My poor little tum tum
Warning: I am about to talk about my digestive tract …..ewwwwww
Well ladies I was getting pretty sick and tired of waking up looking like a fitness professional and going to bed looking 5 months pregnant! I was getting even more tired of not knowing WHAT was causing all my bloating, abdominal discomfort, cramping, gas and abnormal bowel movements.
I decided that something needed to be done about this issue. I can’t go on with life knowing that if I eat anything (because the culprit was a mystery) I will instantly find myself distended and potentially embarrass myself at a photo shoot or filming. I was also struggling to lose body fat in the abdominal area DESPITE eating healthy and 95% sugar free so this needed to be figured out!
I booked an appointment with my naturopathic clinic in Oakville and their specialist Gabriela Novak for a food sensitivity workup. I was unsure of exactly what I was getting myself into. Would I be getting injections? Were they gonna take blood? Was this going to be uncomfortable? Lucky for me it was none of the above.
The testing was really quite simple. You are examined using Magnetic Impedance testing. In other words a electromagnetic stream is run through your body the side of your 4th toe to your opposite hand. A normal flow brings a reading of 100 on the meter. The meter is then calibrated with sources of a normal flow of certain food substances and simultaneously administered to your body. If the reading comes in lower than 100 there is some sensitivity to that item.
Also tested were the normal magnetic flow for your organs and comparisons were done to your body.
What an educating experience!! I found that some of the foods I was sensitive to I also tend to turn my nose up to at the dinner table hehe. I guess my body knows what the heck is going on.
So what were the results (here i get personal)….
Food sensitivities:
Brewers Yeast
Yeast
White and Brown sugars
Aspartame (only a little)
Onions
Garlic
Green Peppers (I hate green peppers)
Lactose
Goats milk
Food coloring
White and Red wines 
Furthermore my organs with inhibited function
Lower Intestines
Thyroid (mildly hypothyroid – meaning I have trouble losing weight)
Adrenal Glands
My adrenal glands were by far the most inhibited of all organs followed by my lower intestines. Meaning I need to DE-STRESS.
Problematic with my lower intestines is that I have an acute overgrowth of Candida (yeast) in my digestive tract. Meaning the bacterias in my lower intestines are out of balance. Candida is the same microbe that causes yeast infections This is most likely due to several rounds of antibiotics from Strept throat last winter as well as reduced immune function from my burned out adrenal glands.
And yet I am excited! Having this information is so powerful to me. No I KNOW what is going on and how to correct it! I can feel better soon!!!
I’m taking this on like a champ and doing a full Candida cleanse using herbal supplements to kill the infection and a sugar/yeast free low carb diet so that I do not give the Candida any fuel to grow while replacing my natural flora (balance of healthy bowel bacterias) with an acidophilus supplement.
I can’t wait to get my body back into gear so that I can get my energy and stamina back and start feeling comfortable all day long. I highly encourage you to try this route if you have any suspicions that you may have some sensitivities. Knowledge is power and although I can still CHOOSE to eat the foods I am sensitive to I am aware of how it may make me feel afterwards.
Looking forward to this again 
Always living with passion,
Sammie
Comments
Wow – just what I needed to read!! I’ve been wanting to visit a naturopath because I just don’t feel like my food is digesting – I eat a Vegan, 50% raw diet and very clean and I experience some much of the symptoms you spoke about.
I’ve gotta try this!
As I sit here at work reading this, my stomach is rumbling (I’m actually afraid to get up for fear of even louder noises, ugh), bloated and in pain from who knows what …maybe the green peppers I had in my salad for lunch. But this is something that I’ve put up with for far too long. I’ll be sure to book an appointment to get a food sensitivity test done too. Thanks for this!
This is great info Sammie – I’ll be looking into doing this in Ottawa as well – for the same reasons you were describing!
Thanks,
CC.
Knowledge is so important! We know ourselves best (by how we feel) and we are so individual. Props to going for the test! I know how nerve wracking it can be – not knowing what they will come back with. But now, knowing what the triggers are, opens a whole new world of eating (and experimenting with new recipes!). Sounds cheesy but those commercials from the early 90s are right! “Knowledge is POWER!” Hope you start feeling better soon!
This is terrific. Can’t wait to read your follow up to see if the symptoms went away.
hi Sammie – this is very interesting. i probably haven’t been reading long enough to see what symptoms you’ve been experiencing that lead you to get checked out. i’ve been having some horrible sideaches for almost a year now, have seen a doc 2x, had a cat scan and might end up having some other procedures, just to find out what the mystery pain is. i’m wondering now if i should go the route you did. it could be something as simple as what i’m eating, and that would be a somewhat simple fix at least! good luck to you!
Sammie,
Reading about your symptoms and frustrations with your tummy was like reading my own story. Since my early 20s, I’ve dealt with horrible bloating, gas, pain and constipation. I’m about 115 pounds, so in the morning my tummy looks relatively normal, but by 6 or 7 pm I look as though I’m having triplets! It’s just frustrating when you work out, eat right and still feel sick a lot of the time.
I’ve seen specialists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, gastroenterologists, had bloodwork done, been tested for celiac disease (negative), done elimination diets, food journaling, tried metamucil, tums, beano, stomach enzymes and every over-the-counter thing out there. I’ve even been to a naturpoath and been tested for food intolerances and candida, but the tests that I had done don’t sound as detailed as your workup. Is there anyway you can let me know what naturopath you went to see in Oakville? I’ll try anything!
Frustrated with food,
Sandy C
Hey Sandy
It’s the Oakville Naturopathic Clinic. If you click on the word Oakville in the post it will take you to their site.
Sammie
Thanks so much Sammie!
Sandy C
hey sammie, have you tried maca for your adrenals? i had great success with it in recovering from a harsh case of adrenal fatigue, where rest and diet alone weren’t sufficient.
Hey Kyndra
I’m getting my daily dose of maca in my vega shake as well as taking a herbal adrenal support supplement now!
Sammie
thank you for the link! After seeing countless doctors, GI specialists, naturopaths and having every type of test under the sun with no tangible answers, i am going to try this out!
Hey! I am wondering if you would recommend any other Naturopathic Clinics to get this type of food sensitivity testing done in the Brampton / Mississauga area, as Oakville is a bit far for me. ?
Thanks Sammie,
I felt like you were talking about me.
Unfortunately I do not know of any clinics in Mississauga or Brampton. I haven’t gone there nor has anyone been able to tell me anything. A simple google search should provide you with some options though. Good Luck!
Just a question,
How pricy was your assessment? Is it worthwhile to get done if you feel you might have food sensitivities? How long did the process take?
The process for me was 1 and 1/2 hours and cost around $150. Whether or not you find it worthwhile is entirely up to you. I know that personally I love knowing which foods affect me negatively, it’s resulted in a much more comfortable digestive system and I have the power to make a choice to eat something I am sensitive to while being aware of the bloating etc that it will cause.