Tina Turbin sent me your request to learn more about Sjrogrens. I was not diagnosed with it until my late 30′s. You can get any auto immune anytime in your life. In fact, Sjrogrens hits women mostly and usually happens between the ages of 40-50 but can happen anytime. Sjrogrens is an auto immune disease and like all auto immune it has a direct link to celiac and gluten intolerance and is triggered by stress, pregnancy, trauma, etc., Once you have one auto immune it’s common to have others. I have hypothyroid as well.

Do you have dry eyes as well and dry mouth? I had both and my eyes got so bad I had punctal plugs put in my tear ducts and had drops I used all the time. The problem with me is the layer on my eyes was literally drying up and I had arthiritis and extreme fatigue. I would suggest asking your doctor to test you for Sjrogrens. The dentist doesn’t order those tests that I know of. Going gluten and dairy free was the best thing I did as I also had major GI issues and leaky gut. Your immune system is in the gut (80%) so it’s key to eat healthy and non-inflammatory foods. Check out http://www.karmic-health.com for more info on GFCF diet and nutrition as well as disease related to inflammation. Check out the Sjrogrens Foundation website as well: http://www.sjogrens.org/home/about-sjogrens-syndrome

I hope that helps and I wish you the best!

In Peace,

Sandi Star, CCN
Founder & President

Karmic Health
2604-B El Camino Real, Suite 190
Carlsbad, CA 92008
http://www.karmic-health.com
Phone: (760) 685-3154
Fax: (760) 652-1644

I hope this helps and thank you for visiting the site. Your questions are very good.

To give you a small piece of history about me, I consider myself gluten intolerant. I have only received the genetic test for Celiac and was placed in the “lowest risk” category, which I was surprised about. I have an uncle who also cannot eat gluten and recently had his entire large colon removed.

I’ve had digestive issues for most of my life, but especially since college, about 15 years ago, and then began pinpointing nutritional issues as the cause a couple years ago–first with dairy and then with wheat, barley, rye, etc. Once I cut gluten out of my diet, when I eat the smallest amount of it now (even a cross contamination amount), I get very sick. A rye cracker about the size and thickness of a dime was enough to put me in bed for several days with extreme exhaustion, muscle spasms, etc.

I am curious about Sjogren’s because of the sudden dental decay I’ve experienced. In my family, we tend to have very healthy teeth. I had no cavities at all until 2 or 3 years ago (I’m now 34), and that was only one small cavity. For my dental visit a year ago, I was suddenly told I had *8* weak spots in my teeth! Considering that I had practiced the best dental habits of my life that year (I brush twice a day and had finally developed the habit of daily flossing for the first time–I was very inconsistent flossing before)–that is a huge difference for someone who has always had health teeth and gums and had even developed better oral hygiene habits!

The thing that confuses me is why I would have problems so late in life with my teeth–would that rule out a diagnosis of Sjogren’s?

I am about to go back for another visit and I am wondering if there is something I should say or ask specifically about Sjogren’s or if a regular dentist can even help with a diagnosis?