Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Green12]

I dont think I need supplements. I just got it into my head when I started reading about Candida that I needed to take all this stuff but the only thing that really helps me is eating right and avoiding the stuff that causes symptoms. When I do this my skin looks healthy, my hair looks healthy and my mind is clear. I never took vitamins or pills my whole life and I had some kind of "instinct" to stay away from any type of pills....so I never took anything. I was *always* scared of pills....like they would hurt me. The few occassions that I had to take a pill it was a big drama....I would choke and gag and the stuff would start disinegrating in my mouth. I'd have to spit it out and try again. I'd even cry and this wasnt that many years ago. I'm telling you...it was drama.

I think my body just knew to stay away from this stuff cuz it would cause me more harm than good and in the end it did. The first time my face swelled up really bad was 4 days after they put me on a thyroid med that had dyes in it and who knows what else. Now I'm a pro at swallowing pills but I wish I could go back cuz I'd refuse everything.

Yeah the Herx reaction or "die-off" thing shouldn't last for months and months in my opinion. When I was doing the Candida thing everyone talked about die-off and everytime I took a supplement and got worse...I just blamed it on that. After a few months my mind was telling me that theres something more going on...the die-off explanation wasnt cutting it for me anymore. I go back to those message boards sometimes and the same people are there and they're still struggling with "die-off". It just doesnt make sense to me. I dont think you should have to suffer everyday to get better.

Rachel, I agree about the die-off, or the feeling bad for too long. I've had to do a lot of metal shifts these last few years and even more recently as we have learned about corn allergies and corn derivatives flooding our food supply, and now MSG. It's like a whole new way of thinking, instead of building the body up with supplements, clear the poison out in order for the body to get strong. What a concept!

[Rachel--24]

I totally love yams but everytime I try to eat them I get reactions. Well its been awhile so I decided to try them again. Sure enough I got all the pressure in my face again and yesterday at work I forgot how to sign onto my register. I had to ask for help....basically I forgot my password.

HELLO....I've worked at the same job over 16 years! I got teased at work but sheesh its like on the good days I have the greatest memory and my mind works well and then on bad days its the complete opposite...its embarrassing to me.

Anyways I just read this re: the yams

On January 14, 1998 AuxiGro®, which contains processed free glutamic acid, was registered as a growth enhancer with the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and permission was granted to spray it on all agricultural products. AuxiGro® gives plants sprayed with it the false signal that they are under "stress." The plants respond by pulling additional nutrients from the soil and thus grow much larger, increasing yields. The recent huge potatoes and yams in the supermarket would appear to be a direct result of AuxiGro®.

I'm still trying to figure out if MSG is my #1 problem here but how can I find out for sure if I cant avoid it? How can we possibly know which produce is safe? Trial and error? I know I did ok with one type of potato I bought but another brand messed me up good.

I guess I'll make a list of the stuff that doesnt bother me and where I bought it from and stick to those items.

When you guys get a bad reaction how long does it take you to recover? For me it takes about a week...sometimes a little longer. I'm starting to figure out that when my face and hands start getting puffier I ate something wioth MSG in it...thats what I'm thinking right now anyways.

When I ate alot of cabbage my face and hands were puffy and since I didnt think it could possibly be the cabbage I kept eating eat. My whole body ended up puffy and I was retaining alot of water. I'd wake up with lines all over me....does that ever happen to any of you? When I get filled with fluid I can get "imprints" from whatever I was wearing. One time I was wearing these shorts that had a flower design sewed on them and when I took them off I had a perfect flower on my thigh....it was pretty cool looking but still....not a good thing.

[Green12]

I totally love yams but everytime I try to eat them I get reactions. Well its been awhile so I decided to try them again. Sure enough I got all the pressure in my face again and yesterday at work I forgot how to sign onto my register. I had to ask for help....basically I forgot my password.

HELLO....I've worked at the same job over 16 years! I got teased at work but sheesh its like on the good days I have the greatest memory and my mind works well and then on bad days its the complete opposite...its embarrassing to me.

