Confused about MRT

Deanna in CO · Post by **Deanna in CO** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 10:31 pm

Hi all,

I'm finding myself rather confused about the benefits of MRT testing. Dr. Lewey indicated that MRT is pretty much the gold standard for blood allergy/intolerance testing. But when I read people's MRT results here, they don't seem all that helpful. People often get results of "Reactive" or "Moderately Reactive" to foods they've been eating a lot, and to foods they don't seem to react to. And they get "low green" results for foods they know they react to.

So how useful and reliable are the MRT results, really? I really need to know what I can eat safely, so I can add calories, and what isn't safe. But I don't want to spend $300 or more to find another list of, "Here are some other ideas of things you might or might not be able to eat." I already have enough lists of those: sugar, preservatives and additives, gluten, dairy, soy, egg, high-histamine foods, histamine-releasing foods, high-salicylate foods (I already know I react to salicylic acid and bismuth salicylate), many fruits, raw or unpeeled fruits and vegetables, almonds, spinach (at least the fresh stuff), citrus, maybe tomatoes . . . . I'm almost to the point where, if it's food, I have to assume I can't eat it, you know?

So if you've done MRT testing, what do you think? Is it worth the money? Or should I just do the chicken-rice elimination thing and forget trying to get a set of results that won't be trustworthy anyway? (Enterolab testing is so expensive it's not really a possibility for me right now, though I could really use the genetic panel.)

Deanna

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 5:18 am

I've been wondering the same thing about mrt. I am waiting the results from enterolab but that was a stretch financially. I am thinking I will skip the mrt, at least for now, and stick to a very basic elimination diet of 4 foods. Seems like a cheaper way to do things and if followed scrupulously, as potentially successful as anything. I suspect I have a problem with chicken so that's out for now, although from what I have read it might be a histamine issue since I tend to make a lot of chicken at once and then eat leftovers for several days which would cause high levels of histamine in the chicken. Severe food restriction seems much more preferable to me than a life spent in the bathroom.

Jean[/quote]

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 7:01 am

Every single food that was on my yellow reactive list was one of my everyday foods ie; almonds, chicken, pork, broccoli, rice, honey etc...In my opinion, when you tend to favor foods you 'think' are safe, and eat them on a fairly normal basis is when your body gets used to them and then no longer can tolerate them. I have been eating my so-called 'safe' foods and now a few months later, I know I can no longer tolerate those. I don't know, it's all just frustrating and confusing to me. But, in my case i really think i have mast cell issue going on...
Jenny

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 7:51 am

Deanna,

Many of us have found MRT quite useful. Let me clear up some confusion about MRT. The blood test is a crude tool used in developing an elimination diet that is patient specific. The results are not set in stone, meaning that someone can still react to a food that is non-reactive per MRT because there are many mechanisms in which a person can be senstive to a food, and MRT does not capture all of those. Those that have mast cell issues cannot simply rely on MRT. Mast cells are not found in the blood and therefore MRT will not capture what triggers mast cells to release histamine and other mediators. If you suspect mast cell involvement then you need to follow a low histamine diet, and even then diarrhea could persist because mast cells are triggered by things other than food too.

Symptoms that MRT can help improve span beyond diarrhea. We see a reduction in joint aches, headaches, GERD, urinary urgency/frequency, rhinitis, fatigue etc. But someone with diarrhea/colitis will only be looking for one result, resolution of diarrhea. Resolution of diarrhea can be more complex than eliminating food triggers. Fiber, need for digestive enzymes, mast cell involvement, another underlying disease like Crohn's etc may need to be addressed to get things under control.

MRT is a tool, not a cure. It helps with symptoms, but not everyone will get the same result, just like with medication or any other medical procedure. It is true that per MRT you may need to give up certain foods that you have always enjoyed and considered safe. I know that you consder chicken and rice to be safe foods (that myth has been perpertuated by medicine for years), but the truth is we have had a fair number of members sensitive to those foods. Where MRT can help is to guide you in what foods to try. Elimination diets not guided by MRT are very difficult to do. The theory behind elimination diets is to eliminate all reactive foods for 6 weeks, get symptoms under control, and then try one new food at a time and test reactivity. Essentially that is what LEAP/MRT does. It is an elimination diet but with a guided approach.

I understand your concern about the money. I felt the same way before testing with MRT. However, hindsight is 20/20. I wish I stopped trying to see so many gastroenterologists and saved that money for MRT.

Mary Beth

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:03 am

Mary Beth,

Thank you very much for this reply. It gives me a way to think about MRT, which is very helpful for me. Over the years I have thrown away a lot of money on both alternative and traditional medicine. It's often hard to figure out whether something at least has the potential to be helpful, even if it is not the entire answer, and whether it is simply a waste of time and money. I always feel better when I at least have a way to think about things rather than just blindly following the fad of the day. Your reply does that for me. Is the best way to get the MRT testing done to go through the signet website if I decide to do it?

Jean

Deanna in CO · Post by **Deanna in CO** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 2:42 pm

Mary Beth,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful answer. I had read that others consider you something of an expert on MRT - I think I see why. :-)

I appreciate your description of MRT as a way to do an elimination diet that's more specific to the individual. I'll admit I've been having trouble figuring out what is safe for me. The part that's hard about MRT is that even after doing it, I don't know that those foods will be safe (because like you said, there are many other things that can cause reactions). But I guess it would be better than the complete guesswork I'm doing now.

