Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[miamia]

Yeah...I'm worried too. I hear something from Andrea on a daily basis. I was thinking maybe she went out of town but Andrea (being the sweetie she is) would probably send a message explaining her absence. Its not like her to be without a post for this long.

So how do we send out an on line search party?

miamia

[jerseyangel]

Gosh Rachel, you haven't heard from her either? I figured you would have. I am worried now.

[Green12]

Yeah...I'm worried too. I hear something from Andrea on a daily basis. I was thinking maybe she went out of town but Andrea (being the sweetie she is) would probably send a message explaining her absence. Its not like her to be without a post for this long.

I've been really worried too, as busy as she is she always pops in several times. This is just not usual for her.....

[rinne]

It does seem odd, has anyone sent her a personal message?

Maybe her computer is down.

[jerseyangel]

It does seem odd, has anyone sent her a personal message?

Maybe her computer is down.

I sent her a PM..Was there a bad storm in her area?

[Rachel--24]

I have her phone #.....maybe I should call??

[jerseyangel]

I have her phone #.....maybe I should call??

Ya know Rachel, I would. I don't know if you caught it, but Judy (in Philly) has been without power since Tuesday. She managed to get a hold of me by phone the other night, and I was able to post and let everyone know she was ok. She really appreciated it.

[miamia]

I have her phone #.....maybe I should call??

well either we are paranoid or somethings wrong- so either way knowing andrea she would be touched that we were all concerned- maybe you should

miamia

[Guest Robbin]

Isn't Andrea having guests this weekend? I thought maybe she was the one having family visit. This histamine thing has me stumped. I knew for years I had a histamine problem, but never thought it was related to the gluten, not bright of me since it all has got to be connected-there's just too many links. I am having a severe itchy day today. I had the eye appt. and my vision is going bad again and I have to use the prednisone drops again and more often. This has been going on way too long. I really think I am allergic to something in the lens implants. What is the althernative? Blindness? I have swollen eyes constantly. It really stinks 'cause I love my eyeliner and mascara and can't wear it. Been struggling through with lash curler, a little shadow and big Jackie O-type sunglasses. (Geez, this sounds so petty and vain-sorry ) I am also getting facial tingling and a little spasm in my bottom lip. This has been going on since the first eye was done in April.

I have a lot of the symptoms on the list too Madam President, we are forever grateful for your research!

Something that I have been reading about and interested in may have a strange link to all this--I have been interested in heirloom plants--did you know that a plant becomes extinct every hour in this world we live in? We have relied so much on hybrids for our vegetables and fruits and allowed so many of the various varities to die out that our food supply is limited. Also, if you grow an old variety, like apples, the tree must be protected or it will cross pollinate -it seems to make sense that perhaps there is so much cross-pollination going on that the whole food supply has a mish mash of genes from each other and if you are allergic to one veggie or fruit, another type of veggie or fruit can affect you the same way because of this limitation of variety. I think I will start a thread for gardeners -please -anyone that gardens--grow an heirloom or two and save the seeds!! I have to leave, geez, I have a family like Vincent's -they seem to want to eat every DAY!! Life intrudes upon Rachelville.

[Green12]

Susan and Cissie, if you remember oats also contain gliadin, a protein sub-fraction of Gluten. Gliadin is present in wheat, oats, rye, barley, and millet (and amaranth).

This gliadin thing still confuses me a little bit but as far as I understand, many people react to gliadin much like gluten and should avoid it as well.

I agree that you guys should take the oats out and see if there is any improvement.

[jerseyangel]

Life is encroaching on Rachelville for me, too--I need to get to the store, we're going to have storms this afternoon, the rumbling has already started. I'll be checking to see if anyone heard from Andrea as soon as I gat back.

[DingoGirl]

good morning everybody.....

