Is Gluten Sensitivity yet another TMS equivalent?

I had some tests done last week through a naturopath and she told me the results show a serious gluten sensitivity, along with relatively high inflammation in my gut along with a very low Immune Response.

Digestive issues have plagued me for over ten years and have been the one of many TMS equivs that I have dealt with, that will simply not go away. Ive managed to eradicate virtually every other pain/ailment that has bothered me with the exception of this.

Am I chasing my tail with this or is there some real science behind this?

What are the odds that my digestive issues are actually not TMS, when virtually all of the problems I have had over the past two decades were indeed, all TMS?

 

Just for me, I truly think Gluten sensitivity and celiac are tms. But lots of people disagreed with me. Here is a discussion about this topic a while back:

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/what-if-your-gluten-intolerance-is-all-in-your-head.4253/ (What if your gluten intolerance is all in your head)

 

I had a friend who reported the following: He attended a meditation retreat and the teacher hired a special "diet sensitivity" specialist to consult with people. When my friend, a psychologist asked him his opinion about all the people that raised their hands about being "gluten sensitive," this expert said in so many words: Most of the people I see (as an expert) to treat gluten sensitivity suffer from basic mind-body (psychosomatic) symptoms, often based in childhood experiences/trauma. This from a diet specialist who never talked about Sarno. Just his learned experience.

 

I agree with balto and andy.
All my episodes of bad digestion were caused by TMS.
There is one way to find out if you have a real problem and that is to consult a real doctor to test you.

 

The gut is one of the first places to be affected by emotion. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it decides to react in certain ways to certain foods!

Especially when these things become more 'popular'. Where I live everyone seems to be gluten free. I think everyone is just trying to find ways to feel better, and when you are on a path, following s diet etc. You are taking control.

That's not to say some there are no such things as food allergies. We have all seen the deadly effects in people who are extremely allergic.

I have a friend who was certain he was a celiac as every time he ate gluten, even just a tiny bite of bread, of a molecule as he put it....he would be completely useless for days, lying in bed feeling awful.

This went on for years, and recently he got tested...and guess what, he was not a celiac! He still thinks it's something to do with wheat.

I couldn't say for sure, but he suffers from a lot of anxiety and worry and I'd say thats the more likely avenue for investigation!

 

https://www.rt.com/usa/380201-gluten-free-diets-diabetes-increase/ (Popular gluten-free diets increase diabetes risk – research)

"Gluten-free diets, however, have become a new nutrition fad with many people not suffering from celiac disease dropping gluten over claims it is healthier and less fattening, ideas promoted by bloggers and celebrities."

 

Hi Avik,
How are you doing? I have had some recent improvement with my neck issues. You can read about this on the "Need Some advice" thread.
Andy

 

Balto, Andy, TT-

If it is indeed psychosomatic in nature, why then did my tests come back showing (extremely) high inflammation and low immune system response?
Are those two TMS as well? I guess they could be but inflammation is apparently a serious thing and needs to be addressed.

Also, I am very low in one specific gut-flora-strain and too high one other. Just seems a bit too specific for TMS but again, i'm open to it.

(Andy-my neck has been doing quite well. I simply just ignore the pain no matter how bad it gets and it eventually just goes away).

 

Hi Avik,

I also have done well ignoring, embracing, rubbing, massaging, not massaging or Tylenol PM. They all have worked to various degrees depending on my belief at the time. I think TMS can be a moving target, especially with new information, new recognitions and emotional growth.

I believe TMS does not always need a stand-alone position. Tom’s TMS Gremlin could choose a pre-existing ailment, even if that ailment was imaginary. Hi Tom.

 

Sometimes people can have the 'same' type of symptoms, but one can be genuinely medical, while another might be a mix, and yet another purely TMS. Nothing in life is 'absolute'.

I have finally found the 'perfect' diet for myself, and it is so wonderful not to be agony after eating. However, when I'm extra stressed, it will manifest into an IBS issue, but my entire body will be doing that, so it is easy to figure it out.

I believe you should follow what your doctor is telling you, but also approach it from a TMS perspective.

.... always with Love and Gratitude ^_^

 

Hi Avik, nice to see you again!

I was convinced by Dr. Gabor Mate (When the Body Says No) that the stress of long-term emotional repression can cause physiological changes, including inflammation and immune system dysfunction.

It's already well known that long-term stress causes health problems, after all. Dr. Mate just has a slightly different perspective on what constitutes "stress".

 

I have suffered from reflux symptoms in the past. And many of them seem to be TMS related. Now, putting that aside, I am not agreeing with everything being TMS. There are actual things that we have been doing with out food chain that might actually cause a person to become allergic to some of these stuff. Wheat have been genetically modified and filled with pesticides. It is not actually wheat. I have bought the original 8 chromosomes wheat and it feels very different when you make bread with it. Some celiac people actually report that they dont get symptoms when using this kind of wheat. I would not play with allergies, as an allergy could kill someone, like a peanut or seafood allergy. We have to be careful to not fall on the "everything is tms " trap. I would not think that something needing urgent surgery would be treated as tms , or an allergy. Now, are there people that might be causing themselves ibs or gut related symptoms by tms? Yes. But are all gut related symptoms tms ? NO. Your gut flora needs to be restablished properly, and maybe you need some dieting or lifestyle changes. We are mind body spirit entities. To try to point everything toward just one of our areas and neglect the others wont help in your health in any way. You can both attend your body needs and your mind/spirit ones at the same time. Balance is the word.

 

Hi avik,

After going through heavy times with ibs many times my first reaction would be : What test ?? You can get a test in hospital for gluten intolerance. And even without test : A dietist let you leave out gluten for 2 weeks then you know.

