# Gluten Sensitivity



## hoot (Jun 17, 2010)

I just listened to an interesting interview of Dr. Thomas OBryan, a specialist in gluten sensitivity and celiac disease on Underground Wellness Radio. Link below.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2010/07/08/gluten-sensitivity-and-celiac-disease-with-dr-thomas-obryan

Basically gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are both very hard to diagnose, and are thus frequently misdiagnosed. The blood tests are only accurate if there is total villous atrophy in the small intestines, meaning they only work when celiac disease has destroyed most of the small "hairs" in your small intestine that absorb nutrition from food. Fortunately these villi heal over time after you go gluten-free.

Both of these conditions are also misunderstood. Most GPs and even specialists who don't actively follow medical journals and new studies, think celiac disease only causes abdominal and gastrointestinal symptoms, along with a particular skin disorder. That's totally false, some celiacs might not even have any GI symptoms at all, they can be very non-specific.

How does this relate to DP/DR? Well gluten sensitivity can quite often have neurological symptoms as well. I can't remember the exact numbers, Dr. OBryan mentions them in the interview, but a large portion of gluten sensitive people have restrictive blood flow to the brain, which can cause symptoms like anxiety, depression, brain fog, trouble concentrating and lack of will-power, which then over time, could lead to DP/DR in some cases. The last part is just my own theory.

What has happened since I removed gluten from my diet? I tried a gluten-free diet for one month recently, and I noticed significant improvements. Less anxiety, no brain fog, more clear days from DR than ever before, increased motivation and energy (I built a freakin garden), less muscle twitches, less gastrointestnal symptoms etc. And this only in one month! Usually it takes 3-12 months for people to recover, but I'm already seeing improvements.

After the 1 month, I did a gluten challenge for 5 days and felt like crap. Body language never lies, as Dr. OBryan says. I may not be officially diagnosed as gluten intolerant by some egghead GP, but as far as my body is concerned, gluten is a no-no.

GO GLUTEN-FREE

So for any of you out there, especially those of you on meds who have had to switch meds often, the best way to rule out gluten sensitivity as the cause or contributor to your depression, anxiety and/or DP/DR, is to go strictly gluten-free for one month, see how you feel, and then do a 5-7 day gluten challenge, and see how you feel. That's probably the most accurate test for gluten sensitivity out there. If you feel better off gluten, you are gluten sensitive, maybe even intolerant.

You should avoid all wheat, rye and barley products, as well as oats because they are commonly cross-contaminated. So basically all breads, baked goods and pastries, this includes pizzas, hot dogs and hamburgers. Salad dressings and many sauces also use wheat to make the sauces thicker. Beer contains gluten as well, but typically gluten does not survive when they make other grain alcohols like vodka or whiskey, but some people still react to them. Also avoid dairy products as gluten sensitive people are also often lactose intolerant, and sometimes casein intolerant. Casein is a milk protein found in all dairy products, even lactose-free ones. And make sure the meds and supplements you are taking don't contain gluten, sometimes they do.

What you can eat during this test phase is organic beef, chicken, eggs, fish, other meats, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, brown or white rice, soy (although not recommended, most soy is genetically manipulated)certain grains like quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. Although gluten intolerant people may also not tolerate quinoa and amaranth for a while. Google "polymeal" and "paleo diet" for more reference. I also react to sugars (even fruit) for the time being, which probably means I have candida or bacterial overgrowth going on somewhere, temporarily at least.

Try it! You have nothing to lose except your DP/DR, anxiety and depression.


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## match_stick_1 (Jun 9, 2010)

Definately! I've been gluten free for about a year and my indigestion went away. I wickedly ate some yesterday and ever since i feel like a war is raging in my gut! I wish id just stuck to it ...


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## BlueTank (Jun 2, 2010)

Its funny, everybody in my family has this reaction to bread. Like it makes us all feel funny. Other people notice it when we are out eating.

Its so hard to kick i though cause its everywhere. and so gooood too


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## hoot (Jun 17, 2010)

BlueTank said:


> Its funny, everybody in my family has this reaction to bread. Like it makes us all feel funny. Other people notice it when we are out eating.
> 
> Its so hard to kick i though cause its everywhere. and so gooood too


Guess it depends on what you want more, bread and instant gratification or long term good health. There are many things that are yummie and don't have gluten.

Also, if you do have celiac disease, eating bread will guarantee that you get some serious complications in the future. Like liver cirrhosis which can lead to liver cancer, and that usually causes brain cancer to develop. There are several other diseases associated with celiac disease, including intestinal cancers, hypothyroidism, cachexia, neurological disorders etc.

I don't mean to scare you but if you seriously do get reactions from bread you'd better get some blood tests done, but don't go gluten-free before them or you will guarantee a false negative test result. If the test is negative try the gluten-free diet for a few weeks or month anyway, see how you feel. Celiac disease blood tests have a high false negative rate anyway.


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

I recently found out I am allergic to wheat, dairy, sugar and a plethera of other things. I am starting a gnarly diet on wednesday and am not going to eat any of those things for at least 90 days.


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## hoot (Jun 17, 2010)

surfingisfun001 said:


> I recently found out I am allergic to wheat, dairy, sugar and a plethera of other things. I am starting a gnarly diet on wednesday and am not going to eat any of those things for at least 90 days.


That sucks, but hopefully this will get you some relief from DP/DR!


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## fer00000 (Jul 11, 2009)

Just to share with you the free gluten diet is healing me also. I encourage all of you at least to try it for. You have nothing to lose except the fucking depersonalization.

Good luck


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## jd99034 (Dec 2, 2008)

Great Post! Dramatic changes in diet can have very positive results, whether its eliminating gluten, eating more alkaline foods, raw foods, etc.

I am also gluten sensitive, but I my willpower to stay on a gluten free diet is, eh, how do you say... non-existant.


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