# will someone explain what leap is?



## ronr (Apr 3, 2003)

i been reading on here about leap but what is it anyway?..i went to the web site but i really dont fully understand it.where do you go to take the leap test?.what is RAFANI-PLUS?does this stuff help with diarrhea at all?where is this leap place located overseas someplace?anyone here tryed rafani-p?anyone?


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## kac123 (Aug 2, 2002)

Hi Ronr, There are some very strong supporters of LEAP around and i'm sure they'll show up soon and can answer your questions. you may also want to do a search in this forum for LEAP - i just typed it in and there are pages of good explanations about it. Good luck!


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## bonniei (Jan 25, 2001)

The main person who knows about it is Mike. from what I have gathered about it it mainly helps IBS-D sufferers. Mike usually doesn't post in the other forums so I guess it doesn't help gas and other sufferers much. Anyway I am sure Mike will be by to answer your questions.


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Ronr,Very basically, the LEAP program is several 'tests' to find out which foods and other substances your immune system doesn't like.First, they take your blood and do a lab test with about 150 different substances to see which ones your body reacts to and to what degree. This weeds out about 95% of the foods you shouldn't eat. Then they put together a diet where you start with your 'safe' foods and add in various foods over time. This lets you find those reactive foods that the blood test might miss. The diet also shows you how to rotate the foods in your diet so you don't always eat the same thing all the time and develop new sensitivities.The lab itself is in West Palm Beach, Florida and the blood is usually drawn at your home or at your doctors office by a medical professional. They also do what is necessary to get the blood sample overnighted to the lab. For me, starting the LEAP program is the best thing that I've ever done to reduce my IBS-D symptoms. I've had IBS-D for 30 years now and have been to more doctors than I care to admit to. None of them ever touched on my diet. They put cameras up me and barium in me and said there was nothing wrong and gave me lots of drugs to reduce the symptoms. I used to take Imodium and Rolaids in large quantities. Still, I could not figure out what was causing the D-attacks that would last from 3 days to 2 weeks. I'm not talking about pooping a couple of times and then it's over. I'm talking about being bent over in pain and not being able to get off the throne for an hour and always feeling as if someone took a bottle brush to my insides -- then a 10 minute break and start all over. I'm talking about stopping every couple of miles at McDonalds, Burger King, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and not buying anything, just using their toilet. The backaches I used to get weren't backaches after all, they probably were my guts all inflamed and irritated. The difference is phenominal! I expected a small improvement --- I got a major improvement. Sometimes I don't stick exactly to the diet and eat some foods I really shouldn't and I pay for it, but not nearly as bad as before. At least I know what foods will affect me and I can plan for it. Some of my reactive foods that I never would have found by myself are corn (corn, corn meal, corn syrup, corn oil), cows milk, cane sugar, sodium benzoate (a preservative in just about any packaged soda or juice), cherries, mushrooms, onion (used as a seasoning in most restaurant food and many prepared foods), and garlic (also in lots of prepared foods). I make most of my own meals now so I can avoid these offending substances. How would I have ever found corn by myself? I never would have thought about corn syrup and corn meal. How about onion? Not just onion slices on a hamburger but used as a seasoning in many foods I was eating. With just the corn and onion and it's no wonder I felt 'crappy'. Almost everything I was eating had one of these two ingredients in it. Many people on this board ask about this-food-or-that-food. We are all different. What's good for me can be bad for you. Something you can eat in large quantities can put me on the throne for an entire day with just a very small amount. How do you know what your body reacts to unless you are tested? Normal people have no trouble with most foods. Those of us with IBS-D probably are very sensitive to many more foods than normal people.My advice? Spend the bucks and get tested. It's the best money you'll ever spend!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Mike's been working on another project and doesn't get here as often as he used to. I don't either, but I still miss him.














I think those other things on the site are supplements they've found to be helpful to their clients, but like Bobby says the first thing you should do is get the blood test. Call 1-888-NOW-LEAP and they'll tell you how to arrange to have the blood taken by your doctor and sent to them. I think insurance usually covers it, if you have any. Mike helped me find and manage my food sensitivities on this board and it's made a huge difference for me, too. I didn't have D so much as pain and bloating.