Anyways I just read this re: the yams

I'm still trying to figure out if MSG is my #1 problem here but how can I find out for sure if I cant avoid it? How can we possibly know which produce is safe? Trial and error? I know I did ok with one type of potato I bought but another brand messed me up good.

I guess I'll make a list of the stuff that doesnt bother me and where I bought it from and stick to those items.

When you guys get a bad reaction how long does it take you to recover? For me it takes about a week...sometimes a little longer. I'm starting to figure out that when my face and hands start getting puffier I ate something wioth MSG in it...thats what I'm thinking right now anyways.

When I ate alot of cabbage my face and hands were puffy and since I didnt think it could possibly be the cabbage I kept eating eat. My whole body ended up puffy and I was retaining alot of water. I'd wake up with lines all over me....does that ever happen to any of you? When I get filled with fluid I can get "imprints" from whatever I was wearing. One time I was wearing these shorts that had a flower design sewed on them and when I took them off I had a perfect flower on my thigh....it was pretty cool looking but still....not a good thing.

I have been reading the discussion board a lot today and that is what it sounds like this 'No MSG' mission entails, lots of trial and error. That's a great idea to keep a log of what you didn't have a reaction to and then stick with those things, of course as we have learned with gluten and corn and everything else ingredients can change without notice and I assume this is also true with crops being sprayed. From what I read today it was echoed time and time again to use your reactions as a gage. Some said peel everything you can, organic and non-organic, and try different brands, different stores. The real work is just beginning I am sure.

When I am retaining the mass amounts of fluid I get from reactivity I get impressions on my body too, from the sheets, from my clothes, around the ankles from socks. However, I never had the impression of a flower!!

My reactions last a good week or so. It depends on if I clear out the offender. If I keep eating the offender I just keep getting bigger and bigger and the more the severe the other symptoms. The longer I go the longer it takes for me to loose all of the fluid. If I clear it out right away it might only last a couple of days.

[Rachel--24]

I'm wondering about the purpose of Auxigro...I havent spent alot of time researching it yet. Is it mainly to increase the size of the veggies or fruits? I remember reading that its a pesticide or fungicide opr something like that. But I've also seen alot about it making the produce bigger. I wonder if I go for smaller stuff...if I'll be better off??

I always go for the gigantic looking stuff....I guess that would be a good reason for them to do it....its all about profit. My yams are huge, I've bought some really big zuccinni's and those cabbage heads I was buying were too big to fit into the plastic bags. Of course I always had to search for the biggest one on the shelf. What a dumba**.

[dlp252]

Julie, by-the-way, thanks for the tips on freezing and cooking...I think you and I must have posted around the same time and I just saw your post now, lol.

On the die-off thing, when I first started the Atkins diet, then later the anti-candida diet, I had die-off both times...I think they both lasted around 1 week. General feeling of achiness, confusion, congestion, blah, blah. I agree it shouldn't last months and definitely not years. I DID get better on both of those diets as long as I stuck to the whole natural foods, and each time as soon as I started adding some of the convenience and "junk" stuff, I felt awful.

Thanks for posting the links to the MSG boards. I'm still not convinced I have a problem with that, but I think I'll read some over there for some info. Whether I have a problem with it or not I sure don't want to eat it! I've been peeling all my veggies and fruits so I'm hoping the amount of MSG would be minimal. It just makes me so mad that any of us has to worry about that.

What do you all put on your salads? I guess I'll try olive oil and lemon juice.

[Green12]

Julie, by-the-way, thanks for the tips on freezing and cooking...I think you and I must have posted around the same time and I just saw your post now, lol.

Thanks for posting the links to the MSG boards. I'm still not convinced I have a problem with that, but I think I'll read some over there for some info. Whether I have a problem with it or not I sure don't want to eat it! I've been peeling all my veggies and fruits so I'm hoping the amount of MSG would be minimal. It just makes me so mad that any of us has to worry about that.

What do you all put on your salads? I guess I'll try olive oil and lemon juice.

Oh, no problem. We have all been really chatty the last several days, lots of posts to keep up with!!

I have just been using olive oil plain for salad dressing.

