Anyone else gone gluten and dairy free to help improve symptoms

@eileenb1022 Hello Eileen. I went gluten free and dairy free 22 years ago and it helped a lot. You can do this as a test to see if it helps you, and you don't need to wait for a doctor to recommend it. I found I liked coconut milk the best. Some rice milk has gluten, so read labels carefully. I developed leaky gut issues before I figured this out, and I developed other food allergies or intolerances, so I had to figure out through trial and error what I could or couldn't eat. I had Hashimoto's and low thyroid function. Keep in mind, just because something is gluten free it may not be healthy. Junk food full of sugar can be made gluten free of made from wheat. If you cut out junk food, and eat healthy, most will be gluten free. Glutens come from grains, not meats and vegetables, but there are glutens added to processed foods through flavorings, extracts, spices and thickeners, so you have to do your homework, look things up and read every label.

I had environmental allergy doctors over the years who advised me about removing old silver amalgam dental fillings. Prior to doing that, the antibodies against my thyroid were off the charts. Then it dropped to a low level after all fillings were replaced with safer resins. I also had some old crowns with root canals under them (which contain cadmium heavy metal) and those were starting to fail. That was because of breaking my teeth as a kid. I also have allergic asthma that had gotten worse over the years. Eventually, I had all the bad teeth removed and replaced with Zirconium (ceramic) dental implants and new Zirconium crowns. My asthma and allergies to everything improved after that. It took about 10 years, but my blood tests no longer indicate Hashimoto's, but enough damage had been done that I need to stay on thyroid hormone replacement.

I definitely have immune issues with metals, because after being metal-free, I broke my ankle and had to have surgical titanium plates placed on my ankle. My asthma got worser again, and about 6 months later, I developed chronic hives that had to be controlled using antihistamines. After a year of bone healing, I was able to have the plates removed, and I have returned to being metal free again and the hives are gone. It's interesting that now I can eat real dairy again with no issues, and years ago, dairy caused a lot of joint pain.

There can be things that cause autoimmune issues, such as in my case, a response to metals and foreign substances that I had in my body for years because of dental work. I had pierced ears for a while, but developed allergies to every different metal I tried, so I had to give that up. Perhaps that was an early clue as to what would come later. All of these issues add up an overwhelm the immune system, at least for me anyway. If you are interested in searching for an environmental medicine doctor, there is a search at this link. https://www.aaemonline.org/

Have you tried an elimination diet before to determine which foods bother you?

Hi,
i'm scheduled to see a naturpath doctor in about 2 weeks. i really dont knowabout metals and so forth it has just been recommended to me based on my gut issues and my autoimmune issues. i talked to people like me and they said it helped them. i was thinking oak milk, dairy free yogurt, etc. i have never done a elimination diet before. it just startedprior to my gallbladder surgery and continued. i am not really following you regarding metals, etc that wasnt even what i was thinking. nothing regarding dentalwork thats not where i was going. sorry you lost me.

@eileenb1022 There are lots of things that can be toxic or things that can cause an immune response. It's like having a big bucket that you fill up with things your body doesn't like, and when you accumulate enough of it, the body reacts with an immune response like an allergy, or can attack it's own tissues in an autoimmune response. Toxic things are stored in the body in different places because they are not easily eliminated, and those can be a root cause of why the body attacks itself in an autoimmune disease. My thyroid condition was an autoimmune condition, and after toxic metals were removed from my body, the autoimmune condition improved. That is evidence according to my doctor that the silver dental fillings were causing it. They contain silver, tin and mercury (which is very toxic) and when they break down with age and wear, mercury gas leaches out exposing the person to toxic vapors. Have you heard of mercury contamination in fish, and how doctors recommend not eating a lot of larger fish at the top of the food chain since mercury will accumulate in the larger fish?

In root canals, they used a compound called gutta percha which contains cadmium, a heavy metal. Heavy metals are hard to eliminate from the body. Lead is a heavy metal, and you have probably heard of lead poisoning from a person eating lead. It was used in paint years ago and kids were chewing on peeling paint chips causing lead poisoning, so lead was removed from paint. In my a case, with a failing root canal, the bone in my jaw was exposed to the bacterial infection in the tooth and the cadmium which could enter my blood.

I was just sharing information that comes from environmental medicine regarding autoimmune conditions. Some doctors will tell you they don't know what causes the body to attack itself, and others will point to a known or suspected cause. Your doctor will need to advise you as to what they think may be causing your symptoms. You mention your low thyroid function which I have too, and mine is definitely connected to mercury exposure from dental amalgam. My blood work confirmed it with before and after measurements of antibodies that were attacking my thyroid. Perhaps you don't have any of these dental fillings. In the 60's and 70's there were not many other materials that could be used for filling cavities. Perhaps your thyroid condition has a different cause.

Food allergies can be completely separate from toxic substances, but my experience suggests that by removing toxic metals, my food allergies and seasonal allergies with asthma improved a lot. If you think back to the "bucket', I was able to empty some of that stuff and my health improved. This is something a naturopath may discuss. Detox diets are common recommendations from alternative medicine providers. The body has specific detox pathways that either work well if you are healthy or maybe not so well when there is disease.

