Ellie Mason

“I feel like I’ve been saved”

• Ellie from South London suffered from urticaria for five years
• The condition arose when she sweat, causing itchy rashes that left her feeling self-conscious
• After the dermatologist was not able to find a solution, Ellie decided to do more research online and stumbled across YorkTest
• Her food intolerance* test revealed she was intolerant to cow’s milk, gluten, and beef, amongst other trigger foods
• Within a month, Ellie noticed a dramatic difference in her skin

Ellie, from South London, suffered from Urticaria (hives) for a total of five years. The red welts covered her chest, neck, arms, legs, front and back and became progressively worse as she got older. As well as causing itchiness, insomnia and general discomfort, the condition made her self-conscious and had a big impact on many aspects of her day to day life.

“Anything that made me sweat increased the rashes. This was a big problem as I love running and sports in general,” Ellie said.

“My skin had reached breaking point. I was suffering from stress and anxiety and every day felt like a challenge to calm my skin.” Ellie’s doctor ordered a RAST test for her, which revealed that she had external allergies to cats, dogs, dust mites and grass.

“At first, my GP just gave me cream. It wasn’t until I broke down in the surgery and showed him the symptoms on my chest and stomach that he put me on the dermatologist’s waiting list.”

The dermatologist was not able to find a solution to Ellie’s condition and avoiding her allergies did not alleviate the hives either. Suspecting that her diet may be the root cause, Ellie did more research online and stumbled across YorkTest Laboratories’ food intolerance* testing.

The YorkTest Food Intolerance* Test involves a simple finger prick blood test which is posted back to the company’s laboratory to be analysed for IgG antibody reactions to over 200 food and drink ingredients.

The test found that Ellie was intolerant to cow’s milk, wheat, cashew nuts, gluten, beef and lamb. The challenge was then to eliminate these ingredients from her diet and replace them with nutritious alternatives, supported by a YorkTest Nutritional Therapist.

“The Customer Care team were excellent. It was so interesting to hear exactly the biology behind how certain trigger foods had affected my body internally.” Within a month of cutting out her “trigger foods”, Ellie saw a “dramatic” difference in her skin. “I was tired at first as I think my body was adapting to the new diet but now my skin is just like a normal person’s. The difference is incredible!”

“I look back at photos from six months ago and I am so thankful that I got tested. Even though I miss foods like chocolate, I am thankful on a daily basis that I can wake up itch-free, run, work and enjoy my life.”

“I feel like I have been saved. I am hugely relieved that I took the YorkTest. It changed my life in many ways.”

Our Nutritional Therapist, Sarah, helped Ellie to optimise her diet