[Green12]

I'm wondering about the purpose of Auxigro...I havent spent alot of time researching it yet. Is it mainly to increase the size of the veggies or fruits? I remember reading that its a pesticide or fungicide opr something like that. But I've also seen alot about it making the produce bigger. I wonder if I go for smaller stuff...if I'll be better off??

I always go for the gigantic looking stuff....I guess that would be a good reason for them to do it....its all about profit. My yams are huge, I've bought some really big zuccinni's and those cabbage heads I was buying were too big to fit into the plastic bags. Of course I always had to search for the biggest one on the shelf. What a dumba**.

I would assume it is to make crops bigger, kind of like a Miracle Grow for produce. I need to investigate it further as well.

I used to go for the big stuff too, the biggest red apples I could find the better. From what I understand bigger isn't always better . I learned from the cooking shows that the bigger the produce the less concentrated the taste. And now we learn the bigger the produce most likely it has been sprayed with toxic poison! It all makes sense when I see grapes grown by a friend of mine in her back yard they are really really small and the skin is almost pruney like. In the stores they are almost the size of a walnut. That is just not normal.

Rachel, don't feel bad. That's the whole idea behind Auxigrow, to make the produce look more appealing. That's the marketing strategy, of course we are all going to go for the bigger and prettier yam than the sorry looking little wrinkled one sitting next to it.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, don't feel bad. That's the whole idea behind Auxigrow, to make the produce look more appealing. That's the marketing strategy, of course we are all going to go for the bigger and prettier yam than the sorry looking little wrinkled one sitting next to it.

That made me laugh. From now on I'm looking for the "underdogs"....the ones that noone else is gonna buy. The ones that I would normally pass up. Tonite I went to Whole Foods and they had zuccinni...both organic and conventional...ususally they only have one or the other and I dont buy it if its not organic. Not tonight though. They were right next to each other and the organic ones were twice as big and really perfect looking. The conventional ones were puny and a little more "flawed". Guess which ones I bought.

[Judyin Philly]

I pop into this thread off and on and always learn so much my 'head spins'

Question: hubby got some packaged pears in a 4 pack that had a sticker on the out side that would turn colors when it was ripe...ok...marketing...suckers...took the bait ...yes he did. actually thought it was a good idea even tho the 'organic' bells were ringing in my head..

well.....when the first one was ripe hubby said..it was great..second day i had one and there was a 'funny taste on the skin' but fruit it self was good...well 1/2 hr later such pains in stomach...third day, hubby said the same thing

Is this the thing your talking about in the above posts or is it something they put on so it can change to color of the 'sticker' we should have known better 'but live and learn'

judy in philly

[christine 25]

I also got pain in my stomach from eating an organic apple the other day.

I felt nautious and tasted bitterness in my mouth after I ate it.

To me I associate pain in the somach and nausea, and a bitter taste with being poisoned.

I feel like I dont trust foods anymore,,,organic doesnt always mean its safe either.

What foods can you really trust wont hurt you?

Christina

[Judyin Philly]

organic doesnt always mean its safe either.

What foods can you really trust wont hurt you?

Christina

HI

I used to think bananas cause they were wraped in their own skin.

well stared to react and get reflex from them and then they said here, eat then more 'green' and dont' have as much sugar that way.

i don't know still trying to figure it out.

i aggree don't think organic is 'always' pure.

just a big article in our philly paper about organic and "when walmart is selling organic foods, anyone can put a sticker on it and call it orgainc" paraphrasing here.

judy in philly

[Green12]

That made me laugh. From now on I'm looking for the "underdogs"....the ones that noone else is gonna buy. The ones that I would normally pass up. Tonite I went to Whole Foods and they had zuccinni...both organic and conventional...ususally they only have one or the other and I dont buy it if its not organic. Not tonight though. They were right next to each other and the organic ones were twice as big and really perfect looking. The conventional ones were puny and a little more "flawed". Guess which ones I bought.

Hee hee! Let us know how you do with those zucchini Rachel.

