Food intolerance and TMS

O

oicani

New Member
I am here because of my back pain.
However, I have found today that food intolerance may be also related to TMS.
Before my back pain issue, I have suffered from IBS until the doctors suggested that I might be lactose intolerant, and I stopped taking any dairy products. Since then IBS is under control.
Then came the back pain which I am trying to control via this TMS forum.
My question is if anybody knows about this lactose intolerance and TMS? Has Dr. Sarno mentioned his opinion about that?
Any input will be appreciated.
 
I'm not a doctor or an authority on lactose intolerance but it's good that your doctor's suggestion to stop
taking dairy products has gotten your IBS under control.

I do wonder, however, that if you never had a problem with diary products before,
maybe it came on from TMS, from repressed emotions or a personality thing (perfectionism,
wanting to be liked, etc.).

Your unconscious mind may have stopped the IBS but moved pain to your back. It does that,
trying to get you to think more on the psychological cause(s) of the pain it is sending you.

I don't recall reading anything specific about food in Dr. Sarno's books, but since your
doctors did not say they found anything physically or structurally wrong with you,
it looks to me like TMS.

I suggest you read Dr. Sarno's Healing Back Pain and begin the free Structural Education Program
you will find among the forums. It can help you to learn how to heal from the back or other pain
or discomfort.

Let us know how you progress.
 
Hi Oicani, I was lactose intolerant and never was able to eat or drink anything with dairy product in it without stomach trouble, not until I believe lactose intolerant is tms. I now eat and drink anything I want with no trouble at all, anything.
It is so amazing, just change our belief and all our "intolerants" go away.
 
This is interesting...I remember too reading about food intolerances in the TMS books. I myself have gluten intolerance and possible Celiac disease but the interesting thing is that no doctor has definitely diagnosed me with Celiac. Seriously, they still don't have a definitive test?! I even had an endoscopy to look at my intestines, which showed some damage but not much. I cut out gluten over 4 years ago. I did find an improvement in my bowels but I still have marginal irritable bowel days, which I know is TMS/stress related. So...how much did cutting out the gluten really help? I'm not sure. Pretty recently I accidentally ate quite a bit of what turned out to be bread made with wheat...and don't remember having any horrible side effects. But they do scare you in saying that if you have Celiac's disease, you HAVE to stay off gluten or you have increased risk for cancers. So that's the main reason why I am afraid to eat gluten. Anyway, about lactose intolerance - I don't have a lot to say on that except that my dad was told in his younger years that perhaps the reason he was having digestive issues was lactose intolerance, so he spent the next 20 or so years avoiding milk products for the most part. One day he decided to just go back to drinking milk, and he's fine. He does seem to get more sinus headaches now though, not sure if it's related. Maybe TMS there too.
 
Years ago (long before I heard of TMS), I developed lactose intolerance in the form of stomach aches if I ate any dairy. I went 10 years without milk products-- except yogurt, which never was an issue. Then one day, I was tempted to try some ice cream. To my surprise, no problem. And I have tolerated lactose fine since then. Now, knowing about TMS, the fact that the intolerance was able to turn "on and off" like that strikes me as significant. It fits the pattern of other TMS symptoms I have experienced, which left when the mind realized they were no longer "working."
 
I thank you all for the interesting and somehow reassuring answers.
Replying to Walt Olesky's question about lactose intolerance in the past, I have a surprise for you.
When I had my first bleeding from the stomach ulcer, I was in a hospital for 30 days and they put me on a diet of one liter of milk a day and nothing else in the first two weeks.
From there on, at the doctors recomendation, I drank lots of milk. No coffee, no tea, just milk. My coleagues at the office laughed at me, because I had there a glass of milk, twice a day.
And then I didn't notice any intolerance.
 
My sister, who is 84, was diagnosed as having Celiac Spru, an intolerance fore gluten, and was put on a gluten-free diet. It saved her life. Doctors couldn't figure out whys he was aching and losing weight until after months of tests,
an East Indian doctor said it could be diet and he was right.

No one else in the family has it, and I'm 83 and eat anything I want, but the salty and sugary stuff and red meat in moderation. The only thing I avoid eating is wood, nails, or concrete. My dog doesn't even have a problem with those
tasty morsels.
 
I have had IBS for several months. I tried cutting out dairy and coffee for 2 weeks with no improvement. Funny thing was that when I reintroduced dairy and coffee my IBS went away for one week before returning again. Can anyone explain this?
 
Oh boy, nutrition... The perfect diet... I've been wanting to start a thread similar to this. Before I realized my many symptoms were TMS I tried going the holistic route to heal me. I went on a very extreme detox diet for several months. It did heal the issue that I started the diet to heal, but it wasn't long before other symptoms appeared (symptom imperative). I was so confused, I was doing the detox right, how could I be having new symptoms? Of course the detox enthusiasts claimed they were detox symptoms, but when they lasted months, I knew that wasn't it. I've been so conditioned now that most foods are damaging, that I have a very strict gluten free, vegan diet to this day. I like the idea of not consuming animal products, but I know as a TMSer, I have to be careful that I don't turn every bite into an obsessive, perfectionist, protective action driven by fear...I've gotten myself into a bit a pickle with this. Not sure where to draw the line.
 
Thanks, Herbie.

