Mrs. Columbo . . .

[tex]

Barbara,

The light bulb just came on.

You mentioned memory problems a while back, and it just dawned on me that this can have a connection with losing one's sense of taste and smell. Are you getting enough thiamine, (vitamin B1)?

This is a pretty long shot, but the reason I ask, is because there is a condition known as Korsakoff's psychosis, in which the brain is deprived of thiamine. The condition is usually caused by alcoholism, but the true cause of Korsakoff's syndrome in chronic alcoholics, is not actually a deficiency of thiamine in the diet, but rather a reduction in the body's ability to absorb thiamine in the intestine. As you are well aware, MC can cause malabsorption problems, especially for certain vitamins, so I would think that this would make us all possible candidates for something like that.

Anyway, you might run this past your doctor, to see what he thinks. It's kind of far-fetched, but then MC is a disease that can have far-reaching consequences. And, as we all know, it affects all of us differently. If your doctor considered your memory problem to be significant enough to justify a memory test, then this might mean something to him. (If he's not familiar with it, he can look it up).

Anyway, loss of sense of taste and smell, and memory loss, are two symptoms of Karsakoff's psychosis, though you don't necessarily have the other symptoms, (yet).

Luve,
Galahad

[JLH]

Tex , I thought you had referred to the brain gluten connection previously. That's why I felt our PP wasn't going to have a brain tumor diagnosed.

http://www.celiac.com/articles/1085/1/G ... Page1.html

I had printed this when I came across it.....I haven't even read it...It's in my stash. It is from 2006.

[jodibelle352]

OMG! Tex, I've been loosing so much weight and have been having trouble remembering things. Things I thought I had done and then I find out I didn't mail this bill our that letter out like I said and thought I did. Is this normal for me as it's been one of the things that's been scarring me lately.
Love Ya!
Jodi

[tex]

Gluten causes a general neurological condition of "brain fog", which results in memory problems, and keeps one from being able to think clearly, or concentrate on a specific topic, (in gluten sensitive individuals), but I believe that's an entirely different phenomenon from the thiamine deficiency issue that I was referring to above. The thiamine deficiency rarely becomes a problem, whereas brain fog is quite common for gluten sensitive individuals.

After the diet starts showing results, the various symptoms will slowly go away, but the brain fog is almost always the last symptom to go, for most people.

Tex

[jodibelle352]

Hi Tex:
It's me again. Is there an article about this symptom that I could read and possibly pass on to my FP and GI doc's. I also having been keeping this from my David as I thought I was loosing my mind because of all the stress we've been under that with my weight loss it was causing other problems. I'm not use to being sick all the time and I make a terrible patient. I've been taking care of David for so many years that I'm having a very hard time accepting the fact that I can not do or handle everything like I did. Sometimes I worry myself sick wondering if I've forgotten something important that I was supose to attend too and forgot to do. I love to crochet, do crafts and I love to read. But I have many episodes were I don't seem to beable to concentrate enough to even start let alone finish a project. On top of this I don't know how to bring myself to tell David that I'm having trouble but with the right information it may make things easier to explain to him in terms he could understand as well as for me to understand as well.
Jodi

[tex]

Jodi,

The reference that Joan cited discusses some of the general, (non-technical), effects of gluten on the brain, but here is another that goes into much more detail, and uses more appropriate technical language, to describe that happens. IMO, the most significant effect of gluten on the brain, is the alteration of the blood-brain barrier, because this can have profound effects on the way that many functions of the body, (and emotions), are regulated. For example, this is probably why many of us who have been through many months, (or years), of untreated reactions, now have permanent sleep pattern problems.

If the blood-brain barrier is compromised, it's possible that gluten could even cause inflammation in the brain itself. This paragraph explains why we wouldn't even be able to detect it, if it were happening:

Another factor is related to the concept “cerebral allergy.” This is a concept supported by just a few hundred medical doctors and psychiatrists. It became increasingly apparent in the 1990s that there are immune system defenses in the brain, and that the microglia can be recruited and even reprogrammed to do the work. Experiments show that microglia can be stimulated to “change roles” and produce a cascade of cytokines (the “cell-movers” that can produce, maintain and increase the inflammation response. Because we cannot feel brain tissue - it is not “engineered” to signal to us its own changes - hence there is no pain, itching, etc. Inflammation involves swelling, increased blood flow, increased temperature, itching or pain or both - none of this can be felt in the brain unless severe. This must be one of the strongest reasons for people with brain-based disorders denying that anything is wrong with their brains.

Anyway, I think this article explains the issue about as well as any I have seen:

http://www.drkaslow.com/html/gluten-bra ... tion_.html

Back when I was reacting, I tried to never make any important decisions on the worst days, but even on my best days, back then, I knew that my cognitive powers were only a fraction of what they should have been - I just couldn't get my brain into high gear, and I couldn't figure out why.

Tex

[jodibelle352]

Thank You Tex for the information.
Have to leave until tomorrow have my little granddaughter to watch who keeps me on my toes. LOL
Love Ya!
Jodi