I pop into this thread off and on and always learn so much my 'head spins'

Question: hubby got some packaged pears in a 4 pack that had a sticker on the out side that would turn colors when it was ripe...ok...marketing...suckers...took the bait ...yes he did. actually thought it was a good idea even tho the 'organic' bells were ringing in my head..

well.....when the first one was ripe hubby said..it was great..second day i had one and there was a 'funny taste on the skin' but fruit it self was good...well 1/2 hr later such pains in stomach...third day, hubby said the same thing

Is this the thing your talking about in the above posts or is it something they put on so it can change to color of the 'sticker' we should have known better 'but live and learn'

judy in philly

Judy, I don't think I have seen anything like that, produce with a sticker that changes color when it is ripe. They sure think of everything! If I understand the act of ripening there is oxygen involved and natural gases, and maybe the sticker is designed to react to those chemistry changes. As for the pear tasting bad maybe it had been sprayed. Best bet is to peel everything that can be peeled.

I also got pain in my stomach from eating an organic apple the other day.

I felt nautious and tasted bitterness in my mouth after I ate it.

To me I associate pain in the somach and nausea, and a bitter taste with being poisoned.

I feel like I dont trust foods anymore,,,organic doesnt always mean its safe either.

What foods can you really trust wont hurt you?

Christina

Christina,

Just a question, did you eat the apple with the peel on? I find that some fruit peels, even when they are organic, really bother my stomach, like plums and red apples. If you are up to it try the apple without the peel and see what the result is.

From what I read on the MSG message boards they say peel anything that can be peeled. I am waiting for my copy of the MSG book to arrive and hopefully there will be lots of information on this produce issue because I have a lot of questions too.

[Rachel--24]

Just a question, did you eat the apple with the peel on? I find that some fruit peels, even when they are organic, really bother my stomach, like plums and red apples. If you are up to it try the apple without the peel and see what the result is.

Yeah....I've seen alot of posts about people having problems with the skins on apples. Personally, I havent eaten an unpeeled apple in over a year cuz the skins bother me. I peel everything. I even tried to peel celery...it didnt work.

I dont know whats up with that bitterness taste. I've experienced that with celery, cabbage and ice-berg lettuce. The lettuce was the worst ...I could taste something "off" after the first bite and I was reacting to whatever it was. These were all organic foods that I bought at whole foods. It wasnt a one time thing cuz when I've bought these items again...I had the same experience. I've also noticed it in the organic packaged salad mixes....I'll be eating the salad and I'll get one or two pieces of lettuce that are sooo bitter and I react to them. It cant be a "natural" flavor in the lettuce cuz I dont think my body would react if it was natural. I think my senses are so strong right now with all the sensitivities....I can smell stuff from a mile away and I can taste unnatural stuff on the produce.

I pop into this thread off and on and always learn so much my 'head spins'

Question: hubby got some packaged pears in a 4 pack that had a sticker on the out side that would turn colors when it was ripe...ok...marketing...suckers...took the bait ...yes he did. actually thought it was a good idea even tho the 'organic' bells were ringing in my head..

Hi Judy,

I was wondering where you'd been. Got your pm.

I never saw anything like that....with a sticker changing color when the stuff ripens. Its probably got something to do with the gases like Julie said.

[Rachel--24]

From what I read on the MSG message boards they say peel anything that can be peeled. I am waiting for my copy of the MSG book to arrive and hopefully there will be lots of information on this produce issue because I have a lot of questions too.

I havent ordered the book yet. I feel like I might jinx everything if I buy the book. I'm still waiting to find out if I really have a problem with MSG.

When I was real sick (way before I figured out it had anything to do with food) I was reacting to my lipstick and other skin products. Sometimes it would burn my lips but other times it wouldnt. Sometimes if I drank something or licked my lips by tongue would burn. I've changed lipsticks alot and when I went gluten-free I bought Bare Escentuals lipgloss cuz it doesnt have chemicals or anything. I always use gloss over my lipstick and sometimes I still get that burning but since I dont notice it everyday I havent tried to figure out whats causing it.

I notice the few occassions where I've just put on the gloss by itself I've experienced way more burning. Maybe cuz its directly on my lips w/out the lipstick underneath?? This happened to me last night and I was out running errands but couldnt wait to get home and wash it off...I had other symptoms occurring while I had the gloss on as well. I felt better when I washed it off but my lips felt a little swollen.

