<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
On October 15 I wrote the following (shortened version):
--------------------------------
A great break-through has happened for some of us who are gluten sensitive,
and have had problems with irrational anger or other mental symptoms.
Margot Kidder was on Good Morning America today, She was found a few years
ago, "cowering in the bushes" at the home of some Hollywood star's estate,
having had a mental breakdown. She said she had known since the age of 11
that she had some form of mental "difference".
Today, she is healthy, happy, and completely normal in her mental condition,
and she says that she was suffering from "food allergies." She has
eliminated from her diet all foods containing wheat, never drinks alcohol,
etc.
I never cowered in bushes, but I surely had a dreadful and irrational anger,
but then found that removing gluten, alcohol, sugars, milk products, and soy
helped, and finally found that acupuncture could deal with all of the food
"allergies."
Morgot Kidder talked about the brain as an organ of the body that, in her
case, "suffered from an allergic reaction to foods." She did not use the
term "gluten."
For those of you who have never had any brain connection to gluten-
sensitivity, this may not be important, but I know there are many on the
list who have had personality changes resulting from eating gluten, and for
these people it is a real step forward.
--------------------------------
Now for the responses:
>Margot Kidder has manic depression and refuses to take her lithium. She
>feels it does not agree with her. From things I've heard her say and read
>she is a true "manic depressive" who would do well on lithium but she does
>not like the way it makes her feel. From talking to many manic depressives,
>they say they feel the same way and can sympathize with her, but they also
>say the medicine is a godsend. I'm not knocking what she is on, but she
>would probably do much better on Lithium.
****
>Gayle, count me as interested. I'm the VP of the Celiac Support Group of
>Vermont. I'm a celiac and so is my 3 yr old son. I suffered depression and
>memory loss during my undiagnosed days. I'm on the lookout for a celebrity
>spokesperson to carry our celiac awareness message on a national level.
>Maybe Margot is a celiac, or knows one in the celebrity ranks. Maybe not.
>Keep me in mind as you learn more, and I'll keep my eyes and ears open.
****
>Gayle, the thing I worry about is that the treatments might be
>ameliorating only the overt symptoms (diarrhea, bloating, etc.), but not
>the damage. The results of the damage (ex. malabsorption) might take a
>while to manifest themselves. Please be cognizant and careful.
****
>I have grandsons and two daughters and oh the medical doctors or
>psychrist who fry the brains and pour the meds down them what a shame
>go to anger mangement instead of diagnosing the real cause
****
>thank you for the information...I feel like I could benefit greatly from the
>right vitamins, but I have not found a formula that I can tolerate....tell me
>about the orthomolecular vitamins that you take. A lot of foods have a very
>negative impact on my brian.
****
>She (Kidder) is bipolar and had a total psychotic break off medication. She
>may also have had a history of alcohol and recreational drug abuse. She
>wandered for days after leaving the airport, had most of her teeth broken out
>and no idea how she got there. She has an autobiography due to come out that
>will explain her illness. She has become a believer in natural therapies and
>herbal formulas and has her own website which explains most of this.
>
>I do think there is some good evidence on Ron Hoggans's web site that
>leaky gut syndrome in a non-recovered CD patient could allow substances
>access to the brain that should never get there. Also, malabsorption of
>thiamine can result in lack of remyelination of nerves (myelin is the
>coating around nerves). Supplementing thiamine IV or orally usually reverses
>the damage but I know of CD patients who will never recover. There are only
>a few of us on this list who have had brain related problems from CD. It is
>exceedingly rare for it to be as severe as what Margot was describing.
>
>Dr. Hadjivassiliou from Sheffield, England, is doing the most research
>of anyone on CD and nerve damage. He has published some papers and some info
>can be accessed if you search the Celiac archives.
****
>I read with interest your message about CD and acupuncture and am curious
>about how acupuncture works to counteract the emotional effects of CD. I
>know there is thought to be a connection between CD and ADD and ADHD and
>autism, all brain dysfunctions, so please tell me more.
****
>thanks so much for sharing that info....we have 2 sons--ages 4 and 6 who
>apparently have brain irritability reactions from wheat---at least we hope we
>ave found an answer after everything else has failed..this definitely
>gives us more strength to enforce a wheat free diet..if you have any more
>news to share please contact us..as we are really in need of support at this
>point....
****
>Regarding the irrational anger you mentioned, I believe my 5 year old son
>has a problem with that. He can be so sweet and then turn around and be
>such a monster. I am sure that sugar ingestion is one trigger for him,
>especially corn syrup (corn allergy?) but he usually stays pretty gluten
>free, so I am not sure if that is a problem, though the children in the
>family with celiac disease definitely have more behavior problems than the
>ones that don't have it. (or don't have symptoms)
>
>Thanks for sharing the information about this show and interview.
****
>I absolutely believe Morgot K. is a celiac.
>
>I can attest to the diminished brain power when under the influence of
>gluten. I am 57, have been on the diet 6 yrs. and suffered many years of
>"brain dead". Once gf I became more focused and able to concentrate, my
>husband will attest to that, he saw a different person. If I get some
>gluten now, I become mean and irritable. My middle son has had problems
>which have devastated him, he is now on the diet but had a difficult time, I
>feel very bad about that.
****
>right to remind us that some people experience neurological consequences
>from >gluten. But I think it is important to note that Ms. Kidder said her
>acupuncture/vitamin etc. approach was not instead of but in addition to
>conventional medical treatment for her delusional problems.
>
>Ms. Kidder made quite a point of cautioning people on psychotropic
>drugs not to go off them because "you'll flip out." In other words,
>she was not suggesting that either she or her doctors believe the
>alternative approach was the cure-all for her. We know that celiac is
>the cause of a lot of strange and seemingly unrelated symptoms--and
>that one of the reasons diagnosis and treatment can be so tricky is
>that each symptom (except DH, I guess) can be caused by any number of
>other things.
>
>Back to Gayle's comments: it will be interesting to see if other
>celiacs on the list report a family history of irrational anger.
****
>I did not see the recent Good Morning show with Margot Kidder featured, but I
>am a clinical psychologist with 25 years experience, plus being a diagnosed
>celiac. I am aware of Ms. Kidder's history and I have thought that she was
>probably bipolar (manic-depressive), at the very least. I was somewhat
>incredulous to read your post and think that her entire background was due to
>food allergies. The post this morning from another list member clarified
>things for me. Ms. Kidder apparently has had some form of psychotic episodes,
>in addition to food reactions. It is good, however, to get the information
>from her about the connection between food reactions and brain disturbance.
>
>I look in retrospect now and see that my late father, whom I have always
>called a "rageoholic" was also an undiagnosed and untreated celiac. It
>certainly puts everything in perspective for me when I think back. I have
>been aware of the reason for my father's erratic behavior for a couple of
>years now. I myself have suffered from angry outbursts and irrational anger
>in the past. Now that I have been GF for almost 3 years I am calm and
>tolerant. The difference in my overall personality is amazing. I don't think
>that there is any doubt in my mind that untreated celiac has a neuorological
>component for many of us. I am glad to see the general concept getting out
>there into the public's collective thinking.
>
>Thanks for posting this; it should help some of our fellow sufferers.......
****
>I too had a great change in personality. All my life I never could
>figure out why I felt "different". My body now "tightens up" on the
>left side (I am left handed) if I accidentally eat any gluten. When I
>was eating it regularly, my body was constantly tight. By father would
>have bouts of anger which was very unlike him, since he was a
>mild-mannered, intelligent man. Now that I know he was a celiac, I
>understand why.
****
>Her (Kidder's) book will be out Oct 2000.
>
>I found her website. If you do a search on her name it was the only one
>that came up.
****
That's it, folks. Now what do we do with the information? GK
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