Until my mid 30's I was able to eat anything, cast iron stomach as they
say. Then one day I started to get more than my share of gas (it smells
rather bad at times) and soft, wet stools. At first I thought nothing of
it but over time it became a nuisance.

I tried varying my diet to no avail. I previously to the problem ate
anything including junk foods but had changed to complex carbs like
pasta, protein from eggs, meats and fish, ate more veggies and put away
the candy and soda. It seems the diet change did more damage than good.
I simply lived with the problem continued to eat well and eventually
found Loperamide controlled the problem most of the time, if I really
needed help.

Last year I started to research the problem on my own on the Net. I also
went to my physician for advice. He took stool samples, no bacteria
problems. {*filter*} work gave no indicators of problems. My diet was then
put under the microscope.

I did eat lots of carbs. It was suggested I cut back or better still,
eliminate wheat gluten and see what happened. To no ones surprise the
problem almost vanished, firm dryer stools, almost no flatulence, and
almost nothing left to eat since I lived on bread some days. I started a
diet of corn chips, rice cakes and the like.

I did get to a specialist and he said to try Simethicone after meals,
slowly introduce wheat and in small amounts and take a cap of
Simethicone afterwards. This seemed to work for a while but there are
days when I have way to much gas still, the wet stools have returned as
I ate more wheat products but it seems they affect me more now than when
I ate them in abundance before, it seems I'm more sensitive now. It
seems certain wheat products are worse for me than others.

No other side affects, no pain, no stomach bloating, no intestinal
discomfort (except gas) no {*filter*} in the stools and I've found milk,
beans and veggies like broccoli do not give me gas, it seems only gluten
does. No one in my family has had this problem btw.

Simethicone seems to help limit the problem and Loperamide works rather
well. During the summer when I spend tons of time outdoors at the beach
and do not consume enough water and become a bit dehydrated, the problem
goes away as if water is a key factor even though I'd eat lots of wheat
products.

Is it more of an intolerance than allergy since I have none of the
classic allergy symptoms associated w/allergies?

It appeared later in life out of the blue, is this normal?

Is it more of a digestive problem rather than intolerance? That is, can
I supplement my diet with enzymes or other bacteria like Lactobacillus
to aid in digestion and where do you folks feel the problems originates,
in my stomach or intestinal tract?

Food fermentation is one thought I have concerning what causes the
problem. If it was just diarrhea I might suspect intolerance but the
abundance of flatulence points to something fermenting, not being
digested as if passes from the stomach to the intestinal tract. Anyone
agree?

Could the gut bacteria be out of whack? Not normal levels for me (I know
everyone is different).

Low levels of digestive enzymes? Something seems to be not digesting as
the smell of the gas suggests, bacteria are having a field day.

Recently I found out a friend was suffering similar problems (developed
it over night it seems, she's in her 40's). Her doctor had her take
FiberCon which to both of us seemed like the worse thing to do
considering the problem, it worked for her though, why? Is the fiber
attracting more water and aiding in digestion since this may (?) allow
the cooking.net">food to move through her system faster? I would think I have too
much water in my diet, I drink 12 glasses a day, no caffeine, very
little sugar.

Lots of questions, no answers. If you need more info please ask. I think
I'm getting closer to solving the problem since it "looks" like gluten
is at least partly the culprit here. I haven't tried fiber supplements
yet but I've never had a problem with constipation before and certainly
not after the onset of this condition, help!

First man I met on the net almost ten years ago was diagnosed with celiac
disease .. gluten intolerance.
When treated for this he was found to have an underlying problem .. iron
excess.
When treated .. iron deprivation and phlebotomy to lower iron stores ..
problem cleared right up.

Who loves ya.
Tom

Is it more of a digestive problem rather than intolerance? That is,
can I supplement my diet with enzymes or other bacteria like
Lactobacillus to aid in digestion and where do you folks feel the
problems originates, in my stomach or intestinal tract?

Food fermentation is one thought I have concerning what causes the
problem. If it was just diarrhea I might suspect intolerance but the
abundance of flatulence points to something fermenting, not being
digested as if passes from the stomach to the intestinal tract. Anyone
agree?

Could the gut bacteria be out of whack? Not normal levels for me (I
know everyone is different).

Low levels of digestive enzymes? Something seems to be not digesting
as the smell of the gas suggests, bacteria are having a field day.

