gluten question

I think once a person is healed, that eating healthy in general is something that should be continued.

I think eating healthy can include some gluten.

For me, I think the sugar is worse...that's been the hardest for me...and I cheat.

I don't really notice a difference unless I eat to much bad sugar, i.e. Candy. I eat a lot of fruit and watermelon this summer and didn't feel any worse. If I drink alcohol I do feel worse the next day, and in worse I have overall pain.

I think if you eat real sour dough bread that they let process for over 24 hrs, it does something to the gluten so it doesn't have the usual affect but that's for people with no sensitivities.

I cheat all the time and it only affects me if I over do it.

honestly, I was super strict for months when I first got diagnosed with lyme. but then I started eating bread here and there, and then pasta here and there, to the point that I almost ended up with my old diet. I feel that eating gluten free helped me heal way faster than if I stayed on gluten, because lyme bacteria feeds on gluten and sugar. So if I wasn't eating anything to feed the bacteria, I was killing it off faster along with all of the other methods of taking meds, detoxing, etc.

I am mad at myself for cheating so much now, not because of the lyme, but because of the overall healthiness that I strayed away from. I gained some weight back (although I was super skinny - I liked it - so did my husband, LOL) I feel no difference at all now than before, but I am pretty much healed, so I don't know what that means. I started getting magnetic therapy, and the Dr told me my liver and spleen are enlarged due to eating too much dairy. I know we are supposed to avoid dairy - but I have a harder time avoiding dairy than sugar, because I absolutely love cheese! LOL So now I am off dairy completely for 10 weeks, and I already cheated, ugh!!

in conclusion - I would say that it is definitely better to avoid gluten when you are actively fighting lyme, but it is ok to cheat every once in a while if it doesn't make you feel bad. that's just my opinion though! oh and by the way, I cannot stomach the gluten free bread, its aweful!! LOL

There have been some really good thread discussions in the past on gluten—I encourage you to do a search to find them.

My take on gluten (sorry for the length—I don't know how to shorten this):

Gluten is a protein that binds stuff so that you can make things with grains. Now, there are some people with serious gluten allergies (those with celiac's disease fall into this category), some people with lesser serious gluten sensitivities (me—gluten is off-the charts on my food allergies tests even when I haven't eaten any in months), people who have noticeable reactions when they eat gluten (gassy, crampy, diarrhea), and those who have been advised to cut it out of their diet for health reasons… and then there are people who think they are going to lose weight by avoiding gluten.

But here's the rub:
For all of those foods that contain gluten, it has to substituted for another binder. And generally, those substitutes are not healthy for you either. Also, unless you are making your own bread items and other carb foods wherein you are consuming gluten, you are still eating processed foods, which is not good—especially gluten-free processed foods. These days, grains are so highly processed that even the "whole grain" remnants of the grain are not recognized by our bodies anymore. So many people are reacting to grain issues, not just gluten issues (me). An additional issue is that most available grains in this country are GMO'd. And these GMO versions of grains are also unfamiliar to our bodies and harder to process. The "harder to process" issues are particularly harmful for people who have detox issues (there are genetic mutations that interfere with detoxing so that is something that is important to know). Also, I wonder if people who are eating gluten-free tend to eat more carbs because they feel they are eating healthier? Not sure about that.

Now, there are plenty of people out there in the world who eat grains and processed foods and are happy, healthy, and don't have weight or sugar metabolism issues. But for people whose bodies are already struggling (like us), what you eat is extremely important.

I've done a lot of research on yeast/fungal issues. Over and over again, I've read that if you crave sweets, it's really something else craving it—not a "bad habit" or "lack of self-control". Craving sweets is a modern symptom created by the prevalence of sugar in our diets and is not a "normal" condition. It's very likely that a yeast or fungal overgrowth is causing a physiological response to needing more sugar to feed upon. Simple carbs like breads, pastas, rice, potatoes create nearly the same digestive process as sugar because they quickly convert to sugar. So, here is my theory—although it's likely not MY theory and probably something I've read but it also makes perfect sense based on my research: when you go "gluten-free" you're still eating foods that feed a yeast or fungal overgrowth. It's unlikely that your body is "missing" or craving the gluten.

I think many people who cut out all simple carbs as part of their gluten-free diet feel better not only because of the lack of gluten but the lack of the quick sugar conversion as well as the foods that the GI has trouble digesting. And people who only cut out gluten and are eating "gluten-free" foods are still eating processed foods, which just isn't good and I'd bet that's the reason they're not feeling well. Now, if you go gluten-free and you make your own gluten-free breads and pastas and you still aren't feeling better, you may need to cycle through all the substitutes for gluten to see which one works best for you. Some people have the types of bodies that need proteins most, some people need carbs most.

