Autoimmunity

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity manifestations outside the gut: foggy mind, depression, anxiety, neuropathy, joint pain, headache, fatigue and IBS

July 1, 2022 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

Celiac disease is “a digestive and autoimmune disorder that can damage your small intestine. People with celiac disease might experience symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, gas, anemia and growth issues. Celiac disease can be triggered by a protein called gluten. Gluten is found in grains, like wheat, barley and rye” (and oats that are contaminated with gluten). This description by the Cleveland Clinic is well-understood and recognized.

However, what is less recognized and understood, is extra-intestinal (or outside the gut) manifestations of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. A paper published in 2018, Extra-intestinal manifestations of non-celiac gluten sensitivity: An expanding paradigm lists a number of symptoms and conditions that gluten consumption may cause and/or contribute to, even when you do not have celiac disease.

These can include: ‘foggy mind’; psychiatric diseases such as depression, anxiety and even psychosis; gluten ataxia, gluten neuropathy and gluten encephalopathy (causing memory and cognitive problems); joint and muscle pain, and leg or arm numbness; headache and fatigue; irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); autoimmune disorders; and and fibromyalgia.

This blog post highlights excerpts from the 2018 non-celiac gluten sensitivity paper and stories from real people who have experienced relief when removing gluten from their diets. And resources if you find you need neurotransmitter support to help break the addiction and not feel deprived.

This is from the abstract of the above paper:

Non celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a syndrome characterized by a cohort of symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food in subjects who are not affected by celiac disease (CD) or wheat allergy. The possibility of systemic manifestations in this condition has been suggested by some reports.

In most cases they are characterized by vague symptoms such as ‘foggy mind’, headache, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, leg or arm numbness even if more specific complaints have been described.

NCGS has an immune-related background. Indeed there is strong evidence that a selective activation of innate immunity may be the trigger for NCGS inflammatory response. The most common autoimmune disorders associated with NCGS are Hashimoto thyroiditis, dermatitis herpetiformis, psoriasis and rheumatologic diseases.

A possible neurological involvement has been underlined by NCGS association with gluten ataxia, gluten neuropathy and gluten encephalopathy.

NCGS patients may show even psychiatric diseases such as depression, anxiety and psychosis.

Finally, a link with functional disorders (irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia) is a topic under discussion.

We see all this clinically so it’s wonderful to see this being addressed in the research. However, the authors are saying we need more research and better studies:

the novelty of this matter has generated an expansion of literature data with the unavoidable consequence that some reports are often based on low levels of evidence. Therefore, only studies performed on large samples with the inclusion of control groups will be able to clearly establish whether the large information from the literature regarding extra-intestinal NCGS manifestations could be supported by evidence-based agreements.

Until then we use what we know works clinically: a gluten-free diet and observation of symptom resolution. We also use amino acids to balance brain chemicals so we break the addiction and don’t feel deprived (more on that below). Nutritional deficiencies caused by damage to the gut/leaky gut also need to be addressed, as well as healing the leaky gut and dysbiosis.

I shared the study abstract on Facebook asking for feedback and the response was so overwhelming that I can only share some of the feedback. I will do follow-up posts sharing more detailed information from their healing journeys.

Caroline had bloating, pain and chronic sadness, and discovered “joie de vivre”

Caroline confirmed that she has gluten sensitivity saying she stopped eating wheat in 2011:

Within a few months, my chronic sadness disappeared and I discovered the “joie de vivre”. It also allowed me to get rid of my swelling belly (bloating). Every evening I looked like a woman 2-3 months pregnant. [this likely falls into the irritable bowel syndrome category mentioned in the paper]
The pain in my joints also ended up disappearing.

I read so much about gluten once I started to realize it had changed my life to quit eating that stuff that now I’m convinced grains shouldn’t be part of human food, and I mean all grains (botanically speaking).

I think grains should at least be taken off all the menus in all hospitals, especially the psychiatric ones.

I adore her “joie de vivre” feedback and am so happy for her! I had this same feeling of pure joy when I went gluten-free. And I get so much feedback like this from clients who had no idea life could be so much better.

I also agree with her sentiment about gluten and grains being an issue too, especially in psychiatric settings.

Daphne was emotionally dysregulated with negative feelings and a pressure headache

Daphne shared what she calls an odd effect that she gets soon after eating bread: roiling emotions:

I get emotionally dysregulated. Negative feelings surface in various degrees, for me primarily anger and the reviewing of the incidents that caused it (aka ruminating thoughts?); less often sadness, disappointment, and overwhelm (that usually surfaces on its own anyway).

I also get what I call ‘bread head.’ I get a pressure headache from between my eyebrows, up the center of my head to my crown.