Have your doctors linked your gall bladder issues with diet? Have they recommended lists of foods to be avoided since your surgery?

Please check out the Facebook group that ias suffering with autoimmne issues and follow a low inflammation iet called the autoimmune protocol (AIP)/ All the information you need and support are available. Become a facebook member an then go to search bar top left of page and put in AIP. It woked for me and many many others. Eliminates gluten ans dairt, but also guides wiith omissions ans inclusions to redce inflammation.

Hi no dr has yet no but i just got a new pcp so when i have to discuss it with her i will. ihave had the worst time this past yr with pcp's but this one i like and i think if anything she would be open to listening to my thoughts. i also think the naturpath i am going to see will help. i'm actually being re-allergy tested at the end of next week. i have been dealing with a reammurgence of symptoms for about 6months and its taken this long to get in to be retested. i used to have bad allergies like 18 yrs ago to the point i used to get weekly allergy shots after a yr or so i stopped them cause i felt better ihad been fine sice up until 6 months ago.ialso have flem/ post nasal drip real bad so i am constantly take mucinex. my sinus dr suspects sjorgens syndrome because of my dried out mouth and now i have dry eyes but icant get in until feb with a rheumotologist. my sinus dr did like 5 sjorgen antibody bloodwork and they were all normal but people in my sjorgen facebook group said your bloodwork can be normal and you can still have it. i wake up everymorning my heart racing i think anxiety but i dont know what to do about it. also in addition to gallbladder removal i had a endoscope last june said i had linear endrocine cell hyperplasia with the possibility of autoimmune gastritis i didnt have the antibody bloodwork i was suppose to and wasnt allowed to speak to dr so i switched gastros i have been waiting to see new gastro who i dont see untilnov. im just trying to help myself. sorry for rambling.

oh wow i will look for it. i was planning to go shopping later today and needed more ideas this will help. thank you. i need to do this so i appreciate it so much.

I have rheumatoid arthritis (and Parkinson's) and eliminated gluten and dairy a few years ago. Although it is hard to tease out cause and effect, I think my RA symptoms have improved- no significant flares and I never restarted Humira after being off during an illness 18 mos ago.
I love bread and cheese and thought this would be very difficult. There are an increasing variety of non-dairy gluten free Foods. Turns out this is not so difficult. Products I use that I find to be widely available- Earth balance for butter, many non dairy cheeses including parmesan blocks (Violife my favorite), Oat creamer is like half and half in my coffee, many gluten free pastas, dairy free yogurts- cashew yogurt (Forager) is my favorite, gluten free breads (Canyon Bakehouse 7 grain is a good staple) and crackers. I try to minimize any sugar and processed foods. I think I could improve nutritional quality and taste if I learn to bake my own bread with gluten alternative grains. Anyway, eliminating dairy and gluten is a manageable step you can take which may improve your health and quality of life, as long as you are otherwise continuing to eat a nutritious well balanced diet.

Hi @eileenb1022
I'm not sure if I'll be much help but I wanted to tell you of my experience going gluten and lactose free.
I'm sorry I can't help with recipes because I'm a resident of an Independent Seniors' Facility where all meals are prepared for us and they follow an unchangeable (by us) menu. That makes things even more difficult as far as sticking to our dietary needs! The food is great here but I'm responsible for omitting what I shouldn't eat.
One thing I'd suggest for sure is that you contact a Dietician in your area (You'll usually find free services through your local hospital or community health service.) I live in Canada and we have good options in that area so I hope you might too.
A Dietician is very good either on a phone call or one on one, and will discuss your needs at length and possibly send you lots of print outs for menus, recipes, with lists of "what to buy" to get you started.
These diet restrictions have helped me very much with IBD, a heart condition, kidney disease, etc., etc., etc. I have a long list of autoimmune conditions!
Please feel free to keep in touch if you have questions, Eileen. I'm sure other Connect members will jump in to help you too.
Warmest regards, Laurie

Hi Laurie,
Thank you so much for writing. Just what you wrote did help me. I have thought a dietian would be a big help to me. Not sure about free though but I would be willing to pay for one once or twice a month as I feel it's important enough. I actually just stopped T a restaurant that had a gluten free menu. And it was so good. On our way to go grocery shopping gluten and dairy free gonna do the best I can with research I did as well as talking to people who are doing it too. My husband has heart issues so maybe it will help him too. My autoimmune conditions seem has gotten worse and some new ones since my gallbladder was removed this past January. I'm also being re allergy tested this coming week. I thought until everything had been figured out for me medically going gluten and dairy free was a good place to start. Thank you so much for writing, Eileen

@eileenb1022 Hey Girl, it sounds like you've got a good handle on things with regard to gluten free and lactose free lately. There's lots to learn, and researching the subject online offers a wealth of information as well. I know you'll find there's plenty of choice at grocery stores and many restaurants too. I was very pleased and surprised to find that so many restaurants are up to date on it.
Wishing you fun and adventure as you get more and more knowledge on the subject.
My best to you.
Laurie
P.S. I'm here if you have questions or concerns!