Susan Carmack wrote:
> I hypothesize that the meat supply is affecting some of us with
> gluten/corn/soy (whatever the cows are fed) sensitivities. I have not
> experienced chest pain (I got those with aspartame), but I am extremely
> itchy and this itch previously went away on a gluten free, vegetarian diet.
> The itch has returned with a vengeance on the paleodiet.
Ahh, I am so glad that somebody else has this who's on paleo/low carb, so
I can discuss it. (not that I wish this on you, of course). I tried to start
a thread about this a while ago on a low carb list, but nothing came of it.
after being on a low carb (not paleo) for over a year I started developing
a rather intense itch. Couldn't figure out what was causing it. After quite
a while noticed a pattern. It happened only when I was low carbing, the
ambient temperature was low (cold outside, or stepping out from a shower),
I was NOT exercising at the time the itch came on, and I was usually dehydrated.
This led me to think it was ketosis related. My guess was that if I am
already in deep ketosis and then get exposed to low temperatures then
the brown fat cells burn fat for heat (not energy) and raise the level
of ketones in the blood (this process would bypass the usually insulin
feedback process to lower ketosis). That's why it didn't seem to happen
when I wasn't exposed to cold or when not in ketosis or when I was exercising
(this would burn off extra ketones fast enough to prevent the buildup).
This was my first guess. The second one is fish oil capsules. I was taking
them at the time, and taking quite a few - 10-20 a day often more. A friend
of mine has started low carbing some time ago and taking these capsules at
the same time. He also developed the itch. That prompted him to abandon low
carb dieting. He also quit taking capsules some time later. He said that the
itch went away when he stopped the capsules. But it's a little hard to say
what is responsible since he started, then quit both at roughly same time.

I stopped getting the itch some months later (I also stopped taking
fish oil capsules, by accident - run out of them and forgot to buy more).
Can't say if it's my first guess, second one, or its a combination of the two
(or even something else entirely). I have been itch free for a year or so.

PS the itch is rather distinctive - very intense, if you scratch it get much
worse. Covers large areas, but not the whole body. At different time covers
different areas (never the face or head though). Get a rash and /or bumps when
you get it. In my case also get welds in any spot that you scratch. The bumps
/welds go away in minutes if you get into a warm environment (hot shower or
a hot room, for example). Brisk walk would end it in about 15 minutes, drinking
a lot of fluids (few gallons) would get rid of the itch in one to two hours.
Otherwise, if I stayed in the same conditions, the itch would persist for hours.

Ilya