This is a guest post written by Amy Nett, MD.
Previously, Chris interviewed Yrmis and Bobby from Mission Heirloom on his podcast, and the topic of glutamate in our food was briefly discussed. Since then, we have had several questions from our patients about potential health concerns regarding glutamate, so I decided to take a closer look to see what role dietary glutamate plays in our health.
What Is Glutamate and Why Is It so Important?
Glutamic acid is an amino acid found in abundance in both plant and animal protein. It is considered a non-essential amino acid, meaning that our bodies are able to generate glutamic acid even without ingesting it through food sources. (Yes, glutamic acid is just that important that we cannot risk being without.)
Is There a Link between ADHD, Autism, Migraines, and Glutamate?
Glutamate is essentially the same compound as glutamic acid and is the most common form of glutamic acid in our bodies. Glutamate is not only beneficial, but essential for life. It is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain. (Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that nerve cells use to communicate.)
Glutamate thus activates—or excites—cells in the brain in order to communicate messages, and is particularly important in the growth and development of the brain, learning, and memory. Because of the way glutamate sends these messages, by “exciting” the cells, it is called an excitatory neurotransmitter. You can think of glutamate as a stimulant. And as anyone who’s had too much coffee can tell you, too much of a stimulant is not a good thing.
What’s the Difference between Bound and Free Glutamate?
It’s important to note the distinction between bound and free glutamate since any potential health concerns are associated with the free form of glutamate. Bound glutamate refers to glutamate in a whole, unmodified protein source and is therefore generally digested and absorbed slowly. Free glutamate, by contrast, is no longer bound to other amino acids, and may therefore be absorbed much more rapidly, causing spikes in the concentration of glutamate in the blood. Free glutamate is found in natural food sources, with particularly high sources listed at the end of this article. But of more concern is the abundance of free glutamate in nearly all processed and packaged foods, also described in more detail below.
All Glutamates Are Not Created Equal
MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a synthetic chemical that is added to manufactured and processed foods to make them more palatable. This form of free glutamate is present in almost all processed foods and is valued by manufacturers for imparting a pleasing, savory taste. Though MSG contains glutamic acid, due to the manufacturing process it is also almost always accompanied by unwanted by-products or contaminants. Searching the scientific literature regarding the health effects of MSG indicates controversy over the potential of MSG to cause various adverse reactions—from headaches and migraines to endocrine disruption. However, careful attention to the source of funding from these studies often reveals that many confirming the safety of MSG are in fact supported by food manufacturers. The Truth in Labeling Campaign has extensively studied the role of MSG and found that some people are clearly sensitive, with the most common sensitivity likely being intolerance to one or more of the contaminants produced through the manufacturing process (1).
Even those of us without an identifiable reaction to MSG should aim to avoid this additive due to the lack of reliable safety data.
So let’s get back to natural glutamate…
How Does Glutamate Affect the Brain?
Glutamate and glutamate receptors are well established as playing critical roles in normal and abnormal brain development and function (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
In particular, abnormal concentrations of glutamate are associated with migraines (7, 8, 9), and hypersensitivity to glutamate is proposed in several other diseases, including Huntington’s Disease (10) and autism (11). Genes that predispose patients to glutamate sensitivity are being investigated.
An imbalance in glutamate and GABA (another neurotransmitter that counters the effects of glutamate) is increasingly implicated in many conditions involving the brain. This imbalance likely disrupts the brain’s ability to efficiently process information, and gradually leads to lasting injury to the brain.
Can lowering dietary glutamate help treat autism and ADHD?
Because of this genetic sensitivity to glutamate seen in children with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, some clinicians recommend lowering glutamate intake in the diet (12). Decreasing glutamate intake intuitively seems like a potentially effective approach to decreasing the amount of glutamate exposure to our brain. However, this strategy is not as straightforward when we consider the role of the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
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How the blood-brain barrier protects your brain
The BBB is a layer of cells surrounding most of the brain, that acts to limit the compounds entering the brain. Under normal circumstances, there is careful regulation of the types and amounts of compounds that enter the brain. This means that normally, glutamate can only enter the brain through specific receptors that regulate the amount allowed in. (This is analogous to a bouncer letting only a limited number of people through the door.) One study, notably funded in part by the International Glutamate Technical Committee (a nongovernmental organization funded by industrial producers and users of glutamate in food), perhaps not surprisingly demonstrated that glutamate, even at high concentrations, does not readily cross the BBB.
