FROM CANCER PATIENT TO CANCER SURVIVOR VIDEO

What do you do when the last treatment is over and those weeks and weeks of medical visits and appointments are no longer on your calendar? What's next?

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2005/From-Cancer-Patient-to-Cancer-Survivor-Lost-in-Transition/From-Cancer-Patient-to-Cancer-Survivor-Lost-In-Transition.aspx

This video is a great reminder for both patients and those who love them of the ongoing challenges following a cancer diagnosis. The uncertainty, the long term impact of treatments and the need to redefine your future and your priorities are topics that deserve compassionate conversation. Having people in your life willing to listen long after the acute treatment is over is important. Life will be forever changed in a multitude of ways - some wonderfully postive and some that create challenges. If you are a patient who has had cancer, seek support from someone who cares and get clear information on exactly what type of follow up you need. If you are the friend or family member of someone finishing cancer treatment, stay connected. Ask how they are, give them space to share their concerns, and don't expect them to always have an upbeat and grateful attitude. Their journey might be more like a roller coaster but stay on the journey with them and share the ride where you can.

I was struck as I watched the video by of how well it also speaks to my own health challenges. While I am grateful not to have had cancer, my autoimmune disease also creates a roller coaster experience for me. My health changes week to week and, sometimes, even day to day but my challenges aren't visible to most people. After almost 25 years, the topic of my health is a rather old story but one that poses real experiences for me to this day. I value so much the people who continue to give space to my conversations on my health, my frustrations, my successes, my limitations and my irritation at the journey. It is wonderful to have people in my life who see me as I am and are willing to offer empathy and support when I need it. Most days I am grateful for all that I have and I certainly know that my situation could be a great deal more difficult, but long standing challenges of any kind can be exhausting and I am getting so much better at slowing down my life and concerning my energy for what really matters. One of the many gifts of my illness.

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A GREAT RESOURCE: www.healingwell.com

If you or someone you love is living with a chronic illness, take some time to check out this wonderful website. It offers a thriving support community, a blog, lots of informative videos and resources as well as a monthly newsletter. The link is www.healingwell.com They have won many awards for their site and been featured on several news broadcasts.

Finding a community of people who are experiencing both the successes and challenges of a chronic illness has been shown over and over to be one of the most helpful strategies for coping. This site has a long list of illnesses ranging from cancer to IBS and each one has a community of people that dialogue on the internet. In long term illness, the goal is often healing and not cure and sharing your experiences with others facilitates this. I love that the internet enables people to connect with others in similar situations and removes the barrier of physical distance.

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TESTIMONIALS

What a wonderful gift to be able to compile this list of comments from people whose lives I have had the privilege of touching. As my book is off at the printers now and I will have the opportunity of holding the first copy in my hand before Christmas, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

My life, the life of our family, and the stories of the hundred's of people I have worked with are reflected in the pages of my book. The picture on this posting says it all! It is the picture that graces the cover of my book and it is of our oldest grandson at 5 months old. He was and still is healthy, happy and free of the symptoms related to his food sensitivities. I am so grateful for all the parts of my journey to find health for myself, my family, and many, many clients as my book couldn't have been written without them all.

Thank you to those of you who willingly sent me your thoughts so I could post them here and in my book. I pray your words will offer hope and encouragement to others so they will consider changing the diet of their family.

I have seen, first hand, many instances where children and families have been transformed by addressing food sensitivities. If you suspect food may be the cause of your child's physical and behavioural symptoms, you must read Marg's well researched and practical approach to discovering your particular child's trigger food(s) and developing a plan to address them.

Margaret Evans offers hope in her clearly presented new book, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate? - The Life Changing Impact of Addressing Food Sensitivities in Children. Read it. It could positively change your child's and family's lives.

Fran Richardson RN, BScN (retired) Pediatric Nurse

What we have learned from Margaret about the impact of food sensitivities has dramatically improved the overall health of our two young sons and our entire family. Every parent would benefit from this information. We will be forever grateful for her support.

