Could corn sensitivity be the culprit?

[Jeannie54]

I feel bad asking so many questions, but I don't know what to do. It's been over a year since my diagnosis, and am still having D. I went back to taking 3 mg Budesonide every other day (I was down to 3 mg every third day). I removed gluten from my daily life as much as possible. I read on this board recently about corn sensitivity and how corn is in many meds including Tylenol. My Entrolab results show corn and oats as moderate immunological reactivity (2+). My Mean Value 11 Antigenic Foods is 10 Units (Normal range is less than 10). I began looking at the meds I take which are Benadryl and the Walmart brand of loperammide. They both contain derivatives of corn! I have been taking lots of loperamide to stop the D when I have to go out and it says right on the box that it contains corn starch. I take at least 2 tablets of Benadryl at night to stop the itching and help me sleep. I also take Tylenol on average of 1-2 times per week for back pain. Could taking these meds keep me from remission? I have been able to gain a few pounds which gives me hope that I have had some healing in spite of gluten cross contamination. Is that a true assumption? I want to pursue LDN with my doctor but I need to do some more studying on it so I can persuade my doctor to give me a script. Laine sent me some great articles about it earlier. It seems that corn is as invasive in our lives as gluten! I am very frustrated and discouraged. It seems like the target for me to get better keeps moving and no matter what I do, I fail. Please help!
I am so grateful for you all.
Jeannie

[Gabes-Apg]

the small amount that would be in the medication is unlikely to be main problem
we cant avoid every trigger 100% - and stressing about it is not good for healing

the need for the benadryl shows the need for nutrients to help control histamine issues, have you done some reading on these issues?
many of us here have been able to resolve life long allergies and histamine issues with the right nutrients and low histamine lifestyle

in processed foods and medications, all ingredients are everywhere. that is why we encourage whole foods / minimal ingredients eating plan

the other thing to remember, healing takes time, with the right nutrients we are talking months (not weeks)

[Jeannie54]

Thanks Gabes! You really eased my mind about avoiding corn in meds! I did freak out a bit :) I have read about histamine issues on this board. I avoid high histamine foods and have been reading about taking Histame, and using Benadryl. Is that what you mean when you say "low histamine lifestyle?" I haven't had much problem with allergies in the past (just sinus issues), the itchy rashes showed up after the MC diagnosis.

I do eat only home cooked whole foods and not much variety of foods. I am not in a hurry to add more foods to my diet, although giving up coffee has been so difficult. I love it and my husband and son drink it so there is a nice fresh pot every morning calling my name haha! But I read that coffee is very high in histamines. So I try to avoid it.

I think what I will do from here on is just relax, stay the course, do my best, and give my body more time to heal. And not freak out so much!

Thank you again Gabes so much for your patience and for sharing your knowledge with me. It means everything to me.

Jeannnie

[Gabes-Apg]

low histamine lifestyle is food, drink, chemicals, pollen, some animals, mold etc etc

the other aspect to histamine is that taking anti histamines to block them totally is a bandaid. it is not treating root cause
we actually need a small amount of histamine in the body

once i resolved key nutrient deficiencies (B6, magnesium, zinc, Vit C) I resolved life long chronic allergies/histamine issues

ie as a child if I went near anyone that had horse hair on their clothes i would have asthma attack - i can now pat horses
if I went near cats, i would have asthma attack - i can now pat cats

good quality coffee is not high histamine - the only thing coffee does is deplete magnesium


what body creams are you using - have you checked the ingredients?? alot of the so called natural/organic creams have wheatgerm, oats etc
I use unscented pure shea butter or food grade coconut oil on my skin.

[tex]

My own experience backs up Gabes's observation that antihistamines are just a Band-Aid. A few years ago, I was a heavy user of antihistamines because of itching problems during pollen seasons. But long-term use of antihistamines seems to deplete diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme, which makes them self-defeating, in the long run. In my own case, I had to stop using antihistamines in order to resolve my histamine problem, and I'm aware of others who have had to do likewise. As Gabes points out, it's much better to eliminate the problem, then to try to treat the symptoms that it causes. Treating symptoms with medications is the medical approach, which is why the medical approach doesn't work for treating MC, in the first place.

I hope this helps.

Tex

[Jeannie54]

Thanks Gabes and Tex! To answer your question about body cream Gabes, I use Savonnerie soap, shampoo, and lotion. It is certified gluten, soy, and corn free. I also use gluten free makeup now. As for histamine issues, I have never had allergies before so I am having a hard time figuring out what is causing it. It could be seasonal like Tex. There is alot of pollen in Ohio right now, and the itching has been worse lately. Tex, how did you resolve your issues? I even kept a food journal for several weeks, but it didn't offer any clues. The only things I drink are chamomile tea and water. I understand about antihistimines being only a band aid and I think that the less medications we take, the better off we are. I do have a hard time sleeping (always have) so the Benadryl helps the itching and well as sleeping. Do histamine issues ever resolve themselves as the gut heals?

I am due for a physical soon and I will have blood work done for that. Should I make sure to have magnesium, zinc, B6 checked? Are those the usual deficiencies for allergies?

Thanks again and again!
Jeannie

[Gabes-Apg]

sadly mainstream medicine testing for those items are not effective


so far as does healing help histamine issues

as i mentioned in my reply
ie as a child if I went near anyone that had horse hair on their clothes i would have asthma attack - i can now pat horses
if I went near cats, i would have asthma attack - i can now pat cats


yes you can resolve the issue for long term

[tex]

i managed to get my histamine issues under control by minimizing my intake of higher histamine foods, and stopping the use of antihistamines. For me, they haven't disappeared altogether, and they always appear to be a threat if I overdo my histamine intake, especially during pollen season. MC depletes DAO, but old-age may do it also, for all I know. My histamine symptoms began after my digestive system healed. I didn't have them early on. But I was only about 60, back then — I'm 80 now. This also makes me wonder if I might be deficient of some trace element (vitamin or mineral), even though I currently take a lot of vitamins and minerals, because aging reduces our ability to absorb nutrients.

Tex

[Jeannie54]

Thank you both so much. You have helped me once again calm down and relax about this frustrating disease. No one understands what we are going through like someone who has been where you are.

Jeannie

[tex]

Age might play a big role in this — I'm roughly a generation older than Gabes.

Tex

[Jeannie54]

And I am 67, so no spring chicken either :) I know the older we are, the longer it takes to heal too. My mom always said getting old is not for the faint of heart! She was so right!!