Broccoli Extract supplement

[Miley]

Good morning,

I haven’t posted in awhile but after being in remission for 4 years I had a flare up 3 months ago and it just doesn’t seem to go back in remission. I was pretty diligent about avoiding gluten, dairy soy, spices etc. I did have some gluten once in awhile but I seemed to handle it. I am on a very strict diet but I am still in a flare up. I starting taking a supplement called hormone advantage in April which has pomegranate and broccoli extract in it and the flare up started a month later. Just wondering if anyone else had a reaction to either of these ingredients. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

[jbrohlr]

Hello Miley

I would put my money on the occasional gluten ingestion being the culprit - it would certainly explain the length of your flare. Remember that the antibodies for gliadin hang around a long time so each incident of gluten exposure is going to accumulate those antibodies, even if your exposures are sparse.

Hopefully Tex or someone else will correct me if I'm wrong but it seems to me that the immune reaction to gluten is like a very large ship - it takes a long time to get it up to speed and it takes a long time to slow it down and stop it (I probably got that analogy from somewhere on this site).

All that said, the supplement you were taking does sound kind of sketchy, especially since they call it "Hormone Advantage".

John R.

[jbrohlr]

Here's a discussion I found about cruciferous vegetables. The hormone replacement supplement could well be a contributor to your flare since it probably contains sulforaphane.

https://perskyfarms.com/phpBB/viewtopic ... lforaphane

Are you still taking the supplement? If you are that still may be the main cause of your flare, although I'm still thinking gluten, considering how insidious it is.

John R.

[Miley]

Thanks John. I stopped the supplement last night and today was a lot better. I think it was a combination of eating gluten and taking that supplement. I am off both now so I am hoping to go into remission soon. The article you sent was very informative, and just know your help and this forum means a great deal to me. Thank you.

Miley

[tex]

John's right. Gluten casts a long shadow, and that shadow makes it much, much more likely that we will react to other foods that normally might not bother us if it weren't for the background inflammation maintained by the occasional gluten exposure.

Tex

[Miley]

Thanks Tex. I now realize that gluten is a big trigger and I don’t plan on putting it in my body anymore. Not sure how long a flare up of this lasts but after 3 months of constant reactions I am hoping it will pass soon. I noticed I react to xanthan gum which is a binding agent for a lot of things but I saw in your book that some people are sensitive to this. I also tried cashew cheese but it has pea protein in it and I also react to that. I always appreciate your advice, it is so helpful.

[Miley]

Thanks so much! I stopped the supplement 5 days ago and I haven’t had a flare so I am feeling very grateful. I learned that I really have to do some research before adding new supplements. Hope you are staying well.

[jbrohlr]

Miley (Ann Marie?)

I'm glad to hear you're doing better (and quickly too!).

My undoing on two occasions has been trying to introduce supplements. I also had a problem with the xanthan gum contained in the Pepto Bismol liquid form. Target had run out of the Pepto lozenges, so I substituted with the liquid form and learned another lesson the hard way.

John R.

[Miley]

Hi John,

Thanks. I also reacted to xanthan gum which is a binding agent in many things. I changed from almond milk to coconut milk and got sick. I found out xanthan gum was the culprit. I also used pepto in liquid form and was not getting better so thanks for pointing that out. In the future I will just use the chewable tablets. So thankful we get very helpful information in this site.