Leaky Gut Causes Gluten Intolerance?

[AliB]

I think I should find out first of all if gluten-free is doing anything for me or not. So I decided to stick to it for at least 6 months. If I see no improvement, I might give SCD a chance... but after not much more than a month, I can't know yet if I need to try anything else than just glutenfree, right? Maybe I'm in those two thirds who actually get better from going glutenfree and that's it.

However, I'll keep SCD as a second option in the back of my head (which I'm grateful for!! It's always good to know there are are other options that work for some people). I have informed my doc and she's not too fond of it but we agreed that I would let her know if I want to start, so she can examine me first and follow me up week my week. This seems like a reasonable plan to me...

First step now is to find out if I'm celiac or just intolerant because I don't know yet. I'd say... first things first.

Yoekie, I would say that is a pretty wise decision.

I decided to follow the SCD just a few weeks after going gluten-free because I could see that my body couldn't cope with the gluten-free carbs either and there was very little I could eat. As the SCD removed the foods I couldn't cope with it was an obvious progression for me.

I know that carbs have always really been a problem for me but largely ignored it until my digestion finally collapsed. Cutting out virtually all carbs has been what my body needs and there are many others with similar issues to me, but we are all different and as you said, you have to try and learn to read your body and what it needs.

Many have turned to the SCD for different reasons, but all who try it, very often try it because they have run out of options.

I am still gluten-free (the SCD is by its nature gluten-free), just not eating gluten-free carbs - although I can tolerate them a little better now, as a diabetic they whop my blood sugar up something chronic so I need to avoid them for that reason too.

Absolutely try the gluten-free diet and see how you get on. As you have obviously picked up, although many don't get better on gluten-free, there are also those that do. Just monitor how you respond to the diet and then you can reassess the situation at a later date.

[mftnchn]

Yoekie,

Not sure but it seems like the testing you had was for allergies to gluten, I don't see the testing that is more specific to celiac. However, now that you are eating gluten free, both the blood tests and biopsy are not going to be that useful. I'd be concerned too that your doctor has ruled out villi damage without further exploration.

That said, the treatment is the same--avoid gluten.

One thing makes it a little hard to see how gluten-free is impacting you, it sounds like you added other supplements and dietary changes at the same time.

For sure many of us have had various symptoms as we move through the healing stages. So D instead of C could be an improvement, and maybe if you hang in there it will get better. If I were you I might try dropping the new supplements for a few days and see if the D changes.

One thing is that figuring all of this out for each of us takes TIME! We want to figure out the answer right away, but the reality is that it is often a lengthy process. I think giving gluten-free itself a good try is a good idea. If you were confirmed celiac, I'd say that's the main thing, and if you wanted to jump start your healing, try SCD for a little while.

My story: I went gluten-free and CF, and then 3 months later SF. I saw improvement and changes in some ways but started having wide swings of up and down periods with symptoms, and the C and some other symptoms continued to some degree though I was very strictly gluten-free. We also discovered about 10 months out that I had many deficiencies and was still not absorbing. Finally after two stool tests showed I was excreting sugar (that shouldn't happen) my doctor told me I wasn't digesting sugars and starches and the digestive enzymes he had me try didn't help much. So my doctor prescribed the SCD diet (he's an MD, treats a lot of chronic illness). I have had a strong response to this diet.

What I learned was that villi damage impairs the carb digest enzyme production, and while I kept eating carbs that needed more digesting my gut was having a hard time healing.

I'm still having symptoms but there is clear improvement in C now, and it is more like my gut is sensitive because it is healing, if that makes sense. But the fatigue and brain fog that were cyclic for me have almost totally stopped on SCD.

What I don't know is will my gut heal enough I can reintroduce some rice and stuff? I figure I won't know that for another year or two. But meanwhile, like others have said, this dietary approach is very satisfying, balanced, tasty and plenty of variety.

[sparkle]

There is quite a lot of credence to Leaky Gut Syndrome and I also believe that a permeable gut contributes to intolerances and allregies, but we have to be careful as there is an awful lot of stuff out there that is a waste of money.

What are you taking? What quantities? For how long?

The D certainly suggests that something may well be clearing out of your system.

You have to watch the diet with these things though. If you are still eating foods that feed the rogue bacteria and/or parasites then taking any treatments will be pointless.

Are you on a Candida diet?

Quite a few of us on here are following the Specific Carb Diet (SCD) which removes the foods that feed the pathogens and encourages gut reflorestation with good bacteria from yogurt and probiotics.

