Detox/cleanse Making Symptoms Worse?

[noboss4me]

I haven't been the best at maintaining a totally gluten-free diet (I know I should....no lectures please ), but whenever my DH flares up, I just back off a little and it goes away. Well, I recently started a detox program through a local naturopath doctor. The first set of supplements she put me on turned out to have gluten in it, and I started flaring up really bad. I went in, and she swapped it out for some stuff that doesn't (appear to) have gluten in it. I thought that the blisters would die down since we eliminated the glutenous stuff, but it doesn't seem to be lessening, it's actually getting worse.

My question is this: since I don't seem to have terrible outbreaks with a little gluten normally, even if the supplements have a tiny bit of gluten (barley grass juice is the only suspect and that would probably be from CC; also there are warnings that their supps are manufactured in the same facility as wheat).....do you think the bad flare-up could be from the detox itself? Like there was gluten stored up in my body that is now being pushed to the surface? Has anyone experienced this before? It is just weird to have this bad of a break-out from CC.

Thanks for the help!

[YoloGx]

I haven't been the best at maintaining a totally gluten-free diet (I know I should....no lectures please ), but whenever my DH flares up, I just back off a little and it goes away. Well, I recently started a detox program through a local naturopath doctor. The first set of supplements she put me on turned out to have gluten in it, and I started flaring up really bad. I went in, and she swapped it out for some stuff that doesn't (appear to) have gluten in it. I thought that the blisters would die down since we eliminated the glutenous stuff, but it doesn't seem to be lessening, it's actually getting worse.

My question is this: since I don't seem to have terrible outbreaks with a little gluten normally, even if the supplements have a tiny bit of gluten (barley grass juice is the only suspect and that would probably be from CC; also there are warnings that their supps are manufactured in the same facility as wheat).....do you think the bad flare-up could be from the detox itself? Like there was gluten stored up in my body that is now being pushed to the surface? Has anyone experienced this before? It is just weird to have this bad of a break-out from CC.

Thanks for the help!

I have and believe me it isn't fun. Yes, it is enough gluten in those pills etc. to cause a severe problem--at least it was for me. At least you know what is going on. It took me quite a while to figure out what was what. I was told I was simply "too sensitive"!! Ditto with homeopathics etc. that have alcohol as a base...

Avoid any herbs that stimulate your immune system since with celiac you already have an over reactive immune system. Thus no burdock whereas dandelion and yellow dock are just fine for instance... Avoid Melissa and Pao de Arco too. Its best to check whether or not a particular herb is an immune stimulant or not. Ginseng too is out ...

I suggest you detox using the real herbs and cook them up yourself or use capsules made from the straight herbs... Make sure there is no cross contamination from other bins say for example in a health food store...

Liquid Chlorophyll made from Alfalfa is great.

Saunas too are great not to speak of exercise and eating lots of veggies.

Good luck! Done right you should have no problem detoxing. If you are its a sign you many need to do it differently--though it also may be that you have to do it more gradually... Meanwhile I would avoid anything truly radical.

Bea

[noboss4me]

I paid around $300 to do this system, so I don't think I will be switching to something different mid-stream. I am eating only veggies and fruits, and taking a shake 3x a day and many supplements that are supposed to help with the cleanse. I just wanted to know if it is possible that my gluten reaction is heightened by the detox that is happening in my body. Specifically the skin part. Because I'm not having a gut reaction or the brain fog/headaches that I would normally have with the amount of gluten needed to cause this bad of a DH outbreak. It would be reassuring to know that the detox is causing the breakout vs. just the fact that there may be some CC in the products I'm using.

[kbtoyssni]

I wonder if the cumulative effects of getting a little bit of gluten everyday is making things worse. I also wonder how well a detox will work when you're getting glutened everyday. Can the body really detox if you're bombarding your immune system at the same time?

[Jestgar]

My question is this: since I don't seem to have terrible outbreaks with a little gluten normally, even if the supplements have a tiny bit of gluten (barley grass juice is the only suspect and that would probably be from CC;

Unless the barley grass was harvested by someone who took care not to include any seeds, it not CC, you are poisoning yourself. A reaction you get from continuously putting gluten in your body may be different from a CC reaction.

