Lux

What is it that causes these new intolerances to crop up? Is it because we start eating a lot of one particular food which we then become resistant to? When you say that spirits don't agree with you, do you mean that they result in symptoms (as if you had been glutened) or is it that they result in a worse hangover/cause GI problems, or something else entirely?

Many thanks for your advice. I have just consulted an allergist only to find out that a full range of tests is crazy expensive -

This makes definite sense, and I have tried to follow an elimination diet in the past. Problem is, even if I stick to a core group of 'safe' foods I can end up sick! I might be fine for a few days before my symptoms return. It makes me wonder if I am building up some kind of tolerance to THOSE foods as well - sigh. The other thing is, is it recommended not to drink when undergoing an elimination diet? I'm so confused about alcohol. For me it seems to help but 'specialists' seem to perceive otherwise - that it is damaging and will only exacerbate symptoms in the long term. It perplexes me only because I like to go out in the weekend and have a drink, but also because it really does seem to relax my gut (don't get me wrong, I don't drink a lot all the time, but if my symptoms are really bad a single drink can help). Am I alone in this???

Hi, thank you so much for your response. I have eliminated gluten, wheat, dairy and sugar (with the exception of alcohol) from my diet. I have considered soy but I am obsessed with soy yoghurt (it is my one 'treat') and I really don't want to give it up. I am going to go for allergy testing to try and work it all out but to be honest I am scared of what they will tell me! I feel as if I have already taken out so much that soon all the enjoyment will be taken out of eating as I will begin to suspect everything. My problem is determining whether it is one thing or the other. How do you know if it is soy or corn? Should I eat one and not the other and see what happens? I think I will just have to revert to the basics, as you suggested, and see if that calms things down for a bit....

That's so interesting - do you find it still has such an effect? Or has going gluten free ultimately destroyed all your symptoms? I'm finding things quite difficult at the moment as I keep removing foods but I can't determine what is giving me this ongoing trouble....

I'm confused! Any research I dig up suggests that alcohol is detrimental to digestion but sometimes it is the only thing that gets me 'going' - I mean, properly clears me out (sorry if that is TMI). Even if I have one glass of wine, or a V&T in the evening, I should be going in the morning. Is this normal? Does anyone else find that alcohol actually facilitates their digestion?

It's so hard to say but what I do know is that with eating disorders, it's all about segregating food into 'good' and 'bad' categories so you end up with a lot of restrictions and limitations (this, of course, is compounded by the fact that celiac disease obviously provokes a similar mindset). Some nutritionists (and I don't know if this is a universal opinion) argue that the more you eat one particular type of food, the more likely you are to build up an intolerance for it (which always struck me as strange as I would have thought the opposite - as in, your body habituatest to a certain kind of food and therefore that food becomes more digestible due to familiarity). However I do know that when I was sick (prior to developing celiac disease) the only thing I ever ate was tiny portions of low fat pasta. That and crumpets...so it was a very gluten heavy diet (perhaps unusual for an anorexic, but there you go). So what I'm thinking is that, if that IS the case (that we build up intolerances to foods we eat too much of) then it is understandable that having celiac disease could lead to other intolerances...thus seeming to exacerbate your usual symptoms...does that make sense??

Hiya, I personally suffered from anorexia two years before developing celiac disease. I had always thought there must be some kind of correlation between the two, although I don't know that there is any evidence as such to prove this. I also have PCOS however, and I do tend to think that there is a much stronger link there - perhaps because I know quite a few women who suffer from one are also affected by the other. Then again, it doesn't really explain the thousands of women with celiac disease/PCOS who don't suffer from both... I do wonder if one (eg an eating disorder) can't provoke or encourage the development of celiac disease....???

Can I just ask, what is it about soy that causes bloating?

Some exercises I have just started trying: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-...beat-bloat.html :-)

Hiya, I didn't get my period for three years and had always attributed this to my polycystic ovaries. I went gluten free and now I get it every month... Coincidence? Really??

I'm a New Zealander who recently emigrated to London. I moved here knowing one person (vaguely) and I would definitely recommend it. Do as much research as you can before you go but once you decide yourself to doing it, commit yourself and don't look back! It could be the best decision you ever made

Hiya, I have been nearly 8 months gluten free now and went for a blood test a couple of weeks back. I also have a low white blood cell count - this really is much more common than you think. Doctors usually request that you take one more test to make sure that everything is fine (and it will be); I have heard that this is particularly common in women when they are stressed/run-down. Not to worry! xo

Accupuncture, really? I will definitely have to try it... Usually, I drink wine (red, for the most part) but if I'm going out to dance I usually switch to Malibu and pineapple - so, rum, which I know is meant to be safe... IBS is a pain. *sigh*