Went to see a naturopath today

[tex]

Hi Beth,

Cristi is correct. DHEA is a fairly complex issue. At one time it was promoted as a cure for virtually "all that ails you", but since then, it has fallen out of favor. Here's a quote from wikipedia, and they have a pretty comprehensive discussion on it:

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), is a natural steroid hormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands, the gonads, adipose tissue and the brain. DHEA is the precursor of, androstenedione, testosterone and estrogen. It is the most abundant hormone in the human body.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydroepiandrosterone

It may be beneficial for certain autoimmune diseases. For example, it has been shown to be helpful in treating lupus, and it can reduce cholesterol levels, and decrease insulin resistance.

Tex

[Matthew]

Beth

As Marsha has so wisely pointed out some of us are very grain intolerant. I would include myself. After receiving Dr. Fines test results I eliminated all gluten but in a couple of months discovered that it was not enough. It was only after eliminating all grains that it became painfully obvious over a period of time that soy, carrageenan, citrus, dairy, legumes, nightshades and certain cooking oils were a problem. As far as grains go I truly feel that I was addicted to the thing that was doing me the most harm. I love to bake and their is still a hugh hole left in my life this time af year when I would spend around now until Christmas making all the traditional German cookies and cakes that my Grandmother and Mother taught me to make to send to friends and family. I eliminated grains and processed foods that might contain them virtually over night but that does not mean that I did not want them. I took it one step at a time, finding foods that made me feel better than the grains ever did. It still took nine months to have a solid BM and many more to feel good but I must say it has been worth every bit of attention i have given it.

I can understand that you don't like meat . A lot of people I know don't. I would hate to think that anyone attempting the Paleo diet felt that they had to eat lots of meat. I know that some factions that promote the diet do. My genetic ancestors must have found only small amounts of meat because I thrive on two, three sometimes four ounces of meat at any meal and then revel in all the vegetables and fruit that are oh so good.

Don’t know if you like seafood but that it is something I eat several times a week to get away from all the heavy meats.

I hope my experience helps.

To your continued recovery.

Love

Matthew

[Beth]

Thanks for sharing your story, Matthew. I think I immediately assumed that my meals would look like a hunk of chicken or pork and a whole bunch of vegetables. And that's it. And the thought of that was really unappealing, especially (here's my biggest secret!) because I'm not much of a fan of veggies, either. But what I'm hearing from you and others is that my meals don't have to look like that - that there are a myriad of ways to eliminate grains and still feel satiated. What a relief! I'll do some more reading on the paleo diet and see how I might incorporate it into my life. I appreciate the support!

Best,
Beth

[Matthew]

Beth

Hahahahah. Not a fan of Meat. Not a fan of vegetables. What is it that you do eat.

I have never met a vegetarian. They are all, my term, grainatarians.

IMHO a high carbohydrate grain based diet is the worst thing you can do for MC let alone any other autoimmune problem. It is certainly one of the highest contributors to leaky gut syndrome and overgrowth of bacteria.

I hope we can change your mind. In the end it changes your digestion.

Love

Matthew

[Beth]

Yeah, when I wrote that I don't like veggies, I was thinking that everyone was going to read that and think, "What the hell does she eat?" Well, I'll tell you what I've been eating recently - and maybe someone can tell me what's "legal" and what isn't. Because I don't like meat, I eat a lot of nut butters - peanut, almond, sunflower seed - for my protein (I know that you Paleos say I shouldn't eat pb). I eat it on my GF bread (which does have yeast in it, though that doesn't seem to bother me) and my GF waffles (which has soy lecithin in it and I think makes me sick) and on bananas. I eat sweet potatoes, boiled eggs, fruit and GF porridge with cinnamon and Splenda (I know, I know) or sometimes maple syrup. I've been eliminating rice because I think it doesn't make me feel so hot. And every once in a while I eat a vegetable. BUT I'm trying, TRYING to get more veggies in. Oh, for example, avocado. I love those and had some in the past few days. I thought I was getting better, except that now I have C instead of D. Hmmph.