An additional effect: ‘the hangover’. Overnight the pressure headache subsides and the next day my whole head feels heavy and I am slower physically and mentally, and my hands in particular are achy

Also, I have had chicken bumps on my skin my whole life, until I stopped eating bread. I still have some, maybe from rice, potato and corn reactions. Starch is not my friend.

As I mentioned above, many folks are surprised at the emotional changes they see when eating gluten. Daphne called it an odd effect but her response is a very typical extra-intestinal (outside the gut) psychiatric response. And yes starches and grains are an issue for many folks.

Other feedback: fibromyalgia pain, brain fog, depression, cystic acne, anxiety, body aches, fatigue, PCOS and hypothyroidism

Here is some feedback from a few other women. As you can see the symptoms can vary per person:

“Removal of gluten and all grains has improved my fibromyalgia pain symptoms … The difference in pain was so dramatic that it was worth it.”
“It makes such a difference with my brain fog and depression! And cystic acne. If I have gluten, I have cystic acne for about 2 weeks.”
“My joint pain, anxiety, and depression are much improved when I avoid gluten (and corn.)”
“Yes! Within 15 min of ingesting gluten containing food I get all over body aches, fatigue and brain fog. It’s very unpleasant. I cut gluten out of my diet simply because I can’t function properly while eating it. I also have had episodes of reactive hypoglycemia from it too.”
“Removing gluten has cured my hypothyroidism. Also has improved my PCOS, anxiety and depression.”

Stay tuned for a follow-up blog with more from their healing journeys and additional insights from me.

Using the amino acids to help break the gluten addiction and feel less deprived

Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out why you crave or are addicted to gluten. It can be challenging to determine which part of your brain chemistry it’s affecting, and you may not associate cravings with mood issues.

Your drug-of-choice is something you self-medicate with and it is something that makes you feel good or “normal.” It could be starchy gluten-containing foods like bread or pasta or cookies. It could also be candy, chocolate, ice-cream, coffee, sodas, wine/beer, cigarettes, marijuana, a prescription medication like Prozac, street drugs, or even shopping or exercise.

Cravings for these substances (or behaviors) typically indicate a brain chemistry imbalance, so it’s very helpful to identify how the substances you crave affect you. This will help you determine which amino acids you might supplement to address the imbalance.

Use your “drug-of-choice” from your gluten or grain list (perhaps you love bread or chocolate chip muffins) and the chart below to help you determine what brain chemistry imbalance may be affecting you and which amino acid you may benefit from.

How you feel before	How you feel after	Brain chemistry imbalance	Amino acid to supplement
Anxious or stressed	Calm or relaxed	Low GABA	GABA
Depressed or anxious	Happy or content	Low serotonin	Tryptophan or 5-HTP
Tired or unfocused	Energetic, alert, or focused	Low catecholamines	Tyrosine
Wanting a reward or sad	Rewarded or comforted	Low endorphins	DPA (d-phenylalanine)
Irritable and shaky	Grounded or stable	Low blood sugar	Glutamine

Once you address that brain chemical imbalance, it’s easy to quit and you won’t feel deprived.

You can read more about why you crave on this blog post

Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using any of the amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances).

If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, self-medicating with alcohol and more. There is also an entire chapter on gluten and grains if this is new to you.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA Quickstart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. There are many moms in the program who are having much success with their kids.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

With much appreciation for these women for sharing their stories. I’d love to get some of these published as case studies to further add to the evidence.

Do you have (or suspect you may have) non celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS)?

And has gluten removal resolved any of the above issues? And have you seen an improvement in gut issues too?

Have you observed other improvements since eating gluten and/or grain-free?

Did you find the amino acids helped you break your addiction and feel less deprived?

Or are you stuck and still eating gluten and have no idea where to start on quitting? If this is you, would a webinar series help?

If you have questions please share them here too.

Vitamin C, autoimmunity, food sensitivities & visual processing: Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit

July 9, 2017 By Trudy Scott 5 Comments

Guest post by Erin Knight, FDN-P

Did you know that nearly 60% of migraineurs report suffering from anxiety as well? I didn’t. That was one of many surprising things I discovered interviewing functional medicine experts and clinicians with decades of experience helping people overcome their headaches and migraines at the root cause for the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit.

As much as the high correlation between migraines and anxiety surprised me, I could quickly see some reasons for the connection. People with frequent headaches report that managing life around headaches and missing out on things places an incredible strain on relationships and career that is nearly as bad as the physical pain. In other words, the mental agony of being sidelined by severe headaches is worse than the pain itself and contributes to the stress we carry around each day. But I don’t have to tell you that.

Is this meal going to cause a headache today? Am I going to be able to make it to my daughter’s choir concert? Is my boss going to pass me up for that project because I’ve been out with migraines so many days this year? If you are like me, these questions are always top of mind – creating a vicious circle between worrying – headaches – and more stress.

