Other Intollerances/ Allergies

[lisaemu]

I noticed a lot of people seem to have additional intollerances or allergies besides gluten. Im still feeling ill after I eat some days, and I think it might either be because of soy or dairy. I was wondering..What other intollerances do you have and how do you deal with m ultiple intollerances? Which was the worst to give up for you(gluten, dairy, soy, eggs...)?

[tarnalberry]

I find dairy harder to give up than gluten, and my symptoms are even less obvious with dairy, and they're not at all that obvious with gluten! I can deal without bread, but there really is no replacement for cheese to eat straight up on its own that doesn't have any dairy. It'd probably be easier to be dairy free if I didn't have to limit soy as well, but such is life.

"How do you deal with it?" You just do. You just eat other things that don't have dairy so you minimize feeling bad. Yeah, sometimes you want to, but then you realize it's your own choice to feel healthy and be able to live life outside of the bedroom or the grumpy-head.

[whitball]

I noticed a lot of people seem to have additional intollerances or allergies besides gluten. Im still feeling ill after I eat some days, and I think it might either be because of soy or dairy. I was wondering..What other intollerances do you have and how do you deal with m ultiple intollerances? Which was the worst to give up for you(gluten, dairy, soy, eggs...)?

Lisa, i am also new and have noticed other food sensitivities. I have learned the hard way thru this whole thing. I am having problems with corn. Corn is in everything. I am trying to eat simplly. Meat, veggies, fruit and dairy. for now until I heall. I woulld encourage you to do the same. Then add new things one at a time. I am also from Michigan. i am in Lansing for a conference. Hotel internet service is interesting to say the least. Good luck. Tara

[mouse]

Someone on another thread mentioned that hard cheddar goat cheese was casein free and so Henry's Market ordered some and I bought 3 bricks of it. Two days ago, I was to lazy to fix lunch. Got out my gluten-free crackers, Hillshire Farm lean sliced ham and plenty of goat cheese. I certainly gave it an unbelievable test . I never wheezed once. And it tasted good too. So, if whoever told me was wrong, then don't tell me as my mind believes I can eat it .

[Mango04]

I can't eat soy, dairy or gluten. I figure it's much easier to not eat something than it is to be sick all the time. It's simply a matter of not eating certain foods, and feeling really great all the time as a result.

I've been dairy free for so long, the mere thought of cow's cheese or the bodily fluid of a cow makes me sick. I have no desire by now to go anywhere near a dairy product. I am often tempted by soy. I really really like soy products. Whenever I'm tempted I just imagine what I'll feel like after I eat it...and then I eat something else instead. I get to feel really healthy and I don't have to take any medication. It's really not that bad

[Green12]

I was just thinking about starting a thread like this, my food allergy situation for years has been so grim and I can't seem to figure it out. Nobody I go to can figure it out either. I have done everything, crazy things, all in search of a solution to get better. And the money I have thrown away....

I don't mean to sound depressing because I still have hope. I think it's just a matter of figuring the puzzle, or riddle, out.

[Carriefaith]

I am allergic to milk and I didn't mind giving up dairy products, although I do miss cheese. I like being gluten and dairy free, I just don't like that everyone feels the need to put dairy and gluten in almost everything!

If you think that you may be allergic to certain foods, maybe get an allergy blood test done? I just had one done in February and one blood sample tested for about 30 different food allergies.

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

I've only had 4 allergens tested and tested positive for every one of them in one test or another (enterolab for gluten/casein and siga for soy/egg)... I assume I have additional undiagnosed allergies seeing as how I'm 4 for 4 already on what I've had tested... but I also don't think all of these are permanent.. I'm not convinced I can never eat dairy or soy again and plan to test them all down the road..

I found giving up dairy much more difficult than gluten which seems to be the case for most people... I had already cut down on gluten significantly for years before going gluten-free due to blood sugar issues with carbs but had eaten dairy every day for as long as I can remember.. I don't mind not eating something like soy but it like most other allergens are a pain in the *** to avoid... my biggest gripe now is having to cook all the time and not being able to just get some takeout or eating at a restaurant..

[Ursa Major]

I miss German sourdough bread more than anything else, and never being able to eat cake again. I am intolerant to every one of the flours that can be used to actually bake a cake. I might try a mix of buckwheat, arrowroot and ground hazelnuts, but I am not sure if it would rise (especially because I will have to make my own baking powder, I can't have cornstarch, which is in regular baking powder), and I can't use eggs, or any of the replacements (which are soy or flax, neither of which I can use).