Johanna Sedin and her husband, Henrik Sedin. Captain of the Vancouver Canucks

Knowledgeable, timely, and practical! Margaret's advice and encouragement during our family's transition to a gluten-free, dairy-free, way of life kept us on track, motivated to persevere, and thankful for the remarkable improvements we experienced. A health concern for one family member has turned into life-long benefits for six. Thanks, Marg!

A grateful grandmother

Daniel is a wonderful four year old, but much of a challenge. The change we have seen in him since altering his diet, I could not have imagined would be possible. My only regret is that we did not contact Margaret earlier. We are now a happy, healthy, family with sane parents! I cannot recommend Margaret more highly.

Sarah, Richard, and Daniel Jones

Marg's constant appreciation of me is very affirming. Her experience in addressing food sensitivities in her own life as well as her children's has been very beneficial for me as I have suffered from health challenges for years. To have a coach come along side to walk with me on my journey is totally refreshing.

Joy Neufeld

My name is Ellen. I am writing this story in gratitude to Margaret Evans who saved my son from years of earaches, stomach problems, bed wetting embarrassments, and behaviour problems by educating me that children do not grow out of the problems created by a dairy intolerance. By removing dairy products from my son's diet, he remained well and healthy.

I also suffered for years from a wide range of symptoms including digestive disturbances, heart palpitations, poor coordination and food cravings before finally discovering that I had celiac disease. I have to admit that even with everything Margaret taught me about my son, it took several illnesses and years of wasted days and months to finally hit the wall and come to terms with what I needed to do for myself.

Living without being ill all the time is a new experience for me. I don't get every bug that is going by and I have more energy than I have ever had. My nails are hard and I have started gaining weight because my intestines are well and working properly - in other words, I am thriving! If you have unaddressed symptoms yourself, don't wait another minute -do something about it! You have a life ahead that is yours to command. I was 60 years old before I twigged - so it is never too late!!

Ellen Lawson

Thanks to Marg's endless passion for the subject, I was able to learn the foods that agitated my daughter's respiratory issues. Working with Marg taught me the power that food has on our health.

Andrea Linsley

Margaret's continuous support, guidance, and encouragement have changed my life. The path she has shown me over the years has helped me achieve amazing victories and achievements. By helping me address my food sensitivities, she has helped me become a stronger, healthier, and more focused athlete and woman - I feel like a new person!

Nina Mathers Endurance Athlete

Through many years of dedicated work and practice, Marg Evans has developed an incredibly informative and useful guide for all those suffering from food related symptoms. Intelligent, comprehensive, and, most importantly, do-able, her supportive and effective direction was an essential component on my path towards optimum health.

Meghan MacCallum

We were desperate to help our colicky baby who vomited 10 times a day. When Margaret spoke with us, we finally felt like our story wasn't just new parent paranoia. After changing our daughter's diet, the physical and behavioural changes were stunning.

Stephanie and Stefan Mercer

After enduring many months of low energy, joint pain, and numerous other undiagnosed ailments, I was struggling in all areas of life but particularly in my role of helping others. I was amazed and relieved to finally discover that culprit foods were the reason for my symptoms. When I stopped eating these foods, my recovery was remarkable. I am so thankful for the wisdom and practical methods that Margaret has shared with me, allowing me to live well with my food sensitivities and to offer hope and understanding to my clients.

Karen Sollid BSc(Nutr) RD Registered dietician and certified wellness coach

Recently my six year old has had chronic stomach and headaches as well as feeling exhausted. I was feeling overwhelmed about how to approach what I believed to be a food "allergy". As the doctors did not adopt my belief, I turned to Marg who has 27 years of personal and professional experience in food sensitivities. With her vast knowledge, she has been able to simplify the steps for me to take to promptly determine the cause of my daughter's discomfort. In addition to her expertise, she brings warmth, support and encouragement. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am in incredibly capable hands as the three of us journey together to help my child regain her health and, therefore, her happiness.

