Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[honeybun]

It's always interested me...and this is s bit of an aside from Dandelions issues.

Why is it that when I was young there were so few people with allergies. I knew one person with asthma all the way through primary school. There were no nut allergies and no letters home from school warning all parents not to put any nut products in lunch products. Who had heard of gluten intolerance.
Gluten has been around since man started making bread. Bread is one of the oldest things that man ate since he discovered how to make fire.
It makes no sense to me at all. I know that there are so many things I neither know nor understand.
I feel that a lot of people (not referring to Dandelion here) are not happy unless there is a label that they can attach to things.

It's a bit of a mystery.


Honeyb
x

[Rowan]

HB I was downstairs watching TV and thinking the same thing, bread has always been the Staff of Life. I do know different races can't digest certain foods such as lactose, the Asians have the Alcoholic flush (sensitivity) this is genetic.

I get bloating when I eat icecream and mushrooms can give me tummy pain sometimes ( not always) sugar bloats me too, but that to me is a sensitivity.

We have a friend who has a true gluten response (Coeliac-disease) but as I said this is auto immune disease.

I am only just learning about Mast Cells and the histamine response.

[honeybun]

One of my daughter's friends is a celiac. She is a GPs daughter and her mum picked up on it when her daughter was in her early teens. It's an awful thing to have especially at such a young age. Gluten intolerance. I have to admit I am sceptical about whether many people are truly intolerant. I do think that different people react differently to various foods. But my feeling is that everyone can't possibly eat every thing and be fine. We all have something that disagrees with our individual digestive systems.
There is a need to label everything these days. We can't just have something that does not suit it had to be called something.
Undoubtedly some people react badly to things like lactose. My son was a baby who did not like milk and now it makes him feel sick.  Man did not evolve to drink the milk from another animal.
Bread is a different thing....as SL says...the Staff of life.
What in today's world makes bread and gluten so bad.
Is it the additives rather than the gluten.

Who knows....I am rambling here....but the whole thing makes no sense to me at all.


Honeyb
x

[Dandelion]

Dandelion "chicken skin" Keratosis pilaris  on arms is often a sign of essential fatty acids depletion

http://www.mybodylanguage.co.uk/chickskin.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/494399-are-bumps-on-my-arms-an-omega-3-deficiency/

The gluten free diet is being debated and questioned.

Coeliac-disease is an auto immune disease and not an allergy or food intolerance, people with this condition need gluten free foods and it can be  prescribed on the NHS.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/10430422/The-great-gluten-free-scam.html

Having said that I do think many people can have a food sensitivity.

Spelt bread can be substituted for wheat or rye.

Hi Silverlady and thanks for your post

I don't feel as if I have an omega 3 deficiency, my immune system is excellent, I hardly ever get colds. I don't feel tired. My lack of energy isn't the tired sleepy type. I don't notice any hair loss. beyond the normal range. Now my diet has improved, I am eating more omega 3 foods, but I don't think I was short before.

As for omega 6, I think a deficiency is very rare, I've used sunflower oil for a long time now, but not too much as I don't like too much grease.

I don't think I have coeliac disease, which I know is an auto-immune disease, but I do think I may have gluten sensitivity.

As for that telegraph article, how does the writer of the article know that all of us have been eating bread for thousands of years without suffering IBS symptoms.
Maybe, as the article says, though, dwarf wheat is the problem.
I have not looked into the ins and outs of gluten free food so, at the moment, I don't have any knowledge.
The nutritionist in the article does agree that gluten intolerance does exist, but also suggests that yeast intolerance may be the issue. The symptoms of yeast intolerance, however, don't ring any bells with me.
There is flatulence with yeast intolerance but not IBS.
I don't crave sugar. A piece of fruit or two does me, or a yoghurt or two.

No doubt unscrupulous manufacturers and retailers are cashing in on gluten free products but you don't have to buy products that are too expensive.

Of course a gluten free diet does not rid a coeliac of all his aches and pains, because some of them may not be relaed to the coeliac diaease or he may have another intolerance etc.