I don't mind not having dairy. What I hate is, that I have to cook everything I eat from scratch. I am a good cook, but I really don't enjoy cooking at all.

I find it hard to not be able to eat any fruit except peeled pears, and the occasional peeled golden delicious apple. I love strawberries, oranges and grapes! But they will definitely make me sick.

How do I deal with it? Well, if you would have been as sick and in as much pain as I was in for so long, you would do anything not to feel that way. So, most of the time I just have to remember how I will feel tomorrow if I give in, and I won't be tempted.

It's harder when I am doing poorly emotionally. Food was always what I'd use for comfort (not a good idea, of course), and that is out now. I am intolerant to all my former comfort foods!

[kabowman]

You can see my list of intolerances below - I agree with whitball - corn is in EVERYTHING and soy is a close second. Those are the hardest to avoid--corn is even used in a lot of foods at the healthfood store too so you really have to watch.

You deal by learning what you can eat then expanding from there - you would be amazed at how much you can do with just meat and veggies (no fruit due to the yeast) with herbs and spices.

Everything is homemade (mostly except for a few chebe mixes and EnjoyLife cereal and pasta and rice crackers) so it tastes better and is much better for you - my BBQ sauce is amazing - even the non-food-issue-people in my life love it (family and friends). People beg for my chicken noodle soup and chicken and dumplings. Even the kids down the street who HATE tomatoes love my chili.

It gets better and you feel better.

Keep a food diary of everything - including what you drink and make notes about what your symptoms are, even ones you don't think about. My joint pain for almost 15 years is gone - I noticed at the end of the month when I had finally figured out most of my food problems and wow, just gone.

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

SOY is poison!

This is a thread from awhile ago. Some people (in denial) still think it's good. You can judge for yourself.

BE WELL!

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[ArcticSun]

I was just thinking about starting a thread like this, my food allergy situation for years has been so grim and I can't seem to figure it out. Nobody I go to can figure it out either. I have done everything, crazy things, all in search of a solution to get better. And the money I have thrown away....

I don't mean to sound depressing because I still have hope. I think it's just a matter of figuring the puzzle, or riddle, out.

Have you considered mercury poisoning? It causes increased susceptibility to allergies, not to mention numerous other health problems, particularly lowered immunity.

When I went gluten-free 3 months ago it seemed like I was suddenly sensitive to every food I ate! But I think it was just getting the gluten out of the way that made other food sensitivities show up. Immediately I got a severe Rosacea-like rash on my face (cheeks, nose and forehead) that wouldn't go away. I figured it was just gluten detoxing, but it turned out to be something other than that.

I read about Algin (seaweed fiber) being good for absorbing mercury in your system, and within days after I started taking it the rash improved greatly. It's not entirely gone, but the improvement is so noticeable that it can't be a coincidence. Algin is one of the very few things it's safe to take to remove mercury while you still have fillings in your mouth. It seems to be that gluten blocks mercury excretion (the administrator of a mercury/amalgam board agreed with me on this one) and that's why my body started throwing off more mercury after I got rid of the gluten. Mercury detoxes out the skin, so rashes are one of the most common symptoms.

Other things that could cause you problems if you have mercury poisoning are milk products, because they cause you to retain mercury. Sulphur-containing foods, most especially eggs, because sulphur chelates mercury (something you *don't* want to do while you still have metal in your mouth because it just redistributes mercury throughout your body). Herbs such as cilantro and coriander chelate mercury as does alpha lipoic acid, which is found in potatoes. Citric acid which is an additive found in fruit juices does as well.

Even chewing causes more mercury vapor to be emitted from your fillings. So chewing gum is definitely out! And mercury vapor goes straight to your brain, so you can imagine all the problems that could cause.

I'm getting my fillings removed soon, but even if you don't have fillings anymore, but crowns or root canals, those can contain mercury. Unfortunately a lot of dentists just stick crowns on top of fillings. The x-ray I got at a holistic dentist a couple weeks ago showed two porcelain crowns still had mercury under them. I also have 5 "gold" crowns that may or may not have mercury under them. It doesn't show up on x-rays. Crowns containing gold are especially bad if you have fillings elsewhere in your mouth, because the combined electrical charge causes about 7 times more mercury to be emitted from your fillings.

