Statistics

Gluten intolerance is a spectrum disorder, rather than Celiacs Disease or nothing (The Gluten Effect). Celiac disease is a typical complex inflammatory disorder(Nature Reviews. Immunology Vol. 2, Sept. 2002, 647-55). This means anything that gets inflamed, intestinal lining, joints...

As Dr Rick of HealthNow often says, a symptom means your body has malfunctioned; pain, and discomfort are common, NOT normal. Healthy bodies adapt to life's stressors feeling free of pain and filled with energy.

• 70% of our immune cells are in our intestines! This means, healthy gut, healthy body. Unhealthy gut, unhealthy body.(The Gluten Effect, Drs. Vikki and Richard Peterson D.C., C.C.N)
• 50% of IBS sufferers have gluten intolerance(The Gluten Effect, Drs. Vikki and Richard Peterson D.C., C.C.N)
  

• 10% more autoimmune diseases in celiacs than rest of the US population(CMLS, Cell. Mol Life Sci. 62 (2005) 791-799
• High levels of anxiety were common in the untreated celiac patinets 11/15 (73%) (AM J Med, March 1, 2004, 312-7)
• Depression was more common in untreated celiac patients 10/15 (67%) (AM J Med, March 1, 2004, 312-7)

• In 132 participants all clinically diagnosed with ADHD, after at least 6 months of a gluten-free diet, all patients or their parents reported a significant improvement in their behavior and functioning compared to the immediate period before diagnosis and dietetic treatment. (Journal of Attention Disorders, March 2006, 1-5)
• Mortality Risks for cardiovascular diseases was 60% increased in CD (ARCH INTERN MED/VOL. 163, JULY 14, 2003

Read The Gluten Effect if you like statistics and medical documentation, obviously I do. A heavily documented book with medical research from both the United States and Europe. Written in plain English and divided into sections so you read what applies to you.

Our bodies are regenerative by nature. Thanks God! Just as a scraped knee clots, scabs, scars and lightens over time, or keloids for many darker skinned folks like my hubby. So our insides work much the same way. If you used a lotion and got a rash, you'd see it right away and probably stop using that lotion, but, when we eat something our body doesn't react well with, we don't see the rash. We often ignore the signals our bodies give us, cover them up, antacids(I ate them constantly), Advil, or stronger. Diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune disorders, cancers, you name it, that's where our bodies go when they've been taxed beyond what they can handle.

Some of us are the canaries of society. My story is classic, in retro spect. When I was 23 I had a grand mal seizure, the next year I gained 60 pounds(explanation in future post)! Years of candida, didn't realize it at the time. When I was 26 or 27 I became lactose intolerant. The tips of the villi in the small intestine have the enzymes sucrase and lactase, for handling sugars and lactose. In my late 20's early 30's I began to have intolerance to fruits. Melons made my throat itch, ripe bananas and walnuts made my mouth itch. Tomatoes were suspect, but I didn't listen, I could tolerate the side effect from them. Another seizure when pregnant in 1999. Been on medication ever since:( Seizures started to be petite partials, the small ones while conscious. The more seizures you have, leads to more seizures. Gluten intolerance can be responsible for seizures. My seizures have been hormone related, and my hormones have been totally off. It's a miracle that I have 3 healthy boys!

Having a tumor really makes you look at priorities and life differently. Thinking of my children growing up without me, disturbing to say the least. I had a rare auto-immune disease, Castlemans. "Autoimmune disorders occur 10 times more commonly in Celiac Disease than in the general population."(CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 62 (2005) 791-799)

My dad had diabetes, lupus(autoimmune disease), arthritis, kidney failure(diabetes complication), dialisis, then early death, 67. To my horror, I was headed down the same path, even though I ate whole grains, drank water, ate fruits and veggies, sprinkled my foods with ground flax seeds,well, along with my unhealthy indulgences. It wasn't until 4 months after my 3 year old son had health problems and was taken off gluten, that I finally went gluten free myself.

After my thorocotomy(open chest surgery from under the arm), I experienced a painful and lengthy recovery. Again, in retrospect I can see it was due to my inflammation being out of control. Once I went gluten free, some areas of pain from the surgery, I thought, turned out to be my intestinal pain. The proximity caused the confusion. Did I have stomach aches for years and not know it? No. I had stabbing abdominal pains that began after my surgery, trauma to the body. Trauma's are often triggers for advancing gluten intolerance and ultimately celiacs disease. While I stopped my gluten consumption before I hit critical mass, many people begin to suffer symptoms as they age and like me with my joint inflammation, accept this as the process of aging. It used to hurt to take a deep breath, after my surgery, up until recently, since going gluten free.

Going gluten free is not the end all be all, but it is a significant source of strain and stress on the body for some. While we cannot control all the stresses in our lives, we most certainly can control what goes into our bodies. Making a temporary diet change with the modified elimination diet is a great way to get started. Often people find a food sensitivity they didn't know about, which aleviates many symptoms. 1 week, it's worth trying. At the end of a week you begin reintroducing one food at a time, waiting 2 days back off of it, then, if no symptoms, add it back to your diet. This is not a 'diet', I've got to loose weight, I must not eat this or else. You may lose weight as you get off things your body doesn't do well with, especially gluten, but the focus is on being healthy.

This has been an intensely spiritual journey for me. Obeying God, his still small voice. I've heard the definition of stress=the difference between your values and how you actually live. My diet may be restricted for a time, but, the freedom I have from obeying my addiction is so amazing. Still in the beginning of this journey myself, many years of damage being healed, inside and out. The 100 point reduction in cholesterol, the increase in my thyroid function, some weight loss. It takes 6months to 2 years to heal your body after years of abuse. Pretty amazing huh?