has anyone been diagnosed or been made aware of the link between gluten sentivtiy and lactose intolerance due to hypothyroidism?
I have mentioned symptoms that link to both intolerances to many doctors and since I was 13 i have been shunned with "oh it could be IBS", I was even hospitalised with suspected appedicitis and the good old "lose some weight" chestnut, at 23 the stomach pains and headaches have become beyond a joke.
Tbere is a huge correlation between hypothyroidism and gluten sensitivity. One of the issues we have with gluten is something called molecular mimicry - the protein component of gluten is very similar in structure to a protein in the thyroid. If you have Hashimoto's or Grave's, or a number of other autoimmune diseases, when this protein crosses the gut wall the immune system tags it for destruction. This means that the immune system is also stimulated to attack the thyroid! From everything I've read, and advice from my friend who's a recently qualified doctor, the only way to prevent this is to cut out gluten entirely, sadly no cheat days. It has made a huge difference for me and my mum - brain fog is loads better, have more energy, no uncomfortable bloated feeling. It's also much easier than you'd think.
I don't know about lactose intolerance in relation to thyroid issues, but lactose intolerant is actually what we're "supposed" to be. Once you're weaned your body is supposed to stop producing enzymes which break down lactose, but it just so happens that some of us have evolved to continue producing them. So lactose intolerance is really common and can start at any time.
Hope that was some help!
Thanks for that great answer Alice, I never knew any of that. I did, of course, know of autoimmune disease but I never understood the mechanism, thank you.
No worries, good luck with everything
Absolutely. Lactose is highly inflammatory in a lot of people. Gluten is the first to go with Hashi's. I'm am getting ready to start the AIP. It's very restrictive, but other than gluten it takes out dairy (and much more). You follow the program for 30 days or more and then slowly reintroduce foods to check for sensitivities. It's healing for the autoimmune system and at the end of the day that is what we need with Hashimotos. Have you been tested for Hashi's? There is a big difference between Hashi's and hypothyroid treatment and prognosis. I just became aware of the difference and was shocked.
Hi. Janine, I replied but it got deleted. I did not mention what supplements I was taking, but it still got deleted. I discussed diet and elimination diets specifically. It seems we can discuss medications and specific doses of said medications until the cows come home, but anything other than that is not allowed? A discussion of natural foods is not allowed? Is this site run by drug companies??
Sabrina, would you pm me what you said? It sounds very interesting.
I have a tip to stop this happening again: on each reply before you send it, 'select all' then 'copy' it. That way if there's a network glitch or you've accidentally included something that breaks the rules, I can re-paste it and, if necessary, edit out the offending bits.
Hello, Barbara,
I am sorry for responding so late!
To to be honest I can't remember what I wrote! If you need to chat, certainly feel free to message me and interrogate my new way of eating for Hashimoto's!
Hello sabrina
Thank you for replying. That's the best of this site, if one is busy one can dip in and out.
It was just curiosity on my part.
Try researching Blastocystis Hominis
Google 'blastocystis research foundation' and search on 'diagnosis'.
One of the cures is probiotic saccharonyces boulardii