[YoloGx]

I paid around $300 to do this system, so I don't think I will be switching to something different mid-stream. I am eating only veggies and fruits, and taking a shake 3x a day and many supplements that are supposed to help with the cleanse. I just wanted to know if it is possible that my gluten reaction is heightened by the detox that is happening in my body. Specifically the skin part. Because I'm not having a gut reaction or the brain fog/headaches that I would normally have with the amount of gluten needed to cause this bad of a DH outbreak. It would be reassuring to know that the detox is causing the breakout vs. just the fact that there may be some CC in the products I'm using.

Its probably both. On a certain level your liver is being stimulated to release more toxins more effectively. The detox herbs and supplements are helping you get rid of the toxins. However the barley etc. is stressing and possibly killing off your villi so more undigested proteins are circulating in your body for your liver then to have to cleanse. You are thus making your liver have to work too hard which is probably partly why your skin is breaking out so bad since its another major organ for detoxification. Saunas like I suggested would help plus exercise....

I speak from hard experience that this naturopathic world where just a little bit of gluten is supposedly OK etc. is not the way to go. I am sorry about the $300, but your doc. should have known better. There is enough information out there for her to learn things are different than what she studied at school. The fact she didn't isn't your responsibility in a just world. Though I too have had to abandon supplements galore that were poisoning me and have had to take the hit. Hopefully she can help you come up with supplements that don't have gluten in them or CC. The fact they were manufactured in a facility that processes wheat is not reassuring. Pure herbs however would not have this problem if they were gotten elsewhere. Plus they wouldn't cost you $300 to do it either... What is the point of detoxing if you are poisoning yourself at the same time?

On a side note, for myself I have to still have to avoid fruit. It seems that fructose even in small amounts causes me both to get eczema and stimulates candida overgrowth. I suggest trying to back off the fruit and see if it helps or not...

The further side note is that only you can decide whether the itching etc. is bad enough to completely go off CC. I would worry about your nervous system degrading etc. if it were me...

Bea

[Cinnamon]

Another thing to consider is the iodine content of the supplements. Do they contain kelp or seaweed type ingredients? Sodium alginate? High amounts of iodine can aggravate DH. Check the labels.

[noboss4me]

Thanks for all the advice! I have decided to stop the program; I just can't take it anymore. I'm going to insist that they give me a refund since I can't take the products. I don't trust any company that doesn't even know for sure which of their products are gluten free. That makes sense that I'm really sabotaging the detox process by also glutening myself at the same time. There is another product that I think I may try that does something similar (Isagenix), and they actually have an allergen listing on their website. Has anyone tried it, and what was your experience? I really, really do not want to have this experience again!

[YoloGx]

I am glad you decided to do that. I know how heartbreaking it is to think you are detoxing when in fact you are making yourself ill due to the hidden gluten. It seems like a lot of naturopaths have a long ways to catch up with what is now known about celiac. Many still seem to think a little gluten is OK and also that one can "grow out of it"! This of course is also in line with most of the AMA in this country too. Face it, we on this and similar celiac sites are pioneers here in the US with this even though it has been well known and documented in Europe for almost 60 years

I have no experience or knowledge of Isagenix. I hope they work out for you.

Whatever you do, it doesn't have to be really expensive. Just keep it simple and you should do fine.

In my experience and that of my friends I have observed its often best to start slow and gradual with detoxing. You never know what might get dredged up. If you adopt say a cave man diet and exercise more and take liquid chlorophyll (no barley or wheat grass!!) that will help a great deal in and of itself--plus its really inexpensive. Bentonite clay packs on the feet and hands are good too... I have often used that Indian Healing clay for that and put a bit of apple cider vinegar in it as well as water to balance it out. If you want to go further and can handle saunas without fainting etc. they are very powerful at helping one detox. Plus dandelion or milk thistle caps are usually well tolerated and help the liver deal better with the excess toxins. Marshmallow root caps can meanwhile help soothe and heal the villi in your intestines. Bromelain/Papain caps are also good for digestion with meals plus apart from meals can help heal the villi by taking down inflammation.

For me I discovered I needed to take co-enzyme B vitamins before I could detox very effectively, especially if I was doing something like saunas and vigorous exercise. I use the Country Life brand since the sublinguals have sorbitol. The co-enzyme B's go directly into the blood stream rather than through the liver like most supplemental B's do. They are best taken with an empty stomach.

It seems like many people with celiac have trouble absorbing B vitamins like I have so that too is a consideration since they are essential for a lot of functions (like for the nerves, heart, brain, eyes, and digesting proteins and carbs etc.) and really needed it seems when you detox. For a while I took these liquid B's but got worse since of course they were in an alcohol (i.e., gluten) base!

Bea