Julie Prindiville

Marg Evans creates a safe space to truly be heard. Through her patient and compassionate listening skills, and simple yet powerful questions, she enables one to hear ones' own heart's desire. She inspires and supports you to see the gifts and talents you already possess and challenges you to make that desire your new reality.

Catherine Hind

Initially I was not a believer that food could have such a powerful impact on one's health and function. By age four, my son was still not sleeping through the night, had a runny nose and tummy aches. My daughter had frequent digestive issues that interfered with her daily life. After learning about food sensitivities through Margaret, I was able to successfully identify and eliminate the correct foods the correct way. To my delight and surprise, within 3 months all of my children's issues completely disappeared. Today, our family eats a wider variety of foods than before, rarely gets sick, and experiences greater overall health and vitality.

L North

Margaret Evans has been teaching at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine for several years now and is considered the leader in food sensitivity diagnosis and treatment. Margaret has given us a much-needed step-by-step guide to truly finding and dealing with food allergies and the health problems they cause. We in the practice of Naturopathic medicine are grateful for this much anticipated work.

Anders B. Nerman (Naturopathic student) Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Margaret Evans offers a thorough, compassionate inquiry into the deep threads of a patient's diet and lifestyle which may be holding them back from their potential. Her 30+ years of clinical experience along with her extensive knowledge has allowed Margaret to find her own approach which is empowering yet healing for her clients. She lives her work and provides healthcare professionals with the inspiration to spend the time to find the cause of their patient's limitations. Thank you, Margaret - my approach to patients has changed!

Karley Denooon (Naturopathic student) Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine Vancouver, B.C. Canada

I have been actively involved in Margaret's journey to improved health and wellness over the last 6 years. Her expertise and understanding of food intolerances have helped my wife and I recognize the impact gluten and dairy products were having on our overall health and wellness.

She enabled us to make informed and educated choices on those foods which we needed to remove from our diet, namely gluten and dairy.

Being gluten and dairy free has had such a significant impact on our overall health and well being, that it was, therefore, an extremely easy decision to ensure that gluten and dairy were not a part of our new born baby's eating plan.

James and Caroline Greenwood

One of my earliest childhood memories is of a trip to the Calgary Children's hospital with my dad and sitting on his lap while the doctor explained what they were going to do during the biopsy. The most common of my childhood stories recounted by my parents are of the sleepless nights while I cried uncontrollably for the first two years of my life. My youth was spent with constant stomach discomfort. I remember feeling high every time I ate a hotdog, and the embarrassment of having to run to the washroom in the middle of class or, even worse, a friend's birthday party. It became harder during my adolescence when I was unable to concentrate in class and was constantly being disciplined by teachers, causing so much anxiety it became easier to just skip class. It wasn't until I was an adult that I began to take this seriously but I was unable to find any answers.

I was lucky enough to meet Margaret and, through our conversations, her story emerged and she offered to help me. I have been on a gluten free diet for almost three years now and for the first time in my life, I feel healthy and energetic. I am now expecting a child of my own and feel truly blessed to know that I am now equipped with the knowledge and skills to make sure my child will not face the same challenges that I did. I cannot thank Margaret enough!

