Gluten allergy. Nothing helps :/

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

When you say…

When i avoid gluten food and i take milk thistle all symptoms go away

How quickly do the symptoms go away? and do you literally mean everything including poor mood, anger, etc., or just the ibs symptoms? What happens if you simply avoid gluten and don’t take any herbs? What happens if you use milk thistle and don’t avoid gluten?

Comment by Archived User

If i only avoid gluten i cant go back to normal state. If i drink milk thistle- but drink not eat 1-2 days without gluten then its all alright( everything dissapears, bad mood as well) . If i take milk thistle but within few days without gluten i can take some seeds od milk thistle and eat some gluten- but not much.I tried with bupleurum, but it doesnt help me. Milk thistle is good for stomach and have cooling properties. My state can be mixed- deficiency with excess. I tried with herbs for kidney yin and yang deficiency but without success too.

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

So if you only avoid gluten, what exactly improves and what doesn’t. And if you feel absolutely fine without gluten and without milk thistle why is that a problem for you? Avoiding gluten is not that difficult, probably a good thing for many reasons and, honestly, if that’s all it takes for you to feel great you should consider yourself lucky.

That said, I get that you are looking at your assumed gluten sensitivity as some type of weakness that can be worked through with Chinese Medicine. It’s possible, but gluten sensitivities may ultimately be far more complicated, possibly related to pesticide use and or GMO manipulations (even in non wheat substances such as soy) - see ( ).

In short what this means, again, is that if you are completely fine without gluten I would probably just be happy about that, consider yourself fairly lucky and move on.

If, however, you have a host of other sensitivities, then some strengthening of digestion and/or immunity would likely be beneficial. To accomplish this, the best option would be to consult with a fully trained acupuncturist and herbalist in your area and work closely with them for at least 2-5 months. Taking individual herbs as it sounds like you have been doing can not only be harmful it can often be counterproductive vs. properly tailored and balanced formulas.

If milk thistle is helpful for you, it would lead me to think you probably have gallbladder issues and/or some type of liver imbalance. Accordingly perhaps some tailored formulas towards that end might lead to a more complete resolution instead of managing your issues which it seems like you are doing.

I can’t really offer anything definitive without knowing you personally and being able to view other physical diagnostic signs, but something along the lines of li dan wan with xiao yao wan or li dan wan with yi guan jian would be strong possible starting points.

Comment by Archived User

I havent problems with gall bladder. In my family my father have problems with stomach ulcers and GERD. I have constant belching too. I have episodes with nosebleeds., dark circles under eyes and constant sinusitis. Maybe yi guan jian will be right decision?