One of the things on my list of errands was to check out ingredients on make-up and replace what wasnt safe. I looked up the Bare Escentuals ingeredients online before I left. No ingredients indicated MSG though...the only thing to wonder about was either salicylates or corn because it had vitamin E.

I'm leaning more toward the corn cuz I never got improvemet avoiding salicylates and I did avoiding corn. Also I probably had my most severe reactions while on the salicylate-free diet cuz of stuff like baking powder and gums I used for baking.

While I was at the store I looked at ingredients for lipsticks and chapsticks that had bothered me in the past..they all had vitamin E...one of the lipsticks also had hydrolyzed vegetable protein (msg). Clearly something in my gloss was causing the symptoms I was getting last night. Do you think one thing like a gloss that I use everyday could cause me to never get better?

Here is the ingredients to the B.E. lipgloss. What would you guys suspect is causing the trouble? Do you think its the vitamin E? Is the vitamin E always from corn?

Lip Gloss Ingredients:

Candelilla Wax, Beeswax, Ozokerite, Shea Butter, Caster Oil, Polyisobutene, Octyldodecanol, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E Acetate, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Capriylic / Capric Triglyceride.

Lip Gloss May Contain:

Caramine, Mica, Iron Oxide, and / or Titanium Dioxide.

Also does anyone know what acetate is? What is vitamin E acetate? Can it be from corn?

[Green12]

Yeah....I've seen alot of posts about people having problems with the skins on apples. Personally, I havent eaten an unpeeled apple in over a year cuz the skins bother me. I peel everything. I even tried to peel celery...it didnt work.

I dont know whats up with that bitterness taste. I've experienced that with celery, cabbage and ice-berg lettuce. The lettuce was the worst ...I could taste something "off" after the first bite and I was reacting to whatever it was. These were all organic foods that I bought at whole foods. It wasnt a one time thing cuz when I've bought these items again...I had the same experience. I've also noticed it in the organic packaged salad mixes....I'll be eating the salad and I'll get one or two pieces of lettuce that are sooo bitter and I react to them. It cant be a "natural" flavor in the lettuce cuz I dont think my body would react if it was natural. I think my senses are so strong right now with all the sensitivities....I can smell stuff from a mile away and I can taste unnatural stuff on the produce.

I don't know what it is but sometimes my tastes are way off, not just with produce. Everything just tastes off, and so it makes me think it's something in my body going on like a chemical thing.

I have that super powerful sense of smell and taste too Rachel. My Mom laughs all the time because before I even enter a room I detect something off, I smell mold, do you smell mold, and I will walk all around trying to 'smell' the source of mold or whatever it may be. She just looks at me and shakes her head, she t doesn't smell anything. Same with taste, I seem to taste things that nobody else can taste.

That is common with multiple chemical sesitiities, to have a heightened sense of taste and smell, sensitivity to sound, light.

I don't know it MSG is my main problem either but I am almost positive now it is some kind of additive or preservative or food derivative, or a combination of substances, that is in processed food, packaged food, restaurant food, modified food, meats, produce, or anything grown, dairy, personal products, and etc.

[Green12]

I havent ordered the book yet. I feel like I might jinx everything if I buy the book. I'm still waiting to find out if I really have a problem with MSG.

When I was real sick (way before I figured out it had anything to do with food) I was reacting to my lipstick and other skin products. Sometimes it would burn my lips but other times it wouldnt. Sometimes if I drank something or licked my lips by tongue would burn. I've changed lipsticks alot and when I went gluten-free I bought Bare Escentuals lipgloss cuz it doesnt have chemicals or anything. I always use gloss over my lipstick and sometimes I still get that burning but since I dont notice it everyday I havent tried to figure out whats causing it.

I notice the few occassions where I've just put on the gloss by itself I've experienced way more burning. Maybe cuz its directly on my lips w/out the lipstick underneath?? This happened to me last night and I was out running errands but couldnt wait to get home and wash it off...I had other symptoms occurring while I had the gloss on as well. I felt better when I washed it off but my lips felt a little swollen.

