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Brain Damage


Matsparks

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Matsparks Apprentice

Anxiety, depression, paranoid thoughts.

Struggling to complete simple tasks.

Celiac disease is strongly linked to schizophrenia, I'm worried my brain was damaged by the disease. I'm seeing a gastroenterologist next week, should I enquire about a brain scan?

Last time I ate gluten, my head went hot, and I felt a strong pulse inside my skull.

This was accompanied by a sudden fear of the dark, a body jerk and some dizziness.


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cyclinglady Grand Master

Have you been tested for celiac disease?

Matsparks Apprentice

My blood test nearly 2 years ago was negative.

I'm convinced I have celiac disease. If the gastroenterologist asks me to eat gluten again, I'll refuse, because the immune response is often in my brain. It seems gluten peptides in the bloodstream can trigger immune response that way.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

If you are not eating gluten the GI can not test you for celiac. If you are still having GI symptoms gluten free then the doctor can test to make sure nothing else is going on. Celiac wise the only thing an MRI might show is lesions if you have ataxia. Which it doesn't sound like you do but I am not a doctor so can't say for sure. Some of us do get depression or anxiety as part of our celiac symptoms and for most they resolve gluten free. There can be other causes for those issues though and if that is the case some can get help from therapy and/or medication. 

Sorry you are struggling so much and hope things resolve for you soon.

Matsparks Apprentice

When I was a child, my 'symptoms' were moodiness, fearfullnes, feeling alone, chapped lips, tongue ulcers, short stature, low body weight, shyness, anxiety.

As I got older, I became paranoid I had cancer, but I didn't have the strength to tell anyone. I started feeling lumps all over my body. It felt so real because all the time my energy was getting lower. It made sense. I started to realise I didn't have any common sense, at school, I couldn't really understand practical tasks. I was fine at theory.

Finally, when I was 20, after spending a year pretending to be at university, I was getting palpitations, and so scared I told my Mom I had cancer. She said how long, I said 9 years. She then knew my mental health was screwed.

Doctor diagnosed anxiety/depression. For 4 more years I struggled feeling low and tired, I started thinking I was autistic because I was starting to really avoid people and my mind was so dead, memory, concentration, problem solving, mental energy was so bad. I felt so weak and tired. I hated myself.

It was only by luck to suspect gluten. My sisters friends both had wheat issues and one of them was fussy about it. For some reason I just thought I'd try to gluten free snack bar. I felt a novel surge of energy from it, and from then on, I've been learning more about my immune system, gut bacteria, and slowly but surely getting better. I figured my immune system was very suppressed, in a way this was protecting my brain. Now my immune system is stronger, a small amount of gluten really causes strong inflammation, headache, throbbing, dizziness, confusion. I also have numb legs when sitting down too long, and get occasional blisters on the back of my fingers. I also feel I couldn't last more than half a day without eating. I would feel very faint.

People doubt me because they think I'm a joke. My sister thinks my gluten free choice is stupid. I am not the stupid one. When I get a diagnosis I hope I will feel free. I so hope for one.

across Contributor

I get neruo symptoms, as well. I did have a brain scan due to what you describe as "body jerks," but they found nothing. I figure that whatever the state of my brain health is now, it's infinitely better than when I'm on gluten, and for that, I'm thankful. Even if you worry about it, it won't change any damage that's already there. I would just keep eating well, and go on with life.

Matsparks Apprentice

I think you are right, yet I feel this would leave things unresolved.

My Mother was anaemic as a child, now she has osteoporosis. What if a diagnosis for me means she will take it more seriously and go gluten free herself, I already asked her to have a blood test.

Also, I doubt myself so much, this would mean a lot to me, just to be right about something. I mean I know I am right, and I'm blowing the doubt out of proportion, but I can't seem to change that.


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ravenwoodglass Mentor
  On 5/1/2015 at 5:43 PM, Matsparks said:

My blood test nearly 2 years ago was negative.

I'm convinced I have celiac disease. If the gastroenterologist asks me to eat gluten again, I'll refuse, because the immune response is often in my brain. It seems gluten peptides in the bloodstream can trigger immune response that way.