Most of the other symptoms you describe went away before I even had a diagnosis, after I started working with a friend who is a nutritionist/naturopathic doctor. I had chronic headaches, asthma, and acne; all those disappeared within a couple of months as I went sugar-free, all-natural, citrus-free, GF and DF. Over the next few months I dropped soy and egg, and then gradually more and more things I was suspicious of. I'm down to a pretty limited diet and getting more limited (and frustrated).

My thought on the chicken-rice thing was that, as Lesley had said in an earlier post, if I eat only that for a week, and I'm still reacting, I would know it was one of those two things. (Of course if I did, I wouldn't know what to try next, would I?)

Do you have any counsel on finding a good LEAP dietitian to work with me? Rumor has it you're the only one who really understands how to use the MRT results in way that works for those of us with MC, especially if we suspect mast cell involvement too. :-)

Thank you again for taking the time post such a helpful response.

Deanna

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:15 pm

I didn't mean to sound negative regarding mrt, I'm glad I did it and it seemed to help my sensitivities but again, in my case, I really think that mast cells are really my huge issue. I think it def gives people a solid baseline of foods to focus on to begin their healing process. Good luck!
Jenny

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 7:02 pm

to expand on Mary-Beths point

MRT is a tool, not a cure. It helps with symptoms, but not everyone will get the same result, just like with medication or any other medical procedure

any of supplements, diet changes, therapies, testing, treatments, medications that any of us do, are just part of the management tool. none of it will cure the MC or take away all the crap it can cause (pun intended)
i think it is important to have realistic expectations of what these tools may do (or may not do), and to keep in mind that we are all very different and what works for one may not work for another.

IMO - our mental attitude to what we are doing can help just as much.
if the distress or unsettlement of a making a change is really high (ie giving up your favourite food), then you wont get the full benefit of giving up that food (i hope this makes sense)
stress is a big trigger for inflammation and ongoing symptoms for many of us.
if you are making changes and sacrifices, you have really got to want to do it... put your heart and mind into it.

not many people cope with change. in MC world where change can mean consequences (a day sitting on the toilet) then it takes a bit of energy and courage to embrace it.
i hope this does not sound harsh (it was not intended that way)
the really sad realism of MC is that there is no quick fix or magic potion, for majority of us it takes alot of hard work

take care

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:17 pm

Deanna,

I am a dietitian. When I got sick and decided to do MRT I opted to go through their training program so I could better understand it and not hire another dietitian. I now offer it in my practice and am very pleased with the results I get. I would say the vast majority of my clients report a good reduction in their symptoms.

I'd be happy to help anyone find a dietitian in their area. I choose not to work with people on the forum directly because I am a member of the group and don't want to use the forum for business purposes. Just give me your area and zip code and I will see if there is a LEAP dietitian in your area. You get a price break by going through a dietitian, so I recommend this route rather than ordering directly through Signet.

Mary Beth

kristinef · Post by **kristinef** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:52 pm

Gabes wrote:

if the distress or unsettlement of a making a change is really high (ie giving up your favourite food), then you wont get the full benefit of giving up that food (i hope this makes sense)

This makes plenty of sense to me and reminds me of a Taoist saying: Unexpected hardship refines people; if you can accept it, both mind and body will benefit. If you cannot accept it, on the other hand, both mind and body will be harmed.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:59 pm

Kristine

thank you for translating 'gabe speak' and sharing that saying. I had not read it before and it resoniates so much with coming to peace with MC in your life

thanks

Deanna in CO · Post by **Deanna in CO** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:46 pm

Gabes,

Thank you for the wise words. Though I've had the chronic D for 10 years, it only got bad enough to get me to work on it toward the end of last year, and that's when I really started treating it with diet and nutrition.

You are so right about the stress of the disease. It seems to me that, like any chronic disease, we tend to go through stages of grief - denial, bargaining, etc. - hoping maybe we can beat the odds and get better without having to spend our lives dealing with it. I find myself sometimes accepting it pretty well, especially when I am able to focus on the spiritual side of things. My battle has been trust - am I willing to trust that this is somehow part of God's good plan for me, though I don't see how, and that He will use it to bring about good in my life? When I trust Him and give up control, I do pretty well no matter how my symptoms are doing. When I lose focus and fight to control my body myself, I become stressed, angry, and frustrated, and not only do I become a wreck emotionally, but my symptoms get significantly worse.

Thanks for the reminder!

Deanna

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:15 pm

you are very welcome....

sometimes it is finding the happy balance of ......
monitoring without anxiety, trust without ignoring symptoms, and listening to your body and going with the flow.

the eating plan that worked fantastically for me a year ago - does not work now due to histamines. although the ingredients have not really changed, what i eat at what time has totally changed.

take care
:flowersmiley:

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:38 am

Gabes-Apg wrote:
IMO - our mental attitude to what we are doing can help just as much.
if the distress or unsettlement of a making a change is really high (ie giving up your favourite food), then you wont get the full benefit of giving up that food (i hope this makes sense)
stress is a big trigger for inflammation and ongoing symptoms for many of us.
if you are making changes and sacrifices, you have really got to want to do it... put your heart and mind into it.

I agree that mental attitude is extremely important. One thing I try to tell myself, especially if I feel tempted by some food that I know means trouble, is that eating this way is a gift I give myself rather than a sacrifice I am making and I actually believe it, although sometimes I can forget :) . I started eating paleo nearly 10 years ago but I kept in dairy foods (distinctly non-paleo) and eggs and occasionally soy. I just gave those up a few weeks ago. Right now I am eating about 6 different foods and that's truly ok with me, much better than spending my life in the bathroom, which, I am happy to say, I am no longer doing. I still have a ways to go in getting things settled down but following this path of healing is much easier if I can keep my mind peaceful, so I work on that as I work on my diet.

Jean