Emma Lea

“I feel incredibly empowered and in control of my own body for the first time in my life”

• 24-year-old Emma Lea suffered from a range of problematic symptoms, including eczema on her legs, fingers and face, irritable moods and digestive issues, such as bloating
• The project coordinator was unable to feel confident and couldn’t socialise in fear of how her stomach was going to react
• Emma heard about YorkTest through her partner and, after vomiting at work and suffering constant stomach aches, she decided to take a YorkTest food intolerance* programme
• Her test results revealed she was intolerant to yeast, egg white, sesame seed, coffee, and gluten amongst other trigger foods
• After 2 weeks of dietary changes, Emma is now able to comfortably be herself and feels “empowered” and “in control” of her body

24-year-old Emma Lea had suffered from a range of problematic symptoms, starting when she was only a child. “I’ve had eczema my whole life and stomach issues all my adult life,” Emma says.

The project coordinator suffered from eczema on her legs, fingers and face along with irritated lips. “As a child, I was given every cream/ointment/medicine under the sun for the eczema on my finger and, as they had no idea what it was, nothing worked. I have been using a very strong steroid ointment on it (and my lips) for 10 years,” Emma explains.

Going into adulthood, she began to experience IBS-type symptoms, including bloating, diarrhoea, and trapped wind along with an irritable mood, feeling as if she was constantly hungover. “I felt very self-conscious of my skin issues and was unable to wear makeup. My bloating made me feel irritable as my clothes didn’t fit right,” Emma recalls.

Her wide-ranging symptoms left her to unable to feel confident in her own skin. “I was unable to socialise, unable to walk far or be active with my stomach aches and bloating. I would worry about social events after work as I didn’t know what state my stomach would be in” she explains.

Emma had previously tried to make dietary changes herself but didn’t know where to start. “I started to cut out gluten and dairy after realising that it was affecting my skin, gut and mood”. Emma explains she didn’t 100% commit to her diet, “so all of my symptoms got worse,” she says.

The project coordinator heard about YorkTest through her partner and decided to take the next step after vomiting regularly at work, along with suffering from constant stomach aches and bloating.

YorkTest offers a fast track elimination diet by analysing IgG reactions to over 200 food and drink ingredients. The Food Intolerance Test, which involves sending a finger prick sample to the company’s laboratories, revealed that Emma was intolerant to yeast, gluten, egg white, coffee, sesame seeds and crustacean mix.

The next step for Emma was to cut out her trigger foods and monitor any changes to her symptoms. “The improvements happened within 2 weeks. My skin and gut issues literally disappeared. My mood improved and so did my cognitive function,” Emma states.

The full programme provides up to two consultations with one of our registered nutritional therapists and additional content material to ensure that foods removed from the diet are replaced with foods that are equally nutritious. “I found the consultation incredibly helpful. I could not have done it without their help. They provided me with yeast-free snacks and wine advice,” the 24-year-old mentions.

If Emma indulges in her trigger foods, she finds that her skin flares up and her digestive issues return. “Now I know what foods are safe, it’s fine. It’s hard eating out, but I prep a lot of my own food. I honestly don’t mind as my skin and gut issues are under control,” Emma says.

“I feel incredibly empowered and in control of my own body for the first time in my life”.

Jackie Lynch helped Emma to optimise her diet effectively and safely.