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This post is following a general observation but I think Linda is our chief expert on such matters.


For several weeks my symptoms have been getting worse - predominantly daytime fatigue and brain fog to the point its affecting my work. Terribly itchy skin, parathesia in my feet and hands, and electrical pulses in my arms and legs.

This virtually all came to an end yesterday.

Why?

Instead of of eating my usual bowel of oat based museli with soy milk I got up late for work and scoffed 3 lean beef sausages as breakfast. Also had an apple mid morning. Salad for lunch (cabbage, carrot and cucumber), and chicken stire fry for dinner with a little white rice.

Despite less than optimal sleep I feel very awake and sharp. No skin itch and only a tiny amount of parathesia in the extremities. No noticable electrical pulses or twitches.

Today followed the same routine - Cold lean sausages for breakfast, mid morning apple, and salad lunch. Its early afternoon here and I feel great.

Anyone is free to pitch in but LInda if you are reading can you offer me some advice here as to what if anything I need to do next?

I don't have the other symptoms for diabetes and I don't recall any blood sugar issues in the past. I had thought I might be wheat intolerant but now think this is a carbs / insulin issue.

Grain Brain by David Perlmutter

Terry wahls recently posted about this neurologist who believes grains are not good for our brains.
Just thought I'd post it as it was on my fb newsfeed today.

(Btw not endorsing his views as not read his theories)

Thanks LR

mrbarlow wrote:This post is following a general observation but I think Linda is our chief expert on such matters. I am flattered, but do not consider myself an expert.

For several weeks my symptoms have been getting worse - predominantly daytime fatigue and brain fog to the point its affecting my work. Terribly itchy skin, parathesia in my feet and hands, and electrical pulses in my arms and legs.

This virtually all came to an end yesterday.

Why?

Instead of of eating my usual bowl of oat based museli with soy milk I got up late for work and scoffed 3 lean beef sausages as breakfast. Also had an apple mid morning. Salad for lunch (cabbage, carrot and cucumber), and chicken stire fry for dinner with a little white rice.

Despite less than optimal sleep I feel very awake and sharp. No skin itch and only a tiny amount of parathesia in the extremities. No noticable electrical pulses or twitches. Today followed the same routine - Cold lean sausages for breakfast, mid morning apple, and salad lunch. Its early afternoon here and I feel great.

Anyone is free to pitch in but LInda if you are reading can you offer me some advice here as to what if anything I need to do next? I can only think that your situation might be the same as what I suspect mine to be: Intestinal Permeability (IP a.k.a. Leaky Gut) is allowing too much insulin into the bloodstream. I suggest you eliminate any "sweet" sensation on the tongue or palate (simply a sweet taste triggers a first release of insulin) and severely limit the foods that convert to glucose/blood sugar (blood sugar stimulates the pancreas to secrete a second release of insulin). Next, assume you have Leaky Gut, avoid all grains – even oats – because the gluten proteins in grain increase zonulin, which opens the tight junctions of the intestines. Some people suspect that even soy, in all its forms, is not a good choice. Add probiotics, aloe vera, coconut oil to your regimen. This is the program I have started this week – good luck to us both!

I don't have the other symptoms for diabetes and I don't recall any blood sugar issues in the past. I had thought I might be wheat intolerant (I think you could be right about this.) but now think this is a carbs / insulin issue (I think this is involved, also.).

As with most here, I am evolving in my hypothesis and considering every new possibility. Recently, I am attracted to the idea of Intestinal Permeability (a.k.a. Leaky Gut) – probably because of the media hype on celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, intolerance. This has been my journey so far:

1. On 5/24/2013 & 12/3/2012 The Dr. Oz Show featured the author and book, Dr. William Davis and Wheat Belly:
Video Pt 1: http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/are-you-addicted-wheat
In Pt 2 the fact that wheat causes a blood sugar spike GREATER than a Snickers candy bar is pointed out!

I HIGHLY recommend his book!

