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I've been following a primal/paleo diet for the last 6 weeks. Lately I've developed an extremely dry mouth. Also my tongue feels like it's burning. I am also developing dandruff. I have tried to increase my water consumption but no matter how much I drink it doesn't seem to help the dryness or the burning. I feel like I'm constantly dehydrated. Could I be deficient in some vitamins or minerals?? My diet consists of eggs, butter, beef, salmon, green veggies, heavy cream, hard cheese occasionally, avocados. For supplements I take vitamin d, b complex and some vitamin c. I'm struggling to figure out what could be causing this. I don't think I should increase my water intake since I'm drinking all day long. I'd appreciate some input, thanks!!

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How much salt do you consume every day? – Drew aka CrossFit Junkie Jul 3 2010 at 18:34
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Adding in some carbs may help. This is my experience of what Paul Jaminet terms glucose defciency. – Katherine Nov 2 2011 at 17:30
Are you going low carb now vs earlier? Did you hit ketosis yet? I don't recall dandruff, but the dryness was there when the body was adjusting to fat. – James Nov 2 2011 at 17:35

11 Answers

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Hmm...don't know about the dry/burning tongue, but dandruff reminds me of a guy who got this and solved it by eating more fat. A lot more I think it was Coconut oil/fat. In case you eat lots of nuts, it might make sense to stop that for a few days. If you don't eat nuts, adding them to your diet might also cure the dandruff.

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Have you tried entering everything (absolutely to the last teaspoon of dried herbs) into FitDay? If you do this for aq week, and check the tab "Nutrition", you will soon fid out what vitamins / minerals you are routinely missing out on. Supplement those, and see if it makes a difference.

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Lots of suggestions here but more clue could help. You don't have blood sugar issues? Any constipation? Are you sweating much at all? Are you VLCing?

If so, have you tried adding some starch? Dry eyes are usually cured with some safe starch. As for the dry mouth, does this happen in the morning mostly when you wake up, less so during the day as you're hydrated? Need water to swallow or your tongue sticks to your teeth? Is your skin is dried out and thinning?

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I second the coconut oil advice. Try taking a tablespoon with each meal.

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There can be various reasons for polydipsia(increased thirst). I think you should get your self checked for diabetes insipidus. This is a different type of diabetes, and is not associated with the insulin resistance of diabetes mellitus. A few other possibilities include: hypokalemia(rare, but possible),

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydipsia

There are also various drugs that can cause dry mouth as a side effect, including antihistamines, some antidepressants, amphetamines, and cannibis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_mouth

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Diabetes insipidus is rare. It is an inability to produce concentrated urine. If you can sleep all nite without drinking fluids or urinating, and your urine is dark yellow in the morning, then you do not have diabetes insipidus. – Ed Jul 4 2010 at 2:24
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Cut out the supplements.I tried this and it worked. Sometimes they are so artificial they don't do you any good. Depends on how theyre made, what compounds are used etc, but just try it.

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If adding coconut oil, etc to your diet doesn't make a difference, you might get yourself checked for Sjogren's or at least talk to your doctor about it. Diet can cause various symptoms but if your diet isn't causing your dry mouth, you may have something more serious going on.

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I second these symptoms..and have been tested for diabetes several times. There has to be some nutritional/dietary deficiency and I would LOVE to hear if you have found out anything more about this.

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Sjorgen's is not uncommon; cold dry winter air; hormonal changes/fluctuations; inadequate fluid or inadequate fluid retention and the list goes on and on...

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I've had this feeling too, I think it means my body is getting rid of excess (retained) water but I'm not really sure. trying drinking organic orange juice, or make some fruits smoothies, thats what I do when I'm really thirsty, I use about half water half fruoit and then 10-12 icecubes,, makes it kinda watery, but I like it that way and its a good thirst quencher. hope this helps. good luck.

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I have been dealing with burning mouth syndrome for a year and a half. It started a couple of months after starting the paleo diet. I've also had additional hormonal type symptoms such as dandruff and acne. Been tested for all kinds of stuff and my paleo doc is still baffled. I would be very interested to know if anyone finds an answer, it seems like we've tried everything at this point. Got some test results back today and my cholesterol numbers look pretty bad (quantity and size). If we are dealing with the same thing here, I can't imagine that additional coconut oil is going to be the answer.

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