What a good laugh I had today, where do I start? the histamine stuff (not the funny part) - - - Dr. Rachel, our mad scientist who comes up with MORE and more cures .......I AM TELLING YOU YOU HAVE TO BECOME A DIETICIAN (yes I am shouting at you) because what average citizen actually has to know and fgure out all this stuff?? And think of how many people you could help (besides us, that is )the doctors...horror.....yes, always throwing pills at us...I saw my shrink on Thursday (I love him) and said, I may not need to see you any more, my meds are so low and tapering off, but, the MAIN RELEVATION I have had, the biggest change in my life (as we'd been discussing for months already), is the removal lf gluten, and I plan to be a crusader for that, many people could be helped. And he said, tell me what you are learning about gluten and the brain. So, for the next 45 minutes we talked about it. He is the gentlest, kindest man (this is my NEW shrink and not the bumbling stooge I"d been seeing for a year), and said, I am going to be looking into this and watching for more information. But he also said, unfortunately, in our country, Celiac is rather an "orphan" disease, it's not been so popluar. We need a celibrity to have it...

Brad and Angelina - - -THAT's who we need........we must get them poisoned wtih excessive gluten somehow until they become sicker than heck....they're outspoken and will crusade for it after their lives have become ruined, narrowing to the confines of their 8,000 sq. foot Malibu home, passed out on the couches, maddox, Shiloh, and Zahara running wild, spinaching their pants......

But I digress. now I finally know what ROFLMAO means - - you're right Rachel - the F was not what I though...

Cissie - - dear God, your sisters are Celiac - - I was reading/scanning so quickly this morning, it's already about 95 degrees and have to go to Home Depot etc. before it is even worse (112 today), so I didn't retain all information - have they been tested? And Cissie you and I have BOTH been oatmealed - - no more of that for a while.....gas-bomb-bloat.....

I am going to have to re-read all the histamine pages and our most recent science lessen....so much in there...

Patti - - your painting project is coming along MUCH faster than mine - - I still keep adding pigments and changing the quarts....haven't even committed to a color yet.... BTW when you walk into HD here, it is abominable.....only a giant swamp "cooler" for the air treatment......help me.....my hair frizzes instantly and I almost pass out at the paint counter, probably 90 degrees in there already.....ugh....have to go

Other things to address -

Ryan - - I had a bruise that lasted ONE YEAR - - giant goose egg on my lower leg, geez, you think I might have asked the doctor about that? It's just started going away in the last few months....how long have you been gluten-free? takes a while....

what did I forget? will chekc in later .....Celia how is that toothless darling baby......

Where is Andrea? RAchel you must call her....

Donna did not make up brownout - - - it's not crazy talk and Bumble Bars - we get them here - - -have heard it all my life....

Gotta go - - -errands in the morning and I am not leaving the house except to go to my brother's later...all of my blessed nieces are now in town, what fun...

Mango Meredith, great picture.....

Love to all and a happy day in R-ville -

[Rachel--24]

I have always gone the alternative health route, after many miserable and infuriating experiences with main stream med docs (but that's irrelevant), and one of the things I did was the bioscan machine, don't know if anyone has heard of these or not? But anyway, I went to a Naturopath for several years who used one of these machines and one of the problems I had that we couldn't make any progress with was the amount of histamine that would register for me, it was through the roof! We could never get to the root of my health problems because the histamine was so high, so I spent the majority of those years taking supplements and doing NAET treatments, and other things, in order to address the high histamine levels.

Julie,

This is very interesting stuff. Did the Naturopath ever say what was causing the elevated histamine levels? I definately think a diet restricting histamine containing foods is gonna make a difference but for me there are many things contributing to the release of histamine.

Any allergen...perfumes, chemicals, foods, pollens, etc....can cause histamine to be released. When I first went off gluten my body was in an extremely reactive state....everything triggered release of histamine for about a week and then it calmed down. I seriously was reacting to carpet, plastics, chemicals in paper....etc.

Thankfully it didnt stay that way.

Hopefully avoiding the worst triggers will make all the difference and promote healing as well as increasing tolerance.

I'm wondering about the bacteria possibility? I just finished my test and will ship it to the lab today. I would think any bacteria overgrowth (such as the c.diff), or a parasite, or anything of that nature would also be keeping inflammation high. If the immune system is fighting off these "intruders".....there would also be release of histamine. It will be interesting to see what the test results show. If the C. Diff is still there it could be contributing. I wont know until my next appt. on the 4th.