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Maybe this link will help explain LEAP? http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000285


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

This discussion, excerpted from an explanation to another about lost oral tolerance in IBS versus actual food allergy, and what a LEAP Disease Management Program is, may help clarify.Sorry to miss so much lately but just came back from a 10 day trip out to Dallas, training new physician consultants...again clippedf rom another discussion: _______________________________________"WINTERY MAD...The problem you are experiencing is that, contrary to what is often said about abnormal reactions to foods or chemicals in food intolerant people, the assay of specific immunoglobulins like IgE or IgG[x] does not correlate well with the actual sum of food intolerances experienced by IBS victims.This is because research has clearly shown, sometimes by direct jeunal isolation and challenge(!) that the provoking foods are not accompanied by the presecne of circulating antibodies to the foods responsible.Rats.So, we have (2) problems that some immunlogists observed long ago. One is what I just told you and the other is that even in those cases where a specific antibody against a food is found in the blood, there are many times when this does not indicate actual allergic reaction to that food when challenge test is done.Ohm thirdly, when it IS positive (confirmatory oral challenge) we are still only looking at one or two of the many known pathways to abnormal reactions to foods to which we should not react.there are half a dozen other mechanisms by which a patient can suffer food-induced including immunocyte-driven mechanisms which have no need of specific antibody in blood for a reaction to occur.This is the first difference between a RAST or ELISA food test...the test upon which LEAP Disease Managment Programs are based (MRT) checks for the common end point of all possible cellular reactions. No matter what the pathway the end game is the same...one or more types of white blood cells go through one or more types of reactions al of which result in the release from those cells of the chemicals (mediators) which lead to symptoms.healthy people tolerate foods and have immune mechanisms which accurate;y tell the difference between safe (food) and not safe (pathogens). Many IBS patients, for one reason or another, have a gut-immune interface which cannot do this reliably. There are multiple ways by which this fucntion can be compromised, but they all end up in the same place...chemicala re relased that should not be.So the test doen with the LEAP program checks for that. Then there is a dietary protocol which was also carefully developed to isolate OTHER FORMS of food intolerance which NO SINGLE BLOOD TEST ON EARTH at this time can detect...these include false food allergy (pseudoallergy)mechanisms and deficincies in enzyme processing of certain foods, an other more "esoteric" causes of abnormal processing of food in the gut which can lead to symptoms.This is why this is a PROGRAM not a test. The PROGRAM for IBS people who can benefit (there is a specific population which can benefit, and which can be identified by symptoms and history before any cost is incurred) not only inlcudes this testing and then structured phased dietary plan for isolating other intolerancews, but a proven stress and anxiety reduction program on CD for the patient to use in conjunctio with the dietary planning.Hope that makes sense...LEAP is a DM Program for managing IBS symptoms, based on several tools one of which is the MRT assay. remember no "blood test" ever solved anything. BUT if you understand the information they yield, and the info is applicable, you can do a better job of devising a plan for each specific patient which will provide significant help.for example:____________________________From Bob http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000427#000015 "I'm a relative newbie to the LEAP program having had my blood drawn on April 15th (tax day) of this year. That makes it about 3 months on the program so far. Let me say that I didn't expect a great improvement ... some improvement but nothing major. I had expected to feel a bit better and hoped to reduce the medications I was taking. I had figured that if my symptoms were reduced about 20% to 30% I would be satisfied. However, I had no idea how much of a change the program would provide.The results have been nothing short of amazing! It is the best [money] I've ever spent. After suffering about 30 years with IBS-D I've finally found major relief. My drug intake is reduced about 97% (Imodium and Bentyl). I rarely get 'digestive disturbances' any more and when they happen I can easily pinpoint the foods that caused it. I don't get the squirts for a week at a time anymore. Now that I know exactly what foods to avoid life is much more pleasant. I don't live from toilet-to-toilet like I used to. I'm still not like a 'normal' non-IBS-D person, but I'm doing so much better than I had been doing for many years. My recommendation: If you've got IBS-D go to the LEAP website and fill out the qualification form to see if they feel you will benefit from their program. If so, do it! It doesn't matter if insurance will pay for it or not, just find a way to get the test done. Your health and quality-of-life are worth much more than the cost of this test. " ____________________________Bobs son also went into the program and benefitted greatly.and____________________________Posted 4.9.03 by Bob: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...