Has anyone ever done this blood test? Apparently it checks for over 250 food and additive intolerances and is highly recommended for people who suffer from migraine, digestive issues, insomina, fatigue, etc. It also suggests the best vitamins for your body. Our local pharmacy is now providing this service for $450 and unfortunately my healthcare doesnt cover it. However, it sure would be an easier way to find out if I have intolerances causing my migraines.
Hi Tamsha,
That sounds interesting. I am sure my insurance wouldn’t cover it either as I have an HMO. If you decide to do it, let us know what you find out.
Take care,
Donna
Hi there!
I too was very interested to learn about the Hemocode system as I also saw in in my local Rexall. I also looked into my health coverage and did have coverage for it.
I thought SWEET! I was about to buy it when something prevented me from doing so. Something made me go home and do some further research and look into this thing. Well, I was not happy with what I found. The Hemocode is actually not a proven test, and I found rumblings that it was outlawed by the FDA in the 80s. It seems that Hemocode and Rexall market it as an IgG test, a test similar to an Allergy test, however it is not an IgG TEST!!! I was very shocked at Rexall carrying this test and claiming it is something that it isn’t. Apparently this test is a photo luminescence test. Basically they take your blood, add a dye to it and add the food additives. They then watch closely to how much the white blood cells increase in size, and thus give you the results based on that. From my readings on IgG tests, they will measure the proteins in the blood and the actually reaction to the foods it was introduce to. This seems to be the medical standard.
With all that said, I did not take the Hemocode, instead I looked further and found another Program in Canada. It is called the YorkTest program (Google it - Can labs is the company). It is an actual proven IgG test with studies done on it, something I was more comfortable with. Although it is a little higher priced ($700), I still had most of it covered with my health plan. I did the test last month and got my results back. I am on week 2 now. I will let you know how I do over the next few weeks as I too wanted to know if food was causing my Migraines as I have suspected for a while now.
Wow! Thanks for that information! I will definitely look into all of this further before going ahead. Let me know how you make out.
I tried Hemocode a few months ago and found it to be very effective. It was a very simple process and the results came back in about a week. I eliminated the foods suggested from my diet as directed, and have not had a headache since. I really believe that food is the cause of many ailments – headaches specifically. Anyhow, I’ve recommended it to a number of my friends and everyone seems really happy.
lets see: one post int total. By any chance did you join to promote this test?
I checked it out and to me it looks like a scam. I’d be avoiding it personally. S
Wow! This is a first: competitive spamming :lol: .
— Begin quote from “pop81”
I really believe that food is the cause of many ailments – headaches specifically.
— End quote
Food does not “cause” headaches, they trigger them. If they trigger them you have a genetic predisposition to migraine and need to avoid your personal triggers.
S
— Begin quote from “scott”
— Begin quote from “pop81”
I really believe that food is the cause of many ailments – headaches specifically.
— End quote
Food does not “cause” headaches, they trigger them. If they trigger them you have a genetic predisposition to migraine and need to avoid your personal triggers.
S
— End quote
Thank you. That’s helpful info.
Hi there. YorkTest isn’t the only lab in Canada that offers IgG food testing.
Full disclosure - I’m from Rocky Mountain Analytical- a Calgary-based laboratory (accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons) that also offers IgG food intolerance testing. I just want people to know there is a credible, responsible laboratory in Canada that offers this test. The literature on food reactions and migraines is growing. Here are some links to information on the association between migraine headaches and IgG food reactions.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21835022
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20647174
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18693538
Anecdotally, we did IgG food testing for a couple of employees who suffered from migraines (although not specifically vertigo)- and their migraines disappeared when they eliminated the reactive foods (in both cases, dairy was an issue, in one case wheat was also reactive). One of them did a major dairy splurge after several weeks of eliminating all dairy and got a migraine the day after the splurge. Being a lifelong dairy lover, she was pretty crushed, but also appreciated being migraine-free. Do I believe food reactions are the cause of all migraines - absolutely not. There are physiologic factors (blood vessel physiology), genetic factors, hormonal factors etc that all play a significant role. But, do I think there are instances where food reactions are a major contributor? You bet, and the literature is bearing that out. Incidentally, my background is in community pharmacy - I dispensed a lot of migraine and vertigo meds in my day, and I know if I was still working in pharmacy now, I’d be advising anyone using those meds to get a food intolerance test. That said, not everyone can afford to get a test - so, if you can’t afford the test - try eliminating all dairy for 5 or 6 days, then go crazy with dairy foods the next day. If you get a major reaction/migraine on day 7, that strongly suggests you could be having an IgG reaction (antibody levels are still high even after you’ve avoided the food for 5 or 6 days, but there’s no antigen (reactive food) present - when you introduce the reactive food and those antibodies that are still around have their way with them- presto, you have a reaction. It isn’t always dairy, but in my experience, that’s the most common reactive food.
There are also many scientific papers published showing no link at all between IgG tests, eliminating the identified foods and reducing migraines.
This would be a good topic for a Cochrane Review. For anyone not familiar with these, they are reviews done by the top experts in the world, which consider the evidence from all the trials available and draw conclusions from them. They also - and this is very important - look at the quality of the trials themselves, so that high quality research is given more precedence than low quality research with flaws in the methodology.