. My faith in all sorts of natural therapy persons' is not so big anymore. I know a lot of people think highly of all sorts of alternative medicin, but just like regular' medicin its not all it promisses to be. I learned from my strugle with my foot and back that there is world full of nonses out there that can do more wrong than anything. And i learned that from a guy from canada : Painsience.com
Stay critical !! Not to be negative but to be
aware that pain and health issues are a million dollar business.

 

I wouldn't trust an opinion by a "naturoquack" as far as I could throw one. 99% of physicians with years of training don't get the dx right 80% of the time--TMS.

 

Thank you for posting this. The wheat that is grown now is junk. It is shorter and faster to grow, and cheaper. The 'heritage' wheat is the 'real' wheat. What we put into our bodies does matter very much! There is such poison in the food-chain, from drugs to dangerous chemicals. Gut flora can become crippled. And there is definitely TMS related gut cramping.

As you say, Balance is the word

.... with Love & Gratitude ^_^

 

I would have to agree to disagree with you. A "neuroquack" with the proper methods and instruments, told me exactly all the discs that were bad in my back, without seeing any of my MRI's. I bought all my MRI's from about 10 years and he did not even opened them. He did his own thing and I havent even mentioned that I knew all the discs that were wrong. After doing his methods he came with a chart and showed me each and every level of my back that was bad, and how bad they were. He even showed me some discs that were starting to go bad that did not show in MRI until a few years later. My mother had breast cancer 20 years ago and what you would call neuroquack medicine cured her completely. She is 82 now. I would not easily dismiss naturopathy. Just as I went thru more than 20 conventional doctors and none of them could find what I had, even getting an unnecessary surgery that left me with a big bill to pay and no help at all regarding pain. Sarno was considered a quack by many of his own peers. Western medicine based on a model of continually messing with a perfect chemical system is not the best one in the world in my opinion. We have great surgeons that could attach a hand to your head, but beside the mechanical stuff, I dont see a lot of forward thinking in other areas. If anything, not recognizing a lot of other therapies, and messing with our inner chemistry is what have most of the people sick today. Some of these chemical changes can become permanent or very hard to bring back to normal. My mom was not going to allow them to take her breast, so she would be dead now if we have not found an alternate way. Just as you need to search every medical specialist in their preparation and results to get a good one, you have to do the same with any doctor, being a naturopath or not. I went to a naturopath that was really a quack, but I found about it the first 5 minutes of talking with him. Not everyone is the same or have the same expertise. And this goes for all professions.

 

Perhaps IBS and digestive issues could be considered both real and TMS. This article describes a link between your nervous system and the Flora (Chemistry) of your stomach.

The Brain in your gut.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-fallible-mind/201701/the-pit-in-your-stomach-is-actually-your-second-brain

Suddenly I’m hungry, did my stomach just talk to me?

 

I would call ibs very real! In fact every pain is real. And what we 'put' into our bodies matter very much : But that's includes also all the thought, believes etc we put into our bodies.
Just saying that there are so many therapist out there who can do harm instead of good. For money and just because the do not know what's wrong and take a guess anyway.
There is sience to back this up. And i know mind body approach has also no sience 'proof'
But there is a huge difference : Its not asking you to take pills, buy orthodics, makes you believe that having one shorter leg is dissasterous.etc etc.

I would not even call tms 'harmless' : Anything that has the power to give disability, mess up realationships, loose jobs etc : Is a big deal in my opinion!!
But all sorts of therapist can fill your head with extra fears, wich adds negative stuff on to the original stuff

 

Avik, on a forum setting like this it is impossible for anyone to know why your test showed you have high inflammation and low immune system response. (do you have cold and flu all the time? I don't know how in the world your naturopath's test can show that)
We can only give you some ideas, some opinions on what has worked for us in the past. For tmser's like us, the most difficult decision to make is to decide if our illness is tms or not tms. If it has a physical, pathological cause or if it caused by the mind. Usually we will never know for sure until we successfully got rid of the illness, eliminated the symptoms. So should we treat our symptoms the conventional way or the tms way? For me, I used to do both. If it is something serious or life threatening like cancer, heart disease, or diabetic I will do what my conventional doctor advices me to do. But I will also adopt some mind body treatment methods along with it. I will do meditation and practice mindfulness. I will do positive affirmation. I will do everything I can to NOT FEAR my symptoms, NOT FEAR my illness. We can do both at the same time. Nothing is wrong with that. The mind body method has no side effect and it will not interfere with the conventional treatment you are using at the time.
And if my illness is not life threatening then I will devote all of me a 100% to using the mind body method. Conventional medicine can wait for a month or two. You have to go 100%. Total commitment. Total devotion. Don't allow any doubt to enter your mind. before I go 100% I often ask myself: have anyone ever die from Celiac disease? Have you heard of anyone die from back pain or have permanent nerve damage from back pain? anyone die from CFS, Fibromyalgia? Arthritis .... If the answer is no or very unlikely then I will go the tms way 100% for a while.
If you really think about it, most of us can handle the pain and discomfort of our illness. We all have a very high tolerance for pain. It is really the FEAR that is bother us. It is the FEAR of the unknown, the fear of "what if" that is bother us, much more so than the pain.
So why don't you read all of Alan's new program and really really apply it, adopt it into your life and see how it can help you. http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/ (Pain Recovery Program)

"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
My motto is: feel the fear and do it anyway
- Tamara Mellon
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.
- Swami Vivekananda

 

just wonder, how do we know what we have is balance?