How long from eating to reaction?

[bluecarrot]

I was tested last year by a natural therapist and told to come off gluten, sugar and dairy among other things. I did and felt a good bit better however if I eat any gluten , med amounts of sugar, or a lot of dairy I feel really exhausted.

A friend has suggested it's all in my head. This morning I ate the last spoonful of DDs porridge by accident ( thought it was mine) and within a few mins I feel exhausted and my stomach feels odd. ( Sometimes my head feels strange too. like a balloon blowing up inside it.) I noticed the error as I swallowed-thinking "this porridge tastes odd"! So could be all in my head I guess.

Sometimes I sleep for an hour or more after eating gluten or something sugary. Though I could eat the same thing on different days and feel less tired. Only thing I can think of that might cause that is what else I've eaten ( slows down absorption?)

My GP refuses to test me for these things, even thought was complaining of exhaustion for years. ( reasons : I was a new mum, I was working with a child, I was working, studying and had a child... All fair enough but lots of people do and don't sleep 14-16 hours a day or throw up from exhaustion...this is why I ended up at natural therapist.

So, back to original question- could it be all in my head? Do reactions happen within 5 mins?

[JoleneB]

There is no simple answer, everyone is different and everyone reacts in different ways.

From what I know of allergies and intolerance and autoimmune conditions the simple answer would be yes, if you are suffering from an IgE mediated response (immediate allergic reaction) but no if it is non-IgE mediated response, intolerance or auto immune condition.

IgE allergies are the type of allergies associated with anaphylaxis and happen immediately during consumption or up to 2 hrs after consumption, whereas a non IgE or intolerance or auto immune reaction happens much slower as the reaction happens in the gut, so the allergen needs to pass through the stomach and in to the intestine before the body starts reacting too it, this can take anything from an hour to a couple of days, depending on the person, food consumed and amount consumed etc, there are many factors.

There have been studies conducted that prove that excluding certain foods can cause a placebo effect, which means that although there may not physically be a link between your symptoms and the food, the placebo effect causes your symptoms to be alleviated, so simple answer yes it could well be "in your head" but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you are well when your avoiding certain foods, continue to avoid them, placebos are used a lot for treating many medical conditions

[bluecarrot]

Thanks :) thats pretty much the attitude i have. I don't necessarily avoid them totally. At home I'm fussy, eat lots of veg etc so when I'm out I can be more relaxed about what I eat.

Can it still work as a placebo if I know it's a placebo?!

[JoleneB]

I think it can, as long as you believe it works

[Hoophopes]

The test for gluten is a simple blood test and I would think that you have the right to have that from your gp if you think you are coeliac. However, for the blood test to work you need to have gluten in your diet for about 6 weeks before the test - so it depends if you want to eat gluten for that long.