Can Cholinergic Urticaria (Hives) Be Caused By GLUTEN intolerance/celiac?
Post by: jga on May 08, 2008, 07:16:44 PM
It is very possible that you have developed an allergy to gluten or it could be something that gluten just fires up. It sounds like you have the same condition as my fiance has: chronic idiopathic urticaria. Basically it just means that you have hives a lot and doctors don’t know why. My fiance had never had hives before, then one night she was covered and had them from that night on. She doesn’t have celiac disease but she does have a more hives when she eats gluten. What is happening with your body is that you are producing more histamines than your liver can effectively discard of. There are a couple things I would suggest trying.
First of all, take the plunge and do the gluten free diet. Gluten is inflammatory and causes problems for tons of people who have no clue. There are several websites with information about gluten free foods.
Secondly I would look into nutritional supplements. There is a company called Standard Process out of Iowa that produces an incredible line of all organic, whole food, vitamins and supplements. My fiance started taking a few supplements that were supposed to help flush the histamines, help her liver function, etc and they’ve been great.
The other thing that she finds that helps is having a regular chiropractic adjustment. Sometimes your body’s nervous system sends mixed signals to your brain if there are problems with your spine and spinal cord. She goes once a week.
All of these things together have almost completely eliminated her hives and swollen lips and palms (along with all of the itching and “ugly welts” and irritation and frustration which is huge! She’s been dealing with this for over 5 years and has tried several medications which either make her feel like crap or make the problem worse. This natural approach is amazing. I 100% encourage you to try this. It can be expensive, but its worth the cost to have a peace of mind!
PS–her doctors have told her that most cases such as hers normally subside after about 7 years. You can look up chronic idiopathic urticaria to find more information
Never read much about a chiropractic and nutritional supplements before. Anyone every try either of them?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: interesting info I found
Post by: HivesGuy on May 08, 2008, 07:39:08 PM
——————————————————————————–
Excellent & very informative post! Thank you very very much for sharing it with us. I have personally experimented with a gluten free & milk/dairy free diet. I did notice that my hives seemed less reactive. I stayed on it fairly well for about 2-3 weeks on the dairy, and almost a full month on the gluten. Somehow I feel like maybe I should have done it longer. I have read some things online that indicate you may not see full recovery & results for as long as 2-3 months.
I definitely plan to try to experiment with more dieting in the future, & possibly try 2 months gluten/dairy free (I have recently realized I am lactose intolerant). Maybe some of you will also want to tweak your diet a little & see if you have any results. Basically here is what I ate: Raw, frozen, & canned fruits & veggies (rice, tomatoes, apples, potatoes, etc.) Plain meat (fish, chicken, turkey, steak, etc.) no breading (breading often contains gluten & milk) & more. Check out my Gluten free smoothie as well.
I can tell you first-hand that this was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Very intense food cravings for junk food. This is also one reason why I think diets may have at least a small role. Strong food cravings could be a sign of a food allergy, intolerance, etc.
As far as supplements, the only thing I have tried is a multi vitamin that I bought at walmart. It was supposed to be gluten free, milk free, etc. I really didn’t notice any difference, so I quit taking it after a couple of weeks. I have talked to some that have mentioned that they have tried supplements & they seemed to help some, but not cure, the symptoms. That to me is one of the most frustrating things about this condition. It seems there are lots of things that slightly help (sweating it out, antihistimines, supplements, etc.) but nothing takes it away 100% for most people.
Also, I have already talked about before a guy that was on yahoo forums talking to people about hives. He didn’t have Cholinergic Urticaria, but a physical “pressure” type of hives, and also “cold” hives where he could place an ice cube on him & break out. He had this & asthma for about 5-10 years. He said he was cured from his hives after he went on a gluten free diet. Basically, he was trying to do the Atkins diet to lose weight, and it just so happened that he was also cutting out gluten in the process.
After his hives went away, he tried to find which foods were causing him problems. He finally figured out it was gluten, and even had a test done by his doctor to confirm celiac disease. He said it took about a month on the gluten free diet, and then after about a month the hives went away.
So it seems like it may be something to try. It is free to do, basically you just buy different foods when you go to the grocery store. Again, as I said though, extremely hard to do it. Especially if you cut out milk too (I was just trying to cut out major allergies to be safe). Also, you want to make sure you eat enough nutritious foods for a balanced diet.
Thanks again for the wonderful & thought provoking post, and I would also be interested in knowing any supplements/diets anyone has attempted.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: interesting info I found
Post by: jga on May 08, 2008, 08:27:16 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’m experimenting with Vitamin E at the moment, I have read Vitamin E pills relieve a lot of people from allergy, so maybe it could work on hives.