While it may seem quite obvious that there is this worrying and fear that migraineurs carry around with them each day, you may be surprised to learn from the experts speaking on the summit that there are many underlying root causes that can lead to both anxiety and headaches at a biological level. Some of these include:

Poor absorption of nutrients such as magnesium
Leaky gut and inflammation in the digestive tract that impacts the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and hormones like estrogen
Emotional trauma in childhood (which is linked to a staggering increase in chronic conditions such migraines, autoimmune diseases, obesity and chronic fatigue

The good news is that there are real solutions to improve your health at a foundational level that can drastically improve or even resolve both headaches/migraines and anxiety at the root cause.

The experts in the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit talk both about what has helped their clients recover their health as well as natural, simple ways to reduce the pain and intensity of headaches quickly and at home so you can go on with your life.

If you know you experience headaches due to weather changes, sinus stuffiness, neck tension, classic migraine or monthly hormonal changes – there are different relief techniques to employ for each. For example, Jay Davidson highlights 3 tricks for clearing pressure out of your head when you feel a thunderstorm headache coming on – and they work in minutes! My favorite is to dab frankincense essential oil with your fingertips along the hairline in your neck. I can feel drainage start immediately with this simple technique!

If you think you’ve tried it all and been through the gamut of herbal and homeopathic remedies – I promise you will learn something that surprises you and makes a difference in your journey.

5 things I learned about hosting the Chronic Headache and Migraine Summit that might surprise you too:

There are many superstar supplements that can help people with different types of migraines beyond the typical riboflavin and magnesium citrate – for example, Vitamin C, different forms of magnesium, 5-HTP or tryptophan, and glutathione.
Migraines are being reclassified as an autoimmune disease. One autoimmune disease that frequently leads to migraines (and anxiety and miscarriages) is the clotting disease called Antiphospholipid Syndrome (featured on day 7 in Trudy Scott’s interview)
Food sensitivities may be more important than avoiding trigger foods
There is a visual processing disorder that affects 15% of the population and is simple to correct.
Toxicity from air and water pollution causes different types of chronic headaches and can be easily identified and reversed.

We are so thrilled to be able to offer this first-of-its-kind resource for people who want to stop managing their headaches, stop watching life pass them by from the sidelines and find natural relief options that really work.

Feel free to share something that surprises YOU from the above in the comments below.

The Autoimmune Fix by Dr. Tom O’Bryan: gluteomorphins, casomorphins and withdrawal

September 23, 2016 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, celiac disease, osteoporosis, and lupus are all autoimmune diseases and can be reversed because 70% of them are found in the gut. In Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s new book, The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease he provides a practical and much-needed guide to navigating autoimmune diseases to help you feel better and develop a plan that works for you.

A big factor with many autoimmune diseases and conditions is going gluten-free and often going dairy-free too. As Dr. O’ Bryan states:

This does not mean that everyone with a systemic autoimmune disease has a sensitivity to gluten, but it does show the very high correlation.

He also shares that Marios Hadjivassiliou MD believes that

gluten sensitivity is associated with autoimmune disease and that celiac is just one manifestation of it.

Here is a wonderful success story from the book – a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, and the nutrition to heal her intestinal permeability (or leaky gut):

Nancy never left the house without a packet of tissues. She suffered from chronic allergies but could never figure out exactly what she was allergic to. She was also constantly battling her depression, and although she didn’t think of herself as someone who had digestive problems, she always felt bloated. The comforting allure of a box of doughnuts, a pint of ice cream, a bowl of noodles, or, when things were really bad, a roll of raw cookie dough was often too hard to resist and seemed to calm down her anxiety. She dressed to hide her weight gain in public, hoping to pass invisibly through life. She didn’t even consider dating. She had lost interest in men anyway, despite being only 28 years old.

To the average doctor, Nancy was a classic depressed patient who needed a prescription for antidepressants, perhaps some antianxiety medication, and a good weight-loss and exercise program. But here’s what most doctors miss with people like Nancy: Her depression, anxiety, and weight gain were actually the result of immune responses that were causing chronic inflammation. Nancy, like so many women, had a constellation of symptoms that all pointed to one culprit: a systemic inflammatory cascade.

When Nancy came to my office, I ran an antibody test to determine the cause of her problems. I discovered that the culprits for her immune reaction were a sensitivity to gluten and dairy and elevated levels of LPS [lipopolysaccharides] in her blood. These molecules were activating her immune system. But how did these molecules enter her bloodstream? The answer was the third factor: intestinal permeability. With the proper testing and treatment, a gluten- and dairy-free diet, and the nutrition to heal her intestinal permeability, Nancy’s antibody load to LPS reduced within 6 months. She stopped throwing gasoline on the fire (by removing gluten and dairy), and her symptoms began lifting within the first 2 weeks as her inflammation subsided. Within 6 months, she was down two dress sizes and came back to see me, vibrant with life.