Even if glutamate does not cross the healthy BBB, there are many factors which may contribute to a leaky BBB, potentially allowing too much glutamate to enter the brain. In his podcast on the “gut-brain axis,” Chris explained that having a leaky gut (which itself can be due to a number of underlying causes, including food intolerances, dysbiosis, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) can contribute to a state of chronic low grade inflammation. This low grade inflammation then also makes the BBB leaky, which essentially loosens the control over what enters the brain. More recent research has identified a specific molecule that damages the cells to create microscopic gaps allowing material through, bypassing the normal regulatory pathways, and explaining how general inflammation within the body can cause a leaky BBB.
Thus, it may be that in the setting of inflammation, we have a leaky BBB, which allows more glutamate to enter the brain than normal. Moreover, since some people have a genetic predisposition to glutamate sensitivity, it may be that a combination of excess glutamate in the diet, combined with chronic low grade inflammation, and an associated leaky BBB, contribute to symptoms.
It seems less clear if people without an underlying genetic predisposition to glutamate sensitivity experience any adverse effects from excess dietary glutamate. Further research is clearly needed to elucidate the contribution of dietary glutamate to symptoms.
How to Lower Glutamate in Your Diet
What we can take from all of this is that some individuals do have a particular sensitivity to glutamate. Understanding the different sources and types of food that contain glutamate can help you make the best food choices for you and your family, and avoid symptoms of sensitivity. If you suspect that glutamate may be playing a role in your symptoms, you can try to eliminate any sources with added free glutamate (specifically in processed and packaged foods) and monitor your symptoms. If symptoms persist, then try eliminating sources of natural free glutamate as well. Once your symptoms have subsided or resolved, gradually introduce some natural sources of free glutamate back into your diet as tolerated over a period of weeks to learn which foods may trigger a reaction.
Additionally, given that glutamate excess may be associated with symptoms only in the setting of chronic inflammation, consider adding turmeric or ginger to some of your meals for their potent anti-inflammatory properties while you investigate potential causes of inflammation.
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Free glutamate may be listed as any one of a number of ingredients:
Monosodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, yeast extract, anything “hydrolyzed” such as hydrolyzed protein, calcium caseinate, autolyzed yeast, textured protein, gelatin, soy protein (including isolate and concentrate), whey protein (including isolate and concentrate), carrageenan, bouillon and broth, stock, and “flavors” or “flavoring” (i.e. natural vanilla flavor), maltodextrin, citric acid, pectin, milk powder, soy sauce, anything “protein fortified,” corn starch, corn syrup and modified food starch.
Here are links to more inclusive lists of hidden free glutamate, including a link to unblindmymind.org, which is a nonprofit working to raise awareness of the link between autism and MSG (13, 14).
Natural sources of free glutamate:
- Foods matured, cured, or preserved, such as matured cheeses (Parmesan and Roquefort) and cured meats
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce and soy protein
- Mushrooms
- Ripe tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Walnuts
- Grape juice
- Bone broths and meats cooked for long times (generally using moist cooking methods such as braising)
- Malted barley used in breads and beer
- Wheat gluten
- Dairy casein
About Amy: Amy Nett, MD, graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2007. She subsequently completed a year of internal medicine training at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, followed by five years of specialty training in radiology at Stanford University Hospital, with additional subspecialty training in pediatric radiology.
Along the course of her medical training and working through her own personal health issues, she found her passion for Functional Medicine. She works with patients through a Functional Medicine approach, working to identify and treat the root causes of illness. She uses nutritional therapy, herbal medicine, supplements, stress management, detoxification and lifestyle changes to restore proper function and improve health.
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Thanks for the review; this has some truth, but not all the truth. There, I believe, is still a missing link, perhaps an unveiled metabolic pathway. Isn’t it strange that some very healthy foods, even with anti inflammatory properties, could be harmful?