Time is going by so fast. Its making me sad.....summer will be over before we know it. I soooo want to be better enough to enjoy a portion of whats left of the summer. I wanna go to the beach, I've been wanting to go to Disneyland for 3 summers now, I just wanna do so many things. I want to ride my jet ski. My favorite summer pasttime is camping...this is totally out of reach until I get my diet figured out. I think once I can get the diet squared away and get symptoms under control....which basically will come from knowing all the triggers...I'll be able to enjoy life again.

I dont want this to control my life as it has the past 3 years....My goal is to turn it around so that I'm in control of it....not the other way around. It will make all the difference in terms of quality of life and being able to have more fun and less fear.

For so long I've been at a loss as to why some days I have a higher tolerance for perfumes and some days I have almost zero tolerance. I had thought maybe my gut was becoming leakier due to something I ate...then I would heal some and then it would get leakier again...and on and on. It could change drastically overnight. This histimine discovery makes sense of why my tolerance varies so greatly from one day to the next....excess histamine.

Wow...I feel like now I *may* be able to get some control over this situation!

[Green12]

Ok...so my next big question is this:

Suppose the gluten intolerance created a leaky gut, which then caused increased histimine levels, which then created a toxic overload....at this point its all a vicious cycle right? We're living in histamine hell and cant get out. Suppose this histamine restricted diet works...and I feel better than I have in a long time....will I have to remain on the diet for life?

What are your thoughts?

I'm wondering if the problem can be corrected once the histamine levels are reduced. From what I've read people with histamine problems have to stay off high histamine foods and take antihistimines....thats about it. Some may take supplements like Vitamin C to help with the intolerance.

With all I've gone through I dont have much faith in mainstream docs. I'm with you there Julie.

There is so much they know nothing about. Gluten intolerance is one of those things. Every one of us knows first hand what gluten can do....even w/out having full blown Celiac....if the antibodies are there....there is something not right going on.

I'm thinking that these people who just go on with life on a histamine restricted diet are more than likely still consuming gluten. Heck....the vast majority of people with gluten intolerance will never ever know they have it. They'll just deal with the health problems they get along the way.

I'm wondering if a histamine restricted diet, combined with a gluten free diet would allow damage to heal so that the histamine problem goes away. Thats what I really want....I dont wanna just put a band-aid over the problem. If theres a way to fix it...thats what my next step will be.

If the levels are constantly through the roof then wouldnt that keep the body in a very toxic state....making it difficult for the immune system to keep us from reacting to so many things? We would constantly be poisoning ourselves. The main question I have is....is all this histamine overload keeping the gut leaky? Is this why its so hard to recover? I know the purpose of the Keto is to help the gut heal but if histamine levels are already too high and we unknowingly keep consuming foods that would trigger more histamine....I dont think the Keto by itself could actually heal the gut. I think if its gonna work....it would have to be in conjunction with a histamine restricted diet.

I'm just thinking out loud...

Any thoughts?

My thoughts on this are, yes, yes, yes, you are on to something!!!

Just a couple things I can add here from my experience is the connection between adrenal function and histamine release. If you look into this Rachel, and everybody, this might be another step towards healing fully. I agree that taking antihistimines short term and following an antihistimine diet will help with the total load of histimine in the body, but from what I understand supporting and healing the adrenals will make a big difference. I found the following quotes that address this:

"Antihistamines relieve symptoms but don't address the underlying problem and may have toxic side effects. But besides dosing up on antihistamines, there is something you can do that will not only help your symptoms, but also improve your overall health and energy. "

"Allergic hypersensitivity is one of the earliest and most typical signs of an imbalanced immune system. And an overly sensitive immune system may be the result of weakened adrenal glands.

According to adrenal health expert Dr. James L. Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, and doctor of chiropractic and naturopathic medicine, most allergies involve the release of histamine and other substances that produce inflammation. In his book, Dr. Wilson writes that, "Cortisol is a strong anti-inflammatory. Your circulating level of cortisol is the key factor in the level of inflammatory reactions in your body. For this reason your adrenal glands play an important role in mediating the histamine release and inflammatory reactions that produce the symptoms experienced with allergies. It is therefore not surprising that people with food and environmental allergies commonly have weak adrenal function.

