Can Some Please Explain Dh?

[Nikky10]

Hi, I am new and I noticed people talking about skin conditions. I have had a gluten allergy or intolerance for 10 years (I've never been tested but I think its an allergy), I only found out what it was 1 year ago which was a HUGE relief after 9 years of feeling like crap! Anyway I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm talking about.

I don't have any symptoms anymore unless I eat something with gluten but I still seem to have itchy skin alot, I thought maybe it was soap, so I got soap free body wash but it doesn't make a difference. Does anyone experience this? I also seem to be sesitive to other things like green tea made me break out in horrible hives and so did some dishwasher tables, also bananas make me very sick and now I'm having trouble with milk. I'm getting pretty upset about all these allergies or what ever they are appearing, I'm just wondering if they are connected to the gluten allergy and has anyone else experienced this? Any help will be much appreciated, thanks!

[Josh Parker]

Hi Nikky,

I have celiac disease too. The problems associated with the disease are something that I have experienced too. I know the misery that is associated with the symptoms. I found out the hard way that many sufferers are also allergic to lactose. Lactose can give similiar symtoms such as indigestion and itching. Also look into MSG and see if you are allergic to that as well. It will produce similiar symptoms. It gives me headaches, itching, and I feel like I want to die. There is an enzyme that you can take called lactase which can help you with digestion in regard to dairy products. Just don't assume that you can consume as much dairy as you want though. Take in a minimal amount of dairy. A normal person's stomach produces an enzyme called lactase which breaks down the dairy. My stomach doesn't produce it, so I have to take the pills immediately if I consume some dairy. The pills are only $10 for a 30 day supply, and they are over the counter. They come in Vanilla or plain.

Here are some foods that contain gluten that you may be consuming and not know it. Cokes contain wheat when the caramel coloring is processed with wheat. Pepsi says that none of their products contain wheat according to a newsletter. According to a report, caramel coloring made in the US is not made from wheat. I would not trust Coca Cola because their newsletter did not say whether they used wheat in their processing. YOu may want to find out and research. Soy sauce has wheat. San-J soy sauce is wheat free. It is sold at Harry's Farmer's Market. If you are distraught about having to give up a lot of dairy products, then that is a normal reaction. I went through that but I learned to substitute Soy Milk and Soy Ice Cream for these items. I can still eat Fruity Pebbles (HA HA HA) since it is made with corn. Eating a trace amount of wheat can ruin you for a whole week. The misery and depression comes along with the headaches, fatigue, irritability, and indigestion. Insomnia is also another symptom which comes with the disease. Benedryl helps, but I would not recommend it unless it is absolutely necessary to make the itching subside.

[Nikky10]

Hi Josh,

Thanks for your reply, it was very helpful. I'm glad you mentioned MSG, I had one of those packaged taco packs that are gluten free not long ago and had a similar rection as I do to gluten and I couldn't figure out why, it has MSG in it. It was probably that. Also I found it interesting that you said coke has wheat in it, I was 100% sure that was safe, it sounds like you are from the US so I'm not sure if it's the same here (Australia) but I'm going to do some research. I have cut down on dairy, which is hard, and I am having lactose free milk at the moment because I heard that soy milk has wheat in it. Just to let you know I found that Aloe Vera juice really helps when you gluten yourself, it tastes like crap but it's worth it, just make sure it's pure. I have had a really bad week, glutened myself twice! I brought some Bullet Bourbons because bourbon is safe but what I didn't read on the can was that it is bourbon/whiskey! I was drinking it and my throat was swelling up. Then yesterday I got some vegemite (that's an aussie spread) in a cut on my finger, I didn't think that would do anything but it did! So now I have the week or 2 of crap! And no one seems to understand how bad it actually is (unless you have been through it).

[happygirl]

All Coke and Pepsi products are gluten free. Wheat, by law, must be listed on the label, if present.

San-J has a wheat free soy sauce, as well as one with wheat.

[lovegrov]

"Cokes contain wheat when the caramel coloring is processed with wheat."

Doesn't happen. And if it did they would be REQUIRED by law in the U.S. to list the wheat. Coke is gluten-free.

richard

[Snow Angel]

green tea made me break out in horrible hives

Some green tea is gluten free, some is not...check your brand. I have read some have barley but I think that is in restaurants. I don't know what it is in tea that would be gluten otherwise. He is my current list of gluten-free teas. I have checked the websites just recently.

Tazo Tea 10/08 All of our teas are gluten free, except for the following: Green Ginger (teabag), Tazo Honeybush

(teabag) and premade drinks: Lemon Ginger (bottled tea) & Tea Lemonade (bottled tea).

Stash 10/08 All of our teas are gluten-free.

www.stashtea.com/teafaq.htm#21

Celestial Green Tea: 10/08: Green tea, Organic green tea,Decaf Green Tea, Decaf Mandarin Orchard Green Tea, Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea, Raspberry Gardens Green Tea, Blueberry Breeze

[Nikky10]

Thanks Snow Angel

I didn't think any tea had gluten in it, I'll look into that. I think I am just allergic to green tea because I didn't get the same reaction as I do to gluten.

