Respectfully here, Jennifer, can you please show me the evidence that muscle-testing is a valid diagnostic modality - say comparing it against IGE titers or some other diagnostic entitity (maybe skin-testing?)  I have been trying to find something on this. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 10:55 PM
Subject: Elimination Diets

Karen,
I would not call a diet that contains wheat a "bland diet" from an allergenic perspective. Why would one eliminate fruits and vegetables and leave one of the most highly allergenic foods in the diet? And it is a "food" with no nutritional value whatsoever. I explain to moms that elimination diets are not the most effective means of assessing allergens. I refer moms for muscle-testing if the allergen isn't obvious. If I have to work with food elimination, I do a very thorough assessment of moms' diet before suggesting eliminations. I also never approach elimination of foods w/o increasing nutrient-density in mom's diet and doing some level of gut healing, usually for both mom and baby. I find most moms are willing to do something that seems to be less arbitrary than the typical elimination diet. I do not find that peds are typically amenable to learning about this--most moms just leave the ped out of the equation. 

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting, LLC



"I am noticing a trend in pediatricians around here to recommend highly restricted diets to mom if the baby is "fussy"/"colicky".  Often this leads moms to just bottle feed, often with soy formula instead of making these overwhelming dietary changes.  I had one doc. who suggested a bland diet to a mom (including among about 5 foods white bread (uckkk!).  The mom said it helped but I wonder how long it lasted, haven't talked to her recently.  I usually focus more on a wide variety of foods moms should eat, lots of fruits, vegetables, proteins - possibly avoiding beef if there is strong reason to suspect dairy.  I encourage moms to use products like oat/almond/rice milk which are readily available and help moms transition from their milk/soy based diet.  What are other people recommending and any luck educating pediatricians on how what they are doing discourages breastfeeding?  

Karen Kurtz, IBCLC, LLLL"



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