I listened to the links... I have been there, the place she's referring to, but I think for the past 4 years, that anxiety has been almost totally about my health... I go to work everyday, come home, I'm a mom of three daughters, so I keep up with all their needs, but I constantly distracted by whatever pain/health issue I'm dealing with at the time....that in turn makes me feel very guilty... It's a vicious cycle and I'm ready for it to stop. I'm almost done with The Great Pain Deception and I've been listening to the recordings of your call in sessions. I love those. I feel like I know you all already, such sweet people. One of these days I'll try and make time to call in too. I kinda feel like intellectually I know what I'm supposed to do, I'm just a little stuck. Thanks again for your reply to this and my other post. You all are a blessing!
 
DanielleMRD said:
Thanks, Herbie.

I listened to the links... I have been there, the place she's referring to, but I think for the past 4 years, that anxiety has been almost totally about my health... I go to work everyday, come home, I'm a mom of three daughters, so I keep up with all their needs, but I constantly distracted by whatever pain/health issue I'm dealing with at the time....that in turn makes me feel very guilty... It's a vicious cycle and I'm ready for it to stop. I'm almost done with The Great Pain Deception and I've been listening to the recordings of your call in sessions. I love those. I feel like I know you all already, such sweet people. One of these days I'll try and make time to call in too. I kinda feel like intellectually I know what I'm supposed to do, I'm just a little stuck. Thanks again for your reply to this and my other post. You all are a blessing!
Click to expand...
Thank you DanielleMRD. I really am humbled by your words of gratitude, awesome.
Bless You
 
Danielle, I wanted to mention that I'm in a very similar situation to you on this. I have a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis which causes food to get stuck in my throat. They think this is connected to allergies. When I went on a gluten/dairy free diet, the symptoms improved by 90%. But now, I follow a very limited diet excluding a variety of things to which tests showed I had developed sensitivities. My quest to heal a leaky gut became (and is) sort of all consuming. This has definitely impacted my social life as well. I don't like to back off though because I had the positive reinforcement from the eosinophilic esophagitis symptoms. I feel a bit stuck as well.
 
Short answer, since I'm on the run (not with the runs though) to my Sunday morning practice--quoting a mindbody lady MD, who's recently authored a new MB book:

"IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUTRITION"

Eat whatever you want, we're omnivores that's what Rolaids are for.

​
 
Thank you, Tennis Tom. Do you know the name of the MB book? This food issue arose for me after many of the pain symptoms but I feel that it is reinforcing patterns/habits of fear and distraction.
 
​
Hiawatha922 said:
Thank you, Tennis Tom. Do you know the name of the MB book? This food issue arose for me after many of the pain symptoms but I feel that it is reinforcing patterns/habits of fear and distraction.
Click to expand...

It's "MIND OVER MEDICINE" by Lissa Rankin M.D. I haven't read it yet but attended a lecture by her and that is where I heard her say that. I don't know if she goes into nutrition in her book though. Her outlook is complementary to TMS. I asked her if she'd heard of Dr. Sarno and she had.
 
Hiawatha922, I haven't been brave enough to ditch my vegan diet either. Truthfully, I'm not sure I want to, but I do want to end the fear that motivates me to stay on it. I'm still jumping from one symptom imparative to the next, so I obviously still have work to do. I guess it all comes down to belief. I see that, I've just always been such a seeker of "knowledge," that it seems there's always some new information to contradict this or that. I want 100% full proof truth... That probably doesn't exist. With that said, I have used this group to heal from many things, if only this darn symptom imparative didn't keep rearing it's ugly head... Now it's my gums? Ugh... I'm sorry if that was a complete ramble... I wish you well on your healing journey.
 
Thank you, Danielle. I agree, there is always new information out there. It makes sense to me that allergies are a part of the picture for me. I notice more fatigue and more aches in the summer, when pollens are high. But some of my most concerning symptoms (right leg weakness, left temple ache) are symptoms that now continue throughout the year. The TMS diagnosis also makes sense to me--the idea that the fear/preoccupation with allergies is a distraction from emotional issues.

One of the "new ideas" that I have been pursuing is treatment for leaky gut (which in turn was supposed to benefit allergy symptoms--leaky gut is the root cause of allergies). I imagine that TMS would say that TMS is the root of leaky gut. This is my hope. I haven't experienced improvement of symptoms yet from any other strategy or intervention. I know I have a variety of pretty significant emotional issues in my history.

Right now, I plan to continue eating a gluten/dairy free diet but maybe relax some of my other restrictions/exclusions (including eating out at restaurants). I want to pursue treatment for TMS and really let go of more of the structural pieces.

Thanks for your kind wishes. I wish you well on your healing journey as well.
 
My sister was really hurting until an East Indian doctor said it might be what she ate and put her on a gluten free diet.
She recovered right away. But a doctor had checked her out first. Other doctors didn't have a clue.

I avoid eating at restaurants for non-food reasons. They're too expensive, crowded, and noisy. I much prefer a home cooked dinner
and since I live alone, that means I'm the chef. I do pretty well with a salad, chicken or fish (usually salmon), and fruit. I love smoothies so
I get my fruits and vegetables that way for breakfast and/or lunch. I'm 84 now and not sick or aching, thanks to TMS knowledge.
 
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