Can anyone please help to explain to me:
1. What are enterolab tests?
2. What is an IgA test?
3. If I'm not currently consuming wheat/gluten/sugar/dairy/soy/alcohol/caffeine, can I get a certain blood test(s) to help me determine what my body is intolerant to?

Thanks!

From what I understand(I'm very new to this, mind you), enterolab is an independant lab that you can send a stool sample to, and be tested pretty definitively for celiac.

The IgA, IgC and tTG tests are measuring antibodies to wheat in your bloodstream.

I am not sure you can get a test like that if you are not consuming any of those things. I know for celiac, you need to be consuming wheat to get a positive result. How long have you been free of those things you mentioned? Perhaps you should see a GI Doc, and get biopsied for Crohn's? What are your symptoms like?

Any of you regulars feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this stuff..I'm just learning too.

According to the Enterolab website, you don't have to be currently consuming any of those things.

For more info you should check out their site

www.enterolab.com

This is also something that I've been wondering too. I was just about to post the same question!

Does anyone know if their tests are the most accurate?

Also, does anyone know if you can get your insurance to foot part of the bill?

I cannot tell you about the reliability of their testing. I have had no relationship with Enterolabs.

I do know that Enterolabs does NOT DIAGNOSE for Celiac Disease. It CAN test for sensitivities to various foods.

If you choose to have a diagnosis or testing for Celiac Disease, this the the Blood Panel to request of your Doctor:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level.

Just confirming that Enterolab can NOT tell you if you are celiac...only gluten sensitivity. I did use them, and they did seem to be accurate in which foods I am intolerant to, but you should know that they only test for a few of the major known problem foods. They were also able to tell me that I carry a Celiac gene...that still doesn't tell me whether I actually HAVE Celiac, but it helps me to know that I should stay away from gluten because the possibility is there.

Momma is correct in that if you need a firm diagnosis you would need a blood test and possibly an endoscopy...or if a firm diagnosis isn't important, you can try a strict gluten free diet to see if your symptoms improve. A response to the diet is diagnostic of a problem with gluten. I had a positive response to the diet, so along with the info from Enterolab and the improvements I saw on the diet, that was enough for me.

For the blood panel to work, do you have to be eating gluten at the time? If so, how long beforehand do you need to be eating it for?

Yes, you do have to be eating gluten. From what I've read, the equivalent of 2-4 slices of bread a day for 1-3 months.

I have to ask the question...If Enterolabs CAN diagnose gluten intolerance and CAN tell you you have the Celiac gene then what is the distinction? I think this comes down to people being comfortable having a definitive diagnoses that can only be done by biopsy of the intestine showing villi atrophy. Either way the prescription for better health and wellness even if you don't have the Celiac gene and are "only" gluten intolerant is a gluten free lifestyle.

Is there any reason to have a "definitive diagnosis" then? Does it matter for insurance or medical reasons? If you know to stay away from gluten, are there any benefits of having a positive diagnosis? My doctor said that I might have celiacs or I might just have a 'gluten sensitivity' and he didn't seem to think that it really mattered either way as long as I stay away from gluten. Is that a normal doctor response?

I would respond no. Can't someone have villous atrophy one week and show no signs the following if the sample was taken from a different spot or the gluten free diet had begun to work? Seems to me that the terms Celiac and gluten intolerant are interchangeable.

A defined diagnosis is a personal choice. Your doctor is wise in his recommendation to you. Celiac Disease is classified by villious atrophy which may, if undiagnosed can have deadly consequences along with other unfortunate side issues. With a gluten sensitivity, you will have the same symptoms of Celiac Disease without the villious atrophy, but the prescription is the same - a total gluten free diet.