Food and Supplement Sensitivities

[cashs mom]

I'm certain that I have a gluten sensitivity.  I've been gluten free since May 2015.  For a  few months I was doing really well.  My sleep was great and all was good.  I had gone to a nutritionist for a number of years.  At first he really helped me but then something went off the rails and he was having me take a ton of supplements and I started having reactions to them and couldn't sleep at all.  I should have stopped going to him earlier but he had helped me so much for 7 or 8 years that I trusted him.  I'm at the point now that I can't take and OTC sleep stuff.  I can't take melatonin and am pretty much afraid to try too much stuff now.  I needed to do my yearly checkup and went to an internist who was recommended to me but I'm not sure he's really going to help me.  He seemed rather focussed on my hot flashes which I consider the least of my problems and the drug he gave me for them made me sleep even worse. 

I'm still gluten free and doing well with that, but I'm still having tons of sensitivities to food and supplements.  I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how they coped. 

 

[GFinDC]

Hi Cash's Mom,

It's possible the supplements he recommended are not gluten-free.  You may be able to find out by checking the maker's website, or emailing them.  The supplement industry in the USA is not well regulated, so it's a bit tricky to find good, safe products.  You could try searching the forum for brands people have found safe in the past.  But always check for yourself also.  Products can change ingredients sometimes.

[cashs mom]

Some of the ones he had me taking were not gluten free and I discontinued those last May.  I have been checking everything since then to make sure it is gluten free but still have sensitivities.   I had bloodwork done at my yearly exam, but it was basic and didn't show anything.  My chiropractor has been very good about working with me and helping me out.  I'm going to talk to him next week about doing more thyroid tests and cortisol tests.  I strongly suspect that cortisol is at the root of my sleep problems and may be causing other problems.

[cyclinglady]

I am not a doctor, but I have had sleep issues and hot flashes (still do) which can be related to perimenopause and menopause (post) symptoms.  HRT was helpful for me.   The benefits outweighed any risks.   I also manage my Hashimoto's thyroiditis as well with hormone replacement.  Those hormone levels can be checked by your medical doctor.

It's been almost a year that you have been gluten free.  In theory you should be able to get the nutrients you need from a well-balanced diet.  I take no supplements now.  Tests showed no deficiencies after my first year of being gluten free.  

I would recommend only certified gluten free supplements if you and your medical doctor think that you have deficiencies (based on lab tests).    I think chiropractors should stick to what they were trained for.  My own medical doctor goes to one, so I am not against them, but he does not take medical advice when he goes in for an adjustment!  I would never go to one.  I have osteoporosis.  I shudder to think of getting a bone broken (as mine have crumbled from doing nothing in the past!)   That's just my opinion.     

[cashs mom]

I take only certified gluten free supplements.  And at 63, no doctor is going to prescribe HRT nor am I going to take it.  Hot flashes, to me, are a secondary problem and not worth the cancer risks that are present with HRT's.   

I have gone to a chiropractor for almost 20 years now.  He's also a certified nutritionist as are many chiropractors.   He has kept my back in line and helped me a lot.   I have never found a doctor that was much good at helping with nutrition.  They seem to mostly do tests and prescribe drugs and blurp platitudes like "eat well".

 

[cyclinglady]

I am sorry that I was not able to help you.  I am definitely not a doctor.  I am 54 and was on and off HRT for over a decade, but autoimmune issues run in my family -- not cancer (though you never know).  

  I agree that medical doctors do not get much training when it comes to nutrition (though I think they are improving).    I laugh each time I see a poster with a huge helping of brown rice on the place in my GP's office.    I'm a diabetic and that rice (white or brown) would spike my blood sugar for sure!  

You went to your MD for an annual check-up.  Did he check your thyroid?  

I wish you well!  

 

[GFinDC]

Hi Cash's Mom,

It could be you are reacting to some4thing besides gluten.  The old standby treatment is an elimination diet.  They generally always work if it is a diet related issue.  Sometimes our bodies develop reactions to other foods.  Possibly related to the irritation of the gut lining over a long period of time.   Any of the top 8 food allergens are suspect, plus numerous others foods.  Most times a food intolerance can't be tested by doctors, and has to be identified by the elimination diet process.