Corn allergy hell

[StaceyB]

Hi, my husband's lymphocytic colitis is triggered by corn and its derivatives. We're really glad that we have been able to pinpoint the trigger (thank you to this group for educating us on the role of diet in this condition), but it is getting harder and harder to avoid corn. He also has MS, and takes Aubagio. Corn is in the actual tablet. It is in most vitamins and supplements, too. He's not getting the nutrition he needs. He's now in a flare, so we're back to a really strict SCD type diet (without cheese and yogurt which generally contain or are contaminated with corn). I have a couple of questions, and if anyone has any tips I would greatly appreciate it. This is a tough, tough disease, and I wish there were better treatment options.

1. He's tried just about every drug, including steroids and immunosuppressants (tysabri) to no avail. Is there anything else that might help-- even surgery?

2. When he is in a bad flare, like recently, he is sleeping on the toilet. He has no quality of life. Are there any fecal incontinence products that are useful? He tried the adult diaper pull-ons and it was just a mess.

3. What do you do to keep weight on? He is skin and bones and has no energy.

4. I couldn't fine truly corn-free vitamins and bought transdermal patches. They are so expensive though. If you have a corn allergy, which vitamins do you use?

Lastly, I read that corn is 7 on the top ten list of common allergies. Peanuts are 8. I suspect corn isn't on labels because it is literally in everything. Do you know if there is any push to get it added to labels?

thanks!

[Gabes-Apg]

Hi there
sorry your husband is having such a tough time -
here are my thoughts on your questions

1. He's tried just about every drug, including steroids and immunosuppressants (tysabri) to no avail. Is there anything else that might help-- even surgery?

what we have seen over time with contributions to this forum, is that most medications have limited scope of success if a) you are not avoiding as many triggers as possible and b) you are deficient in Vit D3 and magnesium.
are you supplementing with Vit D3 and magnesium? and do you stay on the bland low amount of ingredients eating plan for extended time ie over 6 months?
Surgery will not resolve the body reacting to the triggers, and will still impact the consistency of the poop in an external bag (and still cause messes etc)
that is why getting onto the bland low inflammation eating plan, avoiding majority of the triggers is so important.

2. When he is in a bad flare, like recently, he is sleeping on the toilet. He has no quality of life. Are there any fecal incontinence products that are useful? He tried the adult diaper pull-ons and it was just a mess.

using the combo of bland low inflammation eating plan, combo of medications and taking things like Vit D3 will help.
has he tried the medication Cholestryamine (welchol or questran?_
eating small amounts until the gut situation improves is another suggestion

3. What do you do to keep weight on? He is skin and bones and has no energy

weight will come back with a healthy digestion process - again this comes down to low inflammation eating plan and taking the right supplements.
good quality animal protein is important that is where things like home made bone broth are fantastic. full of gut healing goodness (amino acids, collagen, minerals etc)
in regards to this and his corn allergy - definitely go for grassfed meats - and avoid any animals that are grain/corn fed.

4. I couldn't fine truly corn-free vitamins and bought transdermal patches. They are so expensive though. If you have a corn allergy, which vitamins do you use?

the patches may appear expensive BUT - look at the per day cost and the long term benefit.
Good quality vitamins (of the right types) are cheaper than the ongoing issues, lots of diapers, lots of meds, lots of washing and impact to quality of life. For the body to heal it needs the right nutrients -
some of the USA/Canada members will hopefully chime in with corn free brands, I know there are a few.
given the level of inflammation he is experiencing gut wise, transdermal may be the best value for you (ie optimal absorption for outlay)



in regards to labelling - I feel for you. Australia has fantastic strict labelling laws so all allergens are clearly marked.
(that is also why quite a few of the American products can not be shipped to the Australia as they do not meet our standards)
in current economic environment and political environment I don't expect you will see improvements in the near future, it is a BIG cost to producers to change production methods and meet labelling requirements.

