the management of symptoms in the case of an undiagnosed or not fully understood problem can be quite frustrating.

Sometimes you are experiencing symptoms such as irritation, mood swings, bloating, itchiness and many others, and the only thing you want to do is find a solution for your problem and move on.

At Lifelab, we are here to help you take the first steps to understand more about your body, the cause of your symptoms and help you to improve your health.

We are here to provide you with all the information you will need to take the next step. We will provide you with updated scientific research studies highlighting new development and important advancement in the field of allergy and intolerance testing.

Due to the unclear relationship between IBS and migraines in dietary factors, we have compiled some recent studies indicating that people with migraines and IBS symptoms that followed a restriction diet (under medical/nutritionist supervision, of foods with higher IgG levels) can improve the management of their symptoms and their quality of life.

Research

Elif Ilgaz Aydinlar et al. (1) previously reported the possibility to use food elimination diet based on IgG antibodies in migraine and IBS patients showing reduce symptoms with a positive impact on the quality of life of both patients. This study also demonstrated how this could potentially reduce the costs in the health-care system.

In 2017 Hong Sub Lee and Kwang Jae Lee (2)reported that high levels of IgG4 antibodies were observed in IBS patients, suggesting that to improve the quality of life of those patients an elimination diet could be used, eliminating those foods with high levels of IgG4. This study was performed on a small number of people, and the authors suggested that for a more comprehensive study, a large group of people could be investigated in the future.

The pathophysiology of migraines is complex and not well understood. In literature, it is reported how some foods could trigger migraines (chocolate, cheese, and wine to mention some).

 James F. Geiselman (3) in 2019 reported as testing for IgG antibodies in patients with migraines is a beneficial tool for practitioners to treat patients with migraine and headache symptoms, adjusting their diet requirements without using any medications.

Recent studies suggested the possibility of using IgG testing as a tool to adjust dietary requirements in people affected by IBS and migraines, limiting the use of medications to treat some of those cases.

We can see that in recent literature, there is good evidence for the use of allergy and intolerance blood testing as a preliminary tool to manage and treat symptoms from migraines and IBS.

Here at LifeLab, we provide products to test blood allergy and intolerances using a simple home test kit. Our comprehensive Complete Blood test can provide you with a map of your immune system (Allergy Type I IgE and Type III IgG) including IgE mediated allergy and not IgE mediated allergy (IgG4 asymptomatic), and help you in the identification of allergies and intolerances that could be the cause of your migraine.

We Can Help

So what you are waiting for…. Have a look at our tests and start this journey with us and remember if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us, our scientists will be more than happy to help you! And remember we are in it together…

(1) https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2012.02296.x (Elif Ilgaz Aydinlar et al.)

(2) http://www.jnmjournal.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.5056/jnm17054 (Hong Sub Lee and Kwang Jae Lee)

(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31456119/ (James F. Geiselman)

How a food sensitivity test can help IBS sufferers

Posted on by Donna Mastriani

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. There’s no known cure for the condition, but there are a variety of ways we can manage it. Interestingly enough, recent research has found that food sensitivity testing can help IBS sufferers manage their condition and improve their quality of life. Here’s how a food sensitivity test can help those living with IBS;

Identify problem foods

The first and most obvious way that food sensitivity testing can help people with IBS is because it identifies problem foods. Those sneaky ingredients which are likely to be causing flare-ups, worsen symptoms and are ultimately making your life miserable. Instead of having symptoms constantly surprise you, you’ll be well aware of which foods your stomach doesn’t agree with and which it does.

Reduce symptoms

Secondly, you’ll be able to reduce your IBS symptoms. Research has shown that following an elimination diet guided by a food sensitivity test can significantly reduce IBS symptoms. A 2018 study compared two groups of people with IBS follow either an IgG test informed elimination diet or a ‘sham’ diet with randomly selected food items. The group who followed the IgG guided diet reported a marked improvement in IBS symptoms.

Potentially overcome intolerances

Because food sensitivities come and go throughout your life – unlike allergies – removing a problem food for a while and then later reintroducing it may result in the intolerance disappearing. While this isn’t always the case, it’s comforting to know that there’s a chance your intolerances may go away with time.

The more we research into IBS and food sensitivities the more solid the case becomes for food intolerance testing. It looks like IBS can be made much easier to deal with through food sensitivity testing. Why wouldn’t you go ahead and learn which foods are causing you havoc?

IBS – Caused by a Food Allergy or a Food Intolerance?

Posted on by Donna Mastriani

Believe it or not, as much as 20% of the UK population suffers from some form of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Of those, there is an equally substantial sum that is not in possession of their own specific set of IBS triggers and as such, spend their days failing to truly cope with its often-unpleasant symptoms.

At Lifelab Testing, we offer a range of simple and painless allergen testing and drink and food intolerance test services that can be used to accurately pinpoint exactly what foods are causing you a problem. Affordable and easy to perform, millions of people have already used our tests for allergies to free themselves of the shackles that IBS can place upon a person.

IBS – Caused by a Food Allergy or a Food Intolerance?

Before we can answer this question, it’s important to differentiate between an allergy and an intolerance. In truth, the number of those who suffer from what can actually be classed as a food allergy are dwarfed by those who are really suffering from a food intolerance.

A food allergy will usually manifest itself in some sort of fairly immediate physical reaction, be it a swelling, a rash or even asthma. The symptoms of an allergy will normally be quick to surface, and they can be as mild as a runny nose and as severe as a life-threatening bout of anaphylactic shock. The reason for the severity of the reaction is that an allergy is a triggering of the body’s immune system, which also accounts for the speed of a reaction.

The most notable characteristic of a food allergy is its severity, as an attack can be fatal. Those with an allergy to things like peanuts and shellfish are sometimes required to carry around an allergy EpiPen to counter the effects of unexpected exposure to it.

A food intolerance, however, is the result of consuming foods that your body has an issue processing. The effects can happen quickly, depending on the severity of the intolerance, but most often, the symptoms can take hours or even days to surface. It is this slowness that makes an intolerance that much harder to diagnose, as you’re likely to consume a variety of foods over the course of a day – each a potential trigger.

Intolerance symptoms are usually very much milder in comparison and include things like bloating and diarrhoea. Unpleasant granted, but not causing any significant threat of causing death.

The Verdict

When it comes to IBS, the quantity of people who can say that theirs is caused by a food allergy, rather than a food intolerance, is very small, as the symptoms are just too dissimilar. What is true in most cases is that if IBS is triggered by a food, it will be because of an intolerance. The symptoms of IBS bear a striking resemblance to some of those caused by a food intolerance, so it stands to reason that the two are connected in some way.

If you would like to get yourself intolerance or allergy tested, with a choice of four tests, to determine what exactly IS causing your body to react in unpleasant or painful ways, you can find out everything you need to know on our Lifelab Testing website. You can also chat with one of our friendly experts over live chat (available on our website) or you can call us on 01332 321892 between 8am and 8pm every weekday.

Armed with the vital information that intolerance testing and allergy testing offers, our customers can take back control of their lives by knowing what to avoid and how to manage their diet.

You can too… and for as little as £68.99 a test. 

Click here to read our blog all about the things that link ‘Autoimmune Diseases and Allergies‘ together.