I think the take home message is to avoid as much as possible, processed food sources.
Methylation pathway perhaps
I love all 9 episodes of truth about cancer. Thank you ty Bollinger & all doctors for enlightening us.
I have just watched a film called the truth about cancer, one doctor says glutamate is a main cause of cancer, even worse than sugar
Exactly! lol….that’s why i’m reading this article too, i’m watching episode 4 now! I thought I was doing well by eliminating msg from our diet, but didnt know it was hidden in ohter forms smh. this is enlightening but stressful at the same time. the doc in the video said black beans is high in glutamate!!!
and not necessarily a “cause” but it was said that glutamate is a fuel source for cancer cells, along with glucose….these are the 2 fuel sources for cancer 🙁
Really?! I’ve just gone on the macrobiotic diet (diagnosed w/ breast cancer 2 months ago) and been eating black beans for protein. Not just those beans of course, but I read somewhere else that sea vegetables are also high in natural glutamates, and this diet is big on the sea vegetables! :0 Am I shooting myself in the foot?? It’s so hard to know what to do!
I did some more checking today and found this, hopefully what they say is accurate? Can someone confirm or deny? It puts my mind a bit more at ease with the macrobiotic diet..
http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=207
Hi Jude,
I watched the same thing. I remember him mentioning black beans and mushrooms. This lady also lists broccoli which another doctor claimed to be good. So I’m not sure what’s good and bad. Were you able to find a list anywhere of glutamates to avoid?
Yes, that’s why I’m here too!! Black beans are one of my favorite proteins and I got really worried where they said it was a high glutamate product but according to this article it’s not even mentioned. I’m wondering if he may be bent black beans in a can, because I know that they do put a few things in that. I wanted to ask if I soak my own dry beans if it would still be high glutamate.
Sam – yes, mushrooms are another natural source of high Glutamate! That includes supplements made from mushrooms like Reishi
Hi Judy – What was the name of the film. I would love to see it
Hi Chris, thanks for this info. I have been eliminating glutamate and high sulphur foods from my diet for three years and am now finally migraine and fatigue free. My family has a history of Spina bifida and although I d not suffer I did link the folate and nerve health to the glutamate sensitivity and find that if I accidentally ingest glutamate or sulphur I get a reaction in my body within a short time and I take folic acid to counter it. This does work if the dose of sulphur is small. Otherwise I suffer from glutamate overload and become shaky, laboured breathing, diarrhoea and sometimes vomitting, altered taste and vision and have to sleep for a day. Sports drinks high in magnesium seem to help to flush the toxin out of my system so I can function. Still it takes nearly a week to fully recover. I hope this information helps you. Can I heal my gut from this sensitivity?
Please, Please Look into the MTHFR genetic mutation!!!! It occur in about 50% of the population. It is a genetic problem that does not allow a person to process synthetic folic acid or B12. There is a special form to take. I (and others in my family…also with a history of spina bifida) have all been diagnosed, and are on the right folic acid and B12. WOW!!! the difference in all of our health is amazing!! This could be the answer to soooo many unexplained health issues!
what is the special form of b12 that you take if you have the MTHFR mutation, if you dont mind sharing?
Have a close look at methylcobalamin and especially adenosylcobalamin.
Also people with MTHFR gene mutation can’t process folic acid and it becomes toxic to us. Use Folate instead.
I also found the connection somewhere along the line (probably another article online) that taking Folic Acid supplements could counteract the effects of eating glutumate. For years, I always had Folic Acid with me and would take it after a restaurant meal (particularly fast food). I seemed to have almost no headaches. I recently found out that people with ulcerative colitis develop a Folic Acid deficiency. I have UC and now I’m wondering if there’s a connection with having the glutumate sensitivity.
“Though MSG contains glutamic acid, due to the manufacturing process it is also almost always accompanied by unwanted by-products or contaminants.”
This is a big allegation. What unwanted byproducts or contaminants are we talking about?
Has there been any testing done to confirm this?