— Begin quote from “beechleaf”
There are also many scientific papers published showing no link at all between IgG tests, eliminating the identified foods and reducing migraines.
This would be a good topic for a Cochrane Review. For anyone not familiar with these, they are reviews done by the top experts in the world, which consider the evidence from all the trials available and draw conclusions from them. They also - and this is very important - look at the quality of the trials themselves, so that high quality research is given more precedence than low quality research with flaws in the methodology.
— End quote
Exactly. I am not aware of any ‘food intolerance test’ that will indicate that the food will trigger a migraine. ‘Intolerance’ is not exactly the same thing as ‘migraine trigger’. It’s quite simple - if you get more migraine activity when you eat a certain food, stop eating it. If you get less (or no) migraines and when you reintroduce the food you get migraines again it’s a pretty safe bet that the particular food was the culprit. That’s exactly what Tmar says, but without having to take their test. I’m also not sure what is ‘magic’ about ‘day 7’. You should know pretty quickly whether or not a particular food triggers you.
It’s very easy to “cherry pick” data to find one or two studies that fit some of these remedies – like homeopathy for example. Pure 100% bullshit and just simply water yet there are some studies – usually poorly designed – that show an “effect”. But take the whole lot of them together (i.e. a Cochrane meat-analysis), all studies in homeopathy and the result is no effect. I wouldn’t waste my time with Hemocode for 30 seconds.
— Begin quote from “scott”
It’s very easy to “cherry pick” data to find one or two studies that fit some of these remedies – like homeopathy for example. Pure 100% bullshit and just simply water yet there are some studies – usually poorly designed – that show an “effect”. But take the whole lot of them together (i.e. a Cochrane meat-analysis), all studies in homeopathy and the result is no effect. I wouldn’t waste my time with Hemocode for 30 seconds.
— End quote
What are we talking here - lean beef vs Wagyu, free range chicken vs corn fed, salami vs chorizo?? :lol:
In response to DDarling’s post and discussion:
The Hemocode Food Intolerance System uses a propriety, patented technology to detect IgG related immuno-based food intolerances. Hemocode does not use a photo luminescence protocol; dyes are not, nor have they ever been used. Hemocode is statistically proven, is doctor and pharmacist recommended and has never been “outlawed” by the Food and Drug Administration as you inaccurately suggest.
Gemoscan Canada, Inc., the owner and operator of the Hemocode Food Intolerance System, regularly reviews all media, including blogs and online forums for accuracy. Gemoscan Canada, Inc. reserves all legal rights and remedies available.
— Begin quote from “HEMOCODE INFO”
In response to DDarling’s post and discussion:
The Hemocode Food Intolerance System uses a propriety, patented technology to detect IgG related immuno-based food intolerances. Hemocode does not use a photo luminescence protocol; dyes are not, nor have they ever been used. Hemocode is statistically proven, is doctor and pharmacist recommended and has never been “outlawed” by the Food and Drug Administration as you inaccurately suggest.
Gemoscan Canada, Inc., the owner and operator of the Hemocode Food Intolerance System, regularly reviews all media, including blogs and online forums for accuracy. Gemoscan Canada, Inc. reserves all legal rights and remedies available.
— End quote
HEMOCODE INFO,
Before you get your corporate knickers in a twist and make veiled threats about how you review blogs etc for accuracy you might want to consider the possibility that DDarling is a spammer. Certainly the participants of this forum have figured out that much all by ourselves. During your ‘review for accuracy’ if you had read the whole thread you would have seen that.
While on the subject of accuracy, if you are going to advertise/post here in official corporate guise please provide evidence that your product is ‘statistically proven’ and evidence of actual doctors and/or pharmacists who recommend your product. For migraine. This is an evidence based forum and unsubstantiated claims made by manufacturers will be scrutinised.
I totally agree with you Vic.
The whole point I was making before was that its efficacy in terms of it being used for migraine was not (in my view) proven based on searching the current scientific literature. I wasn’t even talking about the methodology of the test itself.
It is actually very difficult to test anything involving diet in a ‘gold standard’ kind of way. In a drug trial you can have a group taking placebo pills to ensure that any results seen from the drug are genuine and not due to a placebo effect. With diet this is virtually impossible, as you can’t give people a placebo diet, i.e. they always know what they are/aren’t eating, so positive benefits seen from elimination diets may be due to a placebo effect. I’m not saying that they always are, of course, as I know people have very strong triggers sometimes, just that results from these trials need to be viewed with caution.
Hemocode Info would have been booted by now but let’s see if they can come back with the goods – such as Victoria’s requests and to address Beechleaf’s comments.
S 8)
— Begin quote from “Victoria”
— Begin quote from “scott”
It’s very easy to “cherry pick” data to find one or two studies that fit some of these remedies – like homeopathy for example. Pure 100% bullshit and just simply water yet there are some studies – usually poorly designed – that show an “effect”. But take the whole lot of them together (i.e. a Cochrane meat-analysis
— End quote
), all studies in homeopathy and the result is no effect. I wouldn’t waste my time with Hemocode for 30 seconds.
What are we talking here - lean beef vs Wagyu, free range chicken vs corn fed, salami vs chorizo?? :lol:
— End quote
LOL, yes a meat analysis. Pork chops? Veal? :lol: