Hi everyone wanted to share something with u all that might help.

[Dmb1]

Iv been suffering from the gruesome itch for a few months now x when I first got it I read on here how other people were cutting certain foods from their diet so I experimented a bit myself x came to the conclusion that chocolate was making it worse. I would eat quite a lot of chocolate biscuits through the day x when I stopped I found the itch stopped as well but during that time I was put on rifampicin x I put it down to that "curing" me of my itch. So over Xmas I got stuck into the quality st, the roses, u name it I was eating it. Then on new yrs eve the itch started even with the rifampicin x it was there until I stopped eating the chocolate again. I was at my gp last week x got the strangest look from her when I mentioned it x she said no that wouldn't b the case. 3 days later I was with my consultant x another doc in the hospital x my consultant laughed x told me that if it made me happy then it would do me no harm! So today I was on the pbcers.org website x came across a part that said that we need to keep foods containing high amounts of copper from our diet x the 3 foods with the highest levels were shellfish, oysters x tho x behold..... Chocolate! Us think the docs would be clued up on this info wouldn't u? So as much as it pains me to say this, it'll be no more chocolate for me

[fruitbat1]

Totally agree - chocolate also makes me itch. I cut it out a few years ago and have never looked back. I find if I keep my diet very alkaline with lots of fruits and vegies and no meat, grains, dairy etc that I have zero symptoms and my energy soars.

[melaleuca in reply to fruitbat1]

Same here. I looked up a list of alkaline foods on the internet and mostly stick to those. I'm able to control reflux that way. I do eat a bit of cheese and have oatmeal for breakfast. I hardly have any itching

[fruitbat1 in reply to melaleuca]

Ditto, regarding the reflux. As long as I stay low-fat vegan and high raw I don't get any reflux or IBS.

[Hidden]

Hello Dmb1.

It seems that certain foods that someone feels they cannot tolerate, others don't seem to have much of a problem.

Prior to diagnosis of PBC (Dec 2010) I wasn't a big chocolate fan anyway - odd time I might eat out and have a dessert following meal, I'd always go for something fruit as opposed to choc cakes, etc., prob due to the fact I've not got that much of a sweet tooth. I can't say that I have experienced any difference myself with regards to chocolate but saying this I put it down to the fact that chocolate is high in fat and it could be the fat content that is causing the itch to erupt much more significantly as the more fat we consume the more bile we need (and the itch is thought to be from bile salts that come from used bile. My theory is that these bile salts travelling back in the bloodstream to the liver leek out and react with the tiny nerve endings that then causes that itch.

(I have itched since 2010, that is what took me to see a GP. Since taking urso Dec 2010 the itch has subsided somewhat and I tend to feel it in the evening and some nights I find I can't sleep due to feeling prickly with it, my legs below the knees and my feet normally.)

Chocolate as I have read can be with a mercury content apparently. Copper I have also heard about. (Prior to diagnosis and having the AMA test later 2010, I did have a blood check for copper, that was normal as some patients with abnormal LFTs can have high levels of copper that are the cause of Wilson's Disease.)

I occasionally throw some cocoa powder into some of the instant porridge for breakfast. Cocoa apparently has a good iron content.

I think we probably could all find things that can perhaps alleviate the itch somewhat. I've spent the last 3yrs myself trying to figure out how to perhaps almost eradicate my itch but to no avail really. Some days I might feel I shouldn't have eat such and such and then I get a surprise at night and I'm quite ok, hardly any itch and then other days when I feel I've been controlled I don't feel as good.

I often think the days when we are relatively itch-free it was more likely a day where we had our food intake on a good balance with bile distribution in the system.

My diet is pretty good, was prior to 2010 but hopefully one day some 'expert' will come up with a diet sheet that perhaps gives someone with PBC (or other liver conditions that also cause the itch) an advantage over this itch.