I have been having full, severe allergic reactions to MSG and also to a few other things I can’t pin down. One is food that “may contain other nuts” also my allergist tells me I am not allergic to any nuts. As well as seeded bread, even if nuts aren’t listed. I have also had reactions to store-bought icing, although I cannot pin down the ingredients.
Could there be any links between Food additives and “other nuts” such as a common processing chemical in certain nuts?
Not sure where to get this info…
Hello,
I searched for possibilities of Betaine HCl w pepsin taking 3-4 grams per day causing high glutamate. I have been using this for about a month consistently and now my glutamate symptoms are through the roof! Anyone? I read here in the article “How to increase GABA and Balance Glutamine” found at http://www.holistichelp.net/blog/ that Glycine can be inhibitory or excitatory, and in ppl who tend to lean towards excess glutamate it typically becomes excitatory, so it may need to be avoided. Is Betaine HCL considered glycine??Betaine=TMG trimethyglycine does it not? Thanks for any help.
Hi.
After a year of trying to work out what was causing my symptoms (rapid heart beat, arythmia and nights unable to sleep (at all!) as a result of these symptoms) I finally linked it to both MSG and Maltodextrin. I had no idea until recently that these were both linked to free glutamic acid but when I found out it all made sense!!
Does anyone have a remedy for the short-term symptoms relating to this?
I naturally now avoid foods with these additives but sometimes they unknowingly make their way into a meal.
I have this eat same problem and would love to hear any tips to overcome this condition of overstimulation when exercising
I have had luck giving my son the homeopathic remedy Aconite Napellus 12c
reader: NAC (n-acetyl cysteine) can help, and magnesium can too. both are very safe to take. NAC is an anti-oxidant and has many other benefits as well. the only thing to watch with magnesium is that too much can be a laxative. good luck. i have been experiencing this due to a misguided PA’s rec that i take glutamine. increased heart rate, inability to sleep… it’s been awful! so i completely sympathize.
Magnesium supplements are not safe for everyone. I know this isn’t common, but magnesium supplement d, even as little as 35 mg a few days in a row, keeps me up all night with leg cramps. Magnesium also drops my blood pressure so low I once ended up in the ER thinking I’d had a stroke. This misery a I described went on for a couple mo this before I finally figured out the cause. Even too much of a high magnesium food (chocolate) can do this to me. This is not a common response to magnesium supplementation, but I have met two other people who have the same response.
Me too! I know of only one other person this happens to. I have fibromyalgia and everyone wants me to take magnesium. Practitioners all look at me strangely when I tell them about how magnesium causes terrible leg pains and keeps me awake all night. Does anyone know why? Or how to overcome it? Can magnesium really just be bad for a few people?
Yep magnesium can cause restless legs, cramps etc I had it when using magnesium chloride transdermally.
Mag tends to push down potassium, which causes the cramping, that’s why it’s recommended to increase your potassium-rich foods to the 4700mg RDA. It’s not easy.
It’s also finding the right magnesium for you. Anything citric or oxide is a no-no. Glycinate can cause insomnia, malate and threonate I believe are the two best alternatives.
I solved the problem of leg cramps caused by magnesium by eating a couple spoons of molasses each day. It is high in potassium.
Well…pushing down potassium may not be the mechanism for me. High potassium foods, potassium supplements do the same thing to me that magnesium does, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, etc. I believe there’s something fundamentally “off” with my calcium metabolism. I’ve learned recently that I have a defective vitamin D receptor. Inadequate vitamin D absorption leads to Calcium deficiency. Calcium deficiency can lead to magnesium overload. I believe my body preferentially absorbs magnesium over calcium. ( I’ve had my RBC magnesium tested twice. Both times I had well above the normal range of magnesium in my rbcs.)
Yeah I’ve read if it’s not magnesium, if it’s not potassium, then calcium is next in line.
I’ve got sky high calcium (dysregulation) and it was dragging my magnesium upwards with it, hence the cramping when I supplemented. I added in potassium and cut out cheese and it’s fine unless I eat high glutamate foods.
