Do you suffer from symptoms like headaches, joint pain, anxiety, diarrhea, or reflux? And have you spent endless hours searching for answers that will alleviate your discomfort? The answers you are looking for are not always easily found and you may feel like this continuous search for relief will never end. You are not alone in your pursuit of feeling better. After visiting with numerous doctors without success, there may be one treatment option still undiscovered by you.

Melanie was in this position. She came to Nutrition Works after spending years looking for answers to her health problems. She suspected the food she was eating was making her sick, but no one had been able to verify that hunch and they sent her on her way. Every time she went to a doctor, she was told that everything was fine, but she knew that things were not fine. She had too many sick days accrued and spent too much time in pain for everything to be fine.

Melanie followed Nutrition Works’ LEAP program for food sensitivities and within six weeks she had reduced her symptoms drastically. Her symptom survey score (a tool that is used to measure symptoms all over the body) was 136 before she began the program and 27 after 6 weeks. She has generously allowed her story to be published here to share a treatment option that could provide others with relief also. In her own words, here is Melanie’s story. 

Melanie’s Story

Health wise, I was considered very healthy by any doctor I would visit. I felt awful though and knew something was wrong but couldn't figure out what. I would complain to my doctor of all sorts of symptoms and I had all sorts of tests run... all showing I had nothing wrong. I would miss work and social events often, because I literally couldn't get out of bed. Whatever was going on in my body was ruining my life. So, I was referred to Nutrition Works by my physical therapist to have my food sensitivities checked. No doctor ever told me about this option. 

I was having many different symptoms, some were severe enough to keep me in bed all day and some were just constantly lingering. I had migraines just about once or twice a week. I felt like I had the flu everyday... body aches, no energy, sore to the touch, cranky, bladder frequency and urgency, diarrhea, gas and bloating, burning ears, yeast infections (that were resistant to Diflucan). I felt like I had been run over by a truck and had no energy to exercise. A nap was an absolute must every day. I also had dizziness, lightheadedness, shaking, and nausea.

I had many different tests run by different doctors... blood work, endoscopy, colonoscopy, bladder installations. Every doctor said the same thing as far as me having no deficiencies or odd results. I was looked at like a hypochondriac. I felt very alone and depressed about my health and the fact that I didn't know what was wrong with me or if it would ever go away. So basically I had no treatment or relief of my symptoms prior to the LEAP program. Figuring out what foods I can eat has changed my life. I am no longer a prisoner of my "sick" body. I feel like I can do anything and not be held back. My symptoms disappeared in about a week. I feel very fortunate to have found the LEAP program. 

There were many surprising foods and chemicals that came back as reactive on the test. I felt that a lot of these foods were "healthy" and I was eating lots of them. I had no idea that certain foods converted into chemicals that my body could not handle. Media and even a lot of the health and diet books I read would encourage copious amounts of these "healthy" foods. While they may be healthy to some people, they are poison to my body. I had to learn that everybody is different and what works for some may not work for others. We are not one size fits all when it comes to a healthy diet.   

I would recommend the LEAP program to everyone with general aches, pains, allergies, and digestive problems that most people just put up with. It can also be a godsend to anyone who feels like something is wrong, but all of their tests are negative and their doctor finds nothing. I tell anyone that asks what I have done and they are surprised that food can have such an effect on the body.

Food sensitivities are difficult to pinpoint because obvious symptoms may not show up for 72 hours. With the passage of time, it is very difficult to identify which foods or chemicals may have caused the problems. Working with an experienced registered dietitian who is a food sensitivity specialist, like Sandra at Nutrition Works, eliminates the mystery so a custom made diet can be created.   

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Melanie