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More Susceptible To Colds And Flu Now?


book-worm

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book-worm Apprentice

Guys, with it coming in to winter in Australia again, I


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mushroom Proficient

I think you're due for a break. Everything I've read indicates that once your body stops fighting the gluten it is better able to fight the things it should be fighting. :D I miss out on that benefit because I have to suppress my immune system to fight my RA, so while I don't get the colds or flu any more easily, if I do get them it's that much harder tp get rid of them. Gain on the swings, loose on the roundabouts :P

ravenwoodglass Mentor

I was sick contantly for years catching every bug that went around. I literally have not even had a cold since I was diagnosed 8 years ago. I don't miss them. Hopefully the same will happen for you.

nicolebeth Apprentice

I can't answer to the celiac part of this, but highly recommend taking supplemental Vitamin D. Getting your levels between 60-70 is ideal for fighting off illness. Mine were 38-39, and I got what I thought was mild H1N1 (here in the Eastern US, it was going around in late October). I've since brought it up to 62, haven't had a cold since. My kids were on Vitamin D, and didn't get flu; same with my husband. There's starting to be more and more information about this out there.

Btw, none of us had flu shots this year. In 2009, I was the only one taking any D and was the only one not to get the flu. That happened in a few friends' houses as well back in 2009--the ones on D avoided the flu, the others didn't. In 2008, we all got the flu (none of us were taking D).

Good luck!

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link (Dr. Oz didn't get swine flu vaccine for his kids, actually)

bluebonnet Explorer

aside from my gi issues, catching colds/flu and pnuemonia seemed to constantly be a problem because my immune system was so weak. hands down i believe there is a link between celiac and weak immune system. i caught it all despite my healthy intentions!! before diagnosis, i thought it was because of my insomnia and what they claim not getting a proper amount of sleep will do. anyway, working towards my 4th month gluten free, i haven't caught a cold and my allergies even seem to be less intense. and hopefully it will stay that way!!! :)

YoloGx Rookie

I have had the same experience--no colds or flu since I have gone off all gluten and trace cross contamination(CC). I do have to be careful if I have been glutened however, and make sure I take time out if I have been. By not doing so in the past I got dreadfully ill with bacterial infections no less!! And yes my history in the past pre going off all trace gluten was that I was always getting sick from colds and flu, and had it worse and longer seemingly than anyone else. It is so very worth it to stay off the gluten and away from CC!

Bea

K8ling Enthusiast

Also, some people are just more susceptible to colds/flu/stomach bugs. It just depends on what you are genetically predisposed to. My sons friend caught 7 SEPARATE stomach bugs this winter, I caught one, and the baby? None! My husband NEVER gets sick, and I catch colds but thats about it.


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foodiegurl Collaborator

I agree with taking vitamin D3, I take it daily, and thankfully got through the winter ok. In addition since going gluten-free my seasonal allergies have been much milder. I hope it gets better for you!

