I've also given it some thoughts of what might be long term effects living on a "wheat- gluten-free diet". I've come across articles mentioning that you'd be missing some vitamins... But at the end of the day I still feel much better off without it, as it partly cured most of my cognitive issues. I still find it strange there are only a % of people coming forward saying this technique has helped them.
According to a quote near the very bottom of this old article (2008) most "autoimmune specialists agree that patients should avoid wheat and gluten products and highly processed foods".
http://www.alternet.org/story/80129/the_autoimmune_epidemic%3A_bodies_gone_haywire_in_a_world_out_of_balance
This is still exactly what has helped me the most over time.
Thanks for the link, LF, interesting article. I like the way she expains auto-immune diseases both by external factors like toxins, and also by personal factors like genetic predisposition, emotional stress, and diet.
Last part of the article:
"Studies show that patients with an autoimmune disease also do better if they build a wellness plan that involves reducing stress hormones through a daily habit of meditation and whatever form of exercise they can tolerate. Studies show that autoimmune patients also do much better if they follow "the autoimmune diet," which means consuming foods that are anti-inflammatory. For example, most autoimmune specialists agree that patients should avoid wheat and gluten products and highly processed foods, which can be inflammatory or provoke the immune system to overreact. So one needs to work with a doctor who is open to treating you not just with drugs but also with dietary changes, including making sure you're receiving adequate amounts of the main supplements that have been shown in clinical studies to help autoimmune disease patients, such as omega fatty acids, Vitamin D, antioxidants, probiotics, and glucosamine."
I have already described my own method of reducing POIS, and it includes many elements of what she is listing: regular meditation, regular exercise, healthy diet ( even if in my case, I do not avoid gluten and wheat completely, I have reduced them, but have eliminated more allergenic food for me, in particular, cow milk, replaced by organic soy beverage. I have eliminated almost all processed food, and eat a lot of raw nuts and fruits, and other healthy food). And through my 37 years of POIS, I have already discovered the benefits of almost all the supplements she is talking about. I take Omega-3 for calm and for less inflammation, Vitamin D because I live up north where there is not much sun, antioxidants, probiotics. Glucosamine is the only one I didn't take so far, but I have recently bought a particular form of glucosamine, N-Acetyl-Glucosamine ( N-A-G), which is reported by some to help with intestinal inflammation control, and have for some a calming effect ( too soon to report anything on that one).
About regular meditation, I point to the fact that its real benefit is to help in emotional control, and avoid the horrible effects of emotional stress/cortisol and adrenaline overproduction. So, other methods that help at developing a stable, calm, and caring emotional life are as welcomed as meditation, be it psychotherapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy, silent walk in a forest, communication skills development, or anything similar. Of interest is that studies shows that meditation where one centers his attention on the heart and on compassion and loving kindness for himself, people of his surrounding, and everybody, even those who are not that likeable, is the type of meditation that brings the most benefits. This type of meditation is called Karuna meditation ( for some scientific results:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326204236.htm ; for basic instructions for compassion meditation:
http://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Compassion-Meditation )
I can add however that I didn't do all that only for POIS, but also to improve my health in general, and, in particular, have more stamina and be able to practice sport more often and enjoy life by being able to participate in interesting activities more often, connecting better with others, being tired and "out of order" the less often possible.
