Tie between Gluten Intolerance, Celiac, Acid Reflux / GERD, Schizophrenia and Psychosis

[VikingMac]

Before I get into the neurological symptoms, let me give you a synopsis of my background and family history. Both my parents smoke and my dad was always a heavy drinker. My mom had GERD / Acid Reflux pretty much her whole life and it should be noted that she's basically 100% Norwegian (I've read that Northern Europeans have GERD and gastrointestinal issues more than anyone else - same with the Irish). My mom was also recently tested positive for Celiac Disease (our diets growing up was filled with wheat products, so connecting the dots here, I think she was being bombarded with gluten and her body couldn't handle it). She would have severe mood swings, especially towards my dad (who is now passed on). Her acid reflux got so bad that she went in for an endoscopy and they told her that she had Barrett's Esophagus. She's still alive to this day though and seems to be holding up reasonably well. My sister also has severe acid reflux and panic attacks. Now to get to my own history. I was born in 1983. As a baby, I had severe eczema, and would rub certain areas of my body (such as my wrists) raw on the carpet, because I was constantly itchy. I would also constantly spit up breast-milk and even the baby formula. My parents had a hard time figuring out what to feed me! We would also drink tons of cow's milk. That finally hit a brick wall around age 25 (in 2008), when I started noticing that if I drank straight cow's milk I would end up with (and still do end up with if I drink it) sulfur burps which taste and smell like rotten eggs. I even tried drinking raw cow's milk one time and the result was the same, I was burping rotten egg smelling burps and would get diarrhea! This is also around the time when I noticed my acid reflux getting worse and worse. 

In 2009, I started lifting weights again after taking a long break from high school. When I would do any squatting motion exercises such as dead-lifts or squats, I'd almost pass out because I couldn't catch my breath afterwards. I finally went in for an endoscopy and they told me that my esophagus was raw and red. I also should note that I've read getting anesthesia and all the drugs they give you during that time, can cause long-term psychological issues, especially anxiety, which I never really had until after that year. I realized that I couldn't do those squatting exercises or anything that put pressure on the abdomen area, since it would push acid back up into my esophagus. I decided to start lifting weights on an empty stomach and that did work for awhile but I couldn't figure out why my acid reflux was still so bad. Acid shooting back up into the esophagus, is caused by inflammation. This affects the Vagus Nerve (which is the longest cranial nerve). Some of the main functions of the Vagus Nerve include,

1. Breathing
2. Speech
3. Sweating
4. Helping in keeping the larynx open during breathing
5. Monitoring and regulating the heartbeat
6. Informing the brain of the food that is ingested and food that has been digested
7. The Vagus Nerve performs the major function of emptying the gastric region of food

Any damage to the vagus nerve causes Gastroparesis which is losing the muscular function in the stomach and intestines. This results in food being emptied slowly, that leads to other problems such as fermentation of food in the stomach and food getting compressed into hard pellets which can cause severe problems if the pellets get stuck in the intestine. Especially in people with diabetes, when sugar levels get high and are not well controlled, it can result in the vagus nerve damage. This can result in anxiety / panic attacks, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), trouble swallowing, chills, asthma-like symptoms, heart palpitations, tingling / numbness in extremities and limbs, blood in the stool, hard of breathing, anxiety attack-like symptoms, canker sores, nightmares (including hypnogogic and hypnopompic auditory / visual hallucinations, such as hearing a gun shot upon waking up, even though no gun was fired), dry mouth, heart attack-like symptoms, and more (I had all these symptoms too btw). I believe that since our bodies are intolerant to wheat and dairy products, it is causing inflammation in the body, which then causes all these other symptoms. 

So at that point, I began having hallucinations (including hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations). They were mainly auditory hallucinations and some (but fewer) visual hallucinations. They started around 2013, when I got sick with the flu and also had an in-grown toenail (I had to get it cut out by the doctor and it was the worst pain of my life!). I was extremely religious back then (I left my faith last year at end of 2015) and felt like these were omens or signs for some of the things that were deemed ‘sinful’. I then had a breakup with a gluten-free who lived in Montana and the auditory hallucinations continued. I’ve been having them again starting in 2016 after getting sick with a chest respiratory infection (I’m seeing a trend here with getting sick and having these), which I believe were caused by the Autumn Rhinitis / Hay Fever Allergies. I was at the gym around the start of August 2016, and I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath after each set of lifting. I went home and haven’t been back to the gym since. I was having trouble breathing just walking up a flight of stairs, and it was a daily nightmare until I started looking into ways to help solve my issues (which I’ll get into in a minute). I also don’t have a great sleep schedule from working late night shifts, so I’m typically always sleep deprived. I should also mention that I think I have formed P.T.S.D. (PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from watching a music video where it showed a death. The image of the woman dying kept playing in my head (this also happened around August 2016).

Then on top of all that, I was lifting weights 2 times a week (full body workouts), doing H.I.I.T. (High Intensity Interval Training) a couple times a week in the morning, AND working night shifts. On top of all that, my dad died last year (October 3, 2015) and within a week afterwards around October 10th, I ended up with appendicitis so I had to get the appendectomy surgery to get my appendix removed. A few weeks later, I walked away from my faith (not due to emotional reasons, but due to extensive research, which was already in the process starting at the beginning of 2015). So I lost my dad, my faith and my appendix within a month's time period. It put a lot of stress on me I think. I’m 33 years old, so still somewhat young, but I think I was pushing my body to the limit, and it’s been affecting my brain chemistry. Not only that, but recently, I put the other dots to the puzzle and found out that I also have gluten intolerance / Celiac / Coeliac, so I’ve stopped eating gluten (and dairy) products. I also have done a few sessions of AAT (Advanced Allergy Therapy), by a doctor named Dr. Jill Cohn in the San Francisco / Berkeley / Oakland Bay Area. You don’t even have to be there in person for her to treat you, she does it all online through a conference call on a site similar to Skype. You can watch testimonials on YouTube as well, and I’m here to tell you that her system did cure me of Ragweed allergies. I now understand that because I was pushing my body to the limit as well as trying to stay 500 calories below maintenance (to cut fat and get shredded), that my body wasn’t getting the proper nutrients and vitamins due to eating wheat and gluten (as well as dairy). This damages the alveoli and villi in the intestinal tract which are crucial for absorbing the nutrients from your food. I also found out that my body reacts poorly to chocolate as well. Chocolate is a 'stimulant' and has been proven to affect the brain the same way that cannabis / marijuana will. This could be some of the problems you all are facing as well. At that point, your body is so run down, that it will start attacking ‘harmless’ invaders, such as ragweed pollen, pet dander or even just simple dust particles, which this process of your body in attack mode, will cause inflammation, hence the reason I was having trouble breathing (my body developed exercise-induced / allergy-induced asthma). Not only that, but when your body is so run down and not getting the proper nutrition, it can cause psychosis and schizophrenic symptoms as well! I started taking a ton of supplements and they’ve helped tremendously.

Here are a few to get you started. Try these and eat a balanced diet for a couple months. I’ll bet you start to feel better and the hallucinations diminish.

1. Vitamin D3 (Jarrow Brand 5,000IU – take two to four per day) – This is especially necessary if you live above the 37 degree parallel (latitude) in the Fall and Winter (typically from September to March). The sun only produces Vitamin D3 in our body when it is 50 degrees (altitude not temperature) above the horizon and even during the Spring and Summer, this only occurs from around 10AM in the morning to 2-3PM in the afternoon. So you have only a 4 to 5 hour window in the morning to afternoon when the sun is producing Vitamin D3, which most people aren't really out during those times, because of work schedule. This is why around 75 to 80% of the world population are D3 deficient! A good source of information on this is Dr. John Cannell. Go research how vital and important D3 is for us! You want your ng/ml (nano-grams per milliliter of blood) to be from 50 to 100 (or even slightly over 100 is fine too!).

2. Magnesium (CALM BRAND) – Magnesium is the driver for Vitamin D3. It’s very important and we don’t get enough of it in our diet on average.