book-worm Apprentice

Awesome! I

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    • marion wheaton
      Thanks for responding. I researched further and Lindt Lindor chocolate balls do contain barely malt powder which contains gluten. I was surprised at all of the conflicting information I found when I checked online.
    • trents
      @BlessedinBoston, it is possible that in Canada the product in question is formulated differently than in the USA or at least processed in in a facility that precludes cross contamination. I assume from your user name that you are in the USA. And it is also possible that the product meets the FDA requirement of not more than 20ppm of gluten but you are a super sensitive celiac for whom that standard is insufficient. 
    • BlessedinBoston
      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to checking them and was heartbroken when I saw they were absolutely not gluten free 😔. Felt the same when I realized Twizzlers weren't either. Took me a while to get my diet on order after being diagnosed. I was diagnosed with small bowel non Hodgkins lymphoma at the same time. So it was a very stressful time to say the least. Hope this helps 😁.
    • knitty kitty
      @Jmartes71, I understand your frustration and anger.  I've been in a similar situation where no doctor took me seriously, accused me of making things up, and eventually sent me home to suffer alone.   My doctors did not recognize nutritional deficiencies.  Doctors are trained in medical learning institutions that are funded by pharmaceutical companies.  They are taught which medications cover up which symptoms.  Doctors are required to take twenty  hours of nutritional education in seven years of medical training.  (They can earn nine hours in Nutrition by taking a three day weekend seminar.)  They are taught nutritional deficiencies are passe' and don't happen in our well fed Western society any more.  In Celiac Disease, the autoimmune response and inflammation affects the absorption of ALL the essential vitamins and minerals.  Correcting nutritional deficiencies caused by malabsorption is essential!  I begged my doctor to check my Vitamin D level, which he did only after making sure my insurance would cover it.  When my Vitamin D came back extremely low, my doctor was very surprised, but refused to test for further nutritional deficiencies because he "couldn't make money prescribing vitamins.". I believe it was beyond his knowledge, so he blamed me for making stuff up, and stormed out of the exam room.  I had studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I switched because I was curious what vitamins from our food were doing in our bodies.  Vitamins are substances that our bodies cannot manufacture, so we must ingest them every day.  Without them, our bodies cannot manufacture life sustaining enzymes and we sicken and die.   At home alone, I could feel myself dying.  It's an unnerving feeling, to say the least, and, so, with nothing left to lose, I relied in my education in nutrition.  My symptoms of Thiamine deficiency were the worst, so I began taking high dose Thiamine.  I had health improvement within an hour.  It was magical.  I continued taking high dose thiamine with a B Complex, magnesium. and other essential nutrients.  The health improvements continued for months.  High doses of thiamine are required to correct a thiamine deficiency because thiamine affects every cell and mitochondria in our bodies.    A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function.  The cerebellum of the brain is most affected.  The cerebellum controls things we don't have to consciously have to think about, like digestion, balance, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, hormone regulation, and many more.  Thiamine is absorbed from the digestive tract and sent to the most important organs like the brain and the heart.  This leaves the digestive tract depleted of Thiamine and symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency localized in the digestive system, begin to appear.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi include anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, headaches, Gerd, acid reflux, gas, slow stomach emptying, gastroparesis, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation, incontinence, abdominal pain, IBS,  SIBO, POTS, high blood pressure, heart rate changes like tachycardia, difficulty swallowing, Barrett's Esophagus, peripheral neuropathy, and more. Doctors are only taught about thiamine deficiency in alcoholism and look for the classic triad of symptoms (changes in gait, mental function, and nystagmus) but fail to realize that gastrointestinal symptoms can precede these symptoms by months.  All three classic triad of symptoms only appear in fifteen percent of patients, with most patients being diagnosed with thiamine deficiency post mortem.  I had all three but swore I didn't drink, so I was dismissed as "crazy" and sent home to die basically.   Yes, I understand how frustrating no answers from doctors can be.  I took OTC Thiamine Hydrochloride, and later thiamine in the forms TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) and Benfotiamine to correct my thiamine deficiency.  I also took magnesium, needed by thiamine to make those life sustaining enzymes.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins, so the other B vitamins must be supplemented as well.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   A doctor can administer high dose thiamine by IV along with the other B vitamins.  Again, Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine should be given if only to rule Gastrointestinal Beriberi out as a cause of your symptoms.  If no improvement, no harm is done. Share the following link with your doctors.  Section Three is especially informative.  They need to be expand their knowledge about Thiamine and nutrition in Celiac Disease.  Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for thiamine deficiency.  This test is more reliable than a blood test. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Best wishes!
    • Jmartes71
      I have been diagnosed with celiac in 1994, in remission not eating wheat and other foods not to consume  my household eats wheat.I have diagnosed sibo, hernia ibs, high blood pressure, menopause, chronic fatigue just to name a few oh yes and Barrett's esophagus which i forgot, I currently have bumps in back of my throat, one Dr stated we all have bumps in the back of our throat.Im in pain.Standford specialist really dismissed me and now im really in limbo and trying to get properly cared for.I found a new gi and new pcp but its still a mess and medical is making it look like im a disability chaser when Im actively not well I look and feel horrible and its adding anxiety and depression more so.Im angery my condition is affecting me and its being down played 
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