Yeah I read your story about gluten, foods with gluten have been something I’ve eaten on a regular basis my whole life so I have yet to see what life would be like without them. I too read about the gluten free diet starting to show real progress in at least 2 months. I’m gonna try for the gluten free diet for 2 months myself but every single thing in my house has gluten at the moment. Hopefully all the gluten in my system will be flushed out within 2 months.
I have noticed my hives do show up less consecutively in a day if I ate really light and just drank a lot of water through the day.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: interesting info I found
Post by: billysielu on May 09, 2008, 02:18:37 PM
——————————————————————————–
I am trying 2 things:
1) Eating less, to lose weight (working)
2) Drinking water, instead of my usual massive amount of coke.
The idea is to improve my general wellbeing:
1) healthier immune system
2) better stamina
3) water = sweat, hopefully
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: interesting info I found
Post by: jga on May 13, 2008, 10:20:34 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’ve found more interesting info:
Cholinergic urticaria is the little red blotchies that some folks get in a hot shower or on exercising. They start on the chest and spread, and may be accompanied by parasympathetic stuff. Long a minor mystery of medicine, it’s now clear that the real cause is obstruction of the outlet of the sweat ducts, especially when sweating occurs infrequently (Dermatology 204: 173, 2002).
CHOLINERGIC URTICARIA SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH PARTIALLY PURIFIED SWEAT ANTIGEN
Accession number;07A0160871
Title;CHOLINERGIC URTICARIA SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH PARTIALLY PURIFIED SWEAT ANTIGEN
Author;TANAKA TOSHIHIKO(Hiroshima Univ., Graduate School of Biomedical Sci., JPN) ISHII KAORI(Hiroshima Univ., Graduate School of Biomedical Sci., JPN) SUZUKI HIDENORI(Hiroshima Univ., Graduate School of Biomedical Sci., JPN) KAMEYOSHI YOSHIKAZU(Hiroshima Univ., Graduate School of Biomedical Sci., JPN) HIDE MICHIHIRO(Hiroshima Univ., Graduate School of Biomedical Sci., JPN)
Journal Title;Japanese Journal of Allergology
Journal Code:Z0644A
ISSN:0021-4884
VOL.56;NO.1;PAGE.54-57(2007)
Figure&Table&Reference;FIG.3, TBL.1
Pub. Country;Japan
Language;Japanese
Abstract;A 24-years-old man was referred to our University Hospital because of one and a half-year history of disabling symptoms related to physical exertion. Multiple small round-shaped wheals with severe itch were induced by exercise, warmth and psychological stress. These symptoms were resistant to histamine H1-receptor antagonists.
Similar eruptions were induced by sauna-bathing, and skin test with autologous sweat showed a flare and wheal reaction. Incubation of his peripheral-blood leukocytes with partially purified sweat antigen evoked marked histamine release, indicating that he has been IgE-sensitized to an antigen(s) in human sweat. Specific immunotherapy using partially purified sweat antigen was performed every other week. Both pruritus and wheals improved gradually, and the reactivity of his peripheral blood leukocytes against sweat antigen decreased as immunotherapy was proceeded. Specific immunotherapy using sweat antigen may be valuable for patients with cholinergic urticaria with type I hypersensitivity to sweat antigen(s). (author abst.)
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: interesting info I found
Post by: born_to_fight on May 13, 2008, 11:57:16 PM
——————————————————————————–
Excelent post jga,
I further read abt ‘allergy immunotheraphy’ from wikipedia.
I want to highlight certain points (in bold)
‘Allergies
Immunotherapy is also used to treat allergies. While other allergy treatments (such as antihistamines or corticosteroids) treat only the symptoms of allergic disease, immunotherapy is the only available treatment that can modify the natural course of the allergic disease, by reducing sensitivity to allergens.
A three-to-five-year individually tailored regimen of injections may result in long-term benefits. Recent research suggests that patients who complete immunotherapy may continue to see benefits for years to come.[2] Immunotherapy does not work for everyone and is only partly effective in some people, but it offers allergy sufferers the chance to eventually reduce or stop symptomatic/rescue medication.
The therapy is indicated for people who are extremely allergic or who cannot avoid specific allergens. For example, they may not be able to live a normal life and completely avoid pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, insect venom, and certain other common triggers of allergic reactions. Immunotherapy is generally not indicated for food or medicinal allergies. Immunotherapy is typically individually tailored and administered by an allergist (allergologist). Injection schedules are available in some healthcare systems and can be prescribed by family physicians. This therapy is particularly useful for people with allergic rhinitis or asthma.
The therapy is particularly likely to be successful if it begins early in life or soon after the allergy develops for the first time. Immunotherapy involves a series of injections (shots) given regularly for several years by a specialist in a hospital clinic. In the past, this was called a serum, but this is an incorrect name. Most allergists now call this mixture an allergy extract. The first shots contain very tiny amounts of the allergen or antigen to which you are allergic.
