3 Headed Pellagra and its many faces and why GI problems often are only the tip of the Iceberg for a Celiac consider/think about dementia, anxiety and depression too as possible manifestations of Pellagra a Niacin deficiency in Celiac’s by the Celiac Posterboy
The Celiac Posterboy who writes/blogs about the digestive disorders that Pellagra causes today often presenting as other diseases such as GERD, IBS, UC, Chrons or other GI problems and even NCGS and in Time Celiac Disease.
And now I want to pivot and include other disease presentations so called extraintestinal (out side the GI) as the term is used that occur in other parts of the body.
Too often the 20+ associated diseases of Celiac disease have other non GI related disorders commonly diagnosed as separate diseases of a common origin.
Quoting the International Journal of Celiac Disease (from here on out IJCD) article Celiac Disease: Intestinal, Heart and Skin Interconnections http://pubs.sciepub.com/ijcd/3/1/6/
“It has been shown that the classic intestinal clinical picture of malnutrition, chronic diarrhea and nutritional deficiencies are disappearing and extraintestinal presentations are emerging. Skin, cardiological, endocrine, skeletal, hepatic, hematological, thrombophilic, gynecological, fertility, dental and behavioral abnormalities are often described [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].” And I would add dementia related conditions should be included in the differential diagnosis process.
Quoting the IJCD again “All these extraintestinal presentations make the diagnosis of the disease more difficult and the reliance on the typical symptomatology more remote. These are some of the reasons why serological screening and diagnosis of CD have achieved prime importance and the high-risk CD populations were expanded to other conditions and to extraintestinal target(s) organs symptomatologies [6, 7].”
And should be expanded to the brain and its many symptomtaologies (their word) like the 3rd D of Pellagra: Digestive, Dermatitis and DEMENTIA’s like anxiety, depression etc.
It is commonly known as gluten ataxia if associated with a Celiac diagnosis today.
But it should be noted that gluten ataxia’s have shown up in other dementia related disorders.
See this link that discusses how the gluten ataxia of Celiac disease mimics Parkinson Disease aka ALS.
Where nature.com neurology page reports “ A case of celiac disease mimicking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”
http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v3/n10/full/ncpneuro0631.html
But is it really Pellagra in disguise today.
The problem today is Pellagra is no longer being diagnosed as the cause of these Dementia’s.
Hindwai (a medical reference website notes this) “subpellagrous nicotinamide deficiency may have lifetime roles in a range of behavioral traits, neuropsychiatric diseases, and dementias.” https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cggr/2012/302875/
They (Hindawi) say concerning Neurological presentations of Pellagra “Famously, pellagra caused dementia(S), a characteristic photosensitive dermatitis (Casal’s necklace), diarrhea, and death. (Is my word(s) because you will see below it is not just a dementia but many dementia syndrome/diseases today that were once linked to Pellagra 75+ years ago today.
Quoting the Hindawi Journal again
“Mental symptoms were wider than dementia, in that depression, fatigue, psychomotor retardation, mania, obsessions, and a whole range of psychoses with auditory and visual hallucinations were well described, along with personality change and sociopathic and drug and alcohol addictive behaviours. Panic disorders were seen as was a general inability to deal with physical or mental stress. Poor brain development such as hydrocephalus or cerebral palsy was also common. Acute delirium or even coma occurred, with some patients having myoclonus and other extrapyramidal signs reminiscent of the spongiform encephalopathies. The dementias (their words) of pellagra included features akin to Lewy body, Alzheimer’s, frontotemporal, vascular, and prion diseases. Parkinsonism was also common and a festinant gait was first described in pellagrins. (see above how the gluten ataxia’s of a Celiac diagnosis now mimic ALS aka Parkinson disease (today)! Tremors of various descriptions, including asymmetric rest tremors, were noted and some patients had typical paralysis agitans. Pellagrins had a characteristic expressionless facies, so some signs of parkinsonism were present in most cases. Many features of pellagra closely resemble the nonmotor aspects of PD.
