From the BBC News website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2144997.stm
Tuesday, 23 July, 2002, 16:56 GMT 17:56 UK

Fashion diets health warning

Women who follow "fashionable" diets may be putting their health at risk, warn doctors.
Food elimination diets, advocated by pop stars such as Geri Halliwell, involve cutting out certain types of food because they believe they are either "intolerant" or allergic to them.
More than 40% of women have eliminated specific foods from their diet for these reasons over the last five years.
However, a survey of 205 GPs found that most believed women were putting themselves at risk as a result. They said food elimination could lead to nutrient deficiency, osteoporosis and immune problems.
More than a third of the GPs said that bad advice given by unregistered nutritionists was to blame.
The survey was carried out by Medix UK Plc on behalf of the Grain Information Service, an industry-funded organisation.

Rising trend
Four in 10 GPs noticed a rise in women "diagnosing" their own food intolerances and allergies among female patients in the last year. One in five thought this practice was dangerous.
GP Dr Sarah Brewer said: "There is no doubt that some people feel eating certain foods improves certain symptoms, but women need to be educated about the risks involved with faddy diets.
"If they feel the need to eliminate foods from their diets for more than a week or so, it is important to seek advice from a qualified dietician or nutritionist.
"Unregistered nutritionists are often ill-informed and patients should be cautious of any advice they offer."

Have you diagnosed your own food intolerances? Why do you think women self-diagnose rather than see their doctor? Why do you think our bodies might be becoming less tolerant of food groups over time?
E-mail us using the form below.

Whilst there are genuine intolerances, affecting people with IBS and other conditions, and the widespread use of additives and synthetic or GM foods must have an effect on our diet that was not felt years ago, I feel that nowadays it is fashionable to declare that one has an allergy or intolerance to some food or other. In the US it is lactose; here, it is wheat. Were we intolerant to these things before the possibility was brought to our attention? Maybe we should watch the quality of what we eat in general, rather than being concerned about faddy intolerances.
Nan, UK

I have diagnosed my own food intolerances and have chosen to drastically reduce any form of sugar (not just cane sugar, but fructose and lactose and maltose, etc.) for two reasons. The first is that it helps me to lose or maintain weight loss. The second is that my emotions are more balanced without the intake of sugar. It acts like a drug - creating obvious mood swings which I prefer to avoid.
Kathleen, USA

I used to think these things were very silly, and all psychosomatic. However, I "self-diagnosed" a wheat intolerance. After suffering multiple allergies for most of my life, using shots, pills, and avoidance techniques, I found relief by avoiding wheat. After five years without wheat (and that is no easy task), I am no longer "drug dependent" on antihistamines.
MJF, US
As a sufferer of IBS, I have had to restructure my own diet. Specialists seem extremely free in labelling stomach/intestine/colon complaints as irritable bowel syndrome and therefore appear unable to cure the symptoms which can vary extremely. When you go through so much discomfort one's own logic tells you to eliminate the foods you feel are aggravating it. I have cut out pasta, white bread, and soya and this has eased the pain. It is not a cure, but due to the lack of understanding the consultants have shown me, it's a case of get on and deal with it yourself. This is not a case of vanity, but a case of quality of life.
Louise Grindley, England

Women self diagnose because they have lots of information already and feel it's a waste of a day to wait long periods of time in boring offices. Bodies are becoming less tolerant because women don't have a boyfriend or husband who loves cooking with real natural ingredients.
Ann Jolly, USA, currently in Spain

Doctors are only interested in prescribing antidepressants and HRT if you are a female in your forties. I have suffered for six years of extreme exhaustion, continuous swollen glands and infections, weight gain and have struggled to get out of bed some days. Three months ago I eliminated wheat and cut down on dairy products and within a week my swollen glands had gone down. I have been more energised, even to the point of getting another job. So doctors need to look at their own practices before criticising their patients who feel desperate and get no help from them.
B Spence, UK

Carried out on behalf of the Grain Information Service? The results are nothing to do with self-interest then, as wheat is one of the most commonly excluded foods? I agree that food allergies are 'fashionable' and people should seek professional advice before going on an exclusion diet, but surveys like this have no credibility due to the organisations on whose behalf they're carried out.
Jo Christie, Ireland

This is not about dieting, this is about doctors feeling threatened by other healthcare professionals such as nutritionists. Let's be honest, if you went to your GP to discuss food intolerances, I bet about 95% of people would be shown the door in less than five minutes; GPs in my experience are really not that interested in this type of thing. As for diagnosing your own allergies, personally I know better than any doctor what upsets my stomach or gives me a headache or hives!
Liz, UK

I went to a naturopath to have food allergies diagnosed as my GP told me that my being overweight was down to what I eat and the amount of exercise I do and that she didn't believe in naturopaths. Since eliminating certain foods from my diet, I have lost more weight in two months than I did in three years and feel so much better in myself... so work that out. GPs are intolerant of anything new, but are unwilling to try and get to the bottom of why someone is not losing weight even though they eat a healthy diet and do a reasonable amount of exercise.
Karen, UK

I have tried elimination diets after GPs gave up on me when I did not respond to prescribed medicines. If GPs wish feel this is dangerous then they should commit to helping people to discover why they are unwell rather than just trying to ease the symptoms.
Heather Bayley, Britain

