can someone explain being allergic to gluten?

March 11, 2009

I have a sensitive stomach via why i became vegan and started to stray away from

gluten. However, im not sure that is what is causing my stomach problems. The

stomach achs i get are usually ones every couple months and last all night long

from 7p to 7a and i can stop moving nor fall asleep. Can anyone help?

chelsey

March 11, 2009

Hi Chelsey, A complete food diary is probably the first place to

start. Keep track of everything that goes down the pipes, including

herbs and spices, teas, etc. And keep in mind that reactions can come

from foods eaten the day before the symptoms start. If the pains are

that seldom, it could be one little thing. (watch for sodium caseinate,

which reacts like milk in some people) I have one niece who's allergic

to cocoa powder (but not chocolate) and a niece on the other side who's

allergic to artificial cinnamon flavoring. It could wind up being

microbial contamination or environmental such as fragrances, but food

seems the most likely here. Figuring it out brings such a wonderful

feeling of control.

And let us know how you do.

Nancy

chelseylcary wrote:

>

> I have a sensitive stomach via why i became vegan and started to stray

> away from gluten. However, im not sure that is what is causing my

> stomach problems. The stomach achs i get are usually ones every couple

> months and last all night long from 7p to 7a and i can stop moving nor

> fall asleep. Can anyone help?

>

> chelsey

>

> ------

>

> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

> Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.10/1994 - Release 03/10/09

19:51:00

>

March 11, 2009

During those " attacks " are you experiencing intense pain, nausea, diarrhea,

increased body temp, or any other symptoms?

There is a good chance that food is the culprit. You can do an

elimination/challenge diet to identify which foods are are an issue for you.

clevelandclinic.org/services/allergy_testing/hic_elimination_diet_and_\

food_challenge_test.aspx

Other things that could be going on and should be discussed with your doctor

are gallbladder disease, possibly gallstones, or pancreatic insufficiency.

I experienced similar episodes my whole life, which kept getting worse as I

got older. When I was 22 I was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, which

was believed to have resulted from a lifelong pancreatic insufficiency with

recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis which was never diagnosed or

treated. The problem became chronic and I had to be hospitalized after being

given the wrong medication. I thought that was the answer to all my pains

and now that it was in the spot light I can get treatment and feel better.

Wrong! It took years for me to figure out the foods that where making me

sick. You have to be aware that doctors have very little training when it

comes to nutrition. They are taught that yellow pill treats symptom A and

green pill treats symptom B. If your truly believe that foods are the

problem, I would recommend doing the elimination/challenge diet and find a

holistic health practitioner that you can work with on creating a diet plan

that's right for you that includes all the required nutrients. I am a

certified HHP so you can feel free to e-mail me off list. I believe there is

also an ND on this list, who's even more knowledgeable than me on many

things.

For me, gluten, dairy, eggs, green peppers, cabbage, raw onions, or a lot of

fructose will cause me problems. Everybody is different. Keep in mind also

that the symptoms of problem foods can take hours to present or may be

subtle and easily overlooked. Headaches, joint pain, fatigue, blurred

vision, brain fog, rashes or itching can all be reactions to food. If you

experience a sensation like there's something stuck in your throat, that is

a mild anaphalactic shock. You should go to the ER in that case! For anybody

that this may be of interest to, if you or someone near you is in a sever

anaphalactic shock and no epi pen is available, find some hot pepper (the

hotter the better) and place a pinch of it under the tongue. This will not

completely cure it, but it relieves the constriction enough for the person

to breathe until further help can be obtained. I've done this myself a few

times! Yes it burns, but living is worth it!

On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 8:44 AM, chelseylcary <chelseylcarywrote:

> I have a sensitive stomach via why i became vegan and started to stray

> away from gluten. However, im not sure that is what is causing my stomach

> problems. The stomach achs i get are usually ones every couple months and

> last all night long from 7p to 7a and i can stop moving nor fall asleep. Can

> anyone help?

>

> chelsey

>

March 11, 2009

I second this. The top food allergens are:

1. Milk

2. Egg

3. Peanut

4. Tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.)

5. Fish

6. Shellfish

7. Soy

8. Wheat

Presumably you are here because you are vegan, so 1, 2, 5, and 6 are

not things that you are eating anyway. Though as Nancy says, you have

to watch closely for casein and other forms of dairy.

If one of the top 8 is not a problem, or there is still something

bothering you after eliminating them, then I would also look at corn,

nightshades, other legumes, high-fructose fruits, and citrus.

Since you are only having this reaction once in a while, you probably

don't need to do an elimination diet.

Pam

On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 9:10 AM, Nancy Ball <bomag wrote:

> Hi Chelsey, A complete food diary is probably the first place to

> start. Keep track of everything that goes down the pipes, including

> herbs and spices, teas, etc. And keep in mind that reactions can come

> from foods eaten the day before the symptoms start. If the pains are

> that seldom, it could be one little thing. (watch for sodium caseinate,

> which reacts like milk in some people) I have one niece who's allergic

> to cocoa powder (but not chocolate) and a niece on the other side who's

> allergic to artificial cinnamon flavoring. It could wind up being

> microbial contamination or environmental such as fragrances, but food

> seems the most likely here. Figuring it out brings such a wonderful

> feeling of control.