I only went gluten-free after reading that Gluten-free Casein-free diets helped people with Asperger's. I wasn't aware that I had so many symptoms of Celiac until later! And there is a definite connection between autism/mercury poisoning/gluten-intolerance. Much too much to be a coincidence. But you don't have to be autistic to be affected enough by mercury to become gluten-intolerant. Or even necessarily have fillings, although that can make things much, much worse. Many vaccines contain mercury, and some over-the-counter products. Even tap water can contain various degrees of toxic metals.

Here's a list of the effects mercury can have. The most common ones have an asterisk next to them.

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[darlindeb25]

Tara and Lisa, I grew up in Michigan--I moved to Long Island, New York 1 1/2 yrs ago. My sister is a celiac and a dietician in central Michigan. Along with gluten, I can't have soy, corn, most starches, and tomato.

I also am staying away from rice products as much as possible. Very much limits what I can eat. Thank god dairy isnt a problem for me, I would hate giving up my cheese. I just look at all this as--at least I am not sick everyday anymore and that's the good part. Deb

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

Have you considered mercury poisoning? It causes increased susceptibility to allergies, not to mention numerous other health problems, particularly lowered immunity.

ArcticSun -- Welcome! For a newbie you are very wise.

I agree with the minerals in our water, air and ground are sickening us. That is why I only drink distilled water.

Pass this site around. All you do is type in your zipcode and you will learn how dirty your town and neighborhood is. I was shock when I did mine. -- I live in a affluent community in Florida... Now, I want to move [giggle]

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[NicoleAJ]

Thanks Mango for posting this topic. For those of you with allergies, how do you deal with them? I'm allergic to arrowroot, and a few months back it wasn't listed in the ingredients for a gluten free sauce that I ate (must have gone under "natural flavors"). Before diagnosis I used to just feel minor throat constriction when I ate arrowroot accidentally, but it seems that I am now more susceptible. I started with the throat constriction and called my insurance company's advice nurse, and she said I should go to the ER (it was a Sunday) just as a precaution--I thought she was overreacting, but it's a really good thing I did because after being in the waiting room for half an hour or so my thoat closed almost completely, and they had to rush me in and pump me with way too much benadryl and steroids. I don't want that to happen again, so I'd love some advice on successful procedures you've used for coping with these reactions. I don't think the allergy is bad enough to get an epi-pen, but I think it might be worth getting some benadryl to keep around--have any of you had problems with benadryl? I had it injected, so it didn't go through the GI track.

[ArcticSun]

ArcticSun -- Welcome! For a newbie you are very wise.

I agree with the minerals in our water, air and ground are sickening us. That is why I only drink distilled water.

Pass this site around. All you do is type in your zipcode and you will learn how dirty your town and neighborhood is. I was shock when I did mine. -- I live in a affluent community in Florida... Now, I want to move [giggle]

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Thank you for the welcome, ms_sillyak! This is a wonderful forum with many intelligent, well-informed people. I've been reading for at least six weeks now.

I feel like I've had to get wise very quickly, because I have to keep a step or two ahead of the doctors.

Wow, that's weird you should mention distilled water. I had some kinesiology tests last week, and the only thing I *wasn't* allergic to was distilled water! The city tap water, I was allergic to. I'm going to have to start lugging jugs myself.

Thanks for the great link. I was surprised Anchorage was in the bottom 10% recently in some categories. Yet for water, it's supposed to be in the top 10%. Well, so much for that.

I just found a little additional info on mercury poisoning and allergies:

"Bernie Windham has written a paper that describes how mercury interferes with the enzyme that is needed to digest gluten and casein. Many people who are mercury toxic are sensitive to food that are high in sulfur, which includes all dairy products."

"Mercury toxic individuals often suffer from food allergies. Therefore, a Gluten-free Casein-free (gluten and casein-free) diet is probably a good idea before and during chelation. Theoretically, once the mercury is removed, the immune system is restored, and the gut is allowed to heal (this may require antibiotics and/or anti-fungals), the child may be able eat 'regular' foods again."

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(near bottom of page)

[mmaccartney]

I have casein intolerance as well as Celiac. I found dairy harder to give up then gluten, but over time there aren't many things that I miss anymore.

How do I "deal with it". It is kind of hard to explain, but I will try. Over time my brain and body have somehow worked together, and when I see things I cannot have (like pizza, bagels, lasagna, etc...) it actually doesn't register with my brain as being food anymore. I don't crave it, and when I actually see it it looks the same to me as a telephone, or a table, or a screwdriver. It doesn't trigger cravings, or anything. It's wierd, but I kind of like it this way...