[Snow Angel]

Thanks Snow Angel

I didn't think any tea had gluten in it, I'll look into that. I think I am just allergic to green tea because I didn't get the same reaction as I do to gluten.

You welcome, maybe your reaction is for another reason or barley feels different then wheat.. idk... I haven't figured it out & probably never will.., but unfortunately if you can't eat gluten then you can't trust any prepared food or DRINKS. (so far bottled water hasn't done me in Yet!!) I just hope it goes away for you.

[Nikky10]

It could be something else that was in the tea, I'll never know because I don't have the packet anymore and I can't remember which one it was. But I have never even touched green tea since! I'm too scared. The thing is I was told that green tea helps which allergic reactions so I kept drinking it until almost my entire body was covered, it was worse than a gluten reaction. The only other thing I can think of is some sort of chemical was in the tea, because I got hives not long ago from drinking from a glass that had been washed in a dishwasher (worked out it was the dishwashing tablets). And I think I may have to give up milk, my reactions are getting worst. Every morning after my coffee and cerial I seem to get ichy and my throat swells up a bit and tired all day, just like my gluten reaction but a little less. I'm going for treatment in a could of weeks, so I'm crossing my fingers coz I am sick of allergies!

[happygirl]

What type of cereal are you eating?

[Nikky10]

What type of cereal are you eating?

Gluten free corn flakes usually, but I made some homemade cerial with corn flakes, rice flakes, sunflower seeds, saltanas and berries.

[linuxprincess]

I do want to point out one small thing about Josh's post: Normally when a person reacts to lactose or any other milk protein it is because the body treats it the same way as gluten not because the lactase is missing from the process. That sounds like a lactose intolerant issue.

One main difference between lactose intolerance and Celiac patients that cannot have milk products is the ability for Celiac's to have ghee which is something lactose intolerant people cannot have.

[jmoore47]

Hi, I am new and I noticed people talking about skin conditions. I have had a gluten allergy or intolerance for 10 years (I've never been tested but I think its an allergy), I only found out what it was 1 year ago which was a HUGE relief after 9 years of feeling like crap! Anyway I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm talking about.

I don't have any symptoms anymore unless I eat something with gluten but I still seem to have itchy skin alot, I thought maybe it was soap, so I got soap free body wash but it doesn't make a difference. Does anyone experience this? I also seem to be sesitive to other things like green tea made me break out in horrible hives and so did some dishwasher tables, also bananas make me very sick and now I'm having trouble with milk. I'm getting pretty upset about all these allergies or what ever they are appearing, I'm just wondering if they are connected to the gluten allergy and has anyone else experienced this? Any help will be much appreciated, thanks!

Nikky,

I have Dermatitis Herpetiformis, and my doctor told me that if I have that, then I am Celiac (gluten intollerant) and cannot have any gluten from wheat, barley, rye, or oats. I have been struggling with this now since April, and I have had the rash off and on my whole life. Gluten is in a lot of stuff like pills, hand lotion, food, etc. Now that I am sticking to the gluten free diet, I am not having any more rashes. They look a lot like hives and are very itchy. We went to a seminar and the doctor said that since our villi are chopped off, we cannot get the nutrients we need, so we have problems with a lot of other foods until our villi grow back. I had to leave out dairy and all grains (even the ones that do not have gluten, like rice) for about 8 weeks. Good luck! It gets better.

Joanne

[Paulppaul]

Celiacs are probably not all lactose intolerant but are intolerant to the proteins in dairy products. I don't believe ghee has much of those proteins.

[Janessa]

I get super itchy skin with gluten (never diagnosed with DH) but I also get similar itchiness with other grains that cause me problems like corn. So you could be reacting to something else. Also check and double check all your toiletries

[clydeshannon5]

get the book "the gluten connection" by Dr. Sheri Leiberman. It explains that Malt flavoring has the same effects as glutten, because it is in the same family. So I haven't found a cereal yet that doesn't add malt flavoring, even if it is corn based. So I stick to eggs!! Cream of Rice is a great breakfast alternative too, taste great with a little raw cane sugar. There is a great diet called the SCD diet ( i think that's right) basically it is "eat fruits, veggies, and meat (nuts if you can tolerate them) stay away from all processed foods. Drink water only. Do this for 2-6 weeks and see what happens. Once the gut is given time to heal usually the other symptoms go away, and things can be tolerated again. When in doubt about what to eat, I just think to myself "if I lived on a farm and could never buy food at a grocery store, what would there be to eat?" So not trying to "replace" all the food you normally consume with gluten free, but instead, change the habit of what is eaten.

something to think about, hope it helps, or at least may lead to something that could help.