5Strands Food & Environmental Intolerances, Deficiency Test, 998 Items Tested, Includes 4 Tests for Adults & Kids - Food, Environment, Nutrition & Metals Imbalance Test, Results in 5 Days

5Strands is great- not only are the test results clear and easy to understand, butt if you do have any questions they answer them promptly and clearly. I would recommend them to anyone wanting testing!

I did this for me and my kids and for me personally it has helped a lot to reduce inflammation by cutting out some top inflammatory items from my diet. I haven't figured some of the others out or how to reduce them but this was an eye-opening test and I feel a little better knowing what causes inflammation in my kids too.The next question is accuracy. It was different than another test I did for the similar purpose I.e the results were slightly different. But I like this one a little better because it was more comprehensive. Some things I can't avoid like for example if you have a cat and are intolerant to cat saliva or cat dander.It seems strange to me to have had a cat for so many years and then suddenly this is telling me there's some kind of reaction to it. I would have thought that I noticed by now. Anyway there's just a level of skepticism that I continue to have with this but some things I have noticed do make a positive difference to eliminate from my diet.

This test basically told me 95% of what I eat is a severe problem... I find that very hard to believe, especially since I don't have any major issues. Others mentioned the same thing and all wonder what we are supposed to eat... They send you a copy of the foods in alpha order. They provide a much better doc on the site grouping red, yellow, green and gray food so you can easily see what to eat or what not to eat - BUT YOU CAN'T PRINT IT! The discussion section is mainly people asking questions - not answers. It takes you awhile to even figure out how to contact anyone with a question - and then they do not answer. Also they want you to spend another $225 per hour for someone to explain the results. 4 years ago a doctor suggested I might have a food allergy since my stomach hurt. I actually solved that by eating less food at 1 time. Since I just discovered a test like this I figured I would try this to see if it might be helpful for my body if I avoided a couple of foods. Again, I do not have any issues at this time, or for years, but thought this might be helpful to uncover a food my body might disagree with to make my body as healthy as possible. Instead the results this company sent me shows I am extreme sensitive to 95% of the healthy whole foods I have eaten all my life - like broccoli, blueberries, salmon. Who has ever heard of sensitivity to those foods? I am very disappointed...Update: I finally received a response. No their color ordered report can NOT be printed. How can you not be able to print a report you paid $200 for?! I asked how I can be severely sensitive to peanuts but have zero sensitivity to peanut butter? Both are roasted. Peanut butter is simply ground. I received a response about carrots...? I also looked up food sensitivity by hair and there are no results showing this works. I wish I would have looked this up before... Unfortunately I was convinced to try this by some reviews - that I seriously doubt now. Do your research. Don't waste your money. If you truly have an issue, see a doctor.

This says I have intolerance to the primary foods I my diet. I'm on a 90% animal based diet. Perhaps I have high levels of these foods in my system it thinks I cannot digest them properly.

Product arrived as expected an all instructions were very detailed in how to properly use and return it back for results. Received results in less than 5 days, an answered many questions I had with different foods. Highly recommend this product.

We ordered these tests for our 83 year old mother with some chronic but moderate health issues looking for some possible insight into causation. I don’t regret the purchase, but the information is overwhelming, sometimes confusing and could be presented more clearly.My suggestions to the company are as follows:1. Format the results differently. All items tested for should be listed. Then, simply highlight the items that tested for levels 1-3 in different colors. That way, your customers could clearly see what they CAN and maybe should not consume. I had to do this independently for our mother to help her see that there are items she can still eat and drink since looking at the results as presented make one think they are intolerant to basically everything.2. Define items most people are not familiar with. It takes HOURS upon hours to look up things like. E 239 Hexamthylene-tetramine, Carboxymethylcellulose, or Sodium orthophenylphenate. The majority of items tested for are listed with scientific names and the general population have no idea what those are. It is a simple fix. For instance, under E 123 Amaranth, simple put in parenthesis (Red food coloring #2).3. Clarify seemingly conflicting results. One example, Alcohol is listed as level three, but beer, gin, red wine (they don’t test for white), tequila, vodka and whiskey are not level 3. I called for clarification, but that didn’t really help. Similarly, shellfish is listed under level 3, but clams, crab, crayfish, lobster, prawns, etc. are not. I find that confusing.We ordered the Deluxe Package and for about $150. It is somewhat interesting, but not something I think we’ll “hang out hat” on. My husband and I have had actual allergy testing done (blood work through our doctor) and found that information more helpful. Keep in mind though those tests are expensive. This is an interesting and reasonably priced option.I do give high marks to the company. They respond to emails quickly and the results arrived in a short time.