posted
Read this....very enlightening. I think the light bulb just went off for me. I showed a positive test for celiac several years ago, but ignorantly ignored it.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Carol B
Unregistered
posted
Looks like I am chasing you around the board tonight,too,TUTU.
I was referred to a gastroenterologist for unrelenting diaryia (can't for the life of me figure out how to spell it) I think I have brain fatigue from all this posting tonight.
Anyway-I was telling him all my sysmssptoms(I'm also too tired to edit") I noticed my stools were tan in color and floated. unlike my daughters' which were dark and sunk to the bottom.
He got this serious look onhis face and said"you know what THAT means?" "No " is ansered . He replied "you need to teach your daughters how to flush the toilet !" No mention of Celiac whatsoever.
He just ordered a colonoscopy and thenthought he had me on laxative abuse-escept the biopsy came back neg. which confused him because he ws so sure. he just gave me a script for diarhea and told me to come back in six weeks.
That was six months ago and i am not going back.
I really do need a break from posting. tonight. I feel so sad for my innocence in seeking treatiment for very real problems and being treated with such idiocy.
BTW since starting tereatment for Lyme and being on a modified diet-including the elimination of wheat, soy, corn and milk( except for a recdeent trip to Coldstone when i really did think I had od'd) things have improved. I only messed my pants up three times this month !
He said I had IBS-and to go to a spsssychiatrist. By for now. Jerks-all .
posted
This is also a very interesting acticle about yeast infections and their correlation to food allergies. This is one of the best articles I have found that may explain why so many lymmies have food intolerances.
I have tried to figure out what we all have in common. As far as I can tell it seems to be:
1) Lyme/Tbd's 2) Antibiotics
Alot of people have only developed these syptoms/ food allergies after being treated for lyme. Makes sense to me. This article really ties it all together. Most Doc's I've spoken to about this are totally clueless.
Posts: 263 | From Georgia | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
There's a book called Dangerous Grains that explains why so many have food allergies. I'm going to get a copy ASAP.
When we keep eating the same foods over and over, we're in for some trouble down the road....more allergies.
Someone on the celiac board told me that my yeast troubles may be from the celiac...so I'm excited about finally having the hope of getting RID of that!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Tutu, could you post the article please? I went in but could only bring up 50% of the screen ... couldn't make it wider, etc. Thanks so much!
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
Im going to see if I can get tested for this. Thanks for posting this lymetoo. I wonder if inability to gain weight is a symptom...will have to read.
Im listening to the fireworks this year...to buggy to stand outside.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
there is a very good, very supportive gluten sensitivity/celiac disease forum at www.braintalk.org. Scroll down (way down) until you find that forum.
In my quest to figure out what was wrong with me (lyme disease) I figured out that my husband was sensitive to gluten! So, now I cook gluten free for him!
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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Gluten Intolerance and Your Pet by Dogtor J. copyrighted dogtorj.com
"Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp....GULP. Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp....BELCH." This is the sound of "Fido" eating his scientifically formulated, well-balanced dog food. It can be purchased at the grocery store, but the discerning owner travels to the local pet shop to buy the better quality food. Most people know that you get what you pay for in a pet food and that the higher grade foods come from certain recognizable manufacturers and can only be found at specialty pet supply outlets. But, is that axiom true? Does purchasing the most expensive food guarantee that your pet will be receiving the best in nutrition that the industry has to offer?
The unfortunate truth is that pet food is not as scientifically formulated as most would like to think. For the most part, Fido's food is made with convenience and cost of manufacturing in mind more than science. Yes, the first few ingredients look appetizing enough and there are essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals added to the mix. But are these ingredients natural for the pet and are they readily available for absorption and use by their body? Here in lies the crux of the matter.
The wake-up call comes when one realizes that once the meat source is removed from the diet, the remaining ingredients are mostly unnatural for the pet. If we exclude the beef, poultry, fish, and lamb, the remaining calorie sources are mostly wheat, barley, corn, rice, and oats, all of which are man-raised crops that the dog and cat would never consume in the wild. I love to inquire of my clients "How would a pet get rice? Swim to Viet Nam?"
But what is the problem with these complex carbohydrates being in the diet? Humans consume these with every meal and they are doing just fine, aren't they? Ahhhh. Are we? If we were, those reading this paper would be reading something else right now, wouldn't they? The problem is that the grains listed above have some universal problems among humans and pets alike, as do a couple of other problem foods that eclipse even the grains in health issues.
To digress for just a moment, I am a recovered celiac. For forty-something years, I suffered like most other celiacs of a myriad of symptoms, including allergies, heart burn and intestinal problems, depression/chronic fatigue, memory and balance difficulties, joint pain, and even fibromyalgia. I was taking at least four drugs twice daily; caffeine addicted, and was quite frankly not having any fun anymore. I am now two and a half years gluten AND casein-free, off all drugs, symptom-free, and feeling better than I did when I was twelve. This miraculous recovery got my attention as a patient and as a doctor. How could this be? How could I be suffering from what millions of people and pets were experiencing but be well in such a short period of time? How could all of these conditions be linked together?