The only way I can really explain it is like this:

When you were a kid, people told you not to touch the stove, that it would hurt you. But you had urges to touch the stove, just to find out for yourself. One day, despite all the warnings, you did it...you touched that stove, and you got burnt kind of bad, in fact it was painful. Your mind and body made some connection that day and the urges to touch the stove were no longer there, and you never had those urges again in life.

That is what it is like for me with gluten and dairy. I just don't see it as food anymore, it does not register. The pain and suffering was just too much that my brain somehow turned off those urges and cravings.

[Green12]

Have you considered mercury poisoning? It causes increased susceptibility to allergies, not to mention numerous other health problems, particularly lowered immunity.

Hi Arctic Sun,

I had all of my fillings removed, that was one of the first things I did on my list of all of those 'crazy' things I was talking about in my first post. I also did multiple rounds of chelation in order to detox the mercury from my body as well as taking high doses of chlorella to pull it out. I completely agree with you about mercury toxicity, it just wasn't my solution.

Good luck with your mercury battle!

[AndreaB]

For the main three allergies I have soy/wheat/dairy. I would say dairy is the hardest to stay away from if you can't/won't do soy. I have learned that soy is bad for you and can cause intestinal damage as well. I was a vegan for three years (until I found out about my allergies). I really miss butter! I make a coconut oil based butter which is pretty good, but it's not butter.

As far as mercury, I had 4 crowns done last year and a root canal (which is not good for you either). I have 4 more crowns to do but am thinking of having one or two of those teeth pulled. The gal I talked to at the dentist office said the dentist shaves the tooth down to get the filling out. Don't know if mine were too deep for that or not. I can't detox as I am breastfeeding and will be for a while. My little boy probably has some of his eczema problems with my mercury as well. I've been gluten free for 1 1/2 months with the exception of some mistakes (also soy free). He has done much better but if mercury increases after leaving off gluten he'll probably get worse. What a mess. With ordering the enterolab I can't have any more teeth done till the fall. It's all gone on credit as it is.

We just installed a Kitchen Defender for our water. The guy that sells it is very nice and won't sell you what you don't need. Check out cleanairpurewater.com if interested. Our water is great now!

[mouse]

I avoid soy except when I go to PF Changs and except for the Crisco I used to make choc. chip cookies on Sunday. I am also very badly allergic to casein and I only make mash potatoes once a month. But, I do have Kinninikick (sp) bread about 4 slices a week and I think that has milk in it. Otherwise that is all the dairy I have. My corn allergy went the same as the casein about two weeks ago. And there went my gluten-free pretzels and so many other things I snacked on, as most say cornstartch or corn syrup. So, I gave them all away yesterday. I can't use ketchup anymore and even tarter sauce has corn in it. I think this is so much harder then the gluten. I can't eat a regular omelet because I am intolerant to egg whites. But, I can use one in a batch of cookies because it it spread out over many. I think the hardest over all of them including gluten is the corn. When the corn allergy went bonkers I had to go on prednesone and oxygen. So, this is a must get rid of things allergy. Hopefully it will calm a little and I can have tartersauce or ketchup once a month. By then I probably won't care. We eat out several times a month and I do address my gluten-free diet and the dairy. But, I do not want to have to go over all the ingreds. they use in a dish trying to avoid the corn. Personally I think this sucks and I am not in a good mood over it. And to top it off my email server has been down since I got up early this morning. I think I will go to bed early. Tomorrow has to be better

[ArcticSun]

Hi Arctic Sun,

I had all of my fillings removed, that was one of the first things I did on my list of all of those 'crazy' things I was talking about in my first post. I also did multiple rounds of chelation in order to detox the mercury from my body as well as taking high doses of chlorella to pull it out. I completely agree with you about mercury toxicity, it just wasn't my solution.

Good luck with your mercury battle!

Thanks juliem!

My filling replacement got postponed when I tested in the high-positive range for Lyme Disease a couple weeks ago. I have to work on that for awhile to get my immune system back up. I've been focusing all my energy lately on learning about Lyme. Interestingly, the symptoms of Lyme Disease and mercury poisoning are amazingly similiar (and plentiful) which is one reason my naturopath suggested the test. It's also true that you can't completely get rid of Lyme if you have mercury poisoning and vice versa.