Talk to the doctor about that response when you see him/her. Unless the doctor is celiac savvy he may not understand the connection. Be prepared for that.  Do get a complete panel done as, if by chance, you are not as gluten free as you think you have been antibodies may show up. Not for sure but it is worth a shot. It is doubtful if you have been strict with the diet and are antibody free that you will be able to get a formal diagnosis without a gluten challenge. A doctor might give you a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity though which also requires strict adherence to the diet.  In the end what is most important is your response to the diet.

When all testing is over get back on the diet strictly and if you are on any meds for the depression/anxiety issue do stay in close touch with the doctor that prescribed them. If it is celiac causing those issues then your meds will need to be adjusted as you heal. Do not stop taking any that you may be on without seeking the advice of the prescribing doctor. In addition if that doctor is a psychiatrist they are also medical doctors and could agree to order a full celiac panel for you and even give you the diagnosis if appropriate. 

across Contributor
  On 5/5/2015 at 11:21 AM, Matsparks said:

I think you are right, yet I feel this would leave things unresolved.

My Mother was anaemic as a child, now she has osteoporosis. What if a diagnosis for me means she will take it more seriously and go gluten free herself, I already asked her to have a blood test.

Also, I doubt myself so much, this would mean a lot to me, just to be right about something. I mean I know I am right, and I'm blowing the doubt out of proportion, but I can't seem to change that.

 

I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood. Are you talking about being diagnosed with celiac, or are you talking about the brain scan?

Matsparks Apprentice
  On 5/5/2015 at 12:43 PM, across said:

I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood. Are you talking about being diagnosed with celiac, or are you talking about the brain scan?

Celiac. But I think a brain scan is needed as well. Then again, I read that the 'glia' in the brain get damaged by celiac and this may not show on a brain scan. DrKaslow: the celiac disease of mental illness is very interesting on this.
knitty kitty Grand Master

Matsparks, I get the same symptoms. Deterioration of rationale, no logic, no filter. Like a dimmer switch is turning brain function dimmer and dimmer. I'm researching the connection to anticholinergic reactions to medicines. This article is great.

Open Original Shared Link

Matsparks Apprentice

I went to have a blood test for Celiac antibodies and calcium serum, but they were struggling to get the vein. After 3 misses, I fainted and they said I was too unwell to try again. Now I have to wait till Wednesday for another blood test.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

Make sure you are well hydrated before the next time. That may help. Surprised they didn't do the draw while you were 'out' from the faint.  They don't usually cancel a blood draw because someone isn't well. Sorry you have to go through it again. 

Matsparks Apprentice
  On 5/8/2015 at 8:38 PM, ravenwoodglass said:

Make sure you are well hydrated before the next time. That may help. Surprised they didn't do the draw while you were 'out' from the faint.  They don't usually cancel a blood draw because someone isn't well. Sorry you have to go through it again.

the nurse said it looked like I was fitting, so I guess it wasn't possible. It took a while for my blood pressure to rise back to normal, it was worse than the fainting I remember from childhood, it really drained me. Yes, I will drink water and probably eat something for breakfast before the next try!
ravenwoodglass Mentor

That sounds like a plan. Do make sure that it is just the celiac panel they will be running. If not talk to your doctor or a nurse at the office to be sure other tests don't need to be fasting tests. Good luck.

  • 2 months later...
ch88 Collaborator

 I totally believe what you said. I didn't have gluten ataxia but I used to have a lot whole lot of trouble thinking. When I went gluten free most of my symptoms went away but I feel I still have a few. I would recommend bringing some information with you if you go to the doctor. I don't think it is very common for people to have mental issues as a result of gluten and not all doctors are familiar with it. 