Weight loss isn't the goal of going gluten free, but if it happens, it  happens so long as I don't go below 10-10.5st.

I never overfill myself when I eat. I'm the sort who is sated really quickly after food. I eat little and often, rather than great big meals.

The BMJ says Compared with coeliac disease, gluten sensitivity has been little researched, but a few randomised trials suggest that this is a real condition. That was two years ago, but it seems to be popping up more and more in the scientific world.

[Rowan]

"I will also monitor the chicken skin on my arms and legs"

Dandelion I was just suggesting what causes this, and what can resolve this, eg GLA such as in Borage oil or Black Currant Seed oil.

Our friend when he sticks to his diet (Coeliac-disease) lives a full life and is very well, they constantly take world cruises which cater very well with his food requirements, he certainly looks a picture of health.

IBS is a mobility problem of the bowels and transit of food which can cause pain, certain foods can cause trigger it even stress, I don't think a gluten sensitivity per se contributes, they use to call it a lazy bowel or spastic colon.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-most-common-causes-of-morning-diarrhea.htm

[Dandelion]

A lot of IBS sufferers have been found to have intolerances or undiagnosed coeliac.
Man has been eating bread for thousands of years but how do we know some didnt have problems?
Also, modern bread is much different, there is said to be more gluten in the wheat nowadays.
It's not about finding a label for me, it's about getting to the bottom of various symptoms which are spoiling my quality of life.
Mainstream science is now starting to acknowledge gluten intolerance, although there may be, like every other newish thing, those medical professionals who cast it out.
A lot of my questions will be answered when I try gluten free for a period of time.

[Sarah2]

HB- to answer some of your questions- be quicker to say buy the book I mentioned as that explains it all!

Basically, allergies have risen hugely in the past 20-30- years. There are several reasons for this but one is our environment - being cleaner actually makes us more susceptible to allergies because our immune systems are not challenged from an early age.  years ago, children were more exposed to dirt by playing outside and there were fewer dust mites because of lack of central heating and warm houses. This is one of the main reasons for the rise in asthma- loads on the web if you want to read it.

Our reliance on grains is in fact very new. Prehistoric man did not eat grains- he ate protein and vegetables/ fruit and maybe some nuts and seeds. This is now called the 'stone age diet' for anyone who wants to go back to basics on an exclusion diet.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93478.php stone age diet

 Cows for dairy food are a recent addition to man's diet. There are more places in the world where cows are not farmed and dairy is not consumed ( in terms of population)  than are.

The theory is that our bodies have not adapted to the onslaught of gluten which we eat now- for many people that is 3 times a day- bread, pasta, more bread, cake, biscuits etc .  Stone age man would never have eaten like this and when grains were cultivated they were eaten rarely.

Allergy and intolerance has increased due to modern living and lifestyle but also medical science has moved on to make it easier to  identify. In the past no one would have thought that lactose or gluten could have anything to do with an itchy rash ( eczema) or upset bowels!


 Cultivation of wheat and grains is modern, when looked at in context of man's evolution over half a million years.

[Dandelion]

HB- to answer some of your questions- be quicker to say buy the book I mentioned as that explains it all!

Basically, allergies have risen hugely in the past 20-30- years. There are several reasons for this but one is our environment - being cleaner actually makes us more susceptible to allergies because our immune systems are not challenged from an early age.  years ago, children were more exposed to dirt by playing outside and there were fewer dust mites because of lack of central heating and warm houses. This is one of the main reasons for the rise in asthma- loads on the web if you want to read it.

Our reliance on grains is in fact very new. Prehistoric man did not eat grains- he ate protein and vegetables/ fruit and maybe some nuts and seeds. This is now called the 'stone age diet' for anyone who wants to go back to basics on an exclusion diet.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93478.php stone age diet

 Cows for dairy food are a recent addition to man's diet. There are more places in the world where cows are not farmed and dairy is not consumed ( in terms of population)  than are.

The theory is that our bodies have not adapted to the onslaught of gluten which we eat now- for many people that is 3 times a day- bread, pasta, more bread, cake, biscuits etc .  Stone age man would never have eaten like this and when grains were cultivated they were eaten rarely.

