Wheat/Gluten Allergy?

Is anyone allergic to Wheat/Gluten? I am being tested on Friday but over the past year in general I have felt tired/lethargic and unhealthy....I have had numerous blood tests and nothing has been found.  In the past month I recently started throwing up after eating certain foods and I noticed they contain mostly wheat....I also can barely have 1 or 2 drinks w/o feeling excessively hungover or very sick the next day (this is not common for me).  I was wondering if anyone experienced anything like this? My stomach always hurts after I eat anything and within 10 minutes I usually have to use the bathroom....any suggestions/opinions?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

In my opinion, you seem to be having allergy to gluten and cross reactivity to it. It is the occurrence of allergic reactions to foods that are chemically or otherwise related to foods known to cause allergy in an individual.

Wheat or gluten contains thiamine (which is also found in Pork, beef, liver, legumes, nuts), riboflavin (also found in Milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, meat, leafy green vegetables), niacin (also in Meat, peanuts, legumes),iron(in Red meat, fish, poultry, shellfish, legumes, dried fruits) and folic acid in fortified wheat(also in Liver, green and leafy vegetables, lentils, oranges) in addition to carbohydrates and proteins.

Pls consult an allergy specialist and get allergy tests like skin ***** test or blood tests like RAST done to find out the specific allergen. These tests will also rule out gluten sensitive enteropathy (celiac sprue) which is similar in symptoms to gluten allergy.

In addition to the avoidance of allergen in your diet, you can take some over-the-counter antihistaminics like benadryl or Claritin. They can relieve gastrointestinal symptoms, hives, sneezing, and a runny nose. Some severe case may require steroids.Severe cases are also treated with immunotherapy or allergy shots.

Take care and pls do keep us posted.