  • 1 year later...
VikingMac Newbie

Before I get into the neurological symptoms, let me give you a synopsis of my background and family history. Both my parents smoke and my dad was always a heavy drinker. My mom had GERD / Acid Reflux pretty much her whole life and it should be noted that she's basically 100% Norwegian (I've read that Northern Europeans have GERD and gastrointestinal issues more than anyone else - same with the Irish). My mom was also recently tested positive for Celiac Disease (our diets growing up was filled with wheat products, so connecting the dots here, I think she was being bombarded with gluten and her body couldn't handle it). She would have severe mood swings, especially towards my dad (who is now passed on). Her acid reflux got so bad that she went in for an endoscopy and they told her that she had Barrett's Esophagus. She's still alive to this day though and seems to be holding up reasonably well. My sister also has severe acid reflux and panic attacks. Now to get to my own history. I was born in 1983. As a baby, I had severe eczema, and would rub certain areas of my body (such as my wrists) raw on the carpet, because I was constantly itchy. I would also constantly spit up breast-milk and even the baby formula. My parents had a hard time figuring out what to feed me! We would also drink tons of cow's milk. That finally hit a brick wall around age 25 (in 2008), when I started noticing that if I drank straight cow's milk I would end up with (and still do end up with if I drink it) sulfur burps which taste and smell like rotten eggs. I even tried drinking raw cow's milk one time and the result was the same, I was burping rotten egg smelling burps and would get diarrhea! This is also around the time when I noticed my acid reflux getting worse and worse. 

In 2009, I started lifting weights again after taking a long break from high school. When I would do any squatting motion exercises such as dead-lifts or squats, I'd almost pass out because I couldn't catch my breath afterwards. I finally went in for an endoscopy and they told me that my esophagus was raw and red. I also should note that I've read getting anesthesia and all the drugs they give you during that time, can cause long-term psychological issues, especially anxiety, which I never really had until after that year. I realized that I couldn't do those squatting exercises or anything that put pressure on the abdomen area, since it would push acid back up into my esophagus. I decided to start lifting weights on an empty stomach and that did work for awhile but I couldn't figure out why my acid reflux was still so bad. Acid shooting back up into the esophagus, is caused by inflammation. This affects the Vagus Nerve (which is the longest cranial nerve). Some of the main functions of the Vagus Nerve include,

1. Breathing
2. Speech
3. Sweating
4. Helping in keeping the larynx open during breathing
5. Monitoring and regulating the heartbeat
6. Informing the brain of the food that is ingested and food that has been digested
7. The Vagus Nerve performs the major function of emptying the gastric region of food

Any damage to the vagus nerve causes Gastroparesis which is losing the muscular function in the stomach and intestines. This results in food being emptied slowly, that leads to other problems such as fermentation of food in the stomach and food getting compressed into hard pellets which can cause severe problems if the pellets get stuck in the intestine. Especially in people with diabetes, when sugar levels get high and are not well controlled, it can result in the vagus nerve damage. This can result in anxiety / panic attacks, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), trouble swallowing, chills, asthma-like symptoms, heart palpitations, tingling / numbness in extremities and limbs, blood in the stool, hard of breathing, anxiety attack-like symptoms, canker sores, nightmares (including hypnogogic and hypnopompic auditory / visual hallucinations, such as hearing a gun shot upon waking up, even though no gun was fired), dry mouth, heart attack-like symptoms, and more (I had all these symptoms too btw). I believe that since our bodies are intolerant to wheat and dairy products, it is causing inflammation in the body, which then causes all these other symptoms. 

So at that point, I began having hallucinations (including hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations). They were mainly auditory hallucinations and some (but fewer) visual hallucinations. They started around 2013, when I got sick with the flu and also had an in-grown toenail (I had to get it cut out by the doctor and it was the worst pain of my life!). I was extremely religious back then (I left my faith last year at end of 2015) and felt like these were omens or signs for some of the things that were deemed ‘sinful’. I then had a breakup with a gluten-free who lived in Montana and the auditory hallucinations continued. I’ve been having them again starting in 2016 after getting sick with a chest respiratory infection (I’m seeing a trend here with getting sick and having these), which I believe were caused by the Autumn Rhinitis / Hay Fever Allergies. I was at the gym around the start of August 2016, and I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath after each set of lifting. I went home and haven’t been back to the gym since. I was having trouble breathing just walking up a flight of stairs, and it was a daily nightmare until I started looking into ways to help solve my issues (which I’ll get into in a minute). I also don’t have a great sleep schedule from working late night shifts, so I’m typically always sleep deprived. I should also mention that I think I have formed P.T.S.D. (PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from watching a music video where it showed a death. The image of the woman dying kept playing in my head (this also happened around August 2016).