In my fridge right now are all the makings for a very good Paleo soup, to which I'll add some chicken. It's going to take me a LONG time to get used to this new way of eating. I honestly don't know if I can do it since, as you can see, it's so opposite to how I eat right now. Plus, I hate cooking, even though I'm good at it. I just never want to take the time. As it is, I spend so much time sleeping or trying to prop myself up to stay awake that I can barely get my work done. So, having to take more time to cook is one more thing that takes me away from my work. Too bad for me, I guess. I can whine all I want, but if I want to get better, looks like I have to be like the Nike slogan: Just do it.

[starfire]

Beth,
I think you hit the nail on the head with your last statement about "if I want to get better - just do it".

I know it's hard. I don't have a very good track record myself. Sometimes I think I should just stop taking the Asacol and therefore force myself to adhere to "the diet".

I have altered my way of eating a lot already so I know it can be done. I've always eaten meat so that wasn't a problem but OH, how I LOVED (love) bread products and cheese. And GF bread products just don't do it for me. I guess I should try the Manna from Anna like Tex has suggested.
Anyway, I think it's all in the "mind set".

I wish you all the best and I am truly hoping you'll be able to accept the diet.



Love, Shirley

[tex]

Beth,

Actually, I don't see a whole lot wrong with the diet you described in your post. If you can tolerate them, peanuts are an excellent source of protein. (I love peanuts and almonds, and their butters, but I can't eat them without feeling sick, for some reason or other, so I cut them out of my diet). My favorite food is peanut butter on an apple, and I really miss that, but being sick sucks, so I don't do that any more. (Sigh).

Depending on how much fruit you are eating, the diet may well be too low on fiber, of course, but the immediate goal is to relieve the symptoms, and allow that gut to heal. You can fine tune the details, later.

I'm guessing that you were referring to Van's GF frozen waffles. They're very good, and I used to love them, but I stopped eating them because of the soy. You obviously need to either determine whether you are intolerant to soy lecithin,, (and soy in general), or just cut it out of your diet, and I would suggest that until your gut heals, at least, stop using Splenda. For one thing, it can cause diarrhea, even in people with normal digestive systems. Here's a good article on Splenda:

http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionan ... plenda.asp

For the most part, you appear to be eating a generally paleoish, (is that a word?), diet. It shouldn't need much fine tuning to bring the results you're seeking.

Tex

[Beth]

Hey Wayne - you really think that my way of eating isn't so bad? That makes me so happy! Except that this morning I have terrible, terrible cramps. I feel like I ate a whole week's worth of wheat, but of course I didn't. No D - just the pain in the gut. I'm not sure what to eat today to help with this. Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks,
Beth

[tex]

Hi Beth,

Well, the good news is that yes, I think that your menu selections are not so bad, but the bad news is that the symptoms you describe match the way I feel if I eat peanuts, almonds, or their butters. (For all I know, though, I may be the only one here with that problem). Also, before my gut healed, bananas would cause that symptom, along with bloating, as they fermented in my colon.

Have you had any BMs today or yesterday? If not, (IOW, if you think you're constipated), you may have to resort to a laxative. If you have had BMs, then obviously, something you ate yesterday really disagrees with you. If you're bloated, and have a lot of loud rumbling and gurgling noises in your intestines, it's probably just the gas causing the pain, and that's typical of MC reactions.

To stop a food intolerance reaction, try one of these remedies:

Remedies for Food Reactions

1. Buffered Vitamin C -- Your first line of defense against a food reaction is Buffered Vitamin C in powdered form. Mix one teaspoon of the powder in a glass of water. Drink. If there is no relief or improvement in 15 minutes, try the following remedy:
2. Epsom Salt -- Mix one teaspoon Epsom Salt in a glass of water. Drink. This will provide relief in almost all cases of food reactions.
3. Alka Seltzer Gold
4. Any antacid (such as Maalox)

This is from Dr. Roby's site, and in my opinion, he has some very good guidelines there, for discovering and handling food intolerances, (such as the fact that immune system sensitivity is at a maximum, approximately 5 days after a suspect item is withdrawn from the diet).

http://www.onlineallergycenter.com/foodallergies/

Notice the list of 8 foods to avoid, during a five-day food restriction period, and his observation that

You will naturally select the foods to which you are most allergic.