=4;t=000285;p=7 ï¿½Well, it's coming up on a year since I started the LEAP program and things are still going fine. This is absolutely the BEST thing I've done for my health and quality of life. To be honest, I have not followed the diet exactly. Sometimes I just can't resist and eat foods I really shouldn't and then I pay for it, but not nearly as bad as I used to 'pre-LEAP'. I know what I can and can't eat and, best of all, which 'offending' foods I can tolerate in small amounts. If I overdo it I suffer a bit for a day or so, but at least I can predict when and how severe the reaction will be. That's the beauty of the LEAP program -- with it I've been able to classify essentially everything I would eat into "yes", "no", or "just a little". My drug intake is almost nil. A box of Imodium lasts a year. I've had maybe 10 Rolaids tablets in the past year. This is significant because I used to buy these drugs at Costco in large quantities. Maybe that's why drug stocks are dropping this year, because I'm not buying pills in mass quantities anymore!Mike, my son Bobby is also doing fine. Sometimes he does the same stupid things I do and eats something he shouldn't and then he pays for it. Since being tested last year he has not had any vomiting attacks and only gets the squirts when he doesn't eat properly. He's 18 and on his own and is a taxpaying citizen. He couldn't have done it if he was still having his guts exploding at random. Thanks to LEAP he won't have to spend years going to doctors and taking all kinds of pills like I did. It's amazing what happens when you eat foods your body tolerates and eliminate those that it hates. I never would have been able to find all my reactive foods without the LEAP test (god knows I tried for many years). I hope all my fellow 'LEAPers' are doing as well as my son and I have. ï¿½ From: Winter Springs, FL USA | Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged | ____________________________January 20, 2003To Whom It May Concern,I have been asked to comment regarding my experience with the L.E.A.P. (Lifestyle, Eating and Performance) Program. We have been performing these tests for well over a year now and have had phenomenal results.Our most impressive results have come with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, though we have had very impressive results as well with other conditions such as migraine, depression, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.Our experience has been a 95% or better success rate, in that this percentage of persons have either become completely symptom free or have improved in their symptomology. Reimbursement is excellent and easily obtained from private insurance companies. Signet Laboratories has been very easy to work with and are very aggressive about keeping us well stocked on supplies for these tests. Overall, our experience has been a tremendous success and I would highly recommend it to any physician who deals with any of these problems.Sincerely,W. Brad Wilson, M.D.(Texas) http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=5;t=000407 ___________________________ http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000407#000002 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...=4;t=000286;p=4 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...0286;p=3#000106 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000364 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...=4&DaysPrune=30 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000286 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000285 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000331#000001 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000302 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000287 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000364 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...f=5&t=000313&p= http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...0293;p=2#000069 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000276 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=5;t=000073 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...f=5&t=000356&p= http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000320#000016 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000383#000010 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...f=5&t=000126&p= http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...c;f=17;t=000033 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000363#000002 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=028290#000001 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000335#000009 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...f=1&t=028290&p= http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000353 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000389 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000427#000006 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000421 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=000427#000015 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=030178#000003 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000476 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...t=029840#000027 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000478 http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000488 (OHNOMETOO One year anniversary) http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=4;t=000478 http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...=4;t=000285;p=7 ______________________________These books may also be helpfulIBS: A DOCTORS PLAN FOR CHRONIC DIGESTIVE TROUBLESBy Gerard Guillory, M.D.; Vanessa Ameen, M.D.; Paul Donovan, M.D.; Jack Martin, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/088...3369143-6824157 ï¿½FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICTION AND TREATMENTï¿½, Professor Jonathan Brostoff , M.D.. Allergy, Immunology and Environmental Medicine, Kingsï¿½ College, London http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089...6487508-3420903 Gotta run...MNL-------------------- http://www.ibsgroup.org/cgi-local/ubbcgi/u...=1;DaysPrune=30 SYSTEMIC SYMPTOMS EXPLAINED"


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