One of the things on my list of errands was to check out ingredients on make-up and replace what wasnt safe. I looked up the Bare Escentuals ingeredients online before I left. No ingredients indicated MSG though...the only thing to wonder about was either salicylates or corn because it had vitamin E.

I'm leaning more toward the corn cuz I never got improvemet avoiding salicylates and I did avoiding corn. Also I probably had my most severe reactions while on the salicylate-free diet cuz of stuff like baking powder and gums I used for baking.

While I was at the store I looked at ingredients for lipsticks and chapsticks that had bothered me in the past..they all had vitamin E...one of the lipsticks also had hydrolyzed vegetable protein (msg). Clearly something in my gloss was causing the symptoms I was getting last night. Do you think one thing like a gloss that I use everyday could cause me to never get better?

Here is the ingredients to the B.E. lipgloss. What would you guys suspect is causing the trouble? Do you think its the vitamin E? Is the vitamin E always from corn?

Also does anyone know what acetate is? What is vitamin E acetate? Can it be from corn?

Lip Gloss Ingredients:

Candelilla Wax, Beeswax, Ozokerite, Shea Butter, Caster Oil, Polyisobutene, Octyldodecanol, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E Acetate, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Capriylic / Capric Triglyceride.

Lip Gloss May Contain:

Caramine, Mica, Iron Oxide, and / or Titanium Dioxide.

What are Ozokerite, Polyisobutene, Octyldodecanol? Those sound chemical-ish. Also I know parabens (methyl, propyl, etc.) can be a real problem for some sensitive individuals.

I don't know about the acetate.

[Calicat]

I've had a similar experience with bagged or boxed fresh organic spinach tasting bitter, yet when I buy non-organic bagged spinach this hasn't happened. Hmm. It really does make you question how strict organic practices truly are.

Thanks for all of the msg links. I noticed in one of the articles that the McCormick Spice Co. is reported to be part of that Glutamate Council, so now I'm wondering if I should get a different brand of spices. Supposedly Morton and Bassett is msg-free.

I've also been questioning the corn thing. A lot. I'm still waiting for my MSG book to arrive too, but I'm really wondering if maybe corn isn't also a big part of the problem. I noticed that you're avoiding it, Julie, and Rachel, you said that you improved on a corn-free diet. How did you figure out that it was a problem for you, Julie?

I think for me the next steps are eliminating all corn products and all hidden msg plus figuring out the auxigro-produce thing.

As far as the lip gloss goes, a lot of those ingredients are pretty hard to decipher, but I looked at my makeup and it has tons of names that sound chemical and that could mean practically anything. I don't quite know how to make sense of it all. The only thing that springs to mind is that vitamin E can be from so many different sources, and both corn and soy(don't know if you're sensitive to that or not) are possibilities.

Do any of you have joint problems (pain, stiffness, cracking&popping sounds) that flare up when you have a bad reaction? I've been having a hard time with that lately, knees and ankles/heels specifically, and I've got a strong suspicion that it's to do with an allergy or intolerance. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced something similar.

Btw, I have the same imprint thing...sheets, seams, everything seems to leave a mark when I'm all puffy, although never anything as cool as a flower. Once I had a letter though from something embroidered (still not nearly as impressive!)

[Rachel--24]

As far as the lip gloss goes, a lot of those ingredients are pretty hard to decipher, but I looked at my makeup and it has tons of names that sound chemical and that could mean practically anything. I don't quite know how to make sense of it all. The only thing that springs to mind is that vitamin E can be from so many different sources, and both corn and soy(don't know if you're sensitive to that or not) are possibilities.

I looked it up...it usually comes from soy. I believe I do have a soy intolerance but I'm never 100% sure of anything. I've had very strong reactions to everything I've eaten with soy. Soy cheese, soymilk, soy yogurt, etc. I never got away with eating anything soy and *not* getting a reaction. I just never know if its from soy or something else. The yogurt would have MSG cuz its fermented and had pectin. The cheese had soy protein...could be MSG...also had corn ingredients....could be corn. Its so hard to know for sure. Oh....I had a massive reaction to vegetable oil which was from soy. I dont think that could have been corn or MSG related. Also, the soymilk was the "cleanest" out there. Only ingredients were water and organic soybeans....but I dont know how they make this stuff...do they ferment the soybeans?

If I have a real intolerance to soy would it cause reactions from my lipgloss? Could it keep me in a more "reactive" state just by wearing the lipgloss everyday. Its also in my blush (just looked today) but I'm not sure if I need to be concerned. Two times in the past when I've cried the tears rolled down my cheeks and got onto my lips and then into my mouth and I got reactions from this. I had makeup on and you know what happens when we cry with make-up on.

This has been like a second job for me...trying to figure out whats causing these reactions.....it takes so much time. Good thing I have patience (most of the time).

Does it sound like its soy intolerance or something else? I guess all I can do is eliminate soy and see how I feel. I dont eat soy now but the chocolate I was eating lots of said "may contain traces of milk and soy protein". I was eating "ricemellow" which has soy ingredients too. I dont know if all these traces can add up and cause problems. This is where it gets frusterating.

Do any of you have joint problems (pain, stiffness, cracking&popping sounds) that flare up when you have a bad reaction? I've been having a hard time with that lately, knees and ankles/heels specifically, and I've got a strong suspicion that it's to do with an allergy or intolerance. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced something similar.

I have all those joint problems but its mainly in my jaw, neck, and hands...also my hips and feet sometimes. My knees have bothered me before but not in a long time.

[dlp252]

Do any of you have joint problems (pain, stiffness, cracking&popping sounds) that flare up when you have a bad reaction? I've been having a hard time with that lately, knees and ankles/heels specifically, and I've got a strong suspicion that it's to do with an allergy or intolerance. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced something similar.

Btw, I have the same imprint thing...sheets, seams, everything seems to leave a mark when I'm all puffy, although never anything as cool as a flower. Once I had a letter though from something embroidered (still not nearly as impressive!)

Yep, I had lots of joint pain before I went gluten/casein free--it went away almost overnight once starting the diet. Mine was mostly in my knees and hips. I still have some stiffness and now that I think about it, not as much popping as I used to. So, I think mine is directly related to inflammation and that is probably directly related to all the intolerances creating inflammation. I had pain in my knees yesterday...guess what I did on Thursday...I had half a Krispy Creme donut...double whammy with the gluten and the casein (it was creme filled). I think that just cemented it for me. Ocassionally I do still feel some joint pain...I figure it must be when I get overloaded on something...corn, msg, who knows.

I also get the imprint thing. My sock imprint stays forever, lol. I also get it from seams...can't think if I've ever had a flower though. lol

[Matilda]

..

[Rachel--24]

Ok ...this may be a dumb question...but the rule is there are no dumb questions here.

I know soy isnt a vegetable...its classified as a legume I believe. When stuff says vegetarian though.....can that mean soy? Like the vegetarian capsules in supplements....can there be soy in there? I'm just curious...my mind won't quit....its going in like a thousand different directions today.

Why??? Are you serious?

Matilda

Matilda,

I'm pretty sure she's serious. It sometimes amazes me when I read stuff like that but then I remember that some people dont react as severely as me....so its not as big a deal to them. I wish I could be that casual....but I cant.

[jerseyangel]

Rachel--I would think that there could be soy in a vegetarian suppliment.

[Calicat]

Yep, I had lots of joint pain before I went gluten/casein free--it went away almost overnight once starting the diet. So, I think mine is directly related to inflammation and that is probably directly related to all the intolerances creating inflammation. Ocassionally I do still feel some joint pain...I figure it must be when I get overloaded on something...corn, msg, who knows.

Donna,

Thanks for the feedback. Seeing that you felt improvement after changing your diet gives me hope that I will be able to remedy all these joint problems by omitting whatever it is I'm reacting to.

Rachel,

I'm with Patti..there's always a possibility that vegetarian means soy. Often supplements will say "vegetarian capsule" and then claim to be free of allergens from soy, etc. but here's the thing: that wording is a bit suspect b/c it doesn't quite say free of all soy, just the allergenic part, and people have different opinions concerning which aspect is allergenic.

