So, I Have All These Food Allergies...

After three-plus years of trouble with repetitive stress injuries, and trying everything short of surgery, I may have actually figured out my problem.  As I mentioned a couple months ago (chronic muscle and joint pain caused by vitamin deficiencies?), I went to a doctor for digestion issues, and she had me tested for food hidden allergies (something no other doctor had thought to do previously).  I had positive responses for.. a lot.  Here are the biggest offenders (which are in things most of us eat on a daily basis):

• gluten (found in wheat, rye, and barley)
• dairy
• eggs

Based on these results and my symptoms, we (doctor and I) think it's likely that I have Celiac Disease (though I'd have to have a biopsy of the small intestine done to know for sure), which means eating gluten harms these little things in the small intestine called villi--they're what help you absorb nutrients from the food you eat.  So, even though I have a good diet, my body hasn't been getting all the vitamins/minerals it needs for years.  This leads to all sorts of problems (a lot of things like acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, bone and joint paint, and chronic fatigue syndrome may actually be caused by Celiac Disease). 

Because the symptoms can be different in different people and many aren't even obviously related to digestion, this is something that gets misdiagnosed a lot.  The stats I've read estimate that as many as 1 in 133 people in the U.S. have Celiac Disease and many of them just don't know it.  (Apparently it's especially common in those of Northern European descent.)

So, long story short, I'm now avoiding gluten (and my other allergens), which is inconvenient, but at least it's all you need to do to protect yourself and get better.  From what I've read, it takes 3-6 months for the gut to heal.  I'm already sleeping much better (digestion issues kept me up before), and I'm hoping this will turn out to finally fix my hands too. 

Comments

[Tommy]

I have Ulcerative Colitis, an irritable bowel disease, and have found that a diet called "The Specific Carbohydrate Diet" has helped me immensely. You can find more information about it at scdiet.org. Irritable bowel diseases can cause joint pain also. Have you been to a gastroenterologist?

[Hugues]

Just some advice from a french nutritionist. You should be very cautious with eggs, never eat whole eggs omelettes and stuff like that. Cakes with not a lot of eggs inside are ok. As for dairy products you should avoid milk at all cost, ice cream is pretty bad too. Dairy products with bacterial agents (yogourt, sour cream etc...) and butter are ok in very small amounts. Gluten is not that bad compared to eggs and dairy products, eat some with other foods like vegetables and you should be ok. I would recommend drinking tomato juice, one cup a day for about 3 months and you could see very good results.

[Ergoblog]

Hey, thanks for the link Tommy. I'd heard of the caveman diet but not the SCD one (which isn't quite as restrictive). I ordered Elaine's book, and I'm goning to give it a try. I'm already gluten and dairy free, so I've gotten pretty used to cutting things out.

[Nat]

Sorry to hear about your food allergies. I was on a holistic diet once and eliminated many things from my diet, it's not easy. I spent about 3 hours at Whole Foods the first time and it almost felt like I could eat barely anything. But you will alternative foods you like (or get used to)

[Jasmine]

Hi, there. Just found you on a search for SCD. I have/had ulcerative colitis due to C.Diff toxin. I'd been GFCF for a year, but the Specific Carbohydrate diet, along with some whole food supplements have really made the biggest improvement to my health. Did you end up trying it? How did it work out? Please visit me at nuttymeatfruit! :^)