After My Celiac Disease Diagnosis, I Turned to Reishi Mushrooms for Relief

I was diagnosed with celiacs in 2005. I started the diet then with good results , not having colds 8 months the year ,cognitive functions , skin crusties and aces and pains slowly going away. Then in 2018 cognitive functions started to fail me again along with aces and pains. I will try the mushrooms  thanks for this post.

I started eating a lot of mushrooms after seeing they were a great source of selenium, crucial in bone formation/ replenishment, because of stress fractures that would take forever to heal. My doctor said the stress fractures were likely related to the Celiac disease.
Any excuse to eat them works for me, I'll have to find a grocery that stocks these and give them a try.

10 hours ago, Big Hank said:

Any excuse to eat them works for me, I'll have to find a grocery that stocks these and give them a try.

Big Hank, you're not likely to find them in a supermarket.  If anywhere, a big-city Asian market. But even then, they will probably be stashed behind the counter, and you will pay buku bucks.  THEY ARE NOT CHEAP.  

On 10/17/2020 at 4:35 PM, Big Hank said:

I started eating a lot of mushrooms after seeing they were a great source of selenium, crucial in bone formation/ replenishment, because of stress fractures that would take forever to heal. My doctor said the stress fractures were likely related to the Celiac disease.
Any excuse to eat them works for me, I'll have to find a grocery that stocks these and give them a try.

I think it best to heal from celiac disease so that you can absorb the nutrients to help improve your bones.  I have osteoporosis and had fractures 7 years ago just after my diagnosis.  I am good now.  No more fractures.  A gluten free diet and plenty of weight bearing exercise did the trick.  
 

The author of this article was  not even formally diagnosed with celiac disease.  While the mushrooms may have helped her, it is strictly anecdotal.  Those mushrooms can also cause harm.  Please talk to your doctor first.  

Why do you say that the author wasn't diagnosed with celiac disease? The author does say that they found out that they had celiac disease, then went gluten-free, and the diet didn't make her fully recover.

Or that the "mushrooms can also cause harm." They have been used commonly in Asia for centuries, and can be purchased on Amazon or in multiple stores with zero warnings that they can "cause harm":

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WebMD explains the uses and risks, and makes clear that it isn't very likely that they would cause you any lasting harm unless you are allergic to them, but you can read all of that here:

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Of course anyone can be allergic to anything. Being allergic to something like peanuts or mushrooms doesn't mean they are harmful, it means they are only harmful to the small minority who are allergic.

If you don't know anything about this topic, why comment on it at all? Why try to make people afraid of a mushroom that has been eaten for centuries and shown to have very positive effects on those who have tried it, and where "There is some scientific evidence of its effectiveness, including lab research and some small human studies"?

The author was never diagnosed with celiac disease based on her own admission I found  on her earlier January 2020 posts: 

“Hi - found out I had celiac disease almost a year ago (but think I’ve had it for about a year and a half). My blood test came back negative but I hadn’t eaten ANYTHING four days prior cause my body was rejecting it. I didn’t do the endoscopy at the time because I wasn’t informed enough. I had to pretty much find out on my own I had it, because no doctors would believe me cause of my negative blood test.”

and...

“That’s been my thought this whole time but no nutritionists or celiac specialists will bother talking to me unless I have the diagnosis... it’s really tough because it’s taking me a long time to recover and I don’t have anyone to talk to... I know there could possibly be scarring on my intestines so hopefully they’ll see any of that??”

It certainly sounds like Kansas Bowling could have celiac disease.  She has been on the gluten free diet and has improved.  But she probably should not declare herself as having celiac disease.  This could be misleading.  My heart goes out to those who struggle to get a diagnosis.  I was misdiagnosed for decades like so many of Celiac.com members, but when you write an article it should be truthful.   I am glad that Kansas  has improved her health.  

I said that the author gave anecdotal advice.  I also gave anecdotal advice when I responded to comment made about the article concerning fractures and celiac disease.   I shared  my own experiences of osteoporosis/fractures  and celiac disease.  
 

You are correct in that I know little about mushrooms.  I did do a quick search before I made my comment about risks.  Of course this does not make me an expert.  It is why I suggested the poster to talk to his doctor.  
 

There are risks noted in WebMD link you provided about the reishi mushrooms besides allergies:

“It can also cause:

Dizziness

Itchiness

Rash

Headaches

Stomach upset

Nosebleed

Bloody stools

Risks. Taking reishi mushroom may be riskier if you have low blood pressure or are taking therapy to raise your blood pressure, are taking diabetes medications, or have immune system disorders or medications.”