Five years ago I got what seemed to be a pretty boring attack of the trots. I tried eliminating cereals and milk was the next to go. This worked! I found on an internet search that the problem is often the sugar in milk - lactose. More experiments, and success there too. I now eat cheese and yogurt, but am cautious about cheese sauce and custard. My excellent GP said we could do tests but if I'd found a formula then I could just stick to it. This has nothing at all to do with weight loss. I've always been fond of milk, and although I'm about 5 kg overweight it doesn't bother me and I'm not planning to diet for weight loss.
Deborah, South Africa

When you look at farming methods and the additives that go into food, it's no surprise that some people become ill. If organic food was more readily available (not just fruit and vegetables but meat too!) and the same price as "normal" food, I would switch quite happily. I think most people would.
Liz Norwood, England

Self-diagnosis isn't always the answer but when I have symptoms that only appear after an activity, food etc, I will check the internet, try recommended remedies and if that doesn't work then I'll go see the doctor. I don't know about various food groups, but I do know that dairy products can become problematic as you get older as the body naturally stops producing enough of a necessary enzyme to prevent discomfort. Minor things makes sense to self-diagnose, major things, take a trip to my GP.
Ingrid, US

I know a lot of women who self-diagnose their food allergies. The reason is simple - it is more convenient to have a fashionable allergy to something than it is to eat less, drink less and exercise more.
Sarah Tobin, UK

We do not have a culture of seeing nutritionists and dieticians like certain parts of Europe, so many women self-diagnose and get it wrong as there are many schools of thought, and no definitive voices. There is only now a growing culture of food for health in this country.
Raki, UK

There is an assumption in this survey that GPs are authorities on nutrition. GPs have very limited training in nutrition and several conversations I have had (as a vegetarian) show that they do not have as much knowledge as an interested non-expert. In effect, a GP has little more knowledge than an unregistered nutritionist.
Wayne Harris, UK

I'm being very sarcastic here, but to paraphrase the article: we'll be out of a job if people actually start listening to their own bodies...

I followed the advice of my doctors for years, and all I did was fall deeper into illness. Turns out I had worsening gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease (with dermatitis herpetiformis on my hands) the whole time, and all I had to do was give up wheat-type grains. Give up a food? You bet! Three or four days later I felt so good I couldn't sit down (I think I was jumping around quite a lot) or stop blabbing all day long

Makes me feel "trendy"... LOL

You know, after all I've read and learned while I've been a member of this community, I think if I had some pesky condition, I'd rather go to a Naturopath than to a GP! Seems to me that GP's are a big waste of money unless you have cancer or a heart attack or kidney failure. I'm more convinced than ever that with the proper research I can almost diagnose myself better than a doctor can. Amazing.

They call it "self-diagnosing?" I call it "having half a brain!" Really: if you notice that your body reacts unfavorably to a certain food, how much of a rocket scientist (or MD) do you have to be to stop eating that food?! Cause -> effect. I find it insulting to imply that only an MD would be able to figure this out for me.

Course, I agree with all the replies everyone's made so far, but it would also be nice if GP's had a bit more know-how about food.

I had to see my doctor three times and point out that I thought that the food I was eating was making me ill before he diagnosed IBS and prescribed mebeverine. Not that this helped a lot. Have seen him about ten times since then. He soon also diagnosed anxiety and put me on beta blockers, but that didn't help either. When I told him they weren't helping, he said just keep on taking them.

Ironically, though, when he originally diagnosed IBS, he said that it can be caused by anxiety (which he later diagnosed) and by food - and said that I should avoid food that I may be allergic to. I asked him if he could be more specific. But nope, he was unable to be more specific. I asked him over and over again, and kept getting the message that this is really something I ought to be sussing out for myself.

And that's supposed to be bad? If anything, I think it means GP's ought to have better training before they're let loose on the public.

It at least means that they should ADMIT they have no training.

That's what makes me so angry is that they come off sounding like they know what they're talking about, when they don't. But they sure are quick to prescribe chemicals for us to injest when a simple adjustment in diet may just as easily cure what ails us.

HELP??

I have a feeling my husband has a food intolerance/allergy and would like to try and figure out what it is.

I read on here somewhere that it is likely that foods you often crave are usually those you are intolerant to.

He gets headaches, stomach aches, general feeling of not well, every once in a while (once every week/2 weeks etc) and haven't been able to find a conclusive link when I ask him what he's eaten that day.

So I was thinking of trying to put him on a diet that I set out & track how he feels but I dont know what to include, not to include to get started. I dont even know what categories to lay out to start eliminating.

Does anyone have any ideas? or good links? Thanks!

Teri, this article's a riot!

Paraphrase:

NEVER, NEVER, LISTEN TO YOUR OWN BODY. IT LIES TO YOU! ANYWAY, YOU ARE TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT SAYS. AFTER ALL, HUMAN BODIES ARE VERY COMPLEX. ONLY US TRUE MEDICAL GODS HAVE THE ANSWERS.

Ummmm.... food intolerances can lead to nutrient deficiency and immune problems. Funny how doctors recommend elimination diets for patients with food allergies. The only difference is who is doing the recommending. Some doctors can be very territorial.

Wanda

Hi Suzie,

I would suggest you find out more about this specific approach called "The Specific Carbohydrate Diet"

Read more about it here