Christie Coelho

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Food Addiction and Autism

FOOD ADDICTION AND AUTISM
This section offers a brief summary of the impact that diet may have on the health, learning, and behaviour of children on the autism spectrum. For a more complete explanation as well as strategies to identify the offending food, refer to my book, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate - The Life Changing Impact of Addressing Food Sensitivities in Children."
Several studies have shown that certain protein fragments found in both milk and gluten products contain substances called peptides that behave very much like the opiate drug, morphine when they are incompletely digested within the body. This incomplete digestion may be the result of unaddressed food sensitivities, inflammation due to a poor diet, some medications, an imbalance of the bacteria in the bowel or even excessive stress.
These proteins are inactive when contained in food but are activated during the process of digestion.
When a person suffers from bowel inflammation, whatever the cause, the walls of the bowel become "leaky" and these undigested proteins are allowed to leak into the circulation. They make their way to the brain where they have an impact on learning and behaviour and often create a significant craving for both dairy and gluten containing foods in the child.
High amounts of these opiate peptides have been found in the urine of patients suffering from depression and from autism. Most peptides pass out of the body in the urine but these incompletely digested peptides enter the blood stream through the “leaky” intestinal wall. It is believed that these substances are responsible for many of the effects on the brain that are seen in both autistic and depressed individuals.
While it is common for families of children with autism to remove gluten and dairy containing foods, the food causing the inflammation must also be addressed. Many families remove only dairy or gluten and find very little improvement in their child's symptoms. By following the process in my book, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate?" parents can identify the underlying trigger food and their chance of successfully addressing their child's symptoms are much greater.
Removal of gluten and dairy foods from the diet may result in a withdrawal reaction. Depending on the symptoms of the patient, physical, psychological, and behavioural symptoms my temporarily worsen for a few days until the foods have been eliminated from the body. For complete information on how to remove an offending food from a child's diet, please refer to my book, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate?"

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Knowledge Review

This section offers a brief explanation of the physiology related to food sensitivities. It is important to have a basic understanding of the differences between food allergies and food intolerances as this impacts both the method used for identification of the offending food and the treatment that is undertaken.

A more complete explanation of this topic can be found in my book, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate? - The Life Changing Impact of Addressing Food Sensitivities in Children. This book contains all the information you need to determine whether or not food is at the root of your family's health, behaviour, or learning problems. It then helps you identify the trigger food and supports you to successfully remove this food from your family's diet.

• Normal Digestive Function
• Allergies
• Intolerances
• Fixed Reactions
• Cyclic Reactions
• Immediate Reactions
• Delayed Reactions
• Threshold of Tolerance

A ) Normal Digestive Function

The digestive system is a complex system involving many different organs. Any illness or injury affecting one part of the system impacts the function of the entire digestive tract.
The digestive process requires the proper balance and interaction of beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes and hormones.
Food moves along the digestive track by waves of muscle contraction known as peristalsis. It may take 3-5 days for a particular food to travel the full length of the intestine and be eliminated.
Essential nutrients and water are absorbed through the wall of the intestine into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body.
In a normal, healthy bowel, the lining of the small intestine allows absorption of only fully digested particles of food.
If the cells lining the small intestine become irritated or damaged, the wall becomes inflamed and "leaky" and allows partially digested food to be absorbed into the blood stream. These particles may then be the cause of food intolerances and result in symptoms in any organ of the body.

B ) Allergies

Some individuals may develop a variety of symptoms when they come in contact with common substances in their environment. These can be a food, a chemical or an inhalant and are known as antigens.
The antigen stimulates the body to produce "anti"bodies to weaken and destroy the offending antigen.
The combining of an antigen and an antibody results in the release of histamine. It is an excess of histamine which results in the symptoms we commonly think of being "allergic" in nature such as hives or swelling of the eyes and throat.
Most life threatening reactions to foods and other causes are allergic reactions.
In an allergic reaction, taking an "anti"histamine will result in symptom relief.
Skin testing by an allergist is accurate for the determination of these allergies.

C ) Intolerances

The symptoms of intolerances are not produced by the release of histamine so taking an antihistamine will not improve the symptoms.
The reactions are triggered by local irritation in the digestive track. This irritation results in a "leaky" condition in the small intestine which allows particles of food that have not been completely digested to enter the blood stream. They then circulate throughout the body.
The symptoms of intolerances are varied and can be experienced in almost any part of the body. They also vary from individual to individual.
More than half of the cells of the immune system are found in and around the digestive tract. Because of this, any condition that affects the digestive system also has a profound impact on the immune system.
A diagnosis of food intolerance can not be made by skin test or by a blood test. An elimination of the suspected food from the diet for a trial period of time is the only truly accurate test.