The more histamine that is released, the more cortisol it takes to control the inflammatory response and the harder the adrenals have to work to produce more cortisol.

The harder the adrenals have to work the more fatigued they become and the less cortisol they produce, allowing histamine to inflame the tissues more.

The vicious circle can lead to progressively deeper adrenal fatigue as well as to larger allergic reactions.

Anything that you can do to break this cycle will help your adrenal glands and reduce the effects of allergies. (Adrenal Fatigue, pg. 175)

How do you break the cycle in order to help your adrenal glands and get relief from allergies? By giving your adrenal glands the support they need to become strong, healthy, strong and resilient! "

Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue:

Erratic or abnormal blood sugar levels, hypoglycemia

Allergies

Arthritic pain

Asthma

Decreased immune response

Premenstrual tension

Difficulty during menopause

Increased fears, anxiety and depression

Confusion, poor concentration and memory recall

Insomnia

Frequent respiratory infections

Fibromyalgia

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Adult-onset diabetes

Auto-immune disorders

Alcoholism

[jenyanderson]

Hey you guys...Rachealville seems like THE PLACE to be...can I come stay for a while so the kids can drive their father crazy for a change? HELP ME!!! They want me to fix them soemthing to eat!

Also how do you change the New Community Member line to something else?

[DingoGirl]

Hey you guys...Rachealville seems like THE PLACE to be...can I come stay for a while so the kids can drive their father crazy for a change? HELP ME!!! They want me to fix them soemthing to eat!

Also how do you change the New Community Member line to something else?

everybody shout and applaud, YAAAAAY, another citizen in our Paradise Cult Farm! OF course you can come live with us. You'll need to be assigned a job, though, what are your special talents? Your dog is adorable.....

[Rachel--24]

Brad and Angelina - - -THAT's who we need........we must get them poisoned wtih excessive gluten somehow until they become sicker than heck....they're outspoken and will crusade for it after their lives have become ruined, narrowing to the confines of their 8,000 sq. foot Malibu home, passed out on the couches, maddox, Shiloh, and Zahara running wild, spinaching their pants......

LMAO....its perfect!

Yes....indeed, if Brad and Angelina were to develop Celiac the whole world would become aware of this disease!! Can you believe the amount of awareness that would spread....I can see it now! Front page of all the important mags.....yes, I read them ALL! I work in a grocery store and can NEVER walk accross the lobby w/out taking a peek at the "headlines".

They will wear T-shirts promoting Celiac awareness! Everyone will know exactly what a "Silly-Yak" looks like.

Gluten free products will explode into the mainstream. We will find more than just ONE box of cereal for us on the cereal aisle!!

Chances are at least one of them is carrying a Celiac gene.....now we just need to figure out how to "trigger" the gene and activate Celiac.

Also how do you change the New Community Member line to something else?

You will need to post, post post!! You only have 5 posts so you will stay a New Member until you reach a certain # of posts. I think the number has changed but I'm sure Patti or Vincent knows the answer.

Welcome to Rachelville!!

Our "official town greeter" is "out" for the moment. She's slippin a little on her duties.

Susan, awesome job...you can be our alternate town-greeter.

[Green12]

Hey you guys...Rachealville seems like THE PLACE to be...can I come stay for a while so the kids can drive their father crazy for a change? HELP ME!!! They want me to fix them soemthing to eat!

Also how do you change the New Community Member line to something else?

Welcome Jeny, or do you prefer Jennifer?

Guys I am off for a little while, must go to pilates class Have a good am/afternoon in Rachelville!

[DingoGirl]

Hey, something's amiss in R-ville - - Vincent's right, are there some pages missing? did they get sucked into the VORTEX????

Off to Home Depot - - yes, I'll fill in for Julie as greeter-pro-tem, as needed - - needs her time off to get to pilates and stay healthy and cheerful for all of us....plus time off to fix her hair....