Interesting links between glutamate (MSG foods) and calcium. As I understand it, when glutamate excites the cells of the brain it drags calcium in to kill those cells (which sounds like a dampening mechanism to me but leads to other neurological conditions) I wonder if low calcium people tend towards RLS when eating MSG because they don’t have that mechanism.
It’s possible to react badly to NAC as well. I was taking it for several weeks and noticing that my heart rate would be dangerously high at times. It took me a disconcertingly long time for me to figure out it was the NAC! After about a week of not taking it the heart rate improved considerably.
I’d never heard of anyone reacting that way to NAC, but, everyone is different!
Hi. Can you say more on how wheat gluten contains free glutimates? Never heard that before.
Also, many of tbe same foods also contain tyramines. Is there a way for someone to tell if they rea t to tryamine or glutimate? Do tryramines damage brain tbe way glutimate does?
I have Lamictal to help me with my depression that last for at least 10 years as far as I know. I read articles where the lamitrogine is related to inhabit the glutamate receptor. Does the glutamate diet do the oppoisite by exciting this receptor? does it mean I may help my medicine by avoiding glutamate in my diet?
I learned recently that glutamates were causing me to have restless leg syndrome. Also had an extreme reaction to whey protein where i was so wired that i did not sleep for 4 days. I stopped eating foods with high free glutamates and the RLS mostly disappeared. When I get the RLS I can almost always relate it back to something I ate. but, there are still some times that I do not know what caused it. And insomnia continues to be a problem for me even after removing the glutamates. After reading all the comments I will remove gelatin capsules and digestive enzymes to see if maybe they are a problem. Maybe the glutamate they contribute are not enough to cause RLS but still enough to disrupt my sleep.
Does anyone know, if you heal the Leaky gut will the glutamate sensitivity disappear. Although my diet includes many foods that I enjoy, I really miss all of the foods that have a more intense flavor.
About restless legs: I have found that my legs become restless when I need more iron. I ALWAYS get relief from restless legs when I remember to take iron regularly. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have noted the even RLS patients with normal blood levels of iron benefit from supplementation with iron. For this reason, they theorise that some people with RLS can have normal blood levels of iron while they are deficient of iron in their brains.
This is pretty interesting. Can you give me a link to the research?
Hi Ann and Valerie. I was interested to read your posts. I have lived with restless leg syndrome for a number of years and only now finding out about the link with restless leg and glutamate sensitivity. A number of things ive noticed over the years bring on symtoms which I have naturally eliminated from my diet including protein supplements, creatine supplements, maltodextrin supplement, alcohol, coffee and also intense exercise. Is there a way of testing if you have a sensitivity to glutamate that you are aware of? I have got my iron levels checked which were normal but I’m now wondering of my brain may be low in iron…
Hi, did u check your kidney function, endocrine status( thyroid), or iron levels? Do u have diabetes, Parkinson’s, or arthritis, Are u on any medications, or do u heavily smoke, or drink. I refer you to NHS choices link, for more detail.
May I add, from a personal experience; if u r around menopause age, that could be a notorious reason, and a reason for many more symotoms, especially when camouflaged while hot flashes are yet not fully proclaimed.
Dr Hana Fayyad
I was having migraines continuously and it was recommended to go grain free. I did and the migraines went away. Now I don’t eat any gluten but sometimes I am still getting migraines that last for days. Should I start watching out for Glutamate now too?
Yes. I had 15 years of chronic migraine that included vomitting and diarrhoea that lasted days to weeks. I could not work and spent 18 months in bed before I started taking betablocker meds.
I discovered hereditary conditions included spina bifida (folate deficiency in utero) and sulphur intolerance.
I have cut out all foods high in sulphur, high free glutamate foods are also on the high sulphur food list. If I accidently eat preservatives or a free glutamate food I begin to get very sleepy and my mood is flattened. I immediately take folic acid to counter this reaction.
I am totally well now, working, and my poor health a distant memory. But I must eat a low sulphur diet, no preservatives or anything with numbers attached.
Good luck
Hi Rosemary,
I have the same reactions, high glutamate foods make me tired and sad, just out of interest, how did you find out that folic acid counters this reaction? Which type of folic acid do you take and how much?