D ) Fixed Reactions

While it is possible to have a fixed reaction in either an allergy or an intolerance, it is more likely that these types of predictable responses are due to a histamine releasing allergy.
The development of symptoms in these types of reactions is very predictable. There is some development of symptoms every time the offending food is eaten.
These reactions are often truly allergic in nature and may require immediate intervention.
Even a very slight contact with the offending substance may produce a large scale response.
Because of the predictable pattern of symptoms, it is usually fairly easy to find the substance that is the cause.

E ) Cyclic Reactions

These reactions do not always have a predictable pattern.
This is the most common pattern for food reactions as they are due to food intolerances.
The occurrence of symptoms is determined by a number of factors:

• the quantity of food eaten
• general health of the individual
• number of offending foods eaten together
• environmental allergy contact at the time of food consumption
• stress level of the individual

Because of the cyclic nature of the symptoms, identifying the offending substance is often difficult.

F ) Immediate Reactions

Some reactions occur immediately following contact with the offending substance. This accounts for only about 5% of reactions to food.
Immediate reactions are almost always due to a substance causing histamine release due to an allergy rather than an intolerance.
This category includes the immediate and often life-threatening reactions some people have to nuts or shellfish.
Identification of the offending substance is easy to determine.
The reaction that occurs usually involved only 1 or 2 organs of the body.
Because they are often allergic in nature, antihistamines may bring symptom relief.

G ) Delayed Reactions

These reactions may take anywhere from 24 hours to 5 days to develop.
Because of this delay, identification of the offending food may be difficult.
Delayed reactions are far more common that immediate ones.
Symptoms that take a period of time to develop are usually due to intolerances rather than allergies.
Symptoms are not relieved by antihistamines.
Typical reactions include a multitude of chronic complaints. These may include headaches, joint aches, runny nose, ear infections, asthma, bed wetting and behaviour difficulties.
Several chronic conditions such as autism, learning disabilities, asthma and Tourettes have shown improvement when food intolerances and allergies were managed.
Reactions usually involve multiple body systems at one time.
With repeated ingestion of the offending food, the acute symptoms usually diminish to be replaced by a general feeling of chronic fatigue and a multitude of chronic complaints.
When foods causing intolerances are removed from the diet, a period of withdrawal results and symptoms may temporarily worsen.
Following a prolonged period of avoidance of a particular food, an exaggerated reaction may result if the food is eaten. The symptoms previously caused by the food may reoccur in a more dramatic and acute way.

H ) Threshold of Tolerance

In seeking to improve our health, we must address all aspects of our life—our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing blend together to produce our overall life experience.
Food intolerances are profoundly impacted by our general health and by our stress level. In order to decrease physical symptoms, it is essential to address our "whole" life.
If you imagine a barrel full of water, there is eventually a final drop that causes the barrel to over flow. If you imagine this image as a barrel containing all aspects of your life, it too, can get so full that it overflows and results in serious health concerns.
In dealing with food intolerances, the goal is to keep the barrel at a low enough level that the person can manage the storms and stresses of life without "overflowing" into the realm of symptoms.

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GROUP PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

I am pleased to offer a wide range of short talks, presentations, and workshops, depending on the need of your particular group. I offer a percentage of the fee that I charge back to the organization that hires me in order to support their work in the community. Because of this, many organizations are able to use my services as a fundraiser for their group. I also lecture regularly at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine and am pleased to offer any of the topics below to professional organizations.

Please contact me at margaret@dynamicchoices.ca so we can discuss your needs and my rates.

The topics I speak on fall under three, loosely defined categories:

1. FOOD SENSITIVITIES

My newly published a book entitled, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate? - The Life Changing Impact of Addressing Food Sensitivities in Children" draws on my 25 years of experience working in this area. Each of my presentations is done in a holistic fashion that honours the real lives, real challenges, and real strengths of each individual family.

• A 1 hour information session where I discuss food sensitivities and the wide range of health, behaviour and learning symptoms that can be caused by food
• 3 hour interactive workshops where the participants are led through my process of identifying offending the trigger food in their diet
• 7 hour, full day workshops that include lunch, my comprehensive process of identifying the offending trigger food in their diet and strategies to make the successful lifestyle changes required to remove this food from their family's diet.

