IgG and Brain Function: Milk Withdrawal and Milk Addiction?
Yes, brain function may become impaired through the odd mystery of milk withdrawal. And if you don’t know about the opiate dependence possibilities with milk proteins, with casein, you won’t be prepared for the problems that arise with going off milk after IgG testing. Milk withdrawal is real, you can’t make this stuff up. Take a look at this article in Living Without on gluten withdrawal and you’ll appreciate more details on the larger perspective of brain function as related to opiate challenges.
IgG Testing Matters
In our offices we simply don’t count on the unreliable and, from my perspective, significantly outdated elimination diet strategy. If you do the elimination diet plan [click on that link] you will be looking for IgE results, not IgG. IgE: Think Immunoglobulin Emergency: IgE is important for immediate, acute allergic responses – eat shrimp, swell up and choke, have diarrhea, or pass out. It’s an Emergency!
IgG measures chronic response. Think Immunoglobulin Ghost – it resides inside, but is often undetected and Ghostlike in it’s subtle manifestations. The undetected medical implications are associated with chronic gut deterioration and the multiple consequences associated with leaky gut [see these Wikipedia references].
For IgE think “Emergency,” for IgG think “Ghost.”
Opiate Withdrawal and Milk Addiction Are Real
Milk allergies and frequently associated milk addiction can add to the cytokine storm raging from the associated IgE milk allergens in the first place. Milk addiction and opiate withdrawal is real if you look for more subtlety. This withdrawal doesn’t look like convulsions in on a heroin detox unit, but the symptoms can create significant functional problems.
After a reader’s offline request for clarification a few weeks ago, it’s time we take a few moments away from wheat and gluten sensitivity to explore brain function downstream [yes, intended] from our old friend, milk.
But before we move on let me tell you candidly, I am not a big fan of an elimination diet strategy. After testing hundreds in my offices for both IgG and IgE I can report that most, not a few, suffer from significant multiple allergies not easily sorted out with an elimination diet.
Opiates Are Addictive
In that previous post on opiate withdrawal from gluten and casein I addressed the frequency and challenges of going off wheat and milk after recognizing gluten/casein sensitivity. The culprit: opioid peptides which appear to mimic the effect of opiates in the brain, and can result in withdrawal symptoms in some sensitive people. Opiate withdrawal is real.
The name of the two peptides with links here for further review [noting that authorities don't yet completely agree on this phenomenon] are casomorphin [a milk peptide] and gliadorphin or gluteomorphine [two names for the opioid peptide arising from partially broken down gliadin portion of the gluten protein in wheat.
While some may not agree, we have regularly seen "withdrawal symptoms" - commonly after discovering that IgG testing reveals wheat protein or milk protein sensitivity associated with those chronic, grave, psychiatric problems. Remember this: Your GI doc isn't thinking Brain, he's thinking Bowel. No disrespect, but he is not likely thinking Chronic, but is likely rather thinking Acute. With IgG problems the Brain most often shows the tell tale first clear cognitive symptoms, not often reviewed in general medical practices. For us the Brain is the Canary in the GI Coal Mine.
From an immunity perspective your Brain is your Canary in your Coal Mine. That likely methane explosion is not detectable without closely observing brain deteriorations. The elimination diet does work for easily observable IgE reactions, not for the silent, almost ghostlike, symptom-free IgG.
Example:
A brief clinical example may help make the point on covering both the milk and the wheat sensitivity questions with your family or your clients:
A 12 yo boy presents with refractory ADHD and moods, just not getting better. He not only has problems focusing, but has an exquisite sensitivity to all of his peers, and can be quite irritable and depressed. Relationships with parents: great.
Concerned, informed parents spent hours and considerable money on evaluation of the possible causes of the moods and ADHD with SPECT scans at the Amen Clinic in Fairfield, CA [about 2 years ago to evaluate his brain function].
Multiple bowel symptoms arise in the first interview including chronic constipation, GI upset, “touchy stomach,” sensitivity to many foods and picky eating. Testing at Enterolab [easily accomplished with a stool specimen and no needles] revealed casein and gluten sensitivity. [This original post: '07 - and in this revised post '12 we now use Metametrix and Great Plains labs for IgG testing.]
