Coincidence?

[KatherineM_PBC]

I joined this site as I am Hypothyroid and have PBC. I read that 'eating gluten was like throwing fuel on the fire of auto immune disease' and asked my Gastro if he would support me going gluten free which he did. 4 months in I was feeling well, having also cut out a lot of processed food, eating more fresh, getting to the gym twice a week, I was losing a few pounds and my liver function tests returned to normal.....yippee. Then in Feb this year I had the onset of migraines which have plagued me weekly since....I am exploring every avenue to see what might me causing them, but my question is........is this just a coincidence or could there be any possible link with the onset migraines and me changing to a gluten free diet?? It seems bizarre but has anyone else on here experienced this?

[Frodo]

My migraines improved quite a lot after going GF. But they are still weekly (were daily) and vary from bearable to very severe.

I think they can be associated with thyroid issues, so it may just be that, but also there are other foods that can have a similar effect to gluten, GF oats can affect some people, and dairy too.

A possibility is that a lot of wheat based products are fortified with folic acid, so you may be getting less of that and possibly B vits in general. Folic acid also helps the body use B12 and a shortage of either or both of these can trigger headache/migraine.

Not sure what PBC is? Probably really obvious!

[KatherineM_PBC in reply to Frodo]

Hi Frodo. That's odd as oats are naturally gluten free - its just the in the factories / production process they become contaminated. I have read that the whole oat/wheat production industry is a scandal and that crops are sprayed with, not only just pesticides, but Roundup (weedkiller) a few weeks before harvesting as it makes the crop come away easier. More and more people are becoming wheat and gluten intolerant and it's no surprise when you know what they are doing to this natural food before we consume it!

I paid to see a private Endocrinologist to discuss if thyroid levels could be affecting me, lots of tests later he said my meds were on track and gave me a course of VitB12 injections but I didn't feel any different after them!

[Frodo in reply to KatherineM_PBC]

Re oats "A more complex condition affects individuals who have gluten-sensitive enteropathy in which there is also a response to avenin, the glutinous protein in oats similar to the gluten within wheat."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oat_s...