A picture of health...

This image accurately sums up my life since I was 16! Despite experiencing numerous symptoms varying from sickness and exhaustion to headaches and skin problems, every medical test I had came back "normal". This was generally seen as a good thing and a sign that there were no real issues and the symptoms I was experiencing were superficial. Sadly, new research shows that this was far from the truth.

Recent research

Recent research into psoriasis, for example, has shown a significant number of comorbidities linked to the condition. Cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, anxiety, depression, and inflammatory bowel disease, have been found at a higher prevalence in psoriasis patients compared to the general population. Is psoriasis just a symptom, rather than a disease in it's own right?

New tests

The only tests I've ever taken that have returned with noteworthy results were taken in the last few years. A food intolerance test which came back to show i had seven food intolerances (yeast, gluten, wheat, sesame seed, cows milk, coffee and soya beans....and four other borderline intolerances - wine grapes, lentils and spinach) all of which can be caused by decreased or disturbed gut bacteria . MY gut microbiome results also showed low diversity, low levels of probiotics and low level aakermansia (compared to the selected sample).

Both of these tests were taken and paid for outside the NHS - the food intolerance test was taken through the York Test and the gut bacteria sequencing was carried out through uBiome.

Should these tests be available to all?

It was incredible for me to see results come back with something significant after 18 years of feeling like I was losing the plot. These two tests changed my health and my life. It was hard work cleaning up my diet and making significant (and some would say extreme) changes to my diet, but the results for my health were IMMEASURABLE. I would love these tests to be more readily available for others.