_______________________________________________

I have gluten intolerance and soy bean intolerance, plus intolerance
to quite a few other plant foods, kidney, liver, hoo boy.  Long story
and I wish I am as articulate as you have been in your post. Had been
like that all my life, cooking.net">food intolerance,  but wasn't aware of it
because that was the only condition I had ever known.  50 years of
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome before I self discovered the problem.
Aaaaarrrrghhh.

Short answer.  There is no cure for cooking.net">food intolerance and the best
thing to do is just to avoid the cooking.net">food types.  You have already
identified your problem.  That is a great achievement.  Your body is
telling you that it doesn't  like gluten.  Repeat.  No cure. Its not
an essential cooking.net">food and is no great shakes if you don't eat it.  Do not
mask your body's rejection by taking {*filter*} or supplements.

What does it do?  I'll skip the medical aspects because even the
doctors don't know.  

Picture your gut as a sensitive organ that reacts to objectional
stimuli.  If the cooking.net">food is really objectional you throw up.  Its not a
voluntary reaction, your gut just tells you it is poison and wants
nothing to do with it.  The point here is the gut knows what is good
or bad and it doesn't need to nor will it take orders from you.

But what about cooking.net">food every one else eats without trouble and yourself
too?   Well if you eat it often enough your gut  becomes desensitized.
This desensitization is the same as pinching yourself on the same spot
continously.  The initial pain soon disappears but continue doing that
and you develop a sore (think stomach ulcer) on the skin and you still
won't feel too bad until it kills you.  That's why I advise against
taking medications or whatever to suppress your sensitivity to gluten
and other "intolerant" foods.

What does the gut do when it is desensitized to intolerant cooking.net">food and it
detects such food?

Three things. One: It secretes lots of mucus to isloate the cooking.net">food bolus
from the gut lining.  Two: It secretes acid to try to destroy the
"contagion."  One of the functions of stomach acid is to destroy
ingested bacteria present in all food.   Three: Often the gut  just
"freezes" so that it doesn't have to or doesn't want to process the
food.  By "freezing" I mean suppressed peristaltic movement.

Too much mucus gives you that "I am stuffed but I don't feel full?"
feeling probably because the thick mucus isolates the nerve endings
that tell the brain to feel "stomach is full."  It also gives you the
urge to clear your throat and clearing the phlegm with it is a solid
indicator of what I just described.

Excessive acid secretion give you acid stomach, the "burning feeling
and of course eventually ulcers.  Combined with reaction three below
(the freeze) it gives you heartburn aka acid reflux.

Imagine using a stick or pin to irritate a slug/snail.  It either
secretes a lot of mucus or it just "freezes" on  its tracks.  The gut,
like the slug, often "freezes" when irritated.  The stomach doesn't
quite reject the ingested cooking.net">food as poison therefore no puke reflex.  So
the cooking.net">food stays in the stomach longer than normal.  The bacteria that
is present in all cooking.net">food go into bloom.  The result is stomach bloating,
lots of foul gas as you described.  Discomfort if not pain. Plus mucus
or excessive acid you get a pretty strange mix of stomach ailments.  

Imagine the "freeze" along each section of the gut as the cooking.net">food passes
down the alimentary canal.  The partially treated cooking.net">food bolus with
bacteria in bloom stays longer than optimal  in each section, with
each gut section adding it own mucus, its  particular enzymes and
having its own bacterial population compete with the bacteria that
came in the bolus.

And you wonder why the doctor can't figure out what's  ailing you.  I
don't think anyone can.  Skip the explanations.  Just don't eat the
stuff!!

klmok

"Small bowel permeability in diagnosis of celiac disease and monitoring of
compliance of a gluten-free diet (gut permeability in celiac disease)."
Acta Medica 2001;44(3):101-104.

"Changing face of {*filter*} celiac disease:experience of a single university
hospital in south Yorkshire." Postgrad. Med. J. 2002 Jan;78(91):31-33.

The above paper reports the current incidence at 1 per every 200 to 300
people.  After GI problems, the second most common problem that leads to
diagnosis is iron deficiency anemia.  Then comes neurological dysfunction,
fatigue and a family history of celiac disease.  The above paper goes on to
list many other initial complaints that lead to the diagnosis.