Then on top of all that, I was lifting weights 2 times a week (full body workouts), doing H.I.I.T. (High Intensity Interval Training) a couple times a week in the morning, AND working night shifts. On top of all that, my dad died last year (October 3, 2015) and within a week afterwards around October 10th, I ended up with appendicitis so I had to get the appendectomy surgery to get my appendix removed. A few weeks later, I walked away from my faith (not due to emotional reasons, but due to extensive research, which was already in the process starting at the beginning of 2015). So I lost my dad, my faith and my appendix within a month's time period. It put a lot of stress on me I think. I’m 33 years old, so still somewhat young, but I think I was pushing my body to the limit, and it’s been affecting my brain chemistry. Not only that, but recently, I put the other dots to the puzzle and found out that I also have gluten intolerance / Celiac / Coeliac, so I’ve stopped eating gluten (and dairy) products. I also have done a few sessions of AAT (Advanced Allergy Therapy), by a doctor named Dr. Jill Cohn in the San Francisco / Berkeley / Oakland Bay Area. You don’t even have to be there in person for her to treat you, she does it all online through a conference call on a site similar to Skype. You can watch testimonials on YouTube as well, and I’m here to tell you that her system did cure me of Ragweed allergies. I now understand that because I was pushing my body to the limit as well as trying to stay 500 calories below maintenance (to cut fat and get shredded), that my body wasn’t getting the proper nutrients and vitamins due to eating wheat and gluten (as well as dairy). This damages the alveoli and villi in the intestinal tract which are crucial for absorbing the nutrients from your food. I also found out that my body reacts poorly to chocolate as well. Chocolate is a 'stimulant' and has been proven to affect the brain the same way that cannabis / marijuana will. This could be some of the problems you all are facing as well. At that point, your body is so run down, that it will start attacking ‘harmless’ invaders, such as ragweed pollen, pet dander or even just simple dust particles, which this process of your body in attack mode, will cause inflammation, hence the reason I was having trouble breathing (my body developed exercise-induced / allergy-induced asthma). Not only that, but when your body is so run down and not getting the proper nutrition, it can cause psychosis and schizophrenic symptoms as well! I started taking a ton of supplements and they’ve helped tremendously.

Here are a few to get you started. Try these and eat a balanced diet for a couple months. I’ll bet you start to feel better and the hallucinations diminish.

1. Vitamin D3 (Jarrow Brand 5,000IU – take two to four per day) – This is especially necessary if you live above the 37 degree parallel (latitude) in the Fall and Winter (typically from September to March). The sun only produces Vitamin D3 in our body when it is 50 degrees (altitude not temperature) above the horizon and even during the Spring and Summer, this only occurs from around 10AM in the morning to 2-3PM in the afternoon. So you have only a 4 to 5 hour window in the morning to afternoon when the sun is producing Vitamin D3, which most people aren't really out during those times, because of work schedule. This is why around 75 to 80% of the world population are D3 deficient! A good source of information on this is Dr. John Cannell. Go research how vital and important D3 is for us! You want your ng/ml (nano-grams per milliliter of blood) to be from 50 to 100 (or even slightly over 100 is fine too!).

2. Magnesium (CALM BRAND) – Magnesium is the driver for Vitamin D3. It’s very important and we don’t get enough of it in our diet on average.

3. Vitamin C (take around 2,000mg per day) – Look up Dr. Thomas Levy and Dr. Linus Pauling for good information on this. The Liposomal type of Vitamin C is the best kind!

4. Vitamin K2 (different from Vitamin K1 – Get the Jarrow Brand called Vitamin K-Right) – Millions of people take calcium supplements to maintain healthy bones. Yet few patients or physicians realize that optimizing bone integrity involves more than taking a single mineral supplement. A critical additional component for bone and cardiovascular health is vitamin K2. Recent research has revealed that, without vitamin K2, calcium regulation is disrupted. In fact, low levels of vitamin K2 are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. K2 is the gateway that allows calcium to get to your bones. When you take vitamin D3, your body creates more of these vitamin K2-dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren't realized. So, really, if you're taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.For so long, we've been told to take calcium for osteoporosis... and vitamin D3, which we know is helpful. But then, more studies are coming out showing that increased calcium intake is causing more heart attacks and strokes. That created a lot of confusion around whether calcium is safe or not. But that's the wrong question to be asking, because we'll never properly understand the health benefits of calcium or vitamin D3, unless we take into consideration K2. That's what keeps the calcium in its right place.

5. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Ubiquinol – it’s a substance similar to a vitamin. It is found in every cell of the body. Your body makes CoQ10, and your cells use it to produce energy your body needs for cell growth and maintenance. It also functions as an antioxidant, which protects the body from damage caused by harmful molecules. (Get the Jarrow Brand – no I don’t work for them, but I’ve heard they are the best in all of these, and it’s what I take).

6. Vitamin B-Right (Jarrow) which has all of the B vitamins in it. Niacin (B3) has proven to be very helpful for those with Schizophrenia and Psychosis. Look up Dr. Abram Hoffer and his research on mental illness and Niacin. Careful with Niacin in huge quantities, as it will cause a 'flushing' effect, but you still want enough to get the benefits.

7. Oxylent (which is one of the best tasting and best multi-vitamins out there in my opinion). It’s got most of all you need in there when included with what I mentioned above.

(Those are the main ones above, but here are a few other supplements I take. ChlorOxygen, Serrapeptase {SerraGold Brand}, mushroom supplement called 'Breathe' by New Chapter Life-shield, HealthForce Green Alchemy Protein Powder, HealthForce Vitamineral Green, Probiotics, MSM, Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, local honey, and avocados for potassium, along with getting at least a half gallon of water per day - which I drink at least 32 oz. to 50 oz. of water on an empty stomach every morning). 

Within a month of taking all this (I started on November 2nd, 2016), I’m now feeling about 95% back to my normal self. The other 5% is caused by my poor sleeping habits, as well as stress. I now realize that these psychological issues were all subconscious from the heavy religious indoctrination. If I had never been introduced to these religious ideas, I’m sure I’d not have these particular religious themed hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations. When it first started, I was seeing visuals such as numbers and objects floating in the air upon waking up, which, they’d disappear within a few seconds. I also hear voices, which would say terrible things, and then the voices would continue in my head as if it were having dialogue with me in my own mind. I would feel like God hated me, due to the content of what was being said. I’m pretty sure I have some sort of religious trauma after leaving my faith and also, after my dad dying within the last year (2015). They actually have a name for this type of PTSD and it’s RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome). You can find some good material through Dr. Marlene Winell online if you suffer from the religious form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Anyways, I hope all of this helps someone else who may be going through similar! Just know you’re not alone and it’s more than likely happening because of nutrient deficiency and/or a traumatic experience you suffered as well as your diet if you are gluten intolerant / lactose intolerant. These aren’t devils, demons, hobgoblins or ghouls harassing you, this is all natural phenomena and it can be treated with the right diet, the right supplements and proper sleep! I am still getting cross-contaminated (or there is a cross-reactor food that mimics gluten and/or dairy) somewhere in my diet, so my psychological issues persist, including waking up feeling like something is trying to talk to me in my mind. I am trying to figure that out now. But they also have supplements you can take that will break down gluten if you are accidentally 'glutened.' Here is a study I found from WW2, that correlates to mental disease and gluten / wheat below. 

"One of the first hints that these circumstances could have implications for the psychological sciences was the observation that, in several countries, hospitalization rates for schizophrenia during World War II dropped in direct proportion to wheat shortages. In the United States, where over that same period the consumption of wheat rose rather than diminished, such rates increased instead (Dohan, 1966a,b). In South Pacific islands with a traditionally low consumption of wheat, schizophrenia was only found in 1 person out of 30,000. When Western grain products were introduced into their society, it dramatically rose to 1 person out of 100! (Dohan et al., 1984)."