[Rachel--24]

Welcome Jeny, or do you prefer Jennifer?

Aaaah....she's not slippin after all.

Hey guys, I'm out too!! I'm off to get more ice cream and enjoy the weather. Its gonna be 108 today. Woohoo! Gotta love it!

I'll be back later...oh I'll try to get ahold of Andrea and I'll post if I find anything out.

Have a great day in Rachelville!

Oh....Rachelville is now a histamine-free facility/cult farm as well as being gluten free.

[rinne]

Brad and Angelina - - -THAT's who we need........we must get them poisoned wtih excessive gluten somehow until they become sicker than heck....they're outspoken and will crusade for it after their lives have become ruined, narrowing to the confines of their 8,000 sq. foot Malibu home, passed out on the couches, maddox, Shiloh, and Zahara running wild, spinaching their pants......

Susan, have you thought about becoming a Celiac comic?

I've known that neither oatmeal nor quinoa agree with me and now I understand why, thanks. What I find interesting is that "I know that" feeling that is the OMG moment versus the "I know that but I don't want to believe it" feeling. It seems to me that sharing this information promotes OMG moments or as they are known in Rachelville, relevations.

[ravenwoodglass]

LMAO....its perfect!

Yes....indeed, if Brad and Angelina were to develop Celiac the whole world would become aware of this disease!! Can you believe the amount of awareness that would spread....I can see it now! Front page of all the important mags.....yes, I read them ALL! I work in a grocery store and can NEVER walk accross the lobby w/out taking a peek at the "headlines".

They will wear T-shirts promoting Celiac awareness! Everyone will know exactly what a "Silly-Yak" looks like.

Gluten free products will explode into the mainstream. We will find more than just ONE box of cereal for us on the cereal aisle!!

Chances are at least one of them is carrying a Celiac gene.....now we just need to figure out how to "trigger" the gene and activate Celiac.

Perhaps her recent childbirth will do the trick. I think there a quite a few undiagnosed or diagnosed a silent celiacs in the entertainment industry. So many thin women many with little belly bulges, and others who fight a weight battle constantly like Fergie. Many of the actors are shorter than average and many seem to have those lovely 'celiac' eyes. Oh and lets not forget the famous 'artistic' temperment. Mary Kate and Ashley, Linsay Lohan, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, the guy who just won Idol, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sally Feild, Annette Funicello, Cloris Leachman, Dick Clark (am I giving away my age too much here ) I could go on for hours and misspell many more names but I think Hollywood is full of folks who should be gluten free. Now if we could just get them tested and vocal.

[DingoGirl]

Susan, have you thought about becoming a Celiac comic?

hmmm.....what an idea.....I'll ponder this....I do have a very active imagination and a vivid thought life.....I have to say, even when alone, I crack myself up and am so easiliy entertained.....

everyone gets so serious and smarty-smart with their science lessons sometimes I fear I'll be kicked out of R-ville for too much goofiness - - -may it never be! scary thought...hold me.....

I have to tell you, I'm so happy to be fun and funny again.....it went away for a while, when I was SO sick and depressed and glued to the couch.....good to be back! my shrink in Monterey knew things were very dangerous when I lost my sense of humour.

[jenyanderson]

Thanks for the welcome! I prefer Jeny, but Jennifer is fine. I guess they put me back as a new member when I changed my email address. I was doing pretty good on the posts before that.

Special Talents...let's see...I'm going to school for my DVM (that's a vet), I obedience train dogs for fun, I have two kids, Brandon (3) and Shelby (7), and two dogs. The one in the avatar is my 18 week old Lab/Akita, Gunnar and I also have a 2 year old Beagle named Bodhi. I can cook but not today. That's about it really...

Jeny

[rinne]

I am serious about humor.

You could debut at a Celiac convention. I've thought about it too, I make myself laugh all the time but I am afraid my humor tends to be caustic. As an example I think calling what we have "Celiac Disease" is like saying someone who will die from peanuts has "Peanut Disease" the difference being Peanut Disease only lasts for an hour. I'm afraid though that someone with a peanut allergy would think I was being insensitive.