The Best Solution: Measure The IgG To Predict Possible Milk Addiction
The parents had already taken him off wheat with an elimination diet as I suggested straightaway after hearing his history. Interestingly, in their compassion with the dietary changes, they had continued his milk. He already had experienced withdrawal and regression going off his addictive wheat, [felt foggy, more irritable and shaky] but continued behaviorally and emotionally symptomatic with the initial symptoms while still on milk. The informed elimination diet had not worked, because they didn’t follow the entire food, diet elimination protocol.
My prediction: He will have more difficulty with milk withdrawal, is already in an opiate withdrawal process in the first place, and will likely get worse with milk withdrawal. [In 2012, we would prepare him better by supporting his bowel healing and his measured, data-driven neurotransmitter imbalances.]
Having spent years working with “drug addicts and alcoholics” [as some call them] in withdrawal, I suggested they go low and slow, but stay on complete withdrawal as an objective. Their rationalization, as is the case with many: “he won’t feel so bad if he stays on some of these these happy foods.”
But consider the other option: those sensitivities and the opiates will absolutely continue to diminish brain function if not corrected – if not completely corrected.
cp
Related articles
- IgG Food Intolerance Tests: What does the science say? (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
- New Barrier Permeability/#Leaky Gut Test (trulyglutenfree.co.uk)
- Is gluten the new Candida? (sciencebasedmedicine.org)
- My letter to the Wall Street Journal: It’s NOT just about gluten (trackyourplaque.com)
- Health Journal: Deciphering the Ailments Tied to Gluten (blogs.wsj.com)
- Food Sensitivity vs. Food Allergy (doctorrance.wordpress.com)
Thanks for the health update that you have given, i have to be more concious.
Hey Personal Growth,
You have a very interesting site, -would like to contribute to your excellent efforts at spreading the word. Problem is easy: Time.
Thanks for your note, blog on!
Chuck
I’ve found vitamin B6 (50 mg) and B-complex (B-50) supplements to be an important addition to our GFCF diet.
The GFCF diet has solved 75% of our difficulties– but moods seem more stable and tempers don’t flare when we remember to take the Bs too. It’s especially helpful when the kids have been having sweets or irregular meals, so perhaps it helps to regulate blood sugar (?).
JRB
One of the most frequently overlooked additional problems that occurs following the diet change is the gut healing issue. Opiate withdrawal, covered in several posts here, is but one aspect of recovery.
After withdrawal, gut healing deserves its own plan.
B vitamins are helpful, as are several other nutritional products that actually heal the several broken, leaky layers of gut [my term: "the bowel lasagna"] – corrupted by the gluten sensitivity in the first place.
Look forward to sharing more info on these matters soon,
Thanks,
Chuck
My late father , myself [68yrs.]my son [40yrs] , my younger daughter [37yrs.] possibly my elder daughter [41yrs.]my granddaughter [7yrs.] blood tests negative ,had started diet already so refused biopsy. So many years of suffering . Why don’t G.P.s know more about this disease ? So much expense for us and the N.H.S.
Two things that I find help: 1– Udos Choics Probiotics ..one per day for one week, 2 per week for two weeks..not too many helps brain-gut connection and assim. of minerals
Also read Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD on the gut brain connection and healing the gut..www.bodyecologydiet.com to purchase & read article in Wise Traditions Journal by http://www.westonaprice.org
Janice,
Thanks for the references – looks like the Gut and Psychology book is out of print. Will chase down the other connections. Appreciate your comments-
cp
Hi Dr. Parker,
Thank you for posting info on casein withdrawal. I am having it right now and it is pretty bad. I woke up several times during the night and woke up this morning with bad body aches. Been feeling extremely fatigued for the last few days since I stopped dairy. I know I’m doing the right thing, as I have always been allergic to milk, but it’s hard right now to feel this bad. Do you know how long the withdrawal normally lasts? Thanks!
Sherri
Sherri,
Everyone’s different Sherri. The variables that seem to mitigate duration and intensity of withdrawal have to do with several factors:
1. Nutritional status previous to discontinuing the allergen – vitamin cofactors and protein neurotransmitter precursors especially.