It is now recommended that when celiac disease is diagnosed, all immediate
family members be checked.  For {*filter*} relatives, the incidence rises into
the 5 to 15% range (5 to 15 people for every 100 tested).  The antibody
produced against gluten can be measured and this is the confirmation.

"Occurrence of celiac disease in siblings and offspring of patients with
celiac disease." Cas. Lek. Cesk 2001 Nov8;140(22):695-698.

You should already know what foods have to be avoided (wheat, oats, rye,
barley, triticale).  You have to carefully read cooking.net">food labels to make sure
that gluten is not present.

Since your gut is already damaged other cooking.net">food allergies are much more common
so the list of excluded foods should also include all of the known major
cooking.net">food allergens, especially dairy products.  You have to get the gut into a
situation where it no longer reacts to cooking.net">food coming in.  The reaction to
gluten is so strong that severe damage can occur and lead to bacteria
getting out of the gut and causing massive sepsis.  But not everyone with
antibodies against gluten is going to have this very strong gut reaction.

IBIS covers celiac disease very well.  Here is the list of all foods that
have to be avoided but you still need to read cooking.net">food labels and if you are
still having gut problems, get all of the potential cooking.net">food allergens out of
your diet.

Most bread products, stuffing, gravies, cream sauces, flour, macaroni,
spaghetti, noodles, biscuits, rolls, breads or all kinds, crackers, beer,
postum, malted milk, ovaltine, most commercial salad dressings, pies, cakes,
prepared meat patties, bread crumbs, canned meat dishes, canned soups,
instant soups, cream soups, pretzels, wheat germ, wheat bran, ice cream,
puddings and candies.

It's not much fun to have gluten intolerance.  Gut bacteria are not going to
really help that much but you can try to change the mix so that the effect
is less pronounced when undigested cooking.net">food gets into the lower gut.

IBIS lists a lot of supplements that may help but most are just there to
replace vitamins and minerals that don't get absorbed when the digestive
process is all messed up by immune system attack on what's coming in.

Quercetin can help cut back on this attack.  IBIS also points out that
digestive enzymes have been shown to help but to get the most benefit you
have to use bile salts, human pancreatic enzymes and HCL.

--
Marty B.         "You are what you eat."

http://www.***.com/

The above website is for educational purposes
only.  Material in this website and posted material
represents the opinion of Martin Banschbach,
Ph.D. and does not reflect Oklahoma State
University policy or position on nutrition.

Issues regarding the diagnosis and treatment
of human disease can not be addressed
by material in the above website or by
Martin Banschbach, Ph.D.

Any comments made by Martin
Banschbach, Ph.D. are invalid unless
confirmed by your personal physician.

Jorge

I certainly wouldn't dain to contradict the very excellent advice
you've already received in this thread. I would definitely suggest to
immediately have a test done to find out if you are allergic to
gluten. After that let us know the results. Here's hoping the problem
is simpler and less traumatic than that.

On Fri, 08 Mar 2002 04:15:36 GMT, Wheat intolerance?

On Fri, 8 Mar 2002 09:56:29 -0600, "Martin Banschbach PhD"

I spoke to a local bakery and they told me they "use wheat flour" in
their corn bread, I'd have to special request them to make real corn
bread for me and of course that will cost $$$. Life is grand.

"Celiac disease, also known... Oats*** have traditionally been
considered to be toxic to celiacs, but recent scientific studies have
shown otherwise. This research is ongoing however, and it may be too
early to draw solid conclusions."

*** http://www.celiac.com/oats.html "Please be aware that due to the way
in which oats are grown, processed and transported, that
cross-contamination with wheat is a possibility."

Water is necessary in my diet, sinus problems on occasion. With all that
water I now drink I now have no sinus attacks, i.e., muscus remains
fluid and cannot thicken and block passages leading to pain and worse,
infection. Two yrs on the water kick and no major sinus problems, just
an occasional headache which clears up pronto w/Sudafed and more water.

Many people will have antibodies directed at peanut protein and not
have any symptoms of a cooking.net">food allergy.  For people that react very
strongly to peanut protein, anaphalatic shock can occur.  This kind of
very severe reaction does not appear to occur with gluten allergic
responses.

Celiac disease is damage to the small intestine.  If your doctor is
not a gastroenterolist, you might try getting referred to a
gastroenterologist.