2. A dear friend informed me of the following interview, "Leaky Gut and an Immune System Run Amok," with Susannah Meadows and Leslie Mendoza Temple, MD, who is Director of Integrative Medicine at North Shore University Health System in Glenview, IL, and Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University: http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/07/20/911/

3. Susannah Meadows recounts the story of her son Shepherd's experience with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in her NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/magaz ... d=all&_r=0

4. Another person put me on to this website: http://alignlife.com/
and I found this (http://alignlife.com/articles/food/unde ... hole_grain_/) especially interesting.

5. Then, I found the blog by Danielle Walker, http://www.againstallgrain.com/about-me/ in which she credits her specific diet for her DRAMATIC improvement in Ulcerative Colitis, another autoimmune disease.
By the way, I highly recommend her cookbook, Against All Grain, available only in paperback.

6. Then I was led to another blogger Lauren, who also feels she has cured her Ulcerative Colitis with diet: http://empoweredsustenance.com/about-2/

7. AND there are many YouTube presentations on leaky gut, tight junctions, zonulin, GALT:
even with mention of Insulin:

an excellent 30-minute lesson on gluten sensitivity by Dr. Peter Osborne:
I am a little skeptical of some of these "experts" on YouTube; but from the little that I do know, these seem to be correct.

As you know, insulin is my focus as the cause of my MS symptoms; now, I think the excess insulin in my blood happens, not as the result of overproduction by my pancreas (no abnormality has been found; my diet should not do this – my pancreas may be functioning normally), but rather as the result of the tight junctions between cells of my intestines having widened and allowing too much insulin to "leak" from the intestines into the bloodstream. (Correction: the digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas enter the small intestine; the pancreatic hormones, of which insulin is one, enter the mesenteric blood vessels, specifically the portal vein. I think wheat gluten simply raises blood glucose and the insulin response.) My current efforts focus on eating a diet, first, to stop damage to the intestines and then, to heal Leaky Gut – and hoping, as ever, that this will bring about improvements in my MS symptoms.

This is my new experiment, mrbarlow.

Thanks Lynda

Kept of the cereals all week and have felt great with virtually no 'MS' symptoms. One day had a subway roll for lunch as away on business and hey presto felt like $hit for the next 5-6 hours.

mrbarlow wrote: Kept off the cereals all week and have felt great with virtually no 'MS' symptoms. One day had a subway roll for lunch as away on business and hey presto felt like $hit for the next 5-6 hours.

I think your experience is VERY important! It does seem to fit so very well with the Leaky Gut/insulin hypothesis. Thank you for sharing your observation – I think this is how we will get to our answer.

I seem to be bumping into the idea of gluten intolerance/celiac disease everywhere I turn lately. In a conversation about peripheral neuropathy, Annesse supplied the following link to work from the University of Chicago:

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... tion.shtml


In pursuing links further, I thought this description of a neurological exam might be helpful to people who have asked what to expect and whether or not they should take a list of symptoms to the appointment:

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest


But then, I read the following section on blood tests (I thought Jimmylegs would be especially pleased to see the mention about vitamin deficiencies; Cheerleader, to see vascular evaluation on the list; others, Lyme disease.) and, with recent reading, think it is important to request testing for "antibodies related to celiac"among the others when neuropathy is a symptom. I think this will make a good composite recommendation for blood tests… What other additions should there be? Insulin? Cpn? Others? Where is the logical location of this for newbies?


Blood tests

Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.
Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:
Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B



Edited 9/24/13: According to Dr. William Davis, the real problem in wheat is a new protein gliadin: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505269_162- ... ctor-says/

I just thought I would mention some books about carbs and sugars and how the are not our friends:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_ ... 20calories

http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surpr ... rain+brain

THX1138

here's an older post that has some relevance here:

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/chronic-c ... ml#p174244

BBB or gut, it's all membrane integrity at the end of the day
...
Regulation of Tight Junction Permeability by Intestinal Bacteria and Dietary Components
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/5/769.full