3. Vitamin C (take around 2,000mg per day) – Look up Dr. Thomas Levy and Dr. Linus Pauling for good information on this. The Liposomal type of Vitamin C is the best kind!

4. Vitamin K2 (different from Vitamin K1 – Get the Jarrow Brand called Vitamin K-Right) – Millions of people take calcium supplements to maintain healthy bones. Yet few patients or physicians realize that optimizing bone integrity involves more than taking a single mineral supplement. A critical additional component for bone and cardiovascular health is vitamin K2. Recent research has revealed that, without vitamin K2, calcium regulation is disrupted. In fact, low levels of vitamin K2 are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. K2 is the gateway that allows calcium to get to your bones. When you take vitamin D3, your body creates more of these vitamin K2-dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren't realized. So, really, if you're taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.For so long, we've been told to take calcium for osteoporosis... and vitamin D3, which we know is helpful. But then, more studies are coming out showing that increased calcium intake is causing more heart attacks and strokes. That created a lot of confusion around whether calcium is safe or not. But that's the wrong question to be asking, because we'll never properly understand the health benefits of calcium or vitamin D3, unless we take into consideration K2. That's what keeps the calcium in its right place.

5. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Ubiquinol – it’s a substance similar to a vitamin. It is found in every cell of the body. Your body makes CoQ10, and your cells use it to produce energy your body needs for cell growth and maintenance. It also functions as an antioxidant, which protects the body from damage caused by harmful molecules. (Get the Jarrow Brand – no I don’t work for them, but I’ve heard they are the best in all of these, and it’s what I take).

6. Vitamin B-Right (Jarrow) which has all of the B vitamins in it. Niacin (B3) has proven to be very helpful for those with Schizophrenia and Psychosis. Look up Dr. Abram Hoffer and his research on mental illness and Niacin. Careful with Niacin in huge quantities, as it will cause a 'flushing' effect, but you still want enough to get the benefits.

7. Oxylent (which is one of the best tasting and best multi-vitamins out there in my opinion). It’s got most of all you need in there when included with what I mentioned above.

(Those are the main ones above, but here are a few other supplements I take. ChlorOxygen, Serrapeptase {SerraGold Brand}, mushroom supplement called 'Breathe' by New Chapter Life-shield, HealthForce Green Alchemy Protein Powder, HealthForce Vitamineral Green, Probiotics, MSM, Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, local honey, and avocados for potassium, along with getting at least a half gallon of water per day - which I drink at least 32 oz. to 50 oz. of water on an empty stomach every morning). 

Within a month of taking all this (I started on November 2nd, 2016), I’m now feeling about 95% back to my normal self. The other 5% is caused by my poor sleeping habits, as well as stress. I now realize that these psychological issues were all subconscious from the heavy religious indoctrination. If I had never been introduced to these religious ideas, I’m sure I’d not have these particular religious themed hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations. When it first started, I was seeing visuals such as numbers and objects floating in the air upon waking up, which, they’d disappear within a few seconds. I also hear voices, which would say terrible things, and then the voices would continue in my head as if it were having dialogue with me in my own mind. I would feel like God hated me, due to the content of what was being said. I’m pretty sure I have some sort of religious trauma after leaving my faith and also, after my dad dying within the last year (2015). They actually have a name for this type of PTSD and it’s RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome). You can find some good material through Dr. Marlene Winell online if you suffer from the religious form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Anyways, I hope all of this helps someone else who may be going through similar! Just know you’re not alone and it’s more than likely happening because of nutrient deficiency and/or a traumatic experience you suffered as well as your diet if you are gluten intolerant / lactose intolerant. These aren’t devils, demons, hobgoblins or ghouls harassing you, this is all natural phenomena and it can be treated with the right diet, the right supplements and proper sleep! I am still getting cross-contaminated (or there is a cross-reactor food that mimics gluten and/or dairy) somewhere in my diet, so my psychological issues persist, including waking up feeling like something is trying to talk to me in my mind. I am trying to figure that out now. But they also have supplements you can take that will break down gluten if you are accidentally 'glutened.' Here is a study I found from WW2, that correlates to mental disease and gluten / wheat below. 