Ennis-TX Grand Master
  On 1/4/2017 at 7:57 PM, VikingMac said:

Before I get into the neurological symptoms, let me give you a synopsis of my background and family history. Both my parents smoke and my dad was always a heavy drinker. My mom had GERD / Acid Reflux pretty much her whole life and it should be noted that she's basically 100% Norwegian (I've read that Northern Europeans have GERD and gastrointestinal issues more than anyone else - same with the Irish). My mom was also recently tested positive for Celiac Disease (our diets growing up was filled with wheat products, so connecting the dots here, I think she was being bombarded with gluten and her body couldn't handle it). She would have severe mood swings, especially towards my dad (who is now passed on). Her acid reflux got so bad that she went in for an endoscopy and they told her that she had Barrett's Esophagus. She's still alive to this day though and seems to be holding up reasonably well. My sister also has severe acid reflux and panic attacks. Now to get to my own history. I was born in 1983. As a baby, I had severe eczema, and would rub certain areas of my body (such as my wrists) raw on the carpet, because I was constantly itchy. I would also constantly spit up breast-milk and even the baby formula. My parents had a hard time figuring out what to feed me! We would also drink tons of cow's milk. That finally hit a brick wall around age 25 (in 2008), when I started noticing that if I drank straight cow's milk I would end up with (and still do end up with if I drink it) sulfur burps which taste and smell like rotten eggs. I even tried drinking raw cow's milk one time and the result was the same, I was burping rotten egg smelling burps and would get diarrhea! This is also around the time when I noticed my acid reflux getting worse and worse. 

In 2009, I started lifting weights again after taking a long break from high school. When I would do any squatting motion exercises such as dead-lifts or squats, I'd almost pass out because I couldn't catch my breath afterwards. I finally went in for an endoscopy and they told me that my esophagus was raw and red. I also should note that I've read getting anesthesia and all the drugs they give you during that time, can cause long-term psychological issues, especially anxiety, which I never really had until after that year. I realized that I couldn't do those squatting exercises or anything that put pressure on the abdomen area, since it would push acid back up into my esophagus. I decided to start lifting weights on an empty stomach and that did work for awhile but I couldn't figure out why my acid reflux was still so bad. Acid shooting back up into the esophagus, is caused by inflammation. This affects the Vagus Nerve (which is the longest cranial nerve). Some of the main functions of the Vagus Nerve include,

1. Breathing
2. Speech
3. Sweating
4. Helping in keeping the larynx open during breathing
5. Monitoring and regulating the heartbeat
6. Informing the brain of the food that is ingested and food that has been digested
7. The Vagus Nerve performs the major function of emptying the gastric region of food

Any damage to the vagus nerve causes Gastroparesis which is losing the muscular function in the stomach and intestines. This results in food being emptied slowly, that leads to other problems such as fermentation of food in the stomach and food getting compressed into hard pellets which can cause severe problems if the pellets get stuck in the intestine. Especially in people with diabetes, when sugar levels get high and are not well controlled, it can result in the vagus nerve damage. This can result in anxiety / panic attacks, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), trouble swallowing, chills, asthma-like symptoms, heart palpitations, tingling / numbness in extremities and limbs, blood in the stool, hard of breathing, anxiety attack-like symptoms, canker sores, nightmares (including hypnogogic and hypnopompic auditory / visual hallucinations, such as hearing a gun shot upon waking up, even though no gun was fired), dry mouth, heart attack-like symptoms, and more (I had all these symptoms too btw). I believe that since our bodies are intolerant to wheat and dairy products, it is causing inflammation in the body, which then causes all these other symptoms. 

So at that point, I began having hallucinations (including hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations). They were mainly auditory hallucinations and some (but fewer) visual hallucinations. They started around 2013, when I got sick with the flu and also had an in-grown toenail (I had to get it cut out by the doctor and it was the worst pain of my life!). I was extremely religious back then (I left my faith last year at end of 2015) and felt like these were omens or signs for some of the things that were deemed ‘sinful’. I then had a breakup with a gluten-free who lived in Montana and the auditory hallucinations continued. I’ve been having them again starting in 2016 after getting sick with a chest respiratory infection (I’m seeing a trend here with getting sick and having these), which I believe were caused by the Autumn Rhinitis / Hay Fever Allergies. I was at the gym around the start of August 2016, and I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath after each set of lifting. I went home and haven’t been back to the gym since. I was having trouble breathing just walking up a flight of stairs, and it was a daily nightmare until I started looking into ways to help solve my issues (which I’ll get into in a minute). I also don’t have a great sleep schedule from working late night shifts, so I’m typically always sleep deprived. I should also mention that I think I have formed P.T.S.D. (PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from watching a music video where it showed a death. The image of the woman dying kept playing in my head (this also happened around August 2016).