The neurological manifestation did not stop there because other degenerative conditions, such as an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like picture, were described, with fasciculation of the tongue and upper and lower motor neuron signs. Cerebellar syndromes occurred and vertigo was frequent. Headaches, sensory and pain syndromes, epilepsy, and involuntarymovements were noted as well as sleep disturbances. Cord lesions were also seen, as was optic atrophy, so there were multiple sclerosis (MS), like variants.”
This standard research article/work from Hindawi is meant to serve as “Lesson’s Learned” White paper of sorts and they even subtitle it such “Hypthoses and Lessons from Pellagra” the problem is they are not Lesson’s Learned TODAY.
Dr. Heaney notes the same thing when talking about the 100 year anniversary of the War on Pellagra being over . . . . but the battle rages on. When he says . . . “at least, pellagra is a disease of the past – fortunately – and it is doubtful today that most health professionals would recognize it if a case happened to come to their attention.” Amen to that!
And THAT is not a good thing. Link provided here to Dr. Heaney quote http://blogs.creighton.edu/heaney/2013/11/18/pellagra-and-the-four-ds/
Sadly it is not a disease of the Past! It just goes by other names today.
See my blog post https://celiacposterboy.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/when-myth-becomes-medical-fact-people-suffer-unnecessarily-the-case-of-mistaken-identity-how-pellagra-now-thought-to-be-rare-became-known-as-celiac-disease-a-white-paper/ that explains WHY this so today.
What 75+ years ago today was once diagnosed and cured by a Vitamin is now many different diseases many of them completely reversible with supplementation but the patients are now left with no other hope but to take the latest “breakthrough” drug that tries’ to replace the Vitamin that when taken 75+years ago healed people of debilitating and deadly psychosis’s now thought uncurable and uncontrollably expanding at an alarming rate.
See below for examples of how the Dementia’s of Pellagra were (and could be today) cured by simple Vitamin supplementation thought to be quackery today.
The healtybynaturehwc blog notes the same thing by Susan Hughes who asks( Is it) Dementia or Pellagra?
Niacin Deficiency in the 21st Century http://blog.healthybynaturehwc.com/niacin-deficiency/
Note: Dementia is stand in here for a range of mind/brain conditions that can occur with gluten allergies. 50 percent of MS, and Cerebral Palsy patients have gluten antibodies in their systems at the time of diagnosis and 40 percent of Celiac are depressed.
Susan is much kinder than Dr. Mercola who she references in her blog where Dr. Mercola notes violent tendency in patients/inmates in psyche wards and prisons who when given Niacin went into remission at a rate as high as 50 percent with low grades supplementation and at rates as high as 80 percent with high dose supplementation when Dr. Hoffer in the 1950’s first discovered Niacin treats the Dementia’s of Pellagra.
And it was not just mild mental symptomtaologies like being sad that were cured either but even schizophrenia.
Dr. Mercola asks?
What about the people that had a little bit of niacin, but didn’t get better? … [H]e Dr. Hoffer started giving what at the time were preposterously high doses of niacin: 3,000 milligrams a day. And he was curing schizophrenia in 80 percent of the cases
(It should be noted for clarity the 3,000mg was in divided doses or multiple times a day.)
See his blog here http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/21/pellagra-causes-violent-crimes.aspx
This explains well the violent tendency of advanced Parkinson disease patients.
A noted characteristic of the disease advancing to its end state: death the 4th D of Pellagra.
More on that in another post but here is research that even confirms this hypothesis making it no longer a hypothesis but a “working” theory.
Where they say concerning Niacin metabolism and Parkinson’s Disease “Based on these findings, it is hypothesized that niacin is a causal substance in the development of Parkinson’s disease.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723628/
Note this information is 10+ years old and still people are searching for this “magic” cure in the way of a medicine/drug that “cures” what a Vitamin has proven to prevent.
They did not say casual link (occurs with) but that Niacin is a CAUSAL dementia of Pellagra (occurs because of) a Niacin(amide) deficiency now being diagnosed TODAY AS Parkinson’s disease.
Yet people are still looking for a cure somewhere else.
