Increased gluten sensitivity? page

[meeshar]

I've been Primal for over a year now, and lately it seems like my gluten intolerance has increased. I haven't had gluten on purpose in many months, mainly because it makes me feel horrible--joint pain, rashes, digestive problems. I used to be able to consider things like sushi or Domino's gluten free pizza as 20% treats, but both of those things have made me ill recently. Yesterday, in a moment of stupid (or just low blood sugar, aside from coffee w/cream I hadn't eaten in 18hrs) I drove through a hibachi take-out place and shared steak & shrimp with my daughter, not even thinking that they likely use regular soy sauce (in addition to crap oils). I ate all the steak, zucchini, and maybe 1/3 cup of the rice. 10 minutes later I had to run to the bathroom, and had a stomach ache for the rest of the afternoon. And today I am paying for it even more--my joints feel horrible, wrists in particular.

Have any of you guys had a similar experience? I'm wondering if the increased sensitivity is because of lack of exposure? Or maybe my gut flora is more out of whack lately?

[Reindeer]

I'm not entirely certain to be honest. I also experience joint pain when I cheat with grains (though I can usually cheat for several meals on gluten-free, high-carb things like ice cream...), even though I was still a teen... However, I had that joint pain every day before going paleo, and I think I might just think it is worse now, because I have something to compare it to.

Either way, I'd still take the few days of increased joint pain over the constant one. Any day.

[meeshar]

I had the joint pain before going Primal as well, I thought I was just getting older, plus my dad had arthritis start in his 20's so I figured it was hereditary. After going Primal, it's nearly disappeared except when I eat gluten. I'm just really surprised that I'm having joint pain on what has to be rather small amounts of gluten, like what's in soy sauce, or cross-contamination at a pizza place. I could understand if I'd eaten a croissant, but no, this is tiny amounts.

[RichMahogany]

Yes, lots of posters, myself included, have observed that we have more acute symptoms from gluten after our systems have been cleared of its influence than we ever had. I'd opine it's still better than the chronic symptoms we didn't notice before, but some of the less PB-kool-aid-drinking posters have suggested that this actually suggests that eliminating the offending poison was a bad move. I call it the arsenic argument.

[whitebear]

Could it be that living without the pain has just made it more noticeable to you . When you live with it every day you kinda get used to it.

[Terry H]

Yes, lots of posters, myself included, have observed that we have more acute symptoms from gluten after our systems have been cleared of its influence than we ever had. I'd opine it's still better than the chronic symptoms we didn't notice before, but some of the less PB-kool-aid-drinking posters have suggested that this actually suggests that eliminating the offending poison was a bad move. I call it the arsenic argument.

I too have noticed this tendency lately on the forum. One cd. say almost strategic....

[RichMahogany]

Could it be that living without the pain has just made it more noticeable to you . When you live with it every day you kinda get used to it.

I think that's part of it, but I also think your body reacts differently to acute offenses than it does to chronic ones. We grow up with the glutens and never clear it from our system and so have long, slow, systemic-type reactions to it. Then we go Primal or otherwise eliminate these awful proteins and once they're reintroduced, the body can recognize them as a foreign invader and produce a different type of reaction. For me, it's serious heartburn and indigestion and sometimes even vomiting. After being a healthywholegrains eater for years, and now being a healthywholegrains avoider for years. Not the most scientifically worded hypothesis on my part, but that's my n=1.

[ChocoTaco369]

Your body builds up resistance to toxins after awhile. Think of yourself in a situation with a potent allergen. If you're allergic to cats and have no cats in your house, spending an evening at a family member's house with 4 or 5 cats would likely cause misery - itchy eyes, runny nose, rashes on your skin, etc. But if you were to get a cat, you'd eventually build up a tolerance to that allergen, and overtime, it would seem to subside.

It sort of works that way to gluten and other mildly toxic foods. After awhile, most people will build up some form of tolerance, which is why there are so many gluten-sensitive people out there that don't know it. They just get used to the side effects, and they fade overtime as your body adapts. However, once you get off of it and you feel great, you get used to a whole new feeling of health and your natural resistance fades away. Then, when you slip up, it hits you like a ton of bricks.

I have no real food intoleranes worth mentioning, but I can't digest grains like I used to. If I go out on the rare occasion and eat something I don't normally eat, I'll be met with gas and less than ideal digestion where I never had that problem before. Primal makes you healthier, but your resistance to toxic food will slowly wear away so when you do slip up, it's an unpleasant experience.

And that is the TRUE purpose of grain toxins - to make you feel ill. We are so used to consuming "food" that isn't real food, we don't even know we're sick!!!