Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Allergies, Intollerances, And Celiac

Googles

By Googles
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Googles Community Regular
Googles
Posted

Hello,

I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between intollerance to a food, a food allergy, celiac, and an allergy like hay fever so that I can explain it to other people who ask? I just want a lay explination of what the similarities and differences are. Are they all auto-immune disorders? Mostly questioning about allergies and celiac.

Googles.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


CGally81 Enthusiast
CGally81
Posted
Hello,

I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between intollerance to a food, a food allergy, celiac, and an allergy like hay fever so that I can explain it to other people who ask? I just want a lay explination of what the similarities and differences are. Are they all auto-immune disorders? Mostly questioning about allergies and celiac.

Googles.

From what I know (someone else please correct me if I'm wrong!),

Allergies can actually go away as you get older, whereas an auto-immune disorder doesn't. You'd have to wait for a cure to come out for the auto-immune disorder if you want to get rid of it.

There's also a difference in symptoms. Celiac's symptoms are diverse, and different people experience different things. But allergies cause, well, "allergy" symptoms. I've heard of stuff like watery eyes, throat closing up, stuff like that, occuring with food allergies of any kind.

Both react severely even to trace amounts of the thing in question. Allergies and auto-immune disorders alike.

But "intolerances" often mean that you can have very small amounts of the problem food and not cause powerful symptoms. That is not the case with allergies or auto-immune disorders.

jststric Contributor
jststric
Posted

boy, good luck with coming up with a reasonable explanation on that!!! When I started having problems, I went through a battery of allergy tests and NOTHING that bothers me showed up positive. But I did get a few positives on a few items that don't seem to bother me at all!! Go figure! I have not been officially diagnosed at all, but have serious intolerances to not only glutens but other food groups too. Just in the past 3 yrs all of this has popped up on me and I'm nearly 51. I have suffered with hayfever kind of allergies most of my life....dust, grass, mold, pollens, etc. And some of my food "poisoning" symptoms are very hayfeverish-sytomatic. My sinuses KILL me! Very weird to me! If it's a true allergy, then no, I don't think that counts as an auto-immune problem. But Celiacs, as Crohns, IBS, and simply intolerances are, IMO.

TotalKnowledge Apprentice
TotalKnowledge
Posted
Hello,

I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between intollerance to a food, a food allergy, celiac, and an allergy like hay fever so that I can explain it to other people who ask? I just want a lay explination of what the similarities and differences are. Are they all auto-immune disorders? Mostly questioning about allergies and celiac.

Googles.

If you ask a 100 different doctors you will probably get a 100 different answers on that subject. I do not believe they have done enough research into those problems to authoritatively tell you. In short you will get something about an allergy being an IgE response, and an intolerance being an IgA or IgG response. IgA, IgG, and IgE are all types of antibody that the body uses to deal with bad stuff that enters into the body. An allergic reaction is where there is an "abnormal" antigen response to a foreign substance that does not typically elicit that same response in the average population. When the response happens the IgE causes histamine to be release in too large of an amount. This is why a histamine blocker such as Benedril helps with mild allergic reactions, and why adrenaline helps with sever reactions. Adrenaline will rid the body of histamine very rapidly.

Abnormal IgG and IgA responses also release extra histamine into the body. But IgG and IgE have different foci. IgA is typically found in the mucous membranes, and IgG is normally a defense against pathogens.

YoloGx Rookie
YoloGx
Posted

OK--here's what I think:

Intolerance to a food is often caused at least initially to leaky gut syndrome. If one has damage to the intestinal lining (as in celiac) leaky gut is more likely to happen. What then happens is that undigested proteins go into the blood stream, and the body attacks them like they are foreign invaders. Down wind of that, the liver has to work harder due to a toxic build up, as does the lymphatic system which gets clogged up. After a while the body often becomes very sensitized to the more offending foods... Its possible eventually to become less sensitized to these various foods, especially as the leaky gut stops leaking and is repaired (as in avoiding the offending foods and gluten if one has celiac for instance).

Food intolerance can also be caused by poor or slow digestion. This can be remedied to a great degree by taking bitters (like yellow gentian) half an hour to 15 minutes before eating (helps digest proteins and fats esp.). Other food intolerances can be alleviated by taking digestive enzymes (bromelain/papain, pancreatin etc.).

Allergies like the previous note said, make the body produce histamines in reaction to whatever it is stimulating the allergic response. In this case antihistamines do help...

Celiac does not produce histamines. It is an auto immune response to gliadin which then causes the immune system to attack the lining of the intestines, flattening or scarring the villi. Anti-histimines unfortunately do not help counteract celiac.

Am meanwhile wondering about the role of baking soda and either lemon juice or vinegar (taken at least an hour apart to avoid "fizz"!!). They often seem to balance the system after a "leaky gut" intolerance experience, as well as a cross contamination glutening... The digestive enzymes seem to help too as do the detox herbs (which help out the liver etc.). So therein lies the confusion....when so many of the same remedies help for differently caused things.

TotalKnowledge Apprentice
TotalKnowledge
Posted

Histamine may actually help in the bodies fight against gluten. I have noticed that drinking wine after accidentally eating gluten seems to help. My mother, who had/has worse lower extremity neuropathy than mine, would sting her self with bees to relive the symptoms. I have also heard of people with arthritis (another condition at least partially linked with gluten problems) also using bee stings to help alleviate their symptoms.

YoloGx Rookie
YoloGx
Posted
Histamine may actually help in the bodies fight against gluten. I have noticed that drinking wine after accidentally eating gluten seems to help. My mother, who had/has worse lower extremity neuropathy than mine, would sting her self with bees to relive the symptoms. I have also heard of people with arthritis (another condition at least partially linked with gluten problems) also using bee stings to help alleviate their symptoms.

Wow! I have heard of bee stings working for gluten intolerance and arthritis but not for celiac. That must take a lot of forbearance!!

Am wondering if the wine works for you due to the extra enzymes??

Bea

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


greendog Apprentice
greendog
Posted

Some good answers and information but as you can see it varies. Damage to the immune system by antibiotics, chemo, surgery etc. can bring about allergies and intolerances and the key is to try to heal and strengthen you immune system to correct some of these problems. Probably won't get back to where you were before it happened, but could minimize the effect and prevent some down the road.

glutenfreeinminnesota Contributor
glutenfreeinminnesota
Posted
Hello,

I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between intollerance to a food, a food allergy, celiac, and an allergy like hay fever so that I can explain it to other people who ask? I just want a lay explination of what the similarities and differences are. Are they all auto-immune disorders? Mostly questioning about allergies and celiac.

Googles.

I just tell people it's an auto immune disease and that its not allergy...I don't have an allergic reaction...my body truly can't process it correctly. Some people just dont get it though :P

Googles Community Regular
Googles
Posted
  • Author

thank you all for your help in trying to sort out what is a much more complicated interconnection than I realized.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,685
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    tdouglas2901
    Newest Member
    tdouglas2901
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.