"One of the first hints that these circumstances could have implications for the psychological sciences was the observation that, in several countries, hospitalization rates for schizophrenia during World War II dropped in direct proportion to wheat shortages. In the United States, where over that same period the consumption of wheat rose rather than diminished, such rates increased instead (Dohan, 1966a,b). In South Pacific islands with a traditionally low consumption of wheat, schizophrenia was only found in 1 person out of 30,000. When Western grain products were introduced into their society, it dramatically rose to 1 person out of 100! (Dohan et al., 1984)."

[Posterboy]

VikingMac,

I have tried writing about these connections you have observed but most people don't see the connection(s) today.

I find good research goes unheadead for many years after it has been discovered/or reported by people only to have it rediscovered later by other people.

Take the research by Prousky that Niacin treats digestive problems researched 15+ years ago and it is still not well understood that something as simple as taking a Vitamin can help with GI problems.

See this link where abstract is reported.

Open Original Shared Link

I suggest you read the whole paper as it explains well why and how low Niacin levels can contribute to GERD/heartburn issues.

As for your dementia issues (psychoses) take the healtybynaturehwc blog notes some of these same issues you raise by Susan Hughes who asks( Is it) Dementia or Pellagra? Niacin Deficiency in the 21st Century

Open Original Shared Link

Note: Dementia is stand in here for a range of mind/brain conditions that can occur with gluten allergies.  50 percent of MS, and Cerebral Palsy patients have gluten antibodies in their systems at the time of diagnosis and 40 percent of Celiac are depressed.

Susan is much kinder than Dr. Mercola who she references in her blog where Dr. Mercola notes violent tendency in patients/inmates in psyche wards and prisons who when given Niacin went into remission at a rate as high as 50 percent with low grades supplementation and at rates as high as 80 percent with high dose supplementation when Dr. Hoffer in the 1950’s first discovered Niacin treats the Dementia’s of Pellagra.

And it was not just mild mental symptomologies  like  being sad that were cured either but even schizophrenia.

Or take the brainblogger site that notes gluten ataxia mimics ALS see this link Open Original Shared Link

They note in summary

"Aiming at further establishing a link between ALS symptoms and celiac disease, the authors assessed the genetic profile of the ALS patients to determine if their carried the HLA genetic variants associated with celiac disease. They found that 86.4% of patients who were seropositive for transglutaminase 6 autoantibodies also carried celiac disease susceptibility HLA variants. They thereby established a direct link between celiac disease and ALS symptoms in this group of patients.

The data from this study strengthens the hypothesis that ALS may be associated with autoimmunity and gluten sensitivity, at least in a subset of patients with celiac disease.

Although there is still need to further study and confirm this link, these results are important in the sense that gluten sensitivity is easily treatable; ALS symptoms in this subset of patients could therefore also potentially be reverted – aOpen Original Shared Link could do the trick."

Research on the NCBI goes one step further Open Original Shared Link

noting the causal affect of Niacin metabolism in Parkinson's patients.

Yet though this research is 10+ years old.  The dementia's of Pellagra are still considered separate diseases.

The problem today is Pellagra is no longer being diagnosed as the cause of these Dementia’s.

Hindwai (a medical reference website notes this)  

“subpellagrous nicotinamide deficiency may have lifetime roles in a range of behavioral traits, neuropsychiatric diseases, and dementias.”   Open Original Shared Link  

Noting your Eczema that you mentioned in your brief health bio further indicates a Niacin deficiency could be causing most of these D's of Pellagra you are experiencing.

Quoting the Celiac Posterboy  "These D’s a Celiac patient encounters are not the sign of several different diseases but one parent disease Pellagra with many children.”  

See this new research that ties eczema in babies to low Niacinamide in the mother during pregnancy.  Nicotinamide is usually the way Europeans spell Niacinamide.

Open Original Shared Link 

Comorbidity is the term.

