One of the best explanations I have seen of how Celiac disease really affects the G.I.
Explains why aspartame(Nutrasweet) and MSG should be avoided by all NeuroLymies -- they convert to the neurotoxins aspartic acid and glutamate.
If what I have been reading is correct and antibiotics which kill Lyme result in an increase in glutamic acid (a neurotoxin) in the brain and this is the reason why some have such severe neuro herxes, then the GARD diet should be of benefit to anyone with severe Neurolyme.
Anyone who tries this diet, please post on whether you think it helps with symptoms or decreases the severity of herxes.
Thanks.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Here is the other link in case someone needs it....[discusses DogtorJ and celiac] and another one I found on the effect of gluten on the brain in celiacs.
posted
Thanks Bea, I am following most of this diet, but will have to give up lentils.
I'm confused about L-glutamine. It is supposed to be key in healing leaky gut, and I had read in some sources that it increases GABA, an inhibitatory neurotransmitor.
But from what you have posted, lyme patients should avoid supplementing with L-glutamine as it is in the pathway for glutamate.
I'll keep you posted.
Posts: 628 | From the south | Registered: Dec 2005
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bettyg
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posted
I'll be sure to go there and read! Thanks for posting. Bettyg
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Carol B
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posted
You all keep this up and I just might get healthy one of these days ! Thanks
posted
L Glutamine is not the same as glutamate, just like glutathione is not the same as the glutamate or glutamine. This is something I copied from the web:
"Glutamine is different from glutamate (glutamic acid), monosodium glutamate, and gluten. Glutamine will not cause symptoms (headaches, facial pressure, tingling, or burning sensation) associated with sensitivity to monosodium glutamate. People who are gluten sensitive can use glutamine without problems."
-------------------- You're only a failure when you stop trying. Posts: 945 | From U.S | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Here's what mercola has to say about supplementing with glutamine.
Is Glutamine Supplementation Helpful or Harmful?
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
"Glutamine is an amino acid that makes up the majority of our skeletal muscle. There is some controversy over whether oral glutamine supplementation is toxic or helpful to healthy people. In a past article, Dr. Robert Crayhon expressed the view of many natural medicine experts, "After reviewing the literature, I am unconvinced that high-dose oral glutamine supplementation is toxic to neurons in healthy persons."
However, Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of the highly recommended Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills wrote in to me with another viewpoint and his response is below.
By Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. Advanced Nutritional Concepts, LLC.
Dr. Robert Crayhon posted comments on this site indicating that I was terribly mistaken in my caution concerning the use of glutamine and that he had consulted several "cell biologists" who were also concerned with my statements on glutamine safety. In fact it was stated that I apparently did not understand that glutamine was not an excitotoxin and was not converted into an excitotoxin.
Of course, I never stated glutamine was an excitotoxin, but I do state that it is converted into the excitotoxin glutamate within neurons. Numerous recent studies as well as Siegel's Basic Neurochemistry textbook emphatically state that the major source of glutamate is from glutamine in the brain. Normally, when the brain finishes using glutamate for chemical communication between brain cells at the synapse the glutamate is taken up by surrounding glial cells and changed by the enzyme glutamine synthease into glutamine, where it is stored.
The Problem With Excitotoxins
The glutamine is then transported to the neuron and by the enzyme glutaminase, it is converted to glutamate--the potential excitotoxin. I say potential because unless it accumulates outside the brain cell it is harmless.
This is the major source of glutamate within the brain. Excitotoxins are usually amino acids, such as glutamate and aspartate. These special amino acids cause particular brain cells to become excessively excited, to the point they will quickly die. Excitotoxins can also cause a loss of brain synapses and connecting fibers. Food-borne excitotoxins include such additives as MSG, aspartame, hydrolyzed protein and soy protein extract.
In two recent studies it was found that the amount of glutamine in the brain could predict the brain damage seen both in pediatric brain injuries and brain damage secondary to seizures. Adding large amounts of glutamine to the diet increases significantly brain levels of glutamine and, hence, glutamate. Another study found that by adding glutamine to the diet of animals exposed to another powerful excitotoxin called quinolinic acid, brain cell damage was increased significantly. Quinolinic acid is known to accumulate in the brain in most cases of viral brain infection as seen with HIV dementia and viral encephalitis.
Glutamine and Liver Toxicity
Individuals with liver toxicity tend to accumulate ammonia in their blood and brain. Until recently, it was assumed that it was the ammonia that caused liver disease-associated brain injury and that glutamine was protective.
Newer studies indicate that actually it is the glutamine that is causing the brain's injury. Increasing glutamine in the diet would significantly aggravate this damage.
Free Radicals in the Brain
Glutamine accumulation has also been found in Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and high levels of brain glutamine have been associated with a worse prognosis in Lou Gehrig's disease. Likewise, recent studies have shown that high brain glutamine levels increase brain levels of free radicals and impair the ability of brain mitochondria to produce energy. When the brain produces low energy, excitotoxins, such as glutamate, become even more toxic. It has been shown that the reason for glutamine toxicity under these conditions is because it is converted to the excitotoxin--glutamate.
Glutamine and Multiple Sclerosis
Of particular concern is the finding that people with multiple sclerosis have increased levels of the enzyme glutaminase (the enzyme that converts glutamine into glutamate) in areas of nerve fiber damage. High levels of glutamine in the diet would increase glutamate levels near these injured areas magnifying the damage. It has been shown that excitotoxicity plays a major role in multiple sclerosis by destroying the cells (oligodendrocytes) that produce myelin.
Glutamine and Pregnant Women
Another area of concern would be pregnant women. Glutamine passes through the placenta and may actually be concentrated in the baby's blood, producing very high levels. Glutamate plays a major role in the development of the baby's brain. Excess glutamate has been shown to cause significant impairment of brain development in babies and can lead to mental retardation.
When to Use Glutamine
The major use for high-dose glutamine would be to repair gastrointestinal injury. In such cases, I would recommend short-term use only. Those with a history of the following conditions should avoid glutamine, even for short-term use:
Glutamine has recently been shown to produce extreme hypoglycemia, even more so than leucine, which is known to produce fatal hypoglycemia in infants.
The reason Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is not seen with glutamine challenge is that the glutamate receptors in the lungs and esophagus are stimulated by glutamate, not glutamine. The glutamine must be converted first and this occurs primarily in the brain.
The only safe situation for glutamine use is in the vigorous athlete. Glutamine is used as a muscle fuel, so that vigorous exercise will consume most of the glutamine before it can accumulate in the brain. I would still avoid long-term use in high doses. I would caution readers to avoid excess glutamine, especially in the above named conditions and situations."
Posts: 134 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Hubby has taken l-glutamine in the past to heal his stomach -- no problems. However, since Lyme disease and especially when he has gastritis (when he would normally supplement with the l-glutamine) he definitely cannot tolerate it. It causes increased tremors/myoclonus/seizure-like episodes almost immediately. I think it passes through his leaky gut and goes directly to the brain where it is converted to glutamate.
My advice would be if you have neurolyme symptoms and especially any signs of brain agitation I would be very cautious about supplementing with l-glutamine.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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