Now again noting the Dementia’s of Pellagra article Dr. Mercola notes other researchers have confirmed Dr. Hoffers’ earlier findings as covered on Susan Huges healthy by Nature blog link provided again for easy reference http://blog.healthybynaturehwc.com/niacin-deficiency/
Dr. Mercola Quoting “According to Dr. Saul, other researchers have since confirmed Dr. Hoffer’s findings, and found that niacin can also be successfully used in the treatment of other mental disorders, such as:
* Attention deficit disorder
* General psychosis
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Obsessive-compulsive disorder
* Bipolar disorder
Pellagra is an extreme or total niacin deficiency and Pellagrins have GI problems and many other things – including having mental illness symptoms.
That Doctor’s 75 years ago diagnosed as Pellagra but since our bread has been enriched with Niacin depressed people no long receive this diagnosis.
The Hindwai article notes in their Pellagra clinical presentations sections that “Mental symptoms were wider than dementia, in that depression, fatigue, psychomotor retardation, mania, obsessions, and a whole range of psychoses with auditory and visual hallucinations were well described, along with personality change and sociopathic and drug and alcohol addictive behaviors. Panic disorders were seen as was a general inability to deal with physical or mental stress.” Very similar to the six different dementias of Pellagra that Dr. Saul other doctors have linked to a Niacin dependency.
Not stopping there they even mention MS and Parkinson Disease as Niacin deficiency.
Quoting “The neurological manifestation did not stop there because other degenerative conditions, such as an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like picture, were described, with fasciculation of the tongue and upper and lower motor neuron signs. Cerebellar syndromes occurred and vertigo was frequent. Headaches, sensory and pain syndromes, epilepsy, and involuntary movements were noted as well as sleep disturbances. Cord lesions were also seen, as was optic atrophy, so there were multiple sclerosis (MS), like variants.”
Yet people still search 75 years later for cures for these apparently new diseases while all along science confirmed them as DEMENTIA’s of Pellagra.
The hindawi journal goes on to note “Pellagra without dermatitis was well accepted and a frequently overlooked diagnosis. Young men from affected states had inordinate difficulty in passing the intellectual tests that involved reading, writing and numeracy skills and the physical fitness tests required by the military, suggesting that subclinical disease was rife.”
Link provided here again for reference but I warn you it is a very technical read so I have summarized. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cggr/2012/302875/
And still is today.
It just goes by other names today instead of Pellagra. Mostly Celiac disease. 58% of Pellagrins today are diagnosed as having Celiac disease according to the International Journal of Celiac Disease (IJCD).
Link provided here again for easy reference http://pubs.sciepub.com/ijcd/3/1/6/note their third paragraph “Pellagra and Celiac Disease”.
Try it for yourself and see.
Take the Niacinamide Challenge taking Niacinamide 500 mg 3/day for 6 months and see if you don’t begin burping in 3 to 4 months and your moods get better in the first 6 months of taking it.
I am writing this for a new follower of my Celiac Posterboy blog who very aptly states “We are all Fixable” because I was them 5+ years ago before I found (God being my help) that indeed all subclinical Pellagrins were indeed fixable when we got the right diagnosis.
SADLY few do today.
*** Remember as always this is not medical advice and should not be considered such. Results may vary. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your medical regimen.
But I think if you take Niacinamide the way I did 2 to 3 times a day for a year your mood disorders will be greatly in remission.
I have not taken the Niacinamide in over 5+ years and my clinical depression of 30+ years has been in remission since.
I am just trying to help the other Starfish still out there.
The Starfish Story Original Story by: Loren Eisley
“One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean (world wide web) …
Son, the man said, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said I made a difference for that one.” . . .
Want you listen? Or have you heard? A vitamin can help us when we are STRESSED out. See The Niacin (Niacinamide) Challenge
SADLY few do get a correct diagnosis. “Snap out of it” we are told. When all along our bodies are not able to function properly. When that function is restored with something that I like to call some TNT (Targeted Nutrition Therapy) then many illness can be blasted away.
The key here this is a cycle of supplementation. You won’t always need to take Niacinamide FOREVER like a pill (a pill for everything) common in medical practice today.
Now the cycle might be a year or two depending on how often you take and how low you are in it but
It is a cycle and then you can cycle off it the way I have.