[JFR]

There are companies that make supplements without corn but you won't find them at your local drug store. I buy my supplements online. Two sites I use are iherb.com and professionalsupplementcenter.com and some brands I have bought are Pure Encapsulations, Vital Nutrients and Thorne Research. On these 2 sites they list all the ingredients in the supplements so you know what you are getting. I also buy from bulksupplements.com where you can get pure powders, no added ingredients. I also don't eat any foods that have an ingredients list, only single ingredient foods. It is possible to entirely avoid corn.

Jean

[Gabes-Apg]

after reading Jeans suggestion
you may be able to get his MS medication compounded so that it is corn free.

Also quite a few MS patients have seen good improvement of symptoms once they resolve Vit D3 and magnesium deficiencies. Have you looked at the Terry Wahls book and eating protocol? she went from being wheelchair dependant to having minimal symptoms majority of the time via low inflammation eating plan and taking the right supplements.

[StaceyB]

Hi, he tried several kinds of D3 but reacted to all of them. He bought some magnesium transdermal spray but is afraid to use it (as too much mag causes D). I am praying he uses the multi patches.

We read Terry Wahl's book. It's not that helpful for his LC. There is lots of stuff that he reacts to that she recommends, such as coconut oil (he might have an absorption issue along with the corn allergy). We have not been able to get too much help from the gut docs or our PCP on this.

I am not sure if Aubagio can be compounded. I called the compounding pharmacy yesterday and left a message asking if they were able to make totally corn free preparations.

[Gabes-Apg]

transdermal magnesium DOES NOT CAUSE D - only too much oral (or too much oral of the wrong form of magnesium) will cause issues

Re the Vit D3, there are good quality lingual versions available and given your situation, would definitely recommend getting the patch for Vit D3.
going forward the scope of any medication to help reduce the MC symptoms will be vastly reduced while he is deficient in Vit D3 and magnesium.

my suggestion for the terry wahls book was more so the principles of low inflammation eating avoiding processed food items. It is very easy to avoid corn if you are having grass fed proteins and well cooked veges that you know are safe.
have you looked at our suggested eating plan for people in flare?

[StaceyB]

I am going to talk to him again about the mag, and then see about a D patch.

We've eliminated all processed foods. His diet consists of organic meats, some fish, vegetables when not in flare, applesauce, bananas, quality basmati rice, and potatoes, kerrygold butter, and olive oil, and 1/4 cup slivered almonds per day. He was eating bakery bread from an organic supermarket, and yogurt but we are pretty sure the yogurt had some issues (likely the starter). I think the recent flare came from that, or possibly baclofen tablets or the glutathione supplements he was taking, but ingredients in the bread could also be a factor.

I am curious to hear everyone's opinion on gluten. He's cut it out completely. He was tested for celiac and the test was negative (I know this doesn't mean much). I am wondering if it would be safe to use wheat flour to make tortillas.

thanks

[Gabes-Apg]

please do not use wheat flour - wheat flour is highly inflammatory

the information at these links will explain why;
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=22245
http://kellybroganmd.com/two-foods-may-sabotage-brain/
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4358631.htm this 25 minute program is a very good explanation why so many of the population are reacting to wheat (and they are not celiac)

and sadly like the poor labelling controls - using the non wheat type flours ate high risk for contamination unless purchased from reputable manufacturers. When I was reacting badly, I could not tolerate any more than 1-2 small serves per week of processed flour items.


from the list of food items I would be cautious about the following;

- olive oil a) some react to olives and b) the cheaper brands can have soy oil in there as filler

- almonds as a) some react to almonds and b) when the gut is inflamed having the fibre of nuts may be too much

- glutathione as it can be reactive for some people

what vegetables are you eating?

[Gabes-Apg]

This is another good article about Gluten and AI health issues

3 Important Reasons to Give Up Gluten If You Have an Autoimmune Disease
Do you have Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s, Multiple Sclerosis, or any other autoimmune disease? If so, I can say without a doubt that gluten sparked the flame of your disease, and continuing to eat it is simply adding fuel to the fire.