2. Bowel status and degree of leaky gut before discontinuing.
3. Inflammation secondary to the allergen in the first place.
4. Comorbid depression and anxiety before hand, secondary to the alteration in neurotransmitters with the leaky gut and relative malabsorption. Those neurotransmitters always need rebalancing as part of the fastest, most effective recovery.
5. Pre-existing VitD3 levels – often deteriorated with allergen attacks.
6. Specific healing activities post withdrawal: Strongly recommended – various detox protocols for liver correction and this specific GI Repair protocol for 6 weeks, to follow with another 6 weeks of specific healing probiotics and supplements.
7. Other overlooked allergen can encourage ongoing problems: e.g. garlic, peanuts, soy, eggs.
Hang in there! Set up a time with me if we can help out.
cp
thx for sharing….i have been looking for something about milk addiction for a while and have found nothing until now….sometimes i drink so much milk in one sitting i make myself sick although that is rare i have done it and realized it was going to make sick but i didnt care i know that sounds weird but anyway…..i have at times down a half gallon in one sitting…..i would say i average a gallon a day but hey at least its not alchohol right …
pablo,
Better than alcohol, but potentially quite dangerous nevertheless – if you are allergic to it. Milk allergies are the most frequently seen challenges in my regular testing for IgG, and those that are “addicted” are much more likely to suffer chronic medical problems downstream.
cp
Where are your references for this article?
I added a new reference and some specific links with new references on this similar posting just today: http://www.corepsychblog.com/2007/08/celiac-notes-opiate-withdrawal-from-gluten-and-casein/
Thanks for asking!
cp
Maybe we have to tell the mothers to introduce foods including cereals along with breastfeeding so that the child develops a taste for different kinds of food early in life. And food intolerance can cause addiction to the very foods which are sensitive. I think we must completely exclude gluten because of the effect it has on mental health.
Experts far more experienced in these matters than myself recommend not starting gluten until after the first year of life for the very reason that significant antigen/antibody reactions can be stimulated too early.
cp
I wonder if the same is true about the A2 milk sold here in australia…the proteins are different…I would like to know what the thoughts on that are.
Excellent question – see the recent post with the video by Robyn O’Brien on this topic – and we can both await someone who knows to weigh in!
cp
Sad,
Girl, you likely have a serious milk allergy, but an amorphous set of “blood tests” almost always misses that mark. I strongly suggest IgG testing, and a careful review of neurotransmitters – sounds like you may have a modification of your “chickens in the ranch” http://www.corepsychblog.com/2011/01/adhd-and-pea/ – We can consult on all of these long distance and have worked with several folks from SF on these matters! [See the Services page.]
There’s definitely hope, and you haven’t started the downward turn with too much weight gain…
cp
Got Milk,
It’s important in these matters to not speculate, as the field is rife with speculation and maybes – I don’t make an ‘allergy diagnosis’ unless I have evidence in hand on the IgG or IgE levels, the two most commonly witnessed measures in an office practice.
Withdrawal issues differ depending on the associated biomedical vulnerability created by the primary addictive process and, most importantly, the compromised reserves with poor healing.
cp
Lucy,
It does take awhile to get over the cravings as they have to do with the bare receptors, the down regulation of receptor activity and often the diminished 5HTP, serotonin or dopamine, it all depends. Best arm chair advice: exercise, take multivits, get your sleep and satisfy your cravings with a suitable substitute. With chocolate, could be coffee!
cp
I have a 7 yr old Girl that stoped milk one day and for two weeks after she was not my same kid mad it was like she had bad withdrawls after the 2 weeks he is good but what do i do now. was it the milk the food what should i do now? A mom that nees you help
Mama,
With those kinds of profound symptoms I do suggest testing – IgG to be specific. Highly likely she is casein dependent, casein reactive, and likely needs to shift over to one of the more hypoallergenic milk products – almond, coconut, soy, etc.
cp
I have a 17 year old daughter, who has never been weaned off milk. After consuming her mothers milk, i put her on formular milk, then she went on to drinking milk from cartons. When her father tried to make her stop drinking milk for two weeks when she was 14, she was practically beging for a glass of it. She was even crying.
Does milk have a bad effect on the brain or body? I am concerned it may effect her brain especially. She is a very intelligent girl.
