Wednesday, June 24, 2009

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?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Better Than A Thousand Words











































































































































Mesquite Flour/Meal made from the pods of the mesquite tree. Below is the muffin experiment. Cutting tapioca, adding mesquite. Pudding like texture in the middle. Never quite cooked, but with almond extract, my kids thought it was a repeat! Dark almost chocolate taste.




Friday, June 19, 2009

Gluten and Your Health

Since becoming gluten free in February my cholesterol has dropped over 100 points! My Thyroid T4 test has raised 2 points, after 4 years of being at 9 (the scale is 9-24). How can this be?

What is gluten? A protein found in wheat, barley and rye, (more comprehensive list). Gliadin is the substance in gluten that induces inflammation in individuals who are sensitive to it. Gluten sensitivity is a food trigger auto-immune/anti-body response, not a food allergy. IGG vs. IGE(histamine trigger)

Possible symptoms and conditions of gluten sensitivity

• Craving for wheat or inability to stop eating wheat
• Allergies, asthma
• Sinus congestion, post-nasal drip
• Joint and muscle aches
• Diarrhea and/or constipation
• Gas, bloating, abdominal pain
• Psoriasis, eczema or unexplained rash
• Depression, anxiety or mood-swings
• Hyperactivity
• Neurological disorders
• Unexplained chronic fatigue
• Frequent canker sores
• Iron-deficiency anemia
• Osteoporosis, dental enamel defects
• Short stature
• Ear-aches
• Headaches
• Gallbladder dysfunction/stones
• Kidney stones
• Cerebral and cerebellar atrophy (affects coordination)
• Delayed puberty
• Early menopause
• Febrile seizures
• Intestinal cancers
• Obesity
• Pica
• Single generalized seizures

(The above list is a partial list compiled from Dangerous Grains by James Braly, M.D., and Ron Hoggan, M.A. and The Gluten Effect, by Drs. Vikki & Richard Petersen, D.C., C.C.N.)

What happens in your intestines when you’re gluten sensitive and eating gluten?

Healthy Villi with proper absorbtion
There are microscopic finger-like villi along the walls of your intestines. The purpose of the villi is to absorb the food you’ve eaten and make it available to your body to use. The villi, the site of first contact, become red and inflamed from the attack of auto-immune cells, sent out to attack the gluten molecule, when the gluten sensitive person eats gluten. Unhealthy Villi have totally atrophied, wasted
The tips of the villi produce many enzymes including lactase (used to digest lactose), sucrose (used to digest sugars), and EFA (to process essential fatty acids). Starting with the tips of the villi, they begin to atrophy, disappear, leaving you lactose intolerant, dealing badly with sugars (hypoglycemia, yeast infections), and with dry skin.

70% of the human bodies immune cells are located in the small intestine. Wow! No wonder it affects the overall health and immune system of your entire body. 1% of the American population has Celiacs Disease, which is high, but, 40% of the American population is gluten intolerant. (The Gluten Effect by Drs. Vikki and Richard Peterson D.C., C.C.N.)

Cross reactivity/Cell mimicry happens because the gluten antibody looks similar to say a Thyroid cell. The gluten antibody then begins to attack the thyroid, causing hypo thyroid or Hashimoto’s. The thyroid then gets thyroid antibodies created; now the thyroid has no chance. The good news; when you stop eating gluten, the process does cease and desist. If you haven’t gone hypo thyroid yet, your numbers can creep back to normal as your body heals. My free T4 (thyroid test) has been sitting on the lowest number in the normal range, 9, for several years. The normal range is 9-24. After 4 months of a gluten free diet my T4 has risen to 11! My mom and grandmother both had hypothyroid. Once you go hypothyroid, at this point in science, you are on medication for the rest of your life.

Cell mimicry can happen to any system in your body. Gluten/gliadin antibodies are all over the gluten sensitive body, wreaking havoc in the system that is your weakest link. This is one of the reasons gluten intolerance is hard to diagnose when more typical symptoms do not present.

Adrenal Exhaustion

The adrenal system is responsible for handling all stresses on the body. Car accident, job, marriage, food sensitivities, gluten sensitivity are all processed the same way by the adrenals. Stress hits, Cortisol (stress hormone) is released. When stress is ongoing, so is the release of cortisol. Along with calming down your system after release of adrenaline, it can give symptoms of anxiety or lack of well being, as well as redistributing fat throughout the body, slowing down the metabolism. This often results in more fat deposits in the belly.

See the relationship between adrenaline and cortisol.

The hormones produced by the adrenal glands (DHEA, pregnenelone and cortisol) are important for many normal functions in the body. When the adrenals are exhausted due to stress, many seemingly unrelated symptoms can arise because the adrenal hormones are not produced at proper levels. The following is a list of some of the major effects that occur in the body with adrenal exhaustion. A person with adrenal exhaustion may have symptoms in one or more of these areas.

  • Fatigue
  • Immune System Weakness
  • Low Blood Sugar
  • Sugar cravings
  • Weight gain
  • Thyroid problems
  • Depression/ Mood swings
  • Hormone imbalance
(The Gluten Effect, by Drs. Vikki & Richard Petersen, D.C., C.C.N.)

Recommended reading:

The Gluten Effect, by Drs. Vikki & Richard Petersen, D.C., C.C.N.)

Dangerous Grains by James Braly, M.D., and Ron Hoggan, M.A.

Gluten-Free Bible by Jax Peters Lowell

The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie Hurt Jones, R.N.