The conventional tests for Lyme are notoriously unreliable, but I got the one from Bowen Labs which is the most accurate. They actually measure the amount of bugs in your system (rather than antibodies) and take a picture of what they find under the microscope (and send you the report and pic in the mail, as well as to your doctor). I was put off by the $250 price at first, but it turns out it's tax deductible since Bowen is a research institution. You also get the results within 24 hours because you FedEx your sample overnight.

There's a list below of Lyme symptoms, and allergies is on it (near the bottom of the page). I also have fibromyalgia, and tried guaifenesin for it a couple of years ago, which worked for a couple of the symptoms but made the muscle pain much worse! When I was reading about the Bowen test and Lyme, *everyone* they've ever tested with fibromyalgia turned out positive for Lyme, as well as most people tested who had MS, ALS, and Parkinson's. It's definitely worth looking into if you have FM.

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I was not supposed to be at risk for Lyme at all, living in Alaska. Yet apparently I've had it a long time. My sister was also diagnosed with it 10 years ago. And they're finding that it's spread by a lot more than ticks.

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Researchers and doctors I’ve spoken with have now found live spirochetes of Lyme in fleas, mites, and mosquitoes. And although it was first thought the disease couldn’t be transmitted directly from human to human, the live spirochetes have now also been found in blood, urine, tears, semen, breast milk, cord blood, and vaginal secretions.

Doctors who specialize in treating the disease are convinced it can be passed from one infected person to another by several means, particularly through repeated sexual contact and passage through the placenta in the womb. (Rheum Dis Clin North Am 89;15(4):657-77) Given Lyme’s syphilis-like nature, this shouldn’t be such a surprise.

Even the CDC has now admitted what researchers found years ago, that Bb bacteria survive the purification process of donated blood and could be passed through blood transfusions. (J Infect Dis 90;162(2):557-9) (Transfusion 89:29(7)646-5) And, as if that weren’t alarming enough, there’s even a possibility that our food supply could be a source of the spirochete. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found dairy cattle infected with the Bb bacterium, which raises the question of whether milk or other products in our food chain may be a danger. (Am J Vet Res 94;55(9):1228-31) (Int J Food Microbiol 91;14(3-4):247-60)

**********

I also found a forum where people with Lyme Disease had improvement on a gluten-free diet.

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[kabowman]

Armetta - you can find corn syrup free ketchup and most other things if you look - mine are available at one of the health food stores in town - but watch those too because most of those still use corn syrup. Look and look and you can find one without so you don't have to give that up.

Most pasta sauces have corn syrup too unless you pay extra and still watch the ingredients or make your own.

[ehrin]

I am allergic to milk and I didn't mind giving up dairy products, although I do miss cheese. I like being gluten and dairy free, I just don't like that everyone feels the need to put dairy and gluten in almost everything!

If you think that you may be allergic to certain foods, maybe get an allergy blood test done? I just had one done in February and one blood sample tested for about 30 different food allergies.

Can I ask, what Dr does the allergy tests? Do I call my PCP or do I call my GI? I have an appt with my GI next month so it'd be more convenient...

I have a strong suspicion that I'm not tolerating dairy well.

I never had this problem prior to going gluten-free, so I wonder if as my intestine heals I am developing other intolerances?

This is a pain in the...I've had diabetes for so long that it just, well it just IS if that makes any sense.

Being gluten-free, and perhaps lactose intolerant, is a whole other ballgame that I'm not interested in playing.

[dperk]

It took me about a year of illiminating and searching to find the foods that bothered me. When you feel really sick after eating something, you just don't have a choice but to illimate it - once you find out which foods it is.

The list of foods I could NOT eat was more than what I could - no gluten, dairy, soy, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, avacados, apples, rice, seeds, walnuts, pecans, tahini - and the list goes on and on. All I had left was some veggies, almonds, meat and a few fruits. My meals became pretty boring. Then I started having a reaction to almonds. That's when I became really desperate and started searching for more answers. I discovered the website Open Original Shared Link and found the liver flush (cleanse). What did I have to loose? So I tried it. Well, after doing 6 of them, I feel great! I can eat rice, corn, tahini and potatoes again. I think that eating gluten for so long when it was doing so much harm to my system really taxed my gallbladder and liver. It needed a good cleaning out, I guess. I'm not sure why it works, all I know is I'll do a hundred of them if I continue to get better and can eat foods again. Going gluten-free seems pretty easy to me now............ I still have a long way to go, but I'm taking it slow and adding back one thing at a time.

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

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