Gluten free relief?

[blondie2505]

Has anyone else benefitted from going gluten free with symptoms?.

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

Yes, My IBS symptoms disappeared. I also cut down on dairy and sugar. I used to get allergic lumps on my body and they disappeared.

[ahousefull]

Relief from IBS was fairly fast. I initially GAINED weight when I stopped gluten (and no, I wasn't eating a load of GF products) - I guess this is because my food wasn't running through me so fast? I didn't feel more energetic until I switched from Levo to NDT (I have hashimoto's) some 6 weeks later however.

If I have gluten by accident it upsets my tummy very quickly and I feel unwell for days.

[fbirder]

My neurologist suspects that my neuro problems may be caused by gluten. I pooh-poohed the idea because I eat lots of bread and it doesn't give me nasty gut problems. I found out from here that it's possible to have neurological effects without the GI effects. So I decided to give GF a try two weeks ago while I wait for my antibody results.

The strange thing is - I only realised yesterday that it's been 12 days since my last B12 jab, which I normally need once a week.

[fbirder in reply to fbirder]

Spoke too soon. I felt very knackered after doing yesterday's dinner. Forgot all about it this morning and took the dogs for a walk. Only 2 km but all the familiar symptoms (extreme fatigue, pain in neck/shoulders, wooshing tinnitus) came rushing back.

Going for a jab and an afternoon in bed. Won't be trying a fortnight off the juice again for a while.

[Polaris]

I've been gluten free for about a year Blondie. All long standing symptoms of gastritis, H/pylori, IBS, reflux, etc. virtually disappeared on this protocol plus daily spoonfuls of sauerkraut bought from health food shop.

You probably already know that researchers believe leaky gut/intestinal malabsorption is the source of autoimmune disease and a gluten free diet can help or prevent further damage to the little brushes (microvilli) that line our digestive systems and enable us to absorb essential nutrients, including B12 .

Dr Datis Kharrizian also believes a g/f diet can avoid or prevent further damage to a vulnerable thyroid, which may explain why so many of us on this site have Hashimoto's as well as PA/B12 deficiency.

[srmika]

I, too, have gone gluten free and it has cured my stomach problems and anxiety. It's kind of amazing. I made the mistake of eating some birthday cake recently (but hey, it's my 40th birthday, I should celebrate, right?!) and proved to myself that it is indeed the cause of those woes -- woke up in the night with horrible bloating, stomach pain, and anxiety. I'm a firm believer that staying away from the stuff is improving my gut health.

If you're interested, there are also several books about this topic. I'm only now getting my energy back from loading doses so haven't been able to read these yet, but they come highly recommended from friends who have struggled with similar issues:

GAPS diet: amazon.com/Psychology-Syndr...

Grain Brain: amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surp...

Wheat Belly: amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose...

Best of luck to you!

[Polaris in reply to srmika]

Excellent books on the subject are also Dr Datis Kharrizian's, "Why do I still have Thyroid Symptoms, when my Lab Tests are normal" and, "Why isn't my Brain Working".

[blondie2505 in reply to Polaris]

I have bought the why isn't my brain working it's an excellent read it was what's prompted me to go gluten free...my anxiety I'd better ortho I have accidentally eaten it a few times so progress is slow.

[Polaris in reply to blondie2505]

🤗 I hope everything gets better for you soon blondie. I can't ever remember being so excited by a book 😀

[fbirder]

I was recommended Wheat Belly by a nurse. When she asked what I thought of it I replied that it was one of the biggest piles of unscientific poo I'd ever encountered. Just one comment from a Professor at McGill University-

Davis’ argument for wheat causing osteoporosis is equally ridiculous. He describes how wheat can give rise to sulphuric acid when it is metabolized. This is indeed correct. One of the amino acids in wheat protein, cysteine, does end up releasing some sulphuric acid when it is metabolized. And the body does use phosphates from bone to neutralize excess acid. But the amount of acid released into the bloodstream from wheat is trivial. Still Davis calls it an “overwhelmingly potent acid” that rapidly overcomes the neutralizing effects of alkaline bases. Poppycock. That though, isn’t the worst of it. Davis panics readers with totally irrelevant statements about putting sulphuric acid causing burns if spilled on skin. Get it in your eyes and you will go blind. True, but what does that have to do with traces formed in the blood from cysteine? Sulphuric acid in acid rain erodes monuments, kills trees and plants, Davis informs us. Yes it does. But linking this to eating wheat is an example of mental erosion.

[srmika in reply to fbirder]

This is good to know, thank you! I'll proceed with a skeptical eye when browsing that tome.

[Hidden]

Yes. I was worried that my si B12 only seemed to last a couple of days ( posted here a few weeks ago)

I've had problems with gluten in the past, gave it up for a few years and seemed OK when I stated eating bread etc again.

Stopped all gluten only about 2 weeks ago and noticed an improvement in days. Injections now lasting a week and I'm hoping to cut down further.

[JudithML]

I went gluten and dairy free over four years ago following Prof Terry Wahls of the University of Iowa Medical School. I am hugely improved in symptoms and energy though still get physically tired well before B12 is due, but can cope with help of sublingual B12 tablets. People often remark how well I am looking.

Prof Wahls diet is best explained in her short TEDx talk on YouTube. The diet is designed to reduce inflammation throughout the body.

The reason for stopping dairy simultaneously is that milk protein is a very similar shape to wheat gluten (which is wheat protein) and aggravates the same symptoms.

The Wahls diet was formulated for MS. For my Parkinson's, it hasn't progressed since I changed diet, and I dance, do Pilates, and learn new languages.