With progressively increasing dosages over time, your body will adjust to the allergen and become less sensitive to it. This process is called desensitization. A recently approved sublingual tablet (Grazax), containing a grass pollen extract, is similarly effective, with few side effects, and can be self-administered at home, including by those patients who also suffer from allergic asthma, a condition which precludes the use of injection-based desensitization.’
jga’s article points out that in one type of Cholinergic Urticaria, the white blood cells are reactive to our sweat’s antigen (which is the allergen).
For my case, I think I have been sort of doing natural desensitization by running often (and sweating), inducing my Cholinergic Urticaria. This may have the same effect as injecting allergens to my body (immunotheraphy) and eventually my body kind of get use to it.
Also take note that my Cholinergic Urticaria is only 3 months old (relatively new) hence the desensitization process has a higher chance to be effective. And the article also mention that this does not work for everyone.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: interesting info I found
Post by: billysielu on May 14, 2008, 12:25:36 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’ve been rowing 10k every day, even though it can hurt.
And i’ve stopped drinking coke, and now drink only water.
I feel a lot better, it’s much more bearable.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Can Cholinergic Urticaria (Hives) Be Caused By GLUTEN intolerance/celiac?
Post by: jessamine1 on January 07, 2011, 08:19:14 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi guys,
Sorry if this has been posted, but I haven’re really come across anything like this before. There’s a study where a boy with cold urticaria was found to be celiac and going gluten free cured him of cold urticaria.
I’ve myself have tried gluten free for short periods and see some improvement, and I know various ppl on the board have had mixed results, but this study is still interesting.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Really could be GLUTEN intolerance/celiac!!
Post by: HivesGuy on January 08, 2011, 05:38:53 AM
——————————————————————————–
Yes that is an interesting study. I have also found other evidence online that suggests gluten may be to blame in at least some cases of urticaria (even the physical urticarias). There is a guy by the name of “sailor” on yahoo answers who used to have pressure urticaria and it seemed to resolve when he went gluten free.
On the other hand, I have been gluten free for months and it hasn’t really helped my hives at all. Also, Willdev had a gluten test and it was negative. I also seem to recall Bbroom trying it and it didn’t help her.
But, having said all that, it is always possible that in some cases it could be a cause. There just isn’t any clear evidence at this point to suggest it is a major factor.
I continue to stay on a gluten free diet, because I seem to have a lot of food intolerances. When I eat wheat and milk, it upsets my stomach and sometimes causes small rashes/eczema. So I am still eating gluten free and will probably hold to it as much as possible for a long time.
If you suspect you have a gluten intolerance, you can get tested. Or, you can start avoiding it in your diet. It isn’t very hard to avoid it these days, because a lot of stores carry gluten free alternatives.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Really could be GLUTEN intolerance/celiac!!
Post by: Green727 on January 08, 2011, 10:26:40 AM
——————————————————————————–
I think you are on to something. I tried a candida diet a couple months ago https://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoeat.htm and that seemed to treat my symptoms the best by far! It’s very difficult for me to keep on this though because of all the wheat foods my parents buy. =P
Hopefully this gives some help!
Good luck!
——————————————————————————–
Title: gluten and other things
Post by: jessamine1 on January 08, 2011, 10:49:09 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the reply guys….yes i do think in my case gluten/wheat may make it worse….although i’m undergoing allergy testing at the moment which hasnt shown any particular allergen. Which is not a surprise. I am going to a naturopath in a week to see what she suggests. I am not expecting a cure, but if it makes me feel healthies and helps the hives even a bit I’m happy.
It’s summer here in Australia, so I am finding they have been worse lately.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Gluten
Post by: queenofthehives on May 21, 2011, 07:59:09 PM
——————————————————————————–
Here is THE challenge that is improving my life with this condition dramatically:
For some reason, if I do not eat or drink AT ALL for long periods of time (i.e. over twelve hours) I can exercise AND take hot baths without having near death experiences due to anaphylaxis. š While I still get a few hives here and there, it is a drastic improvement.
Though the cause of this condition is unknown, my immunologist told me that hives from heat, pressure, cold and the like are often due to a underlying food allergy. The probable culprits are wheat/gluten, dairy, nuts, etc. The first thing the doctor told me to completely eliminate was wheat/gluten. This is difficult because it is such a popular additive in processed food. here is the most complete and comprehensive list I have been able to find:
IF you try this experiment multiple times and notice an improvement, try eliminating only one allergen at once. Traces of allergens can take weeks (a very long time to wait) to completely get out of your system, so don’t get too discouraged if all of the hives do not disappear immediately. For me, I noticed an immediate improvement by getting the gluten out of my digestive system by not eating anything. I’ve only been doing this for a week now, but there has been a minimal but noticeable improvement each day since the second day.
Does anyone have any advice or tips? anything would be greatly appreciated. I don’t know what to do. ??? It took me four long years to get this figured out. Thank You! š