I might not tolerate high sulphur foods also, I found this article about the connection between sulphur intolerance and mercury intoxication
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list/
I have had bad reactions to taurine and NAC which are both to be avoided, if you’re sulphur intolerant, but I have not yet done the elimination test diet recommended in the article
How did you find out about your sulphur intolerance?
Regards
Anne
Hi Anne
My biological father, when I found him fifty years after my birth, listened to my symptoms and told me the whole family have a sulphur intolerance. He worked in the wine industry and advised me to stop drinking wine with 220 preservative. So I now eat preservative free.
Folate is needed in the development of nerve endings, glutamate and sulphur are excitotoxin to the brain, folate helps to counter some of this chemical reaction. The other side of my family suffer from Spina bifida and migraine. I have a double -whammy intolerance. By connecting the family history and the science it became possible to note that folate (lack of folate causes Spina bifida) had a role to play in my health. NB Some new anti-epileptic drugs work on the glutamate receptors in the brain also, and may work for migraine.
I hope this helps.
One good reason to avoid processed foods.
Im sorry but this is What’s the difference between bound and free glutamate? completely untrue. First please studies that free glutamate ingested with food have fast spikes. Because you dont ingest free gluamate alone but with foods and this affecst absorbtion(like in glucose). Second bounded glutamate is very fast unbounded by digestion.
Remember no one eat glutamate acid alone however, comes without the natural components of food that help the body regulate glutamic levels. For example carbohydrate significantly attenuate peak plasma glutamate levels at doses up to 150 mg MSG/kg b.w. Free glutamate lays physiological and nutritional roles and initiates digestion in the stomach as well as anticipates subsequent processes in the small intestine and the liver.
This post is great Amy, I have a daughter with Autism that I’m trying to heal, I came across your website, and will start raw vegetable juicing first thing in the morning, do we mix fruits vegetable and nuts together. I’m assuming that she needs to drink everything including fibers. I’ve bee healing her, with herbs, Enemas, and she drinks CD, she is CFGF Low carbs and grain, mainly we cook with lots of mix vegetables. For seasoning I use Himalayan salt, and herbs, nothing else. I only started this 1 year ago as I didn’t know before!! I’m confused about Free Glutamate, as they are in broccoli, tomato’s any few other, do I need to eliminate them? I cook as healthy a possible, I just recently saw that my daughter is disliking meat now. She will have very very little almost nothing, wondering why? She is non verbal, but started with few words since on CD and herbal Therapy. Thanks you
I am confused. How do we know what is free glutamate and what is bound? And how do walnuts have a high free glutamate index? Nothing is processed in them. You would think that would be the bound glutamate.
Read the package. You will most likely see that they are. I haven’t used walnuts in years because of that.
I’m now convinced my 4 year old daughter is glutamate sensitive after a reaction to nutritional yeast flakes (I already avoid MSG as she suffers night terrors and seizures if too much ingested).
Anyway, I have a question regarding MSG as an additive in vaccines (I believe chicken-pox and MMR have MSG as an additive). Is there any research on the safety of injecting MSG? Is the sensitivity point much lower? My daughter has not received these vaccines yet (only partially vaccinated). The reaction she gets from food is reasonably severe – I’m presuming injecting it would provoke a stronger reaction?
I’m just learning like you about free glutamate, but I can just share a link about vaccination, I truly believe that they cause many illness, like my daughters Autism, she was fine until she got her vaccination, anyway here is the link.
Very interesting. I am 43 years old and since I was 13 have been dealing with a seizure disorder. After trying numerous different medicines without 100% success, I discovered a link between my seizures and MSG. My wife and I were at a Chinese buffet. That night I had terrible seizures. This was about 3 years ago. Since then, I generally try to avoid those known foods with glutamate. When I do have a seizure (approximately 1 every three months and always at night), I can always link it to something I ate the night before. I came across this article after having had another seizure last night. Not realizing it had so much glutamate, I had quite a bit of blue cheese last night. Also, my son has been struggling with symptoms of ADHD for several years. He has been diagnosed and has been on medication for several years now. Recently, he has seen by another physician and he has doubts that ADHD is the correct diagnosis. This is a very interesting thought and warrants follow up. Maybe the majority of his problems can be linked to a food sensitivity.