Then on top of all that, I was lifting weights 2 times a week (full body workouts), doing H.I.I.T. (High Intensity Interval Training) a couple times a week in the morning, AND working night shifts. On top of all that, my dad died last year (October 3, 2015) and within a week afterwards around October 10th, I ended up with appendicitis so I had to get the appendectomy surgery to get my appendix removed. A few weeks later, I walked away from my faith (not due to emotional reasons, but due to extensive research, which was already in the process starting at the beginning of 2015). So I lost my dad, my faith and my appendix within a month's time period. It put a lot of stress on me I think. I’m 33 years old, so still somewhat young, but I think I was pushing my body to the limit, and it’s been affecting my brain chemistry. Not only that, but recently, I put the other dots to the puzzle and found out that I also have gluten intolerance / Celiac / Coeliac, so I’ve stopped eating gluten (and dairy) products. I also have done a few sessions of AAT (Advanced Allergy Therapy), by a doctor named Dr. Jill Cohn in the San Francisco / Berkeley / Oakland Bay Area. You don’t even have to be there in person for her to treat you, she does it all online through a conference call on a site similar to Skype. You can watch testimonials on YouTube as well, and I’m here to tell you that her system did cure me of Ragweed allergies. I now understand that because I was pushing my body to the limit as well as trying to stay 500 calories below maintenance (to cut fat and get shredded), that my body wasn’t getting the proper nutrients and vitamins due to eating wheat and gluten (as well as dairy). This damages the alveoli and villi in the intestinal tract which are crucial for absorbing the nutrients from your food. I also found out that my body reacts poorly to chocolate as well. Chocolate is a 'stimulant' and has been proven to affect the brain the same way that cannabis / marijuana will. This could be some of the problems you all are facing as well. At that point, your body is so run down, that it will start attacking ‘harmless’ invaders, such as ragweed pollen, pet dander or even just simple dust particles, which this process of your body in attack mode, will cause inflammation, hence the reason I was having trouble breathing (my body developed exercise-induced / allergy-induced asthma). Not only that, but when your body is so run down and not getting the proper nutrition, it can cause psychosis and schizophrenic symptoms as well! I started taking a ton of supplements and they’ve helped tremendously.

Here are a few to get you started. Try these and eat a balanced diet for a couple months. I’ll bet you start to feel better and the hallucinations diminish.

1. Vitamin D3 (Jarrow Brand 5,000IU – take two to four per day) – This is especially necessary if you live above the 37 degree parallel (latitude) in the Fall and Winter (typically from September to March). The sun only produces Vitamin D3 in our body when it is 50 degrees (altitude not temperature) above the horizon and even during the Spring and Summer, this only occurs from around 10AM in the morning to 2-3PM in the afternoon. So you have only a 4 to 5 hour window in the morning to afternoon when the sun is producing Vitamin D3, which most people aren't really out during those times, because of work schedule. This is why around 75 to 80% of the world population are D3 deficient! A good source of information on this is Dr. John Cannell. Go research how vital and important D3 is for us! You want your ng/ml (nano-grams per milliliter of blood) to be from 50 to 100 (or even slightly over 100 is fine too!).

2. Magnesium (CALM BRAND) – Magnesium is the driver for Vitamin D3. It’s very important and we don’t get enough of it in our diet on average.

3. Vitamin C (take around 2,000mg per day) – Look up Dr. Thomas Levy and Dr. Linus Pauling for good information on this. The Liposomal type of Vitamin C is the best kind!

4. Vitamin K2 (different from Vitamin K1 – Get the Jarrow Brand called Vitamin K-Right) – Millions of people take calcium supplements to maintain healthy bones. Yet few patients or physicians realize that optimizing bone integrity involves more than taking a single mineral supplement. A critical additional component for bone and cardiovascular health is vitamin K2. Recent research has revealed that, without vitamin K2, calcium regulation is disrupted. In fact, low levels of vitamin K2 are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. K2 is the gateway that allows calcium to get to your bones. When you take vitamin D3, your body creates more of these vitamin K2-dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren't realized. So, really, if you're taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.For so long, we've been told to take calcium for osteoporosis... and vitamin D3, which we know is helpful. But then, more studies are coming out showing that increased calcium intake is causing more heart attacks and strokes. That created a lot of confusion around whether calcium is safe or not. But that's the wrong question to be asking, because we'll never properly understand the health benefits of calcium or vitamin D3, unless we take into consideration K2. That's what keeps the calcium in its right place.

5. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Ubiquinol – it’s a substance similar to a vitamin. It is found in every cell of the body. Your body makes CoQ10, and your cells use it to produce energy your body needs for cell growth and maintenance. It also functions as an antioxidant, which protects the body from damage caused by harmful molecules. (Get the Jarrow Brand – no I don’t work for them, but I’ve heard they are the best in all of these, and it’s what I take).

6. Vitamin B-Right (Jarrow) which has all of the B vitamins in it. Niacin (B3) has proven to be very helpful for those with Schizophrenia and Psychosis. Look up Dr. Abram Hoffer and his research on mental illness and Niacin. Careful with Niacin in huge quantities, as it will cause a 'flushing' effect, but you still want enough to get the benefits.

7. Oxylent (which is one of the best tasting and best multi-vitamins out there in my opinion). It’s got most of all you need in there when included with what I mentioned above.

(Those are the main ones above, but here are a few other supplements I take. ChlorOxygen, Serrapeptase {SerraGold Brand}, mushroom supplement called 'Breathe' by New Chapter Life-shield, HealthForce Green Alchemy Protein Powder, HealthForce Vitamineral Green, Probiotics, MSM, Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, local honey, and avocados for potassium, along with getting at least a half gallon of water per day - which I drink at least 32 oz. to 50 oz. of water on an empty stomach every morning). 

Within a month of taking all this (I started on November 2nd, 2016), I’m now feeling about 95% back to my normal self. The other 5% is caused by my poor sleeping habits, as well as stress. I now realize that these psychological issues were all subconscious from the heavy religious indoctrination. If I had never been introduced to these religious ideas, I’m sure I’d not have these particular religious themed hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations. When it first started, I was seeing visuals such as numbers and objects floating in the air upon waking up, which, they’d disappear within a few seconds. I also hear voices, which would say terrible things, and then the voices would continue in my head as if it were having dialogue with me in my own mind. I would feel like God hated me, due to the content of what was being said. I’m pretty sure I have some sort of religious trauma after leaving my faith and also, after my dad dying within the last year (2015). They actually have a name for this type of PTSD and it’s RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome). You can find some good material through Dr. Marlene Winell online if you suffer from the religious form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Anyways, I hope all of this helps someone else who may be going through similar! Just know you’re not alone and it’s more than likely happening because of nutrient deficiency and/or a traumatic experience you suffered as well as your diet if you are gluten intolerant / lactose intolerant. These aren’t devils, demons, hobgoblins or ghouls harassing you, this is all natural phenomena and it can be treated with the right diet, the right supplements and proper sleep! I am still getting cross-contaminated (or there is a cross-reactor food that mimics gluten and/or dairy) somewhere in my diet, so my psychological issues persist, including waking up feeling like something is trying to talk to me in my mind. I am trying to figure that out now. But they also have supplements you can take that will break down gluten if you are accidentally 'glutened.' Here is a study I found from WW2, that correlates to mental disease and gluten / wheat below. 

"One of the first hints that these circumstances could have implications for the psychological sciences was the observation that, in several countries, hospitalization rates for schizophrenia during World War II dropped in direct proportion to wheat shortages. In the United States, where over that same period the consumption of wheat rose rather than diminished, such rates increased instead (Dohan, 1966a,b). In South Pacific islands with a traditionally low consumption of wheat, schizophrenia was only found in 1 person out of 30,000. When Western grain products were introduced into their society, it dramatically rose to 1 person out of 100! (Dohan et al., 1984)."

Expand Quote  

-_- I can relate on so much of this, From the baby issues when I was young and not being able to eat anything, to the acid reflux growing up, when I was in college I started doing my workouts on a empty stomach first thing in the morning cause that is when I felt the best,  and brain damage issues. Hmm I think there is a post in coping with I did about the mental trauma issues, another post elsewhere about what supplements I found have found to help asking others what they take to deal with it. Bit of a hurry right now so not going to do to much digging as I got a bunch of errands to run and some business stuff to manage tonight. Needless to say this sounds very familiar.

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