But let's backtrack a bit. The other thing I always thought was wackadoo: non celiac gluten sensitivity. Then, SURPRISE! I was blessed with a child with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Funny how things work like that and knock you off of your little prideful pedestal. We were just trucking along taking care of our 3 year old and our baby when, BAM! The 3 year old gets a tummy ache that doesn't go away for several months. In meeting with gastroenterologists, allergists, and neurodevelopmental pediatricians we didn't find anything overtly wrong...except for three little antibody tests that showed IgG sensitivities to casein (a protein in milk), gluten, and soy. So we cut out dairy. Grendel's tummy ache improved!!!! Then it came back. So we cut out gluten too. Her tummy ache improved, AND her insomnia disappeared!!!! Bonus! Then the tummy ache came back (but not the insomnia, thank goodness). Then we cut out soy. Her tummy ache improved. Then it came back.
So what did all of this tell us? We kept on taking two steps forward and one step back because, yes, these foods were bothering her. But there were still other foods that she was consuming that were bothering her. She would find temporary relief because we were eliminating a problem. But then the other problem foods would fill in and take the place of the eliminated food causing symptoms to return.
Side note: of course, this isn't an exact science, especially when you are trying on a 3 or 4 year old to accurately report symptoms. But in watching the trends of her health complaints, we noticed that she would bring up the symptoms less and less, then more and more until we were nearly back at baseline. We usually wait for her to complain about something bothering her, we almost never ask about a specific symptom. If she brings it up we know it is bothering her enough to mention it. But if you ask a 4 year old, "Do you still have a tummy ache?" they will usually answer, "Yes, and I think I might be getting a little cold too. And my neck hurts." Pretty much she will copy whatever pain or illness symptoms that any family member us complained of in the previous week.
Back on topic: so we knew that dairy, gluten, and soy were causing her problems. I took the next big leap and thought, "All grains have similar proteins to one another. If gluten is bothering her, maybe gluten-like proteins in other grains are also bothering her. Also, if soy is bothering her, maybe she has trouble with all legumes." When you factor all of that together - no dairy, grains, or legumes - you get the paleo diet.
So that is how this recent vegan made the leap and decided to put her entire family on the paleo diet.
My findings: Grendel has improved DRASTICALLY!!!! Not only did we see her tummy ache go away after a couple of weeks, but about 2 weeks after going paleo her anxiety diminished greatly. She started going into school, dance class, and Sunday school no problem (all of these activities had been riddled with anxiety filled land mines before this). If it weren't for the fact that I went paleo at the same time I might have assumed that she just matured and was better able to handle separating from me. However, I noticed that MY anxiety nearly disappeared as well, and I really doubt that my reduction in anxiety, after struggling with anxiety for well over a decade, went away because I met a new developmental milestone. So I feel comfortable crediting this drastic change in her psychology to the food that we are eating, or more accurately not eating. Recently, Grendel has also almost completely stopped regurgitating. This was one of her top concerning GI symptoms that appeared shortly after she turned 2. She had been regurgitating dozens of times a day for over half of her life. It took almost 2 months of eating a paleo diet for this symptom to diminish, but it seems to be a solid sign of improvement.
In addition to the improved health of our child, Dr. Dad and I noticed that our acne disappeared. Say what?!?!?! 😮 That was an unanticipated, and very nice, bonus. We had both had terrible acne since puberty, and no amounts of serums, salves, or potions would make it go away. I guess that makes sense though as no amount of surface products can fix what is going on below the skin. We had to get to the root of the problems. Our proinflammatory diets were not only making us sick, but they were making us break out.
And so they lived happily ever after...
...if only the story were this simple. But it appears that once again we have taken two steps forward and one step back. Many of the symptoms that disappeared completely in Grendel, Dr, Dad, and myself have returned. Albeit, they returned at a much milder level than before. But it is a good reminder that we still have quite a bit of work to do to bring about healing.
Our next step? I'm planning to put the whole family on the GAPS diet. While we have removed the foods that were causing problems, now we must heal the underlying damage.