Glutenfree works noted this connection 5+ years ago but only notes it occurs in those who received a Celiac diagnosis -- not causes it.

Open Original Shared Link

But they (Gluten Free Works) notes quoting

“Niacin, also called vitamin B3, is required by all the cells of our body making it essential for vitality and life itself.

Niacin is essential for keeping our skin and digestive tract healthy, our brain and nervous system  functioning normally, certain key cell processes repaired, our adrenal glands producing steroid hormones at demand levels, sex glands producing the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone and, most especially, for producing energy to keep our body alive.1"

Which describe (most) all of the symptom's you have been having.

How can we/you confirm this or know for sure. The Merck Manual notes you might not be able to tell if you are already taking a B-Vitamin with high dose Niacin or Niacinamide in it because they say "Use nicotinamide to treat the deficiency; a favorable response can confirm the diagnosis" (and you say you already feel better after beginning your Vitamin regimen)  but  a urine test for those who are not now taking Niacin could biochemically prove Niacin is contributing to your poor GI issues as noted by Prousky 15+ years ago and/or the dementia's you have described as was used in Psychotic patients 50+ years ago but has now fallen out of favor today by medical science instead preferring a lifetime of medical drugs.

See this Merck Manual link to have your doctor test you for a Niacin deficiency.

Open Original Shared Link

Here is a good summary of Pellagra and the 4 D's and why Doctor's no longer recognize it when they see it.

Open Original Shared Link

Where quoting Dr. Heaney he correctly states “ and it is doubtful today that most health professionals would recognize it (Pellagra) if a case happened to come to their attention. ” Today!

He even notes why this is possible.

Quoting Dr. Heaney " Pellagra was characterized by the “four Ds” – dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. It is a perfect example of a point made in earlier posts in this (Dr. Heaney's) blog that most tissues need most nutrients, and that a deficiency of virtually any nutrient impairs virtually every function of the body. This is in contrast to the popular belief that one nutrient may be good for the skin, another for memory, another for the eyes, another for the immune system – on and on – which is simply not accurate."

I hope this is helpful.

please visit my profile if you want to read my blog post on celiac.com "I am a Celiac who developed Pellagra" that summarizes in greater detail how Pellagra and Celiac disease are more related than people understand today or just search for the posterboy on celiac.com to read all my posts about my journey if this sounds like something that you think might could help you.  good luck on your continued journey.

**** This is not medical advice and should not be considered such. Results may vary. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your medical regimen. But I know it helped me . . . .

2 Timothy 2: 7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” this included.

posterboy by the grace of God,

 

[Ennis-TX]

Going to be blunt, I get and relate to so much of this it is not even funny. But summaries would be nice for those of us with brain damage, had to reread it several times, double checking and making notes to myself to round it up. Basically, going from this all these other issues that are often misdiagnosed or found before hand are all actually from celiac disease. The damage wheat/gluten does to the intestines causes mal absorption leading to nutrient deficiency and further damage to the systems that rely on said nutrients, with systems so varied they are often misdiagnosed on top of being able to be better managed with the right supplementation if tested and set up on a person to person basis for what they need. So building a diet avoiding certain foods, and with the right balance can alleviate most of the issues we experience and help us to have a better life. Got to admit it did get a lot easier after working with a dietician on building a base diet for me and supplements.

Going to admit it is interesting how the body uses different nutrients in a synergistic effect. Someone needs to do a web diagram of how different nutrients correspond to others, and the effects each have on the system to simplify this and help people narrow down what they are missing. I personally have a app on my phone where I enter symptoms and it shows me what I might be missing and what foods to eat to get them.

My mental trauma story https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/116028-mental-trauma/

Place where I started asking others what they take/eat to maintain their bodies and listed mine https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/116482-supplement-and-foods-you-take/

 

[roadtoawe]

Incredible story. Thank you so much for sharing! Your story sounds so similar to my own. You've given me a lot to think about and try with my health and celiac issues. I hope you don't mind me asking, but what religion were you in? I was raised a Jehovah's Witness and faced some pretty horrid traumas throughout my life, all in the name of that particular religion.