[Dmb1]

Would've been better if it was something like liver or squid ...... But no it would have to be CHOCOLATE! Lol

[barclay12]

I'm going to try this. I am so itchie at the moment. I'm on all sorts of medication. I'm particularly bad at the moment

Thank you

Michelle

[SC49]

oh god no... not chocolate!!!!!!????

I don't suffer too badly with itchiness thankfully but when it comes on, it comes on with a vengeance. i haven't noticed any correlation between itchiness and chocolate consumption but i will definitely make a mental note for the next few weeks. i will not be a happy bunny if the chocolate has to go

[Jackie71]

I hadn't put the itch down to chocolate but when I have too many sweet things back it comes, if I watch my diet no itch. Like you both GP and consultant didn't agree but then they don't have PBC do they. At the end of the day I think it is that our liver can't clear the toxins fast enough and they build up and hence the itch.

[Hidden in reply to Jackie71]

Just an after-thought (even if a few days later than my last reply on this subject..), could it possibly be that it is sugar that is the actual culprit here with regards to itching and not exactly the chocolate? Or it could be the fat consumption with regards to chocolate?

[Sunny_snowflake]

Hi!

I don't eat any products that include added sugar. If I want to treat myself, I take the blender and mix togeteher one or half of banana, fat-free milk or fat-free buttermilk and fresh fruits or berries, as we have lots of them in our forest here in Finland, or in winter time I take them out of freezer.

I started my sugar and high carbohydrate free diet before the christmas, and when the christamas started, I ate everything and started feel again much more tired. So, I'm back on my healthy lifestyle.

[Hidden in reply to Sunny_snowflake]

Hello Sunny_snowflake.

I will second that on your mixing a banana milkshake as I often do this. I also make banana sandwiches for lunch sometimes.

My 4 year old granddaughter was diagnosed as insulin-dependent diabetic when she was only 3 (her dad was diagnosed the same when he was 14) and I've found out some interesting things as my granddaughter has to be watched for what she eats and drinks now.

Oddly enough bananas have a high carbohydrate content. A lot of people assume that because something is natural with its own sugar (eg fructose) it's actually a good thing. I was the same myself prior to finding out more about carbs than I ever knew. Even milk is only something that can be consumed in a quantity at a certain time (ie breakfast). Oddly enough I have just had a glance at the different types of milk and interestingly just found out that there is a higher carb content in skimmed than there is in semi-skimmed (I buy for cereals and making custard. I use skimmed in tea/coffee). It is just the fat content that varies between the milk varieties. Also skimmed milk again which I wasn't aware of has very little fat soluble vitamins (Vits A and D for eg) than semi or full-fat milk.

The link to the Dairy council page with nutritional comparisons is here:-

milk.co.uk/page.aspx?intpag...

I do not add sugar to cereals, coffee, tea, etc and don't overly-eat chocolate or sweet things so for me I have no real interest in removing sugar. I do eat a lot of fruit and vegetables however. The one thing I will not consume (though that isn't wholly possible if you go out to a restaurant, with family, etc), that is artificial sweeteners. I think saccharin and the new aspartame that replaced a lot of saccharin use is something that wouldn't be overly-good with PBC (that's my opinion tho').

The good thing about natural sugars in fruit is that it a slow-release energy form which is far better than the instant sugar fix.

What I am trying to say is that when you start checking up on nutrients, etc., it can be quite complex.

[Dmb1]

Looks like the easter bunny will be leaving out quite a few houses this year :'(. So many of you are so good at healthy eating wish I was like that xx

[Hidden in reply to Dmb1]

I doubt it Dmb1. I think a little of what you fancy is the way to go here..... I do.

[Pat_H]

Hi DMB1

I agree with you. I gave up eating chocolate some time ago, but, over Chrismas forgot and gave way to some Thorntons chocolates. Always my favourites! And, yes, I paid for it. I always itch, but the itching increased exponentially. Now back to my normal level of itching.

Pat_H

[Knackeredknowle]

I'm certainly going to give it a try. Night times are worse for me, as if I've got nits (more under my scalp)

Drives me crazy.

Thank you for sharing!

Appreciate.

Maxi xx