Re: Urticaria, autoimmune, thyroid, wheat...

[Guest guest]

Suzi,

Although it may be true that celiac disease may trigger thyroid

malfunction or other autoimmune disorders in some people (about 3% in

the study below), it's hard to say if I'm in that percentage or not.

It could be true for my thyroid, but then again it may not. I think a

test would see if I had celiac disease, and then I could avoid wheat

for an amount of time, as said in the article below, to see how my

thyroid would function.

However, when I eat wheat or other grains with gluten, I see no

association with my skin or my times I have gotten outbreaks of hives

or outbreaks of eczema. From reading the symptoms of Dermatitis

Herpetiformis, which is caused by the inability to digest gluten

(celiac disease), I know I don't have that. I eat whole, unprocessed

wheat on a daily basis (and kamut, spelt, oats and rye occasionally

in whole grain form) and my facial skin is great. I haven't had hives

in a while, but I've had outbreaks of eczema lately.

I don't think there's a connection with food allergies and my

rosacea. As well, wheat allergy is different from celiac disease;

they are two different entities. (I don't know if they could coexist

in a person. They might...) I'm not really sure which one you have.

It sounds like you have both from your past messages. Forgive me if

that's not correct.

I'm not saying that the food allergy trigger for rosacea doesn't

exist for some; it doesn't exist for me. We all have different

reasons for our rosacea. Some are known and some are a mystery. I've

had horrible hives on my body, along with anaphylaxis, once in my

life about six years ago, and my facial skin looked beautiful then.

Luckily I haven't had anaphylaxis since, but I have had hives then. I

honestly see no association between gluten consumption and my rosacea

for myself alone or, on a less-related note, hives and eczema. I'm a

fairly observant person too, and I know I would have seen the

association if it existed for me. I would be a bit relieved if this

were the case for me. I'd like to be able to avoid gluten products

and be relieved of rosacea symptoms. It hasn't happened because I did

go through a period in my early 20s when I avoided gluten-related

products for a few months thinking it might help my skin. It didn't

help at all.

I do think that either over-production of histamine or sensitivity to

histamine in the body can be a trigger for rosacea for me, but it's

not the whole picture for me. It might be for some people, and I'm

not discounting that it could be. I just know by taking

antihistamines and nasalcrom that my face still got pink and hot. I

have to still be extremely careful of the shampoo, conditioner and

facial cleanser I use or I have a mess on my face, wheat-derived

ingredients or not. I have to be extremely careful and not use

mineral oil or petrolatum on my face or again I have a mess on my

face. I can't use pure shea butter at all. I'll get a flare and bumps

in no time at all.

Thanks for the article below. I think I might research the connection

between celiac disease and thyroid malfunction further.

Take care,

Matija

" " We

> believe that undiagnosed celiac disease can cause

> other

> disorders by switching on some as yet unknown

> immunological mechanism. Untreated celiac patients

> produce organ-specific autoantibodies. "

> Of perhaps greatest importance to thyroid patients,

> the researchers found that the various antibodies that

> indicate celiac disease - organ-specific

> autoantibodies (i.e., thyroid antibodies) -- will

> disappear after 3 to 6 months of a gluten-free diet.

>

> The researchers suggest that patients with autoimmune

> thyroiditis " may benefit from a screening for celiac

> disease so as to eliminate symptoms and limit the risk

> of developing other autoimmune disorders. "

>

> (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, February

> 2000;45:403-406.)

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>