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Food Allergy the root of all evil

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 7/2/2013 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hello all!
I have had digestive issues my entire life ranging from reflux, burning, bloating, belching, gas, diarrhea, nausea, constipation, fatigue, severe brain fog.... No pill prescribed has given any relief. I have need dairy and gluten free for three days now and for the first time in months, my stomach isn't burning and my reflux is at a minimum. I tried a naturopath Dr today who told me I have a sensitivity to gluten, dairy, nuts and a few other things. The GI dr I've been to has been of no use and would prefer to mask symptoms with medications rather than figure out the root of the problem! Just wondering if anyone has eliminated gluten and dairy as well. It may be the answer to many of our prayers! It's a lifestyle change, but its worth it... So far.
Posted 7/2/2013 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
The GI dr didn't think my issues were allergy related because GERD was my primary complaint. She failed to listen to my entire history of digestive woes and put the pieces of the puzzle together. The naturopath also advised that allergies or sensitivities may not show in a skin or blood test... Your body may not react to it as mine didn't when tested a few years back.
Posted 7/2/2013 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Curious, how did the naturopath arrive at that diagnosis for you?

I have been struggling with something, I'm still not sure what to call it, but I tried going off gluten, dairy and soy for 2 weeks. No change at all. My ENT said to try it for 3 weeks, but, I can't see how 2 weeks wouldn't be long enough to see SOMEthing.
Posted 7/2/2013 10:01 AM (GMT 0)
She did a test based on my body's energy (kinesiology). It was kind of strange, but hey.... I'm willing to try anything at this point! Maybe you should check out. It's worth a try...
Posted 7/2/2013 10:54 AM (GMT 0)
I wish it was the answer for me - my food allergies predate my GERD symptoms by 25 years!! Despite being compliant with my allergy diet I still have GERD symptoms. I've tried cutting out gluten and soya, all to no avail.

I'm glad someone has got sorted though, it gives the rest of us hope!

MMM
Posted 7/2/2013 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
I have found some allergists understand this better than gastroenterologists. From mine:

Keeping a food journal is the best way to find food allergies, intolerances, sensitivities. See the many threads posted on this - use the search box at the top of the page.

Before cutting out a whole bunch of things keep the journal at least a month. Then look into challenge testing - also posted in the search box. Don't do this if you have serious reactions unless approved by your allergist.

Don't believe it if someone says they can hold up a sealed bottle of something and tell if you are sensitive to it. They can tell by your reaction when they say the name of the substance, or by what you have already told them.
Posted 7/2/2013 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
Have you looked at leaky gut syndrome?

MMM- Which Dr do you see in the UK? Any good?

XX

Posted 7/2/2013 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
I have IgE mediated food allergy and a couple of intolerances. In the past I've tried supplements for leaky gut but they haven't helped. I am concerned about increasing my food allergens as a result of being on a PPI, but there's not a lot I can do about it.

I have seen an allergy consultant on the NHS but they tend to be quite damming of any allergies that are not proven by double blind challenge and accused me of having a very restricted diet, whilst in fact talking over me as I explained my diet and I forgot to point out that the PPI is a much bigger risk of osteoporosis than me living on calcium enriched soya milk! I find it very frustrating and not at all helpful when I go there - it takes several days for me to get a full blown reaction to some things but if you don't react to the test dose the implication is you can go away and feast on that food. I've had my food sensitivities so long now that I'm quite happy with what I'm doing and I'd be very happy with my diet if it were not for the additional restrictions caused by having GERD!!

Bruce started a thread about allergy and histamine a while back - quite a lot of info in that thread.

MMM
Posted 7/2/2013 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
Have a look at the "new perspective" thread by bcfromfl....
Posted 7/2/2013 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
I have eliminated gluten and most dairy (I am able to tolerate some parmasean cheese, but I think I am going to back off that).  It has made a difference.
Posted 7/2/2013 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
I have been staying away from milk and bread because i have long suspected an intolerance to them. Today i drank a lot of milk and bread to see if i did have worse heartburn or lpr. I did notice bad heartburn and breathing issues but its hard to know if its cause by gerd in general or an intolerance... Food allergies are often quick reactions and ive heard that an intolerance can be between 30 mins to 48 hrs after ingestion...

Heres what can happen if you have a food intolerance

Food intolerance can present with symptoms affecting the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) either individually or in combination. On the skin may include skin rashes, urticaria (hives),[10]angioedema,[11] dermatitis,[12] and eczema.[13] Respiratory tract symptoms can include nasal congestion, sinusitis, pharyngeal irritations, asthma and an unproductive cough. GIT symptoms include mouth ulcers, abdominal cramp, nausea, gas, intermittent diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome,[6][7][9] and may include anaphylaxis.[13]

Btw its straight wikipedia. Seems very broad
Posted 7/2/2013 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
Ate dinner about an hour ago. My stomachs starting to feel very full and heavy.... Will have to see if the milk and bread makes my reflux worse over the next 48 hours.
Posted 7/2/2013 11:39 PM (GMT 0)
Food allergies and intolerances are definitely more connected with GERD than most doctors think. The more I have read recent publications on Eosinophilic Esophagitis, the more evident this is becoming. EE is something that I have, but more importantly, recent research shows that both EE and GERD are hereditary, and that they are complicated in that they have more one thing that must be tracked in order to define whether or not they are being passed down through a family. It is not as clean as this person has GERD and this person doesn't. More rather, the pedigree attached to the article I read on EE traced which family members had EE and who had heartburn and who had swallowing problems, since all are relevant for tracking the one disease.

The reason that I brought up EE is that it is all about allergic reactions to various foods. I know it is hard to trust new research, but this, along with the rest of the publication, does tell us that allergies are more connected to gastrointestinal problems than most doctors think. I will try to find the source soon.
Posted 7/3/2013 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
I was convinced I had EE because of my known food allergies, so I made sure they tested me for it. Sadly all they found was Barretts :-/

MMM
Posted 7/4/2013 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
... Drank milk and ate a lot of bread yesterday. Ate my normal breakfest routine this morning and started having problems... Had pretty bad reflux throughout the day and around 5.30 pm today, I started to have a headache that has been going on for 5 hours now. Not sure why I have a headache other than a possible food intolerance.

I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant from increasing the amount of dairy I've been consuming and having more side effects.
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