I want to point out that our modern-day gluten is not the same gluten that your grandparents ate. In order to create ever fluffier pastries and hardier wheat, scientists developed new hybrid strains of wheat that contain entirely new forms of gluten not found in any of the original plants, and this is what makes our muffins and bagels bigger and fluffier. Scientists were also able to deaminate gluten which allows it to be dissolved into liquids and other products that didn’t previously contain gluten, like lunch meat and shampoo. These two factors mean that we are not only eating a different kind of gluten than our ancestors ate, we are eating and being exposed to way more of it.
This modified and now ubiquitous protein causes problems with both your gut health and your immune system, creating a perfect storm for the development and progression of inflammatory and autoimmune disease. Even if you do not have an inflammatory or autoimmune disease, eating gluten can still be harmful to your health, as it has been linked with more than 55 diseases. The bottom line is that if you have an autoimmune disease, or any inflammatory condition, you shouldn’t be eating gluten, period. Here are three reasons why.

http://www.amymyersmd.com/2015/09/3-imp ... e-disease/

[tex]

Stacy,

I'm sorry that you're husband is having such a severe flare. I understand the difficult of avoiding corn, because I also had to avoid it when I was recovering. And I totally agree — corn is in "everything". It's in virtually all processed foods and many pharmaceuticals, anyway. That's why it's necessary to eat whole foods, prepared at home (as Jean suggested), in order to avoid corn.

Here are some random thoughts, in response to your post.

Here's why magnesium is so important for anyone who has neurological issues:

Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that are also symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, weakness, twitching, muscle atrophy, an inability to control the bladder, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), hearing loss, and osteoporosis.

https://www.thenhf.com/magnesium-defici ... diagnosis/

In fact, all neurological diseases appear to be closely associated with magnesium deficiency, or at least magnesium deficiency symptoms. Over 7 years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It now appears that the diagnosis may have been due to damage to my neurological system caused by my chronic magnesium deficiency (which I resolved less than 2 years ago). At any rate, I no longer qualify for a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Teriflunomide (Aubagio) can almost surely be compounded without corn starch. If a local compounding pharmacy can't do it, there's one somewhere in the country that can do it and mail you the prescription.

The following comment is strictly my opinion, based on the experiences of the members of this discussion forum who have tried Anti-TNF drugs, and I'll point out right up front that as far as I'm aware there are no published research data to support this claim, nor are there any published research data to dispute this claim:

IMO, Anti-TNF drugs do not work for MC patients. In fact, in many cases their infusion tends to trigger a flare. I don't recommend immune system suppressants to treat MC, but if you want to try one that may help, azathioprine (Imuran) is a much better choice than any Anti-TNF drug. Your husband will still have to avoid his main food sensitivities, but the drug will usually prevent reactions to minor cross-contamination issues. One downside is that it takes several months of increasing doses before it becomes effective.

IMO it's not likely that corn will ever be added to the current allergen list because it does not cause anaphylactic reactions. It's actually an intolearance (an IgA-based antibody reaction), rather than a true allergy (an IgE-based antibody reaction).

I hope that some of this is helpful.

Tex

[brandy]

Hi Stacey,

Welcome to the forum! I am sorry your husband is suffering.

I am not sure if Aubagio can be compounded.

Check with Doc or pharmacist to see if Aubagio is available in patch form. D is listed as common side effect of Aubagio.