Charl95,
Milk is not categorically bad for you – it is only troublesome and allergenic to some. Those who are addicted to it most often have significant downstream medical problems – as seen so frequently in my office, but I don’t have a study at hand to ref for you. Look at her transit time, look for other signs of allergy, and most importantly look for emotional or cognitive challenges resulting from brain imbalances downstream from the likely cytokine storms.
cp
There are many articles written with a similar intent as this on the web, and all are appreciated. However, I have put together a few questions that are NOT covered by the overwhelming majority of similar articles. If you have answers to these, it would certainly help me, and probably others heeding your advice as well.
1) With all this talk of casein intolerance spilling over into avoidance of milk products as a whole, what about butter and creams? Are they negative triggers as well? Especially during the initial ceasing of casein?
In my case, I have been tested by ImmunoLabs (IgG test they branded the “Bloodprint”), and have a strong response to Casein. In addition, I have a strong IgG response to EVERY subfraction in Whey (the other milk protein). In addition, I’m lactose intolerant!
2) Is this a big indicator that perhaps butter and creams just aren’t ideal foods for me either? I can’t find IgG testing anywhere for butter/cream.
Similar tests show I do NOT have any antibody reaction during the Anti-Gliadin Antibody test (If it makes any difference here are my scores: IgG ELISA: 9 units, IgA ELISA: 8 units, as a reference 30 moderate/strong positive).
3) That being said, could I (or ANYONE) still have negative reactions to Gluten through the “morphine-like channel”, independent of IgWhatever testing? Or could there still be harm done to the gut wall?! Is it still prudent then to cycle or reduce gluten intake permanently?
4) Lastly, and this is a stumper, how could it be possible for someone to have these morphine-like withdrawal symptoms for up to 6 months, when even straight morphine and heroin injections cannot produce a withdrawal lasting more than a few weeks, no matter how bad the addiction was?
Thank you for your time and efforts.
Matthew
Matthew,
I can help with some, but not all, and regrettably have no specific refs for you review other than those cited. I do have considerable clinical experience with these matters and recognize that many of these situations are under-recognized, not reported, and often neglected. Treatment works on the guidelines suggested.
1. Butter and cream are milk products with casein. Remember, as I have so often written here, IgG reactions are, most often, not recognized by immediate changes, but by chronic medical implications. To go off any IgG related diet often will not cause immediate symptoms, as one easily sees with IgE reactions. Lactose is milk sugar, a different component of milk, not milk protein [casein]. Sugar and protein coexist in any milk product. Lactose often is associated with IgE reactions, thus more recognizable.
2. Milk products of any kind are relevant, in any shape or form – including yogurt and whipped cream.
3. It is prudent if found reactive to gluten to permanently go off gluten – not the standard advice, but seen far too often in my office when unheeded. I joke with my patients that they can do it their way, and I’ll be here years down the road when they find themselves hit by the same problems – their denial definitely helps my business. Follow my directions, remain free of psych visits.
4. My guess, no evidence at this moment, is that we are seeing multiple levels of the complexity of downstream malabsorption [from the food allergies], malnutrition, and trace element imbalances, some with additional heavy metals. All of these contributions diminish effective enzymatic activities that provide the basis for neurotransmitter replication. Depression and feeling sick, with adrenal fatigue doesn’t improve, because those imbalances must be measured and corrected. This one I see every day in my office.
cp
So can you please list some things that would be considered chronic medical problems that might occur down the line? because i drink milk every day, a gallon every 3 days almost. what would be so wrong with being a addicted to milk? it’s not like being addicted to a drug is it?
Red,
See Symptoms here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_allergy
cp
I love milk!! I can drink a gallon in a day and a half. (NOT kidding.) I get really moody if I can’t have it. But my mom sometimes gets mad that I drink all the milk when she goes to work; can you give me some tips on substitutions for milk?
Becky,
In our office if a milk problem exists, and you may or may not have a problem with milk allergies [not known unless measured], we substitute these products based on the findings if they could also create an allergic reaction: Rice milk is least allergenic, Coconut milk is next, Almond milk next after that one, and Soy milk is still much less allergenic than cow’s milk, but carries it’s own challenges especially for estrogen and women [so we keep that recommendation as last in line]. See this article from Scientific American on Soy: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soybean-fertility-hormone-isoflavones-genistein
cp