Frequently Asked Questions
Gastrointestinal Issues
I was diagnosed with gliadin sensitivity, but by symptoms were not gastrointestinal...
...I have muscle weakness in my legs, along with anxiety, dizziness, and the feeling that I am "running on high" all the time (even though I am tired.) I stopped eating gluten 8 months ago — how long will it take for these symptoms to disappear? Could I possibly have another problem that has either caused the sensitivity or vice versa? I feel like a hormonal wreck.
Dr. Kalish: Briefly, gluten is just the tip of the iceberg. People who are sensitive to gliadin are at extremely high risk for multiple digestive tract infections including parasites, bacteria, and yeast overgrowth often referred to as Candida. Some people who are gluten/gliadin sensitive also suffer from multiple food allergies.
Every one of the thousands of patients I have worked with that have gluten problems will have a corresponding down regulation of their adrenal and female hormones which translates into female hormone imbalances and fatigue.
According to a test that I took I am not allergic to wheat. Another test showed that I am intolerant to wheat. Which is correct?
Dr. Kalish: That is a very good question. You are not allergic to wheat, but you do have an intolerance to gluten, which is in wheat. This is confusing, but it is just like the difference between lactose intolerance and being allergic to milk, they are related but different issues.
Gluten intolerance and lactose intolerance have to do with enzyme defects in the body, these are genetic and typically do not go away. A wheat allergy or milk allergy is an immune response which can come and go.
So, short answer is you still need to mostly avoid wheat except on special occasions.
I have Candida and all of the diets I read about contradict each other or the research is very old. What type of food plan would you suggest?
Dr. Kalish: Very complicated issue you raise. When alternative doctors first started treating Candida it was seen as an isolated problem, unrelated to other aspects of one's health. Now, some thirty years later, we have discovered that Candida overgrowth is most commonly a secondary infection. In other words, it is the body's response to some other GI tract dysfunction.
Most of the time people with chronic yeast overgrowth in the GI tract are either gluten sensitive or have infections such as bacterial overgrowths or parasitic infections. Most people who treat their yeast, whether with a diet or supplements, find that it comes back over and over because some other health concern is primary and is re-triggering the Candida.
I have been involved in treating thousands of Candida cases and am pretty convinced at this point that this is what is really occurring.
Therefore, you need to determine if you are gluten sensitive or not and whether you have any other infections in addition to the Candida.
To answer your question, there is no perfect anti-Candida diet, which is why everyone disagrees. It all depends on your individual biochemistry and what other health problems you are dealing with at the moment.
