Okay, here's something that I've never seen discussed before, but it appears to have happened to me, and so I'm wondering if it has happened to anyone else.
Prior to my gluten sensitivity symptoms, (diarrhea, headaches, aches and pains in both joints and musches, migraines, etc.), every fall, when the ragweed and other fall-blooming yellow-pollen weeds would bloom, I would get hay fever, complete with itchy eyes, runny nose, bronchial tube congestion, and coughing up crud. When my symptoms from gluten reactions began to get serious, all my hay fever symptoms disappeared, and for roughly 6 or 7 years now, they stayed away.
I've been GF for slightly over 4 years now, and last fall, for the first time since the hay fever disappeared, I noticed some very slight signs of watery eyes and occasional runny nose, but nothing serious, so I just assumed it might be causesd by something else. This year though, it's back again, and it's much more noticeable than it was last year, because this year I've got noticeable congestion, and I'm coughing up crud. So far, it's not as bad as it was prior to the gluten sensitive symptoms, but I have a hunch that it will be there soon, because the congestion is more noticeable with each passing day.
I originalty thought that maybe whatever triggered my gluten sensitivity, had caused a permanent shift in my immune system, which canceled the hay fever susceptability. Now, though, it appears that the hay fever reactions were merely being suppressed for those intervening years. Interestingly, the return of hay fever reactability is occuring in about the same timeframe as my digestive system is completing it's recovery from the gluten damage, as evidenced by my ability to eat certain foods that I was intolerant of, while my gut was still healing.
I may be all wet here, but I think that this is a significant observation, (if it is indeed valid), since this implies that gluten can change our immune systems to not only react to new, (and inappropriate), triggers, but it can cause our immune systems to ignore previously-existing allergies. That strikes me as being rather profound, but I have no idea what the full implication of this might be.
Anyway, the bottom line is that the onset of gluten sensitivity caused a moritorium for my hay fever, and now that I've been GF long enough to allow my gut to heal, the hay fever is back. I would assume that this implies that either my immune system has also experienced some healing, or it takes it's cue entirely from the condition of my gut. Whichever might be the case, the implications appear to be significant. Hopefully, some day reseachers will notice this possible connection and investigate it. Has anyone else here noticed anything like this happening with their allergies/intolerances?
Love,
Tex
It Appears That Gluten Can Manipulate Our Immune Systems
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
It Appears That Gluten Can Manipulate Our Immune Systems
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hiya Tex!
Interesting observation. Perhaps during those 6-7 years the hay fever responded to whatever chemicals your immune system was producing to combat the gluten antibodies.....for example, your adrenal glands would likely have been producing more cortisone (a steroid) during that period . And we know how well steroids work to reduce allergies. Just a thought.
Love,
Polly
Interesting observation. Perhaps during those 6-7 years the hay fever responded to whatever chemicals your immune system was producing to combat the gluten antibodies.....for example, your adrenal glands would likely have been producing more cortisone (a steroid) during that period . And we know how well steroids work to reduce allergies. Just a thought.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Polly,
Thanks for the insight. That certainly sounds logical. Now you've got me wondering if the extra activity might have contributed to "burnout", and possible adrenal insufficiency now, which might be altering my metabolism, and causing a weight problem. The only problem with this scenario is that adrenal insufficiency usually causes weight loss, not gain.
Love,
Tex
Thanks for the insight. That certainly sounds logical. Now you've got me wondering if the extra activity might have contributed to "burnout", and possible adrenal insufficiency now, which might be altering my metabolism, and causing a weight problem. The only problem with this scenario is that adrenal insufficiency usually causes weight loss, not gain.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi again Tex,
I think there is a good chance that many of us have suffered from adrenal insufficiency due to the body responding to and fighting our chronic illness. In fact, wasn't Lori, for one, worked up for the problem?
Perhaps you kept the weight off previously because you had adrenal insufficiency at that time. Now that you (and your adrenals) have recovered, it may be easier to gain weight. Also, you are probably eating more since surgery, right? I remember you mentioning times in the past when you couldn't eat anything for days at a time.
Love,
Polly
I think there is a good chance that many of us have suffered from adrenal insufficiency due to the body responding to and fighting our chronic illness. In fact, wasn't Lori, for one, worked up for the problem?
Perhaps you kept the weight off previously because you had adrenal insufficiency at that time. Now that you (and your adrenals) have recovered, it may be easier to gain weight. Also, you are probably eating more since surgery, right? I remember you mentioning times in the past when you couldn't eat anything for days at a time.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Hi Polly,
Back when I was getting sick regularly, yes, there were often times when I didn't eat much for days. After I began to heal, though, (the last couple of years), I rarely had periods when I didn't eat regularly, (except for immediately prior to the surgery, of course.
Though I'm not a calorie counter, I don't believe that I'm eating more now, than I did previously, certainly not relative to the amount of physical work that I'm doing. In fact, I used to eat a lot of GF chocolate chip cookies, (like maybe 8 or 10 per day), up until a year ago, and now I've cut them out completely. I'm also working much harder now, (physical labor). I had a brainstorm last spring, and I let my crew go, in my corn bagging operation, and I'm doing all the work myself, now - including all the work of stacking the bags on pallets. Stacking those 50 lb. bags, for hours at a time, is a real workout, and I really thought that I would be slim and trim in just a few weeks, but as we all know, weight can be very difficult to get rid of, when we want to get rid of it.
You could certainly be right about the possibility that I had adrenal insufficiency for years, while many/most of the systems in my body were disrupted by the gluten damage. Whatever it is, something has made some significant changes in the way my body handles fat.
Love,
Tex
Back when I was getting sick regularly, yes, there were often times when I didn't eat much for days. After I began to heal, though, (the last couple of years), I rarely had periods when I didn't eat regularly, (except for immediately prior to the surgery, of course.
Though I'm not a calorie counter, I don't believe that I'm eating more now, than I did previously, certainly not relative to the amount of physical work that I'm doing. In fact, I used to eat a lot of GF chocolate chip cookies, (like maybe 8 or 10 per day), up until a year ago, and now I've cut them out completely. I'm also working much harder now, (physical labor). I had a brainstorm last spring, and I let my crew go, in my corn bagging operation, and I'm doing all the work myself, now - including all the work of stacking the bags on pallets. Stacking those 50 lb. bags, for hours at a time, is a real workout, and I really thought that I would be slim and trim in just a few weeks, but as we all know, weight can be very difficult to get rid of, when we want to get rid of it.
You could certainly be right about the possibility that I had adrenal insufficiency for years, while many/most of the systems in my body were disrupted by the gluten damage. Whatever it is, something has made some significant changes in the way my body handles fat.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.