It really can be as successful as this and I see these kind of results with so many of my clients who make these few simple changes.

However, for some people, it can be more challenging and you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you give up wheat and dairy, and feel tired, depressed (or anxious) or nauseated:

Some don’t want to exercise, and some have headaches (just like with coffee withdrawal). This is especially true of those who in their blood tests have elevated levels of the peptide in wheat called gluteomorphin or elevated levels of the peptide in dairy called casomorphin.

These poorly digested peptides can stimulate the opiate receptors in the gut and brain. Opiate receptors trigger the production of hormones called endorphins and enkephalins that produce that feel-good response. Remember the last time you laughed out loud in a movie or with your friends? Perhaps you even had belly laughter—when you laugh so hard your belly hurts? Remember how good you felt after that? It’s because your opiate receptors were stimulated and you now have a little more endorphins circulating in your bloodstream. Well, gluten and dairy can mildly stimulate these same receptors. And just as an addict may have withdrawal symptoms when they stop their drug of choice, such may be the case with gluten and dairy withdrawal. My friend William Davis, MD, author of Wheat Belly, even came up with a name for it: wheat withdrawal. The same may be true for removing dairy or sugar.

If this happens to you, don’t be surprised. First of all, this may be the first time you had to give up some of your favorite comfort foods cold turkey. And these favorite foods become comfort foods for a reason: Sugar-laden foods, especially refined carbohydrates, are highly addictive. Your body is actually going through a gliadin-casein-sugar–derived opiate withdrawal.

You may ask how common is it to have these withdrawal symptoms? This can be different for each individual and can differ from one practice to the next:

Dr. Davis [author of Wheat Belly] believes that wheat withdrawal can be quite unpleasant for close to 40 percent of the population. That has not been my clinical experience. Our number has been closer to 10 percent, which is still a substantial number. You may have a friend or family member who has tried to go gluten-free and has told you, “My body must need wheat. It’s been 3 days since I’ve had anything made of wheat, and I feel awful!” This response can be scary. But remember, it’s not that the body needs wheat; it craves it. This is just the body craving a toxic substance that it has gotten accustomed to. Don’t worry: The symptoms will disappear quickly. And best of all, the cravings for sugar and wheat will subside, and then you feel wonderful!

It is interesting to read that Dr. O’Bryan finds that only 10% of his patients have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. I’d like to add to the discussion and share that with the anxious women that I work with, it’s even higher than the 40% that Dr. Davis reports. It’s in these instances that I find the targeted amino acids so helpful to break the addiction, prevent the need for having to use willpower and provide instant mood and anxiety relief at the same time: tryptophan (if it’s afternoon/evening cravings), GABA (if you stress-eat), DPA (if you comfort-eat) or glutamine (if you crave due to low blood sugar).

Dr. O’Bryan does recommend glutamine for gut healing, together with vitamin D, fish oil, probiotics, zinc carnosine and colostrum. I suspect he doesn’t recommend the amino acids I mentioned above because he doesn’t see as many unpleasant or difficult withdrawal symptoms.

Some of my other favorite sections from this new book include:

his brilliant description of the immune system and how antibodies are created, and how inflammation is the primary tool in our immune system’s arsenal that keeps us healthy
the differences between autoimmune diseases and the many autoimmune conditions (he lists 159 that are on the autoimmune spectrum!)
the differences between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
the leaky gut and lipopolysaccharides discussion, and the section on the microbiome and dysbiosis (and the big connection to stress)
the connection of a disproportionally large forehead to celiac disease (fascinating!)
testing and measuring autoantibodies (I love that he calls them “messengers from the future”) and the chart that shows the likelihood as to whether you will develop a particular disease
the extensive lists of the hidden sources of gluten in supplements, cosmetics (this is surprisingly long) and even household products
the connection between gum disease, mouth bacteria and leaky gut
his food and nutrient recommendations
the long list of references and study summaries – if you’ve have the wonderful opportunity to have heard Dr. O’Bryan speak live or on summits (he’s a popular speaker on prior Anxiety Summits) you’ll recognize and love this style of his right away

If any of this is new to you and you suspect you may have an autoimmune disease or condition, then this book, The Autoimmune Fix is a must-read. It launched earlier this week and as you would expect from Dr. O’Bryan, it’s brilliant! You can order your copy here on Amazon. This is groundbreaking information we all need to know!

Let us know if you have an autoimmune disease or condition and if going gluten-free and/or dairy-free has helped you? Was it an easy change for you to make or did you experience withdrawal symptoms? Did you power through or did you successfully use amino acids to help? Have you done any of the testing he discusses or addressed dysbiosis? Healed your leaky gut?

If you have already purchased and read the book, please share some of your favorite sections and what has helped you.