2, CAREGIVER ISSUES
I speak and write widely on the topic of caregivers and the unique and challenging situations that they face. I have been the key note speaker at a number of organizations such as the Parkinson's Society of B.C. where I have addressed topics such as hope, life balance, intimacy, resilience, change and laughter. I am pleased to design a topic that addresses the unique needs of your organization or group.

3. COACHING RELATED TOPICS
I lead workshops on a wide range of topics related to work-life balance, decision making in the midst of stress, change and a range of issues related to parenting. I have a passion for supporting individuals and families to make conscious, value honouring choices in their life and I am happy to design workshops and presentations that address your unique needs.

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Signs & Symptoms of Food Sensitivities

The following list is taken from my book, "Could It Really Be Something They Ate? -The Life Changing Impact of Addressing Food Sensitivities in Children" As you read through the list, tick off the symptoms that relate to yourself either currently or in the past with an X and mark the ones that occur in other members of your extended family with an F. If you tick many symptoms on the list or a have a large number of symptoms within a particular body system, the chances are very high that your symptoms may be related to something in your diet. My book then leads you through the process of successfully identifying what the trigger food might be and how to successfully remove it from your diet, despite your busy life.

The book is available from a link on this website and additional information on the content of the book as well as other resources can be found on my other website at www.foodsensitivechildren.com

A ) SKIN

• itching—any body part
• eczema
• recurrent hives
• fungal infections (athlete's foot or yeast infections)
• excessive sweating particularly at night
• acne
• family history of skin problems
• skin problems as a baby
• hair loss
• brittle nails
• recurrent red or flushed cheeks
• dislike of being cuddled or touched
• small pimples on buttocks
• scalded, red appearance on buttocks as a baby
• rapid development of hives following exposure to a food or other substance

B ) Nervous System

• headaches
• migraines
• depression
• difficulty sleeping
• excessive tiredness
• sensitivity to cold or heat
• nightmares
• mood swings
• negative, apathetic attitude
• difficulty learning sequential concepts such as telling time
• poor memory
• difficulty remembering directions, particularly if they involve several steps
• weak organizational skills
• unexplained crying spells
• angry outbursts
• restlessness
• short attention span
• unusual twitches or tics
• outbursts of foul language
• diagnosis of Tourettes syndrome
• unusual repetitive behaviours such as cracking knuckles, blinking eyes
• learning disabilities
• hyperactive behaviour
• premature birth
• excessive sensitivity to being touched
• diagnosed with autism by physician
• daytime fatigue or sleepiness
• anxiety
• restless legs
• accident-prone
• leads with same foot when climbing stairs rather than alternating feet
• excessively clingy as a child
• craves a particular food excessively
• desire to crouch or hide in small corners or under furniture
• noticeable decrease in writing or reading ability after exposure to problem food or chemical
• family history of alcoholism
• delayed speech
• reluctance to keep clothing on as a child
• extremely active in utero before delivery
• hyperactive behaviour as an infant such as shaking crib, banging head
• excessive tantrums
• easily frustrated over small events

C ) Eyes and Vision

• increased sensitivity to light
• excessive blinking
• excessive rubbing of eyes
• tired, watery eyes
• itchy or red eyes
• dark circles or bags under eyes
• wrinkles under the eyes
• difficulty following moving objects with both eyes as the same time
• difficulty keeping place when reading
• crossed eyes
• "spaced out" look and appearance of being disconnected from their environment

D ) Ears

• chronic ear infections
• decreased ability to hear
• increased sensitivity to noise
• ringing in the ears
• repeated courses of antibiotics
• redness on the outside of one or both ears

E ) Nose

• chronic stuffy nose
• chronic runny nose
• repeated rubbing and itching of nose
• excessive sneezing
• repeated sinus infections
• reduced or heightened sense of smell
• recurrent nose bleeds
• pain from blocked sinuses
• hayfever
• repeated use of antihistamines