Though most people will benefit from a cycle of taking it (Niacinamide) 2 or 3/day for a year if you are low enough to have DEMENTIA’s of Pellagra.
But as long as you give yourself two hours between dosages then you can take another Vitamin because this is a water soluble Vitamin your body will not store more than it needs at that particular moment.
It will take 6 months of 3/day before your body refills the small reserves it is able to store in the Liver mostly.
The difference in fat soluble Vitamins (A,E,D,K) can be stored for years in your fat cells.
After your limited storage site is full your body will now be able to restore normal functioning and many of the D’s of Pellagra will improve like Dermatitis issue’s (roseaca, eczema, acne, psoriasis etc) and Digestive Disorder’s like GERD, IBS, Constipation, Diarrhea etc.and your moods (Dementias of Pellagra) will improve dramatically.
In case this is the only post you read I will repeat here for knowledge sakes ****** the number one mistake people make when taking Niacinamide is they don’t take it long enough or frequent enough to make a difference. It should as I have said elsewhere in this blog it should be taken UNTIL you are burping and I might add burping without bloating and your stool now SINKS where it did not before. A sign that the Vitamin is working to restore healthy function again after many years of being chronically low in Niacin(amide).
Most people will burp when taking Niacinamide in 4 to 5 months or less taking it 3/daily — ie with each meal. They will become once a day regular if you are not already (for those who are already gluten free) and your stool will sink to the bottom of the bowl a sign of completed digestion. Usually taking a B-Vitamin only once a day will not make a noticeable difference in your symptom’s because after 2 hours your body is low again. B-Vitamins should be taken multiple times a day for best effect. At least 2 to 3 times daily.
The smaller the dosage 50 to 100mg of Niacin (and the less issues of flushing with the Niacin form) the more often you can take it. Smaller more frequent (3 to 4 times daily) dosages work 40% better than larger (500mg (1 to 2/times a day)) less frequent doses.
It should be noted also that at 500mg doses of Niacin will cause flushing. So it is better to find the non-flushing Niacinamide form for best results. Niacin flushing can mitigated by eating it with food but expect a substantial flushing when taking Niacin in doses above 100 mg. Niacin usually only flushes for 2 or 3 days before depleting your histamine reserves over that time.
*** Remember as always this is not medical advice and should not be considered such. Results may vary. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your medical regimen. But what you got to lose it is just a Vitamin as I said in my book “How to Fight GERD/Gluten and Win or How the Doctor’s Almost Killed Me” referring to the 4th D of Pellagra you have already lost your bowels and probably your mind if you are reading this blog don’t lose your life before the doctor’s figure out that Pellagra still exist today.
And it has 3 faces that often confuse doctors today but 75 years ago they were able to diagnose this disease with only 3 symptoms the D’s of Pellagra.
Dementia’s, Digestive, Disorder and Dermatitis issues. Are You starting to see a pattern here?
And because you are not in subgroup like an alcoholic then the doctor’s aren’t even looking today for these symptom’s so when they see you with them they don’t even consider Pellagra today as a possible diagnosis.
Good luck on your journey but I am afraid, very afraid the doctor’s wont’ find the correct diagnosis in time and unless you are willing to take the Vitamin – Niacinamide (UNTIL BURPING is your new normal) believing against all hope “we are fixable” then you too won’t get better.
But there is hope one like yourself has been helped (found hope God being his help) and is better and I wanted you to know “we are all fixable” if/when we get the correct diagnosis.
If you want to help your doctor out along the way you can visit this link for as I am fond of saying “To Educate is to Free Truly” this is part 2” of that Education “To Educate is to Free: a Physician’s Guide”
https://celiacposterboy.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/to-educate-is-to-free-part-two/
Where I most note be sure to read to the end and read the latest comment from an actual person who is free from Pellagra!
2 Timothy 2: 7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things”
As always search for the “Celiac Posterboy” or “Celiac Poster boy” or “Fight Gluten Win” or “Fight GERD Win” if you want to read all my blog posts for as I have said elsewhere in this blog and it bears repeating “To Educate is to Free” Truly.
The Celiac Posterboy by the Grace of God,
Joe “Rock” Pen Name
celiacposterboy 