Certainly taking natural anti-fungals and anti-bacterials etc., may be useful but they need to be accompanied by a good diet.

[sparkle]

you talk such sense!l found this forum this evening and was so excited to find someone talk about the things l have wrong with me..my friends think ive gone loopy!as well as a medical problem that all things stem from..l have candida leaky gut and multiple food intolerances and drug intolerances and adrenal stress.which was all diagnosed when l reacted to the medication they gave me for under active thyroid/hashimotos desease..lm seeing a doctor at the hale clinic in london.who is treating my thyroid and my leaky gut.lm taking armour thyroid now and dhea ..after blood tests l know that as well as skipping the foods which encourage candida l am intollerant to eggs dairy,gluten, soya ,bananas and wheat and garlic (ive drunk soya milk for 20yrs as my daughter was milk intolerant when l breast fed her so cut it out of my diet,have since read it can cause thyroid problems..l go back to him in march .l am also taking lots of supplements he (will listanother time)prescribed.would stand on my head and eat grass if it would help me!..BUT can you help ?have had bad stomach this weekend had pop corn (home made )so bad!gass and D. do you think that oats could make you foggier than normal?lm limited as to what to eat for breakfast no eggs or fruit or bread so had been eating porridge with rice milk.. as lm eating healthy anti candida foods had hoped to loose a bit of wieght! but l stopped the oats on thursday last and have lost 2lbs!(might well have been the D from the corn!)l also have to exclude ALL sugar (not just for the candida) as my tryglicerdes are extreamly high..he says that l am heading for diabetis in the future if l dont! what is scd diet?do you think this might help me?my whole body aches l cant wear shoes as my feet are sore my arms and legs are also very sore and l feel like l am brain dead! my children say they thought it all along!lve had cfs for 9yrs but have never been this bad.l can cope with not eating things as how else will l get better BUT as lm 4mths in to the special diet plan. ld rather eliminate things now which will help me improve rather than wait for another 6mths..lm so sorry to ramble i havent written a cv for years and l know ive probably left lots out!re read it ..my 1st illness was urinary retention hence YEARS of antibiotic..then l had a sacral nerve implant to help me pee(lots of operations and meds later) got cfs ..this year l was diagnosed with hypothyroid and an extremly high antibodies.had 2ops this year reacted to all anisthetics and drugs.went away for some sunshine and was stung by wasps on two different ocassions and reated so bad had to go to hospital.now have epi pen..this has never happened before.the lady at thyroid uk .com has been so helpful but lm lost with leaky gut ext..THANKYOU

There is quite a lot of credence to Leaky Gut Syndrome and I also believe that a permeable gut contributes to intolerances and allregies, but we have to be careful as there is an awful lot of stuff out there that is a waste of money.

What are you taking? What quantities? For how long?

The D certainly suggests that something may well be clearing out of your system.

You have to watch the diet with these things though. If you are still eating foods that feed the rogue bacteria and/or parasites then taking any treatments will be pointless.

Are you on a Candida diet?

Quite a few of us on here are following the Specific Carb Diet (SCD) which removes the foods that feed the pathogens and encourages gut reflorestation with good bacteria from yogurt and probiotics.

Certainly taking natural anti-fungals and anti-bacterials etc., may be useful but they need to be accompanied by a good diet.

[veggienft]

Sparkle, From my experience, from research, and from reading these pages, gluten intolerance and candidiasis often accompany each other. You said you are "intolerant to .....gluten". Does that mean a doctor tested your blood for gluten antibodies, and your blood tested positive?

You mentioned "adrenal stress" and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. These diseases are pretty strongly correlated with gluten intolerance and celiac disease. The treatment for gluten intolerance and celiac disease is a complete gluten

[mftnchn]

Sparkle,

Yes, it would be good to know what testing has been done for your gluten sensitivity--an allergy test or the testing for celiac? However, if you are not eating gluten (sounds like you are not) then testing for celiac will not be useful as you'd likely have false negatives.

I think you might be helped by the SCD. It means Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Some people on SCD also are egg and dairy free, although many can add them back in after a period of healing. The diet is grain free, soy free as well. The only sweetener allowed is honey, and some have to be careful at first because of candida. The diet does allow fruit.

The diet is designed to heal the gut by eliminating complex starches and sugars that are not digested and feed bad organisms in the gut, which in turn cause more damage. And also by starting out with foods that are easy to digest and adding others in slowly as you heal.

[sparkle]

hello veggienft .thankyou so much for your reply..lm going gluten free complety and will see how l do!l will be intouch! just checked in trying to get my head around the replying! .