WebMD makes it clear that there is scientific evidence that reishi mushrooms can be effective for many things: "There is some scientific evidence of its effectiveness, including lab research and some small human studies," and "Medicinal mushrooms have been approved adjuncts to standard cancer treatments in Japan and China for more than 30 years and have an extensive clinical history of safe use as single agents or combined with chemotherapy."

Also, Celiac.com authors do not need to be diagnosed celiacs in order to contribute helpful articles, or to participate in our forum--this is not a private club--all are welcome here to participate in discussions or submit articles. In fact, we've been publishing articles by non-celiac researchers, self diagnosed celiacs, and those who are gluten sensitive for 25 years, so I'm not sure why you believe that this makes any difference with regard to this article? Many of the scientists who do celiac disease research are not celiacs.

The article is, of course, one person's experience with reishi mushrooms and how it helped her regain her mental focus. There is no doubt that whether you are celiac or just gluten sensitive that brain fog is a very common symptom, and one that may not just go away with a gluten-free diet. Clearly this article is helpful to those who are experiencing this symptom, or other symptoms that reishi mushrooms may help to relieve. 

Our readers can make their own choices with regard to this article, and can try them or not, but we are simply presenting our readers with information that may be helpful to them, as we've done for 25 years, and will continue to do.

Not all supplements fit all people.  I totally support trial and error.  There's other mushrooms or try a combo supplement with chaba. As in trial and error.  Dose up on amino acids and vitamins. B-6, B12 good size doses helps in many areas of the body and mind. 

Celiacs are self Holistic/Homeopathys. I just wish there was a free way to get tests done for amino and vitamin levels. As a celiac your most likely always on the downside.  

To All,

I came across this research about Mushrooms a while ago that might explain how Lectins in Mushrooms might help Celiac's.

But didn't have a need to post it until now.

It is entitled "Mushroom Lectins: Specificity, Structure and Bioactivity Relevant to Human Disease"

Open Original Shared Link

It is kind of technical but I will try and summarize it. N Acetyl Glucosamine a substance in some mushrooms known as Lectins has been shown to help Celiac's.

Here are a couple studies about how N Acetyl Glucosamine commonly sold as NAG for the treatment of Arthritis might help Celiac's.....if you believe the studies on it.

I will try and start a new tread about this forgotten substance as it relates to Celiac disease.

Here are the three best studies I could find on NAG.

Entitled Reactivity of gliadin and lectins with celiac intestinal mucosa

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the second one entitled "Mannan and oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine protect intestinal mucosa of celiac patients with active disease from in vitro toxicity of gliadin peptides

Open Original Shared Link

the third one entitled "A pilot study of N-acetyl glucosamine, a nutritional substrate for glycosaminoglycan synthesis, in paediatric chronic inflammatory bowel disease"

Open Original Shared Link

Some of this research is 30 years old and the Celiac doctor's have not picked up this old research and run with it......but Arthritis and MS doctors are beginning to pick up on it.

See this study on MS and NAG entitled

(NAG) Glucosamine-like supplement suppresses multiple sclerosis attacks, study suggests

Open Original Shared Link

As always I hope this his helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

On 11/2/2020 at 4:36 PM, Posterboy said:

To All,

I came across this research about Mushrooms a while ago that might explain how Lectins in Mushrooms might help Celiac's.

But didn't have a need to post it until now.

It is entitled "Mushroom Lectins: Specificity, Structure and Bioactivity Relevant to Human Disease"

Open Original Shared Link

It is kind of technical but I will try and summarize it. N Acetyl Glucosamine a substance in some mushrooms known as Lectins has been shown to help Celiac's.

Here are a couple studies about how N Acetyl Glucosamine commonly sold as NAG for the treatment of Arthritis might help Celiac's.....if you believe the studies on it.

I will try and start a new tread about this forgotten substance as it relates to Celiac disease.

Here are the three best studies I could find on NAG.

Entitled Reactivity of gliadin and lectins with celiac intestinal mucosa

Open Original Shared Link

the second one entitled "Mannan and oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine protect intestinal mucosa of celiac patients with active disease from in vitro toxicity of gliadin peptides

Open Original Shared Link

the third one entitled "A pilot study of N-acetyl glucosamine, a nutritional substrate for glycosaminoglycan synthesis, in paediatric chronic inflammatory bowel disease"

Open Original Shared Link

Some of this research is 30 years old and the Celiac doctor's have not picked up this old research and run with it......but Arthritis and MS doctors are beginning to pick up on it.

See this study on MS and NAG entitled

(NAG) Glucosamine-like supplement suppresses multiple sclerosis attacks, study suggests

Open Original Shared Link

As always I hope this his helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

I'm going to try out Chaga mushroom.