I've had bad reactions to 'vegetarian' supplements and thought that maybe hidden soy was the reason. Of course now I'm wondering if maybe it was actually hidden msg, but it definitely makes you think. Maybe too much. Haha This is like a second job! My mind's been jumping around latching on to theories like mad this weekend too. I think there's something in the air. Or maybe it just means that we're really close to solving all of this!!

If I have a real intolerance to soy would it cause reactions from my lipgloss? Could it keep me in a more "reactive" state just by wearing the lipgloss everyday. Its also in my blush (just looked today) but I'm not sure if I need to be concerned. Two times in the past when I've cried the tears rolled down my cheeks and got onto my lips and then into my mouth and I got reactions from this. I had makeup on and you know what happens when we cry with make-up on.

You were wondering if soy in makeup could cause a problem? I'm thinking if you're really sensitive to it, it might be, although maybe only if it gets in your mouth, like from lipstick or teary blush

I dont eat soy now but the chocolate I was eating lots of said "may contain traces of milk and soy protein". I was eating "ricemellow" which has soy ingredients too. I dont know if all these traces can add up and cause problems. This is where it gets frusterating.

I've wondered the same thing about chocolate, because I often swell up from it, and I thought it was the soy lecithin, but who knows, maybe it's that sneaky msg hiding out under a different name like 'vanillin.' Sounds suspiciously like villain, doesn't it?

[Matilda]

..

[Green12]

Good evening girls, you guys have been chatty tonight!

Um, I have to make a confession. I have eaten gluten for the last 6 days.

Since I don't have any kind of test results to go by I wanted to do a challenge. The gluten-free foods have been making me as sick as a dog the last year........so I thought I would test wheat out and see what happened. Also I had a death in the family last week and I'm kinda an emotional eater. So basically now I am as big as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, swollen from head to toe with enormous amounts of fluid, my skin burns, my heart races, my face is broken out, I can't breathe because I have so much mucous build up in my throat, nose, head, I cough up blood, and have bloody noses. I think I am convinced gluten is out. But so are all the gluten alternatives.

I am going to have to find a way to eat and stick with it, I think it has to be for good. If I eat really well just meat, fruit, vegetables, I am fine, it's when I stray and start experimenting with different foods and add more things in that gets me in trouble.

Does anyone else get really sick when they eat all the gluten-free foods??

As far as the make-up, I have been buying mine at the healthfood store the last several years. I'll look at the ingredients and see if they are safe. I use lotion, deoderant, lip balm, hair spray, soap, feminine products, etc. all from the health food store- of course it doesn't necessarily mean they are safe but the chemical load is definitely down to a minimum. I read on the MSG board that Aubrey Organics, Alba, and Nature's Gate products are all supposedly safe.

Calicat, I suspected corn was a problem when I would eat corn chips and my throat would swell up so I stopped eating them- but that was about the only corn product I ate (so I thought). It wasn't until I joined this board and posted about not being able to figure out why I was still having such severe health issues that a fellow poster Simply V suggested I look into corn allergies. Rachel then posted this thread and I followed up on it and learned how much corn is in food, supplements, everything- it literally is in everything. I discovered that a corn derivative is in the Food For Life Tortillas I was eating everyday for lunch. I stopped eating them for about 5 or 6 days then after that I ate one to see what would happen and my throat swelled up just like it did with the corn chips. Then I cleared everything out as far as corn goes for a period of a few days and did another test with everything corn and I got really sick. I pretty much realized then corn was a problem for me.

The interesting thing is there is so much similarity/cross-over between corn and MSG. So many corn derivatives are MSG - or vice versa, so many sources of MSG are corn derivatives. At least this is what I understand is true based on what I have read, and what Rachel has posted.

Also, I have a lot of joint pain, but when my diet is really clean- food in the most natural state- the pain is almost nonexistant, so for me I believe there has to be a food connection (chemical, additive, allergen, etc.).

Forgot to mention about soy..... no that was definitely not a dumb question Rachel. Vegetarian usually means a non-animal source and soy seems to be the substitute of choice for most vegetarians, vegans. Or if it is a 'vegetable' source, you know what the corn boards said...ah, yes, that would be corn.

Soy is also in everything!! Soy, corn, MSG, we can't win!