I have a duble whammy in my gene line—I know of two gene mutations that make it difficult for my body to process sugar and also make it difficult to detox. I feel 100% better when I don't eat carbs (except veggies), which eliminated gluten (which was causing so much inflammation and GI distress). But cutting out carbs was impossible to do—IMPOSSIBLE—until I got the yeast overgrowth in my body under control, which took high doses of systemic and GI antifungals. And then… I started taking HCL but that's a whole other thread.

Hope this helps in some way…


-p

With gluten, you must be 100% off of it for it to be effective. I have read and have personally found that even the smallest amount can cause problems for over a week.

Not everyone has gluten issues. But for those such as myself that may have a leaky gut, it makes a whole world of difference.

One of my first symptoms of Lyme was severe anxiety. I also had other Thyroid issues among the long list of LD issues. Well, my blood work showed that I have hashimotos. My Endocronologist told me that there was nothing that she could do and to wait until my thyroid died so she could put me on medication.

Well, I found an article that said that people with gluten sensitivity have issues where the immune system attacks the thyroid because its cells closely match those of gluten. When the immune system attacks the thyroid, pieces of it get into the bloodstream and this causes anxiety. Not believing everything I read, I tested the theory and went gluten free. To my amazement, my anxiety went away and my thyroid symptoms got much better.

Wanting to see if that was the problem, I ate gluten. My anxiety came back real bad. My body got so used to being gluten free that now, even the little bit of gluten in a supplement is enough to cause me anxiety for a few days.

By the way, I also found that some of those so called gluten free products are sometimes not gluten free. The government's definition of gluten free (parts per million I think) is so high that stuff can have gluten and still be called gluten free.

I was really bad about my Lyme diet until I had another flare-up of the Lyme 6 months into antibiotic treatment. I realized that this flare-up came a day after I had celebrated my birthday with allowing myself

4 pieces of Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. I hadn't known that they use extra high gluten bread dough in most pizzas,, but I learned the hard way.

I had felt so good after finishing my 6 week period of IV Rocephin that I also had done some major strength training at the gym that bordered on aerobics 4 days in a row, 2 weeks in a row, ignorant of

Dr. Burrascano's Guidelines at the time, which probably lowered my T-cell count enough for the spirochetes to come out of hiding and feed on the high gluten pizza feast I had provided...LOL

Until then, I had heard some things about sugar and gluten, but pretty much dismissed them, and really hadn't informed myself enough of my condition to aid in the proper treatment.

I had just been blessed to come across a nurse that slipped me the name of an LLMD when I was at the doctor's office asking for more ABX, during another of my prior flareups.

Thankfully, to combat my ignorance of the actualities of Chronic Lyme, during these flare-ups, along with a worsening of symptoms, my bull's eye rash has come back each time, in a lighter form, to shake any doubt that this couldn't be Chronic Lyme.

The spirochetes favorite fuel is sugar in any form-gluten, potatoes, crackers, rice, breads, dairy, refined sugars, and especially alcohol. Alcohol will highly envigorate the spirochetes, to a toxic level, according to Dr. Burrascano, and also weaken the immune system at the same time.

My guess is that these things in moderation after a good remission or "cure" is confirmed would probably be okay, but not until then. Some people's body processes and degree of illness are different though,

so I suppose there are some out there who could achieve a good remission without completely eliminating these things, but I don't think I'm one of them, since I've had multiple tick bites and a long term infection that I ignored for many years thanks to my ignorance of Chronic Lyme.

Post Edited (RobNOrl) : 11/4/2014 5:40:10 PM (GMT-7)

If we all read the book, Grain Brain, we would quit eating grains. My understanding is celiac or a gluten intolerance might not show up in the gut but can also cause dementia, peripheral neuropatHy and I forget what else. Are body's really can't handle the grains.

I do know someone who healed without going gluten free...I think she tried it for a couple months, and then stopped.

I know someone else who is treating for a long time...and isn't gluten free...she is about 80% healed.

I don't know if you can't heal...but I'm thinking it could be a longer healing process, with the added inflammation.

Thanks, Rob. I kind of agree in theory that the stuff I am eating to replace my lack of gluten foods is less healthy over all than the gluten foods I used to eat.

Pirouette, yes, my Endo doctor actually said that. I also had my Neurologist say that my brain lesions (per the MRI) were "brain freckles" and that they are normal for some people.

The link to the gluten/thyroid connection is below. It has references annotated within referencing material to the actual medical articles.

Link: http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection