Body developing strange reactions to foods

[Aidan]

Had anybody else found themselves developing strange autoimmune like reactions to different foods overtime? I will detail my experience and I am interested if anyone has found anything similar.

For a long time since having cfs, I have had to carefully balance my calcium intake. Too little and I feel horrible, too much and I also feel bad. When I have too little, it feels as though my body is lacking something vital and I feel extremely weak, terrible cognitive function, no sex drive/function, low mood, tingling sensation in feet and toes, ptosis etc. When I have too much it is like my body has produced too much of something in response. I get a rush of energy but cannot concentrate, kidneys get this full feeling, body gets hot and muscles get this unpleasant heavy feeling, like my blood is thick and heavy and I also cannot think clearly, my brain feels clogged.

Note that 1. These symptoms are not simply hypo and hypercalcaemia, my serum calcium levels maintain in the healthy range regardless of which set of symptoms I have. And 2. I cannot tolerate more than around 300-400 mg calcium per day so when I say too much calcium, I don't mean an actual excessive amount. It seems as though my body produces something in response to my calcium intake.

Anyway, for a while I carefully stayed in the correct range of calcium for myself to feel "good" although would sometimes overshoot and trigger these bad symptoms, as it is a very fine balance. But what started happening after about a year, is my body started to develop a bad reaction to foods that I consumed that caused me to overshoot on calcium. For a while I was eating kale as a means of eating enough calcium but then I found that I was able to tolerate less and less. Eventually, eating a small portion of kale would trigger a strange autoimmune like reaction, that is similar to the reaction from eating large portions of calcium, but also noticeably different. At first I get this rush but then soon after I get a slightly stuffy nose and pressure in sinuses and I cannot think clearly. Then the next day, I feel absolutely terrible. I wake up and can barely open my eyes due to ptosis, nervous system feels so weak and I cannot clench my fist, erectile dysfunction and weak feeling all throughout body.

What I have found over the last year is that anytime I overshoot on calcium, it is like my body develops this reaction described above to the food that triggered the overshoot and this pattern has repeated so many times, limiting my diet massively. The package of symptoms that I get is unmistakable and very distinctive and it happens every time I eat that food. It is not psychological, as the symptoms started before I ever thought about this and once I discovered the pattern I was able to improve how I feel a lot.

Does anything that I have described here sound at all familiar to anyone else's experience? I am eager to figure out a solution as this is really making things hard. I am underweight as I have such a limited diet due to reacting badly to so many foods now.
If you read this far, thank you.

 

[LINE]

I will throw out some ideas that may spur some further discussion.

1. Calcium/Magnesium balance. These 2 interact with one another. Too much calcium will suppress magnesium. Magnesium tends to be a central element in many enzymatic reactions and depleted levels have been shown in ME.

http://www.mgwater.com/clmd.shtml

2. The gut holds 70% of the immune system, so if the gut microbiome is disturbed then the immune response is going to be altered. With the alteration, there is going to be quite a bit of immune activity which causes downstream problems. One thing that comes to mind is histamine release, in my case, high histamine creates an insomnia response. It is feasible that calcium could alter the microbiome thus allowing for a higher immune response.

Just some ideas.

 

[Wishful]

Our bodies have a vast number of interlinked subsystems. Calcium is involved in a large number of reactions, directly or indirectly. Excess calcium intake could directly affect some subsystem, even if serum Ca stays normal. Perhaps the brain monitors Ca level in the gut, and responds by changing some hormone production or other chemical. I think you'll need more data to have a chance of figuring it out. For example, taking supplemental Mg with one of the problem foods might affect the response, or maybe fat intake changes the response. Maybe time of day, or water intake.

I've had quite a few unexpected food responses, and some I managed to figure out at least partially, and others remain a mystery.

 

[Aidan]

I will throw out some ideas that may spur some further discussion.

1. Calcium/Magnesium balance. These 2 interact with one another. Too much calcium will suppress magnesium. Magnesium tends to be a central element in many enzymatic reactions and depleted levels have been shown in ME.

http://www.mgwater.com/clmd.shtml

2. The gut holds 70% of the immune system, so if the gut microbiome is disturbed then the immune response is going to be altered. With the alteration, there is going to be quite a bit of immune activity which causes downstream problems. One thing that comes to mind is histamine release, in my case, high histamine creates an insomnia response. It is feasible that calcium could alter the microbiome thus allowing for a higher immune response.

Just some ideas.

I think my problems are not due to an improper electrolyte balance, as my serum magnesium levels and serum calcium levels were both good and I consume plenty of magnesium.

I do, however, also think histamine is likely to play some sort of a role in my problems. And the gut microbiome point makes sense, as I find if my digestion is affected then my symptoms are a lot worse.

 

[LINE]

@Aidan The histamine release can definitely come from the gut -- I think that some bacterial species are more histamine releasing than others. As mentioned above, if I consume foods my tummy does not like, then I could get into severe insomnia (like staring at the ceiling for hours . I would dose quite a bit of supplements which likely was helpful, but not a cure. Benadryl did the trick thus I came to the conclusion that histamine was a problem.

One such theory I pursued was methionine - in that a low level of methionine will induce higher histamine. Interesting that methionine is also associated with the methylation cycles which ME is known for. As you know, methylation is not a one size fits all approach, e.g. it seems to need some tweaking (adding or subtracting various elements). The full spectrum of b vitamins and methionine, taurine and cysteine are all factors in methylation.

Some people get help with quercetin to control histamine.

Another consideration is that the gut becomes more sensitive to foods with immune activation such as ME. This would set the inflammatory process which histamine then can be a problem.

Processed foods tend to be a problem for me as well as too much dairy. High sugar also causes problems. I am ok with wheat, rice, corn as long as it is non-GMO. I eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which is good but is good for the gut (feeding the good bacteria). Of course, there are certain ones that could cause problems as they could be fueling the bad bacteria which means you would get histamine and/or inflammation, that would also show up in the bm - (puffy stools, odor, loose stools etc). The stools can be a very good diagnostic tool.

 

[hapl808]

The stools can be a very good diagnostic tool.

It's funny, my 'baseline' is almost perfect stools these days. By baseline, I mean if I eat my ridiculously restricted diet and don't engage in any activity. Better stools than in my healthy days.

Yet if I chat on the phone too much, or work on the computer too much, it's disrupted for days. Just that little activity, and it ruins that part of my digestion. Such a weird illness - makes no sense.

 

[LINE]

It's funny, my 'baseline' is almost perfect stools these days. By baseline, I mean if I eat my ridiculously restricted diet and don't engage in any activity. Better stools than in my healthy days.

Yet if I chat on the phone too much, or work on the computer too much, it's disrupted for days. Just that little activity, and it ruins that part of my digestion. Such a weird illness - makes no sense.

Do you think you have sensitivity to EMF from the electronic devices? I had bad issues with those at some segment of the journey.

 

[Katy131]

What I have found over the last year is that anytime I overshoot on calcium, it is like my body develops this reaction described above to the food that triggered the overshoot and this pattern has repeated so many times, limiting my diet massively. The package of symptoms that I get is unmistakable and very distinctive and it happens every time I eat that food. It is not psychological, as the symptoms started before I ever thought about this and once I discovered the pattern I was able to improve how I feel a lot.

While I understand your theory that it's a calcium food issue, I'm throwing in my 2p's worth (I'm in the UK so don't do cents ) Possibly it's a wider issue than the calcium in foods, which may help you find an answer -

You mention this has happened over the last year - I've also had some odd hypersensitivities start to arise in the last year or so and I connect it to having had Covid and/or the vaccinations (although I am not a vaccination denier). I've discussed this with my allergy specialist and also with other sufferers like myself in this and other forums, and it seems it's not an unusual phenomenon. In my case at least, it seems that the Covid infection and/or the vaccinations I had made me extra sensitive and allowed old and new food and fumes allergies to arise or reappear, which has also led me to have to limit my diet massively. I now get sensitivity issues after almost every meal, which can stretch to the next few days if I'm not careful. I'm putting in various things to address this, which I can detail if you are interested, but reading your post just rang bells with me and I thought I'd just put this out there.

 

[Aidan]

While I understand your theory that it's a calcium food issue, I'm throwing in my 2p's worth (I'm in the UK so don't do cents ) Possibly it's a wider issue than the calcium in foods, which may help you find an answer -

You mention this has happened over the last year - I've also had some odd hypersensitivities start to arise in the last year or so and I connect it to having had Covid and/or the vaccinations (although I am not a vaccination denier). I've discussed this with my allergy specialist and also with other sufferers like myself in this and other forums, and it seems it's not an unusual phenomenon. In my case at least, it seems that the Covid infection and/or the vaccinations I had made me extra sensitive and allowed old and new food and fumes allergies to arise or reappear, which has also led me to have to limit my diet massively. I now get sensitivity issues after almost every meal, which can stretch to the next few days if I'm not careful. I'm putting in various things to address this, which I can detail if you are interested, but reading your post just rang bells with me and I thought I'd just put this out there.

It definitely is significant intake of calcium that triggers symptoms (among other triggers), but you are right that it is a broader issue than just calcium, and the actual cause of me reacting this way to calcium (and other things) is still an open question.

I'm open to the idea that the vaccine played a causal role in causing this strange intolerance for sure. Although, the onset of my issues did not seem to coincide with getting the vaccines. I also was having strong reactions to vitamin d before getting any of the vaccines.

I'm certainly interested to hear more about your strategies to address your own intolerances. I have just recently learned about MCAS and believe that the reaction I have triggered by calcium is a mast cell response and that I probably have MCAS. I have just started experimenting with quercetin, although I am hesitant to start eating the foods that cause reactions since I have been doing a lot better recently since cutting them out. I think the initial rush of energy I described in the post, which sometimes can be pleasant, is a histamine response. This would make sense as having moderately higher histamine can improve cognitive function, overall energy and sexual function.

 

[Mimicry]

I wonder if the stuffy nose + sinus pressure + inability to think is some sort of migraine? Calcium is heavily involved in nerve transmission and many migraine prophylactics are calcium channel blockers. (Could be far-fetched.)

 

[Strawberry]

I have just recently learned about MCAS and believe that the reaction I have triggered by calcium is a mast cell response and that I probably have MCAS. I have just started experimenting with quercetin,

After my diagnosis of MCAS, I found many of my issues were food chemical and food coloring issues. This definitely is something worth looking into. I’m not judging your cleanliness of food source as we are all different, but your story sounds very plausible for MCAS.

 

[Katy131]

I'm certainly interested to hear more about your strategies to address your own intolerances. I have just recently learned about MCAS and believe that the reaction I have triggered by calcium is a mast cell response and that I probably have MCAS. I have just started experimenting with quercetin,

I started by putting in a manganese supplement, because blood tests showed I was deficient, to get my Superoxide Dismutase functioning properly, and definitely noticed fewer symptoms after eating.

Quercetin is also one of the things I have tried to add in. My Doctor recommended 250 mg twice a day increasing to 500 mg twice a day. I worked up to 250 mg at breakfast and dinner and it was really helpful reducing my post meal symptoms, so I tried adding it at lunch and then crashed for a few days! Arg! My hypersensitive system! I'm trying to restart now because I can see it's good but don't want to be incapacitated for several days.

Also, I've tried adding in Loratadine 1 a day antihistamine at bedtime to try to be a general 24 hour coverall, but I can't say I've noticed anything either way with that one. I take Benadryl Acrivastine when there is an obvious food allergy reaction, but try not to take both on the same day (although I know of people whose doctors have recommended several antihistamines to be taken on one day, so I'm probably being super careful.)

I take a lot of essential fatty acids - three a day of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Omega-3-6-Essential-Evening-Primrose-Capsules/ so I don't need to increase, but I've read it's recommended to take plenty.

I also take Toxaprevent Medi Pure to help mop up the histamine in the gut and it is generally helpful.

At first I get this rush but then soon after I get a slightly stuffy nose and pressure in sinuses and I cannot think clearly. Then the next day, I feel absolutely terrible.

The stuffy nose and pressure and feeling terrible next day is an allergic reaction I used to get when eating dairy, which of course contains calcium. Dairy is known for mucus-forming and causing "post nasal drip" etc in many people and I'm sure it's connected. Perhaps for you the calcium itself is mucus forming.

Hope this helps!