Am I Gluten Intolerant?

[myshrimpdied]

Hey guys, i'm new to the forum and wanted to start posting because I read that gluten intolerance symptoms and candida symptoms are very similar, and I have been treated for candida in the past.

Here's a rundown of my life so far:

I have eaten gluten containg products my whole life and about 1 year ago I noticed that I didn't feel healthy at all. I have chronic fatigue and need atleast 9 hours of sleep to feel awake, after I injest a big bowl of oats and granola i start to feel tired and get itchy skin around my jaw and chin area, i get bloated and often have a lot of gas, but all of these symptoms can relate to candida also, I have trouble getting muscle and have poor muscle definition, I have a slow metabolism and need to excersize a lot to not gain weight, are these symptoms of gluten intolerance?

I would like to find out because if it is I will stop eating gluten immediatley to prevent the 'life threatening' aspects that I have read about. Has anyone mixed up symptoms of gluten intolerance with those of a candida yeast infection?

Thanks for the help.

[CarlaB]

You're right ... it could be either ... the symptoms also fit adrenal fatigue/burnout, which can go along with gluten intolerance ... for that matter, so can candida. The only way to tell is to test it, go gluten-free for few weeks and see how you feel. Then try gluten again and see what happens. You might also want to look at taking steps to eliminate candida (I take garlic, eat lots of coconut oil, and avoid simple carbs), and look into adrenal fatigue, which can be a cause of your fatigue and other symptoms.

I think that our bodies get run down ... sometimes we just can't tell what came first, so it's best just to do all you can to get healthy again -- lots of rest, reduce stress, lots of small meals featuring protein, relaxing exercise, whole foods, etc.

I personally needed to go gluten-free, but also needed to make some lifestyle and dietary changes to encourage the healing process.

[Ursa Major]

Well, unless you want an 'official' diagnosis, what's stopping you from giving it a try? You have nothing to lose in trying a gluten-free diet for a while, to see if it will help. The symptoms you describe could be celiac disease, they also could be a few other things.

If you try the gluten-free diet, make sure you eliminate all sources of gluten, meaning everything that contains wheat, rye, barley and oats (including things like lipstick and other personal care products).

It could be dairy, too, or a combination of gluten and dairy. Do an elimination diet to see how you feel off gluten and/or dairy.