Adverse Reactions: The most frequent adverse reactions (≥10% and ≥2% greater than placebo) with AUBAGIO 7 mg and 14 mg and placebo, respectively, were headache (18% and 16% vs 15%), ALT increased (13% and 15% vs 9%), diarrhea (13% and 14% vs 8%), alopecia (10% and 13% vs 5%), and nausea (8% and 11% vs 7%)

His diet consists of organic meats, some fish,

--This is best food! It takes a lot of protein for me to get out of a flare.

applesauce

--I can't tolerate during a flare as too sugary.

bananas, quality basmati rice, and potatoes,

I'm ok with these during flare but I emphasize protein.

kerrygold butter, and olive oil,

Butter should be discontinued. It contains casein which is problematic for us. OLIVE OIL IS FREQUENTLY ADULTERATED WITH OTHER OILS INCLUDING CORN OIL. ONLY SAFE OLIVE OILS WOULD BE THOSE LABELED FROM MADE IN CANADA OR MADE IN U.S. (GENERALLY CALIFORNIA.). Avoid any olive oils from the Mediterranean. You may have to get Canadian olive oil or U.S. grown (California) from a health food store.

1/4 cup slivered almonds per day

--These are like little shards of glass during a flare and prevent healing. Better choice would be almond butter. You can get this at health food store if you can't find in your grocery store. Eat it off of a spoon, i.e. lick spoon to eat.

gluten. He's cut it out completely. He was tested for celiac and the test was negative (I know this doesn't mean much). I am wondering if it would be safe to use wheat flour to make tortillas.

--MOST OF US TEST NEGATIVE FOR GLUTEN BUT NEED TO AVOID IT 100% TO GO INTO REMISSION.

I had a 4 month flare last summer. In order to get out of the flare I ate protein, potato, rice, coconut oil(I know he can't eat that but he needs a fat), overcooked carrot coins, and about 3 bites, yes 3 bites of overcooked broccoli a week, bananas, and avacados. I ate this 5 x per day for 5 months and am now in remission. Diet should be very narrow.

[brandy]

Stacey,

I'm not aware of any MCers currently on Imuran, but we have had some in the past that used Imuran and went into remission from MC. If you use the search function above you can search discussions of Imuran. I'm thinking of 2 or 3 MCers that used Imuran and went into remission but diet was also key and I believe it still took awhile. I believe both MCers were seeing the same Doc in the Northeast part of the US. Discussion on the forum would have been several years ago. I don't remember any recent discussions.

[tex]

A few more thoughts:

Kerrygold butter would cause most of us to react.

I am curious to hear everyone's opinion on gluten. He's cut it out completely. He was tested for celiac and the test was negative (I know this doesn't mean much). I am wondering if it would be safe to use wheat flour to make tortillas.

Wheat is the reason why virtually every one of us has developed additional food sensitivities. Wheat causes increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and leaky gut is a prerequisite to the development of food sensitivities. IOW, it's almost impossible to develop food sensitivities unless we have leaky gut first. So my opinion of wheat (gluten) is that the addition of wheat to the human diet during the neolithic period of history was the worst mistake that our species has ever made. The second worst mistake is our failure (as a species) to recognize our mistake and correct it (by getting wheat out of our diet forever).

Gabes is right on target with her quotes about gluten. Gluten is the root cause of all virtually all diet-associated inflammation, and inflammation is the cause of all disease.

Brandy is right on target with her remarks about butter, olive oil contamination, and the almond slivers. If you use olive oil, use only domestic (California) brands. Imported olive oil is a high risk product because of product adulteration.

Tex

[brandy]

Stacey--to clarify my olive oil discussion--those living in North America should buy olive oil produced in North America--Canada or California to avoid contaminated oils.

Those living in Australia should get olive oils manufactured in Australia.

Those living in Europe should get local European olive oils.

The problem is there is such a world wide demand for "Italian" olive oil--from Europe, China, North America and Australia and South America there is no way that Italy can produce olive oil for the whole world. Thus-- olive oil shipped from Italy to North America typically has very little olive oil in it and is adulterated with other oils.

[StaceyB]

Thank you, everyone! If it had not been for this group, I don't know what we would have done. We are going to get him some mag, and D (in addition to the multi). Gluten is gone for good! Meds might be tricky. Tex, if you do have the compounding pharmacy name, that would be great. Still have not heard back from our local compounding place.