F ) Mouth and Throat

• bad taste in mouth
• bad breath
• chronic tonsillitis
• hoarse voice
• persistent and recurrent canker sores
• constant clearing of throat
• swollen, red, cracked lips
• excessive thirst, particularly for carbonated drinks
• sucking on fingers or clothes
• recurrent cold sores
• thick, white coating on tongue or inside of cheeks
• relentless talking and rambling on without a great deal of meaning
• stuttering
• excessive drooling as an infant
• unusual moans, groans, or strange sounds repeated often
• history of mouth infections such as thrush
• history of recurrent dental disease
• diagnosed with enlarged thyroid or underactive thyroid
• feeling of having a lump in the throat
• enlarged thyroid, diagnosed with hyper or hypothyroidism

G ) Lungs and Heart

• persistent cough during the day
• persistent cough at night
• family history of asthma
• asthma (diagnosed by MD)
• recurrent croup as a child
• recurrent bronchitis
• recurrent pneumonia
• taking asthma medications
• wheezing when exercising
• shortness of breath when exercising or climbing stairs or hills
• wheezing in cold weather
• rapid onset of respiratory distress symptoms upon contact with specific food or other substance

H ) Digestive Tract

• bloating and excessive gas
• recurrent hiccoughs
• increased or decreased appetite
• itchy, red, area around anus
• recurrent diarrhea
• recurrent constipation
• chronic stomach aches
• tendency to become overweight easily
• underweight for age
• soiling of underwear with stool
• hemorrhoids
• history of colic as an infant
• family history of digestive complaints
• chronic esophageal reflux (heartburn)
• repeated choking
• history of low blood sugar
• history of excessive spitting up as an infant
• repeated vomiting as an infant or child
• recurrent hiccoughs while baby in uterus of mother
• stomach ulcers
• gall bladder disease or removal of gall bladder
• bulemia
• anorexia
• family history of eating disorders
• diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome
• diagnosed with Crohn's disease
• diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
• diagnosed with other bowel disease
• episode of severe travelers diarrhea

I ) Muscles and Joints

• swollen feet and legs
• cold hands and feet
• muscle cramps and spasms during the day
• muscles cramps and spasms, particularly at night
• muscle stiffness, particularly in the morning
• sore, aching muscles
• muscle weakness on exertion
• numbness in fingers or toes
• fibromyalgia
• autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus, or ankylosing spondylitis
• slouches often and falls over if pushed even slightly when sitting or standing
• difficulty performing exercises that require bilaternal coordination such as jumping jacks
• walking by seven to ten months
• sore, stiff joints
• arthritis

J ) Urinary and Genital Tract

• frequent need to urinate
• bed wetting past age 3
• wetting during the day past age 3
• urgent need to urinate
• history of recurrent bladder infections
• kidney infection
• red, inflamed genital area
• itchy genital area
• heavy or irregular menstrual periods
• increase or decrease in sex drive
• genital sores
• recurrent vaginal yeast infections
• excessive pulling or rubbing of their genitals in infants and children
• HIV positive - self or other family members
• diagnosed with diabetes
• family history of diabetes
• impotence in men
• irregular menstruation in women
• painful menstruation in women
• no normal menstruation
• prostate problems in men
• prostate problems in men of extended family
• infertility
• infertility in members of extended family

K) Cardiovascular System

• high blood pressure
• high blood pressure in extended family
• higher than normal blood pressure as a child
• rapid pulse
• abnormally slow pulse without strong physical fitness
• bruise easily
• taking heart or blood pressure medication
• fluid retention - puffy ankles or hands
• congenital heart disease as a child
• congenital heart disease in a family member

Just a Reminder:
Before attributing any symptom or behaviour to a food sensitivity, it is important to rule out any other serious illness.
This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for medical advice.
Before taking action on any of the information contained in this website, please consult a qualified health professional such as a nurse, a physician, or a registered dietician.
Dynamic Choices does not accept any liability or responsibility for any adverse effects arising directly or indirectly as a result of information contained on this website.

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