Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Stephen-Aegis included in an answer from last year the following quote:

"In my opinion Gut Health should be priority #1. With that taken care of, many allergies simply disappear."

This reminds me of a related comment I saw from Dr Art Ayers' Cooling Inflammation blog:

"Also remember that food "allergies" are usually food intolerances that are caused by lacking the bacteria needed to digest plant polysaccharides. In most cases, these intolerances are best overcome by persistent eating of the food with associated bacteria. For example, most people eliminate lactose intolerance by simply eating live yogurt for a couple of weeks. It is usually that simple, but both the food and new bacteria are needed for a normal gut bacterial community of hundreds of different bacterial species."

While other threads discuss gut health and probiotics and the like, I am wondering if Dr Ayers brings up an interesting point that maybe many people do not experiment with in the right way.

Most people try to eliminate the food associated with the allergy, believing that their body simply will never be able to handle that type of food... makes sense, right? But here, Dr Ayers is advocating that we might be able to beat it at it's own game, almost like ambushing it from the side by intentionally cultivating the right kind of gut bacteria specific to the allergic reaction.... actually beating the allergy.

Has anyone successfully done this?

edited Mar 18 2011 at 20:52

asked Mar 18 2011 at 20:45

Jack Kronk
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This is my number one goal in my practice......and not just for allergy. It is medically prudent to do. – The Quilt Mar 18 2011 at 22:52

Gazelle · Answer 1 · 2011-03-18 22:21:29Z UTC

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My allium intolerance (which I developed as an adult) forced me to avoid all onions, garlic, leeks, chives, etc. for 8 years or so, even when eating paleo. Since I started using probiotics and digestive enzymes and adrenal support I suddenly seem able to eat them in small quantities without getting sick. It's amazing! Next up... GLUTEN?

answered Mar 18 2011 at 22:21

Gazelle
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	Too bad because those items have huge aging benefits. – The Quilt Mar 18 2011 at 22:54
	What specific brands of probiotics do you take and appx price? thx – paleoprimal Mar 19 2011 at 2:46
	Theresa, lately I've been taking BioKult and/or ThreeLac which are both pretty pricey. – Gazelle Mar 19 2011 at 18:34

Kamal · Answer 2 · 2011-03-18 20:56:44Z UTC

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"For example, most people eliminate lactose intolerance by simply eating live yogurt for a couple of weeks."

I'm not sure where Art gets this from, but it is definitely not true for me. No matter how many lactose-loving bacteria take up residence in my gut, I'll never be able to drink 2-3 glasses of milk a day like I could as a child.

answered Mar 18 2011 at 20:56

Kamal♦
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are you certain of this though Kamal?... as far as never being able to drink milk? I'm not questioning your experiences. Not at all. I just wonder if there is a way, but that maybe it's just difficult to nail down just right, and maybe the methods you have tried just aren't down the right path. – Jack Kronk Mar 18 2011 at 21:33

Of course there could be a sneaky backdoor way, but I thought it was more or less established that lactase activity doesn't change with increased lactose consumption. (Here you can see the opposite, mice don't stop making lactase any sooner when you remove the lactose: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9881268) Sucrase production on the other hand can increase and decrease with intake. ... Not saying of course that there isn't some other way to restore lactose tolerance, but this seems a more difficult task than, say, getting rid of asthma with clean paleo eating and sleeping. – Paul Mar 18 2011 at 21:45

that's not really an allergy, that's an intolerance. I've had the same experience. There is a reason your Indian and my Jewish ancestors fermented all their dairy. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 18 2011 at 22:42

This comes from homeopathy which believes if you dilute the offending agent enough it is curative to the host. No data backs this up however in homeopathy – The Quilt Mar 18 2011 at 22:53

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@Melissa: I think the OP invited the discussion of the related topic of intolerance, because of the bit about lactose intolerance in the question. But you're right of course. – Paul Mar 18 2011 at 22:54

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rob · Answer 3 · 2011-03-18 21:17:23Z UTC

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I am experimenting at the moment with that theory. So far I can't seem to tolerate butter at all, stinky gas, but I am able to tolerate sour cream in large amounts fine. I'll keep experimenting.

answered Mar 18 2011 at 21:17

rob
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rob - are you able to tolerate ghee? i know that doesn't address my question here, as that would be along the avoidance approach, but I was just wondering :) – Jack Kronk Mar 18 2011 at 21:30

I can tolerate Ghee but I avoid due to the scare of oxidized cholesterol. – rob Mar 18 2011 at 23:29

well there's a lot of Paleo folk eatin ghee so we all gonna die! – Jack Kronk Mar 18 2011 at 23:35

I know. I am just anal. – rob Mar 19 2011 at 0:50

Can we battle allergies head on, beating them at their own game?

3 Answers