Peter Foale

Tell us about your symptoms before you took the test?

heavily congested, excessive sneezing, wheeziness, frequent coughing

How long have you had your symptoms?

To a greater or lesser extend, much of my life although they had become significantly worse over the 18 months before I took the test

How did your symptoms affect your day-to-day life?

Disrupting sleep, wheeziness after significant exertion, coughing and sneezing unpleasant for other people

What did you feel unable to do as a result of your symptoms? (Activities and hobbies that you could no longer do etc.)

Nothing specifically but I found myself tiring more quickly when working in the garden or playing golf

How did you hear about YorkTest? (Through a friend/family member, on the internet etc.)

Via a colleague of my wife whose husband had had similar problems and had benefited from taking the YorkTest.

Why did you take a YorkTest? Was there a specific incident that made you decide to take a test with us?

I had been thinking about doing something like this for a few months but got fed up with feeling rough over the Christmas period. It was my new year resolution to do something about it!

What solutions had you previously tried before coming to YorkTest?

None

Did you seek advice from a specialist/GP? If so, what was the outcome/advice given?

I have been in contact with my GP in parallel with this process. Blood test and chest x-ray both clear. However, I have been using an inhaler alongside the changes to my diet. I have also been using a peak flow meter which is giving me some measurable data on my improved breathing capacity.

What food And drink ingredients were you intolerant to?

Particularly cows milk and to a lesser extent, yeast. I didn’t know what to expert but wasn’t entirely surprised given the amount of dairy products that I was consuming and what I had learned from talking to other people with similar problems.

Once you removed your trigger foods, how did you feel?

No immediate impact but I have got progressively better over a three month period, with a few ups and downs along the way.

Are you able to do things you couldn’t do before taking a test? (New hobbies and activities.)

No, but I can do more of the things that I was doing anyway.

How long did it take for you to see an improvement in your symptoms and overall health after removing your food intolerance?

Some improvement after a couple of weeks but more significant over 2 months, after which time the improvement has been more marked and rapid.

Did you see any change in weight through this process?

No

How easy did you find the elimination process?

Surprisingly easy. I think that the potential benefits if it worked made it worth the sacrifices required. I miss cheese in particular but there are worse things to have to worry about.

Are you still following your diet plan?

Yes, I have made and stuck to the changes suggested.

What happens if you eat your trigger foods?

I am still experimenting with introducing dairy products but I haven’t felt the need to go back to them. I have also been eating bread and other yeast containing products in small quantities without any apparent adverse reactions so far.

How helpful was the nutritional consultation?

Very useful, interesting and informative. Sarah helped me get a good understanding of the roots of my problems so the proposed changes had a proper context.

How helpful did you find the Customer Care Team?

Very helpful

How has your life changed since taking the test?

Sleeping better, feeling far better in myself and certainly not congested in the way that I used to. I also have far more energy.