Allergy and intolerance has increased due to modern living and lifestyle but also medical science has moved on to make it easier to  identify. In the past no one would have thought that lactose or gluten could have anything to do with an itchy rash ( eczema) or upset bowels!


 Cultivation of wheat and grains is modern, when looked at in context of man's evolution over half a million years.

Hi Sarah

Thanks for that.
I also think the modern way has caused some problems with us humans digestive system and bodies.

[Rowan]

The NHS considers the Paleolithic diet a fad diet, I don't think the British Heart Foundation would advise it either.

Asthma and allergies have always been with us, even Vilvaldi suffered from Asthma, the "being too clean" is just a theory to my mind, I am sure living in abject poverty and uncleanliness did not protect  from Allergies or Asthma any more then central heating and too warm houses causes it.

There must have been  loads of dust mite floating around in houses before we had vacuum cleaners , and rushes on the floors, makes me shudder with what was crawling around in them.

Mankind has always suffered from allergies and asthma and such, it is just the knowledge and reporting of it that has increased with modern media and people talking about it, e.g so many others sharing health experiences where once they didn't.

 "Cleanliness[edit]

No evidence supports the idea that reducing modern practices of cleanliness and hygiene would have any impact on rates of chronic inflammatory and allergic disorders, but a significant amount of evidence that it would increase the risks of infectious diseases.[8][9]

If home and personal cleanliness contributes to reduced exposure to vital microbes, its role is likely to be small. The idea that homes can be made “sterile” through excessive cleanliness is implausible. The evidence shows that, as fast as they are removed by cleaning, microbes are replaced, via dust and air from outdoors, by shedding from the body and other living things as well as from food.[8][9][66][67] The key point may be that the microbial content of urban housing has altered, not because of home and personal hygiene habits, but because they are part of urban environments. Diet and lifestyle changes also affects the gut, skin and respiratory microbiota.

At the same time that concerns about allergies and other CIDs have been increasing, so also have concerns about infectious disease.[8][9][68][69] Infectious diseases continue to exert a heavy health toll. Preventing pandemics and reducing antibiotic resistance are global priorities. Hygiene is a cornerstone of containing these threats"

This what I agree with, but others may not and will have other opinions.

Being too to clean to me is preferable to the alternative, even letting kids get dirty can cause problems with microbes in dirt.

I am allergic to house dust and clean or  no clean I still suffer from it, I think I inherited the allergic responses I do have.

Perhaps this discussion belongs on "Allergies" and I apologise to Dandelion for wandering onto another subject.

[honeybun]

I think it was me that did the initial wandering SL 

Some interesting theories though.

I think it's unfortunate though that people are self diagnosing to find a reason for all sorts of things. The media have a lot to answer for in my opinion. Every thing has to have a label which is unhelpful.


Honeyb
x

[Sarah2]

Allergy UK explains about why allergies are increasing.

Roughly half way down- is a  paragraph about hygiene.

http://www.allergyuk.org/why-is-allergy-increasing/why-is-allergy-increasing

[Rowan]

HB I think my views about cleanliness may have been influenced and coloured by living in third world countries and the shocking things I saw, the disease and the poverty and lack of so much. The kids did not look healthy playing in the dirt especially in Sierra Leone.

Cleanliness is next to godliness for me now   as I said I don't expect others will agree.

I do agree about self diagnosing it can be dangerous and we are all warned about it and we all do it

I do have a secret theory that the body does heal itself or tries too with most complaints, maybe that's why it takes so long to get appointments I am not talking about major illnesses though.

[Hurdity]

Re allergies

Aside from any other factors such as hygiene and diet, some allergic responses that are potentially lethal such as asthma (and therefore the related allergies of hayfever etc) - will gradually increase in the population due to the fact that (fortunately!) they are now treated, and therefore more of those people that have them will survive to reproduce, whereas in the past they would have died before they were able to pass on their (allergy) genes to the next generation ie natural selection no longer operates.

Hurdity x