>

> And let us know how you do.

> Nancy

>

> chelseylcary wrote:

>>

>> I have a sensitive stomach via why i became vegan and started to stray

>> away from gluten. However, im not sure that is what is causing my

>> stomach problems. The stomach achs i get are usually ones every couple

>> months and last all night long from 7p to 7a and i can stop moving nor

>> fall asleep. Can anyone help?

>>

>> chelsey

>>

>> -------------------------

>>

>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

>> Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.10/1994 - Release 03/10/09

>> 19:51:00

>>

>

March 11, 2009

I have to say---I completely believe in being proactive about your health

and trying to ascertain what's going on in your own body, but we aren't

doctors on here (or at least, most of us aren't). Have you seen a

doctor---either MD or naturopath---to try to get to the heart of what's

going wrong? Because severe pains that keep you from sleeping every few

months could mean something majorly wrong that none of us could recognize

for what it is.

Sally

On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 12:19 PM, pdw <pdworkman wrote:

> I second this. The top food allergens are:

>

> 1. Milk

> 2. Egg

> 3. Peanut

> 4. Tree nut (walnut, cashew, etc.)

> 5. Fish

> 6. Shellfish

> 7. Soy

> 8. Wheat

>

> Presumably you are here because you are vegan, so 1, 2, 5, and 6 are

> not things that you are eating anyway. Though as Nancy says, you have

> to watch closely for casein and other forms of dairy.

>

> If one of the top 8 is not a problem, or there is still something

> bothering you after eliminating them, then I would also look at corn,

> nightshades, other legumes, high-fructose fruits, and citrus.

>

> Since you are only having this reaction once in a while, you probably

> don't need to do an elimination diet.

>

> Pam

>

> On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 9:10 AM, Nancy Ball

<bomag<bomag%40centurytel.net>>

> wrote:

> > Hi Chelsey, A complete food diary is probably the first place to

> > start. Keep track of everything that goes down the pipes, including

> > herbs and spices, teas, etc. And keep in mind that reactions can come

> > from foods eaten the day before the symptoms start. If the pains are

> > that seldom, it could be one little thing. (watch for sodium caseinate,

> > which reacts like milk in some people) I have one niece who's allergic

> > to cocoa powder (but not chocolate) and a niece on the other side who's

> > allergic to artificial cinnamon flavoring. It could wind up being

> > microbial contamination or environmental such as fragrances, but food

> > seems the most likely here. Figuring it out brings such a wonderful

> > feeling of control.

> >

> > And let us know how you do.

> > Nancy

> >

> > chelseylcary wrote:

> >>

> >> I have a sensitive stomach via why i became vegan and started to stray

> >> away from gluten. However, im not sure that is what is causing my

> >> stomach problems. The stomach achs i get are usually ones every couple

> >> months and last all night long from 7p to 7a and i can stop moving nor

> >> fall asleep. Can anyone help?

> >>

> >> chelsey

> >>

> >> -------------------------

> >>

> >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

> >> Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.10/1994 - Release Date:

> 03/10/09

> >> 19:51:00

> >>

> >

>

--

" This isn't a matter of Republican and Democrat. It's not liberal. It's not

conservative. It's simply common sense. This is a national emergency. . . .

You have to be honest about the way the biosphere works, and we have to move

this country very rapidly in a different direction. " --John Orr

March 12, 2009

If your aware of what foods are triggering a reaction then you can just

eliminate them. Most people are not really sure which food is triggering the

problem. I still think an elimination/challenge diet can be a useful tool

for someone unsure. You probably can easily come up with a list of suspected

foods and only test those foods you suspect. Obviously your not going to

test milk or eggs or anything that you don't normally eat. Casein could be a

hidden problem that only gets into you occasionally. Whey is also milk, so

watch out for that in products too. If you eat nuts and know that you don't

have any nut allergies, check the label because they could be processed on

equipment that processes other products that could be a problem. Same with

other foods, particularly snack foods! This is called cross contamination.

Another thing to consider is your acid/alkaline balance. If your body is too

acidic then problems can occur. Some good info can be found here:

http://www.trans4mind.com/nutrition/pH.html

I'd also recommend probiotics, but again check the labels and many products

have dairy byproducts in them. You've probably seen the activia yogurt

commercials. These are dairy based products so you wouldn't want them, but

they use probiotics in their yogurt to help regulate people and balance the

intestinal bacteria. Vegan probiotics are available and they do work wonders

for most people. http://www.nextag.com/vegan-probiotic/search-html

You could also try antioxidants to boost the immune system as well as reduce

pain and improve overall cell health in your body. Vitamins C & E as well as

selenium are antioxidants. Blueberries, acai berry, most dark red and purple

fruits and veggies are high in antioxidants. This is one of the main reasons

vegetarians live longer! Fruits and vegetables have anti-aging molecules

built in naturally! Dark greens are really good for you too! Don't take

selenium if you have metal allergies or sensitivities as a high dose can

cause respiratory problems or other unpleasant side effects!

Jae