That's very true. Our bodies tend to crave the very things that are causing our problems. That's the reason why virtually everyone who goes on the GF diet craves bread. After about a year on the diet, most GFers gradually lose their desire for bread, and no longer eat it, (I'm referring to GF bread, of course).

Certain parasites are also capable of causing us to crave the things that they require for their wellbeing. For example, candida yeast will cause a patient with a candida overgrowth to crave sugar, (and/or carbs), because it has to have the sugars in order to thrive.

I hope this helps.

Wayne

[Beth]

Wayne - thank you so much. This is all enormously helpful. I'm starting to feel a little better since I made a dash to the bathroom a couple of hours ago. So, it looks like it was C. Still have cramping and bloating - but not nearly as bad as it was. I so appreciate your taking the time to give me advice. It's incredibly informative and helpful. Thank you, thank you!

Beth

P.S. Why do you think it is that we crave we we're most allergic to? That seems to strange to me.

[tex]

Beth,

I'm very glad that you're feeling better. The combination of bloating, severe pain, and nausea, makes for a miserable situation. For some of us, a reaction can bounce back and fourth between D and C. That always applied to me, for example.

I suspect the reason for that type of reaction is due to the fact that MC interferes with the normal peristaltic action of the intestines, and causes them to spasm in a disorganized fashion, instead. That means that some of the contents of the colon experience rapid transit, while other portions may not be moved at all - sort of like a heart that is fibrillating, instead of pumping. This can lead to the equivalent of a blockage, which, or course, would effectively result in C. I can recall times when my gut would suddenly writhe around like a stomped-on snake, and I believe that others here have described the same experience.

There are a couple of theories about why we crave foods that are troublesome for us. They are both plausible, but I'm inclined to believe that the second one described here, (by a noted immunologist), is the most plausable.

WHY DO I CRAVE FOODS TO WHICH I AM SENSITIVE?

It is not clear why we often crave foods to which we are sensitive, but several theories have been proposed to help explain why this may occur. Some researchers suggest that our bodies can become addicted to the chemical messengers such as histamine or cortisol which are secreted by immune cells in response to allergens in the body. It is hypothesized that while eating foods to which you are allergic can cause a rash or sneezing, the body also may experiences a soothing response from the presence of the chemical messengers increasing the desire to eat more of that food.

Another theory proposed by a well-known immunologist is based on the science of how antibodies and antigens connect (bind) to each other. Antibodies can bind to more than one site on an allergen in the food, therefore, when there is very little antigen but a large number of antibodies present, the antibodies will become cross-linked and make large complexes. It is theorized that these large complexes can cause an increase in symptoms. In this theory symptoms are related to a large number of antibodies in relation to antigens rather than being caused by the number of antigens. In fact, it is suggested that if you eat more of the antigen, you can decrease the number of antibody complexes by allowing each antibody to bind to an antigen rather than forming the large complexes thereby reducing the number of symptoms. Normal metabolism works to remove the food antigens and as the ratio of antibodies to antigens begins to rise, symptoms will begin to increase. Craving and addiction to food may be the result of the body's attempt to increase the number of antigens present and preventing the formation of the large antibody complexes that are associated with an increased number of symptoms.

This information is from:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=30

The main reason why I believe that the second theory has more credibility, is because it fits the pattern that many of us have noticed. Specifically, that after we have eliminated a food trigger from our diet for a while, if we then reintroduce even a tiny amount of that food, the reaction that we experience is much more severe than what we experienced before we eliminated it from our diet.

Incidentally, notice the list on that site, of food items least often associated with a food allergy:

* Apples
* Sesame Seeds
* Lamb
* Pears
* Winter Squash
* Sweet Potatoes
* Cherries
* Carrots
* Rice

As always, you're most welcome,

Wayne