"As well as having nutritional value, trace elements such as zinc may also assist with the maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity. Caco-2 cells grown in zinc-deficient media have reduced TEER (transepithelial electrical resistance) and altered expression of ZO-1 and occludin (localized away from the cell boundaries, less homogenous) compared with Caco-2 cells grown in zinc-replete media (92). This is accompanied by disorganization of F-actin filaments."

the benefits of probiotics and lots of other things are mentioned in this article also.

the article cited this source:

Zinc Deficiency Induces Membrane Barrier Damage and Increases Neutrophil Transmigration in Caco-2 Cells
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/9/1664.short

Zinc may contribute to the host defense by maintaining the membrane barrier. In this study, we questioned whether zinc deficiency affects the membrane function and junctional structure of intestinal epithelial cells, causing increased neutrophil migration. We used the Caco-2 cell line grown in control (C), zinc-deficient, or zinc-replete medium until differentiation. Zinc deprivation induced a decrease of transepithelial electrical resistance and alterations to tight and adherens junctions, with delocalization of zonula occludens (ZO-1), occludin, β-catenin, and E-cadherin. Disorganization of F-actin and β-tubulin was also found in zinc deficiency. These changes were associated with a loss of the amounts of ZO-1, occluding, and β-tubulin. In addition, zinc deficiency caused a dephosphorylation of occludin and hyperphosphorylation of β-catenin and ZO-1. Disruption of membrane barrier integrity led to increased migration of neutrophils. In addition, zinc deficiency induced an increase in the secretion of interleukin-8, epithelial neutrophil activating peptide-78, and growth-regulated oncogene-α, alterations that were not found when culture medium was replete with zinc. These results provide new information on the critical role played by dietary zinc in the maintenance of membrane barrier integrity and in controlling inflammatory cell infiltration.

i went looking for zinc influences on gliadin and filtered out the search term 'celiac'. what a funny twist this is:

Effects of zinc nutrition and high temperature on the growth, yield and grain quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/ ... 2440/37982

"Electron microscopy confirmed this hypothesis, and showed that adequate Zn nutrition could maintain the integrity of a number of cellular membranes during high temperature, including the tonoplast, chloroplast envelope and the thylakoid membranes...

...results from both controlled environment and field experiments demonstrated that the detrimental effects of low Zn availability and high temperature on the yield of Zn inefficient or thermosensitive wheat varieties will be most damaging when these stresses occur in combination. Analysis of protein composition showed that supplementary Zn fertilisation increased the glutenin:gliadin ratio in the grain. This suggests that Zn fertilisation may improve the bread-making quality of wheat under conditions of Zn deficiency."

i never thought it was the WHEAT that was zinc deficient. LOL!

i never thought it was the WHEAT that was zinc deficient. LOL!

Jimmylegs, it seems you are a really caring person - you even care about the wheat - for it to not be zinc deficient

THX1138

what can I say, people or plants it's all the same to me, restoration ecology.
there's tons out there on plant deficiency.. I've used this image in presentations before
http://www.thefieldposition.com/wp-cont ... 07a3f1.jpg
I even used to have a really great link to an image comparing zinc deficiency and repletion in corn.. but at this stage looks like i'd have to upload my copy somewhere.

I think it's so interesting that zinc deficiency in wheat increases its gliadin fraction.

Went to GP who has decided I should have a test for Ceoliacs disease. My symptoms match gluten ataxia very closely and when ever I eat wheat (seldom) I get some gastric discomfort.

Eating copious slices of toast in prep for tomorrow's test!

Mr. B,

I tested negative for ceoliac's but I still have a pronounced gluten sensitivity. You don't have to be ceoliac to have a sensitivity to gluten!

PN

Thanks PN - irrespective of the result I know I react to glutens / cereals so I have cleared everything with wheat in it.

Test for coeliacs came back negative.

Other test results (comments Jimmy Legs - please )

Uric acid - 0.37 mmol/L
Glucose (fasting) 5.0 mmol/L
Calcium - 2.41 mmol/L
B12 - 707pg/ml
Iron - 21umol/L
TSH - 1.6
25 Hydroxy Vit D - 167 nmol/L