It’s worth investigating. My 11 year old with ADHD who has been on meds for a year, saw a functional medicine dietician and has been glutamate free for over a month now. He is so different it is almost a miracle – calm, focusing, fun to be around. We are yet to reduce the meds…and to re challenge his diet – but am very hopeful.
I’m learning about free Glutamate, and diet, I will start with raw vegetable juicing as of today, this is the first thing I need to include in my daughter, that has Autism. I’m in a huge group of people that we treat our kids with Autism, ADHD… it is totally free, if you are interested, contact me, and I can suggest a Facebook group depend of the age of your child. My daughter is getting better, but still missing that raw juicing, vegetable, fruits and nuts, which I learned it now and make sense to me….
Do the seizures happen during tbe night? I get tbe same thing but have been blaming on tyramines rather than glutimates- foiods that have them overlap considerably
my son has numerous food sensitivitIes. Our first realization was the eczema it caused, but elimination of foods results in less excitability and better cotton and focus. In the past 3 years we trip on another sensitivity every 6 months or so-including red dye, chlorine and just recently glutamate. We find it based on symptoms then research to find the trigger based on what he most recently ate. I believe many children are being diagnosed with adhd – but really just have food sensitivites. frustrating what we allow in our foods. Praying as a society we stop poisoning ourselves just to use medicines that cause worse issues. Crazy downward cycle.
As someone who adopted the real food diet this year and bone broth I was excited to be healing a very leaky gut. However to my dismay, my symptoms worsened and I hit a health low. I finally realized that my joint pain and hives were directly caused by the bone broth and possibly glutamine-containing amino acid supplements prescribed by my functional practitioner.
So, I’m really at a loss because I don’t know how one can heal a gut properly without bone broth and glutamine. I’m intrigued by this “bound” vs “free” concept; are there supplements with glutamine that can heal and not worsen symptoms, and can you ever really heal a gut without glutamine? Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you!
Hi,
My gut is by far not healed, but got rid of the hives using MSM. The itching was so bad that not even antihistamines only available on prescription several times a day could get rid of it, I then started supplementing with MSM and after 4 months it was gone. I also tried supplementing with glutamic acid also in order to heal the gut, but had to stop taking it, as it worsened my mood. I also just read a couple of days ago, that zinc helps heal a leaky gut (and a leaky brain), so I will try this too now.
Just got in touch with a german (I live in Germany) university professor who has developped a drug for healing a leaky gut, it should bind endotoxins and eliminate them and also protect the gut with some sort of layer, it’s made of some specific sort of silicone + oxygen, but I’m not a chemist, so can’t really explain it well, I am about to start this treatment, he says it still takes 2-3 years to heal the gut 🙁
You could also try a fecal transplantation to restore your gut bacteria, I have not tried this myself, but I’m planning to get this treatment,
we need to help each other with advice, because leaky gut is kind of ignored by most doctors 🙁
Hi Anne
Do you know the name of the medication for leaky gut?
thanks
Allison
I am also looking into fecal transplant. I cant restore a healthy microbiome because i cant eat any of tbe aged foods that provide beneficial bacteria. Between that and not being able to eat any dairy i have no lacobacilli in large intestine. I do not have evidence of leaky gut but do have gratly elevated secretory IgA suggesting my immune system is overactive about something.
Aged foods give me neurological symptoms and have to avoid greatly. Dont know how the dairy intolerance – fresh or aged – factors in.
Try Progurt Probiotics . They give you one Trillion good bacteria in one sachet which you only take once a week and it’s from a human strain . Works wonders also for your mood !
try bimuno its food for the bacteria in the bowel so it does not die off like all the other crap they sell
I’m not a doctor, but just having a child with Autism, Leaky gut etc…. pure coconut oil, omega 3, and probiotic daily will help you, including the Enemas, coffee enemas, and other type, here is the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuLG-WAIvdc
Wish you all the best
Is glutamate and L-glutamine the same thing? Are you using these words intergangeably perhaps? I hope they are not….