The readers of www.celiac.com and its publications have read many a testimony like this. Many have experienced similar responses while others are still wondering when wellness is going to happen to them. Those in the latter category have been trying to faithfully adhere to the gluten-free regime but are frustrated by the fact that they are making such huge sacrifices with less than optimal responses.
Well, "Fido" is about to teach you something. The fact is that the celiac is a "who's who" of what is wrong with human beings but the conditions that we suffer from are not limited to those who walk upright. When I read the list of conditions that we as gluten intolerants experience, my first thought was that "This is me. This describes me to a T." My second thought was "...but this describes everything that is wrong with everyone, including their dogs and cats." And it does. Suddenly, medicine through the eyes of celiac disease (and other similar food intolerances) made sense. I tell everyone that it was like someone had finally put the right program into a stalled computer and it began operating at lightning speed. All of the idiopathic conditions that are so poorly understood in medicine became "open season" for this medical headhunter.
And, the answers did come one after another. I launched into two years of intensive research while applying the newly unveiled principles to my patients as well as myself. Miracles started happening around me. Allergies abated, intestinal problems cleared up, older pets became less painful and more active, and yes, even their epilepsy stopped. "Wait a second! Epileptic seizures stopped?", you may be asking. Yes, 100% of my epileptics have stopped having seizures, just like many celiac children that were placed on gluten-free diets have responded. I got the idea from the celiac literature. How that occurs is totally explainable but beyond the scope of this article. It can be found in my paper entitled The Answer on my Website, www.dogtorj.com.
In a nutshell, after all of my research into so many of the medical problems and conditions that plague pets and mankind, I decided that the center of our health universe lies in that "J-shaped" stretch of intestine known as your duodenum. Most celiacs are aware of the pathophysiology of their condition and are familiar with the terms malabsorption and "leaky gut syndrome". But, many are like I was in that they don't understand all of the fine details.
There are three food ingredients that adhere to the villi of the duodenum and induce the change that is characteristic of celiac disease known as villous atrophy. These three substances are gluten (from the grains), casein (from cow milk products), and soy protein. Oh oh. Did you know that the last one was on the list? Hopefully so.
What is it that links these substances together? For one, they are all use as adhesives, either as non-food glues or as binders in the foods we consume. Gluten, casein, soy and even corn are all used in industry as adhesives, some even being waterproof. Put "gluten", "casein", "soy protein adhesive" or "corn adhesive" in the search engine of any computer and read the responses. Wow! They are not only used in the food industry to hold items such as oats together but they are put to use in industry to hold just about anything together.
The really bad news is that even rice and oats are used to make adhesives. As we all know, it is the nature of the starches to be sticky. And, as it turns out, the foods that are the "stickiest" are the ones that cause the most problems. This should not be a surprise once this issue is introduced. Casein and gluten are used for the most powerful adhesives. Therefore, it should be not be a shock that they are the number one and number two childhood food allergens according to the FDA. What is number four? Soy. What is number three? Eggs. (This is the first secondary allergen brought about by the damage done to the gut by the first two.)
Now, imagine these proteins leaving the stomach of a human or their pet. I have always used the illustration of three slices of pizza leaving our stomach. But, for this sake of this article, I will use a wheat, barley, or soy-based pet food to drive the point home. Now that you have an idea of where we are headed, you can imagine the stomach is filled with "glue-containing" food. This "glue" leaves the stomach after it has been worked on as much as possible by that organ. Of course, not being a ruminant like a cow or sheep, these foods are not completely broken down any more than the cellulose that they eat that non-ruminants are unable to digest. As simple-stomached animals, our pets and we are not designed to eat grasses like the ruminants do and all of the grains are in the grass family. They are all grasses that man has chosen to consume, with those in Asia picking their grass (rice), the Europeans choosing their grasses (wheat and barley), and those in central America picking corn. Here in America, we consume them all and in abundance.
In an attempt to digest these grasses and their "glue" (along with dairy and soy), our stomach adds as much acid as possible to break them down. Heart burn, anyone? (Yes, my two years of acid reflux abated after just one week of being gluten- free. This, again, should be no surprise.) But, the increased acid is inadequate to eliminate the "glue". It is this sticky substance that adheres to the villi of the duodenum. Whether it be from wheat, cow milk, soy, corn, or the others mentioned, it adheres to these finger-like projections of the intestine that are vital for the absorption of nutrients, effectively reducing the amount of those essential ingredients that would be absorbed into the bloodstream.
What are those nutrients? The vital substances are calcium, iron, iodine, all B complex, vitamin C, most water-soluble vitamins, and most of our trace minerals such as zinc, boron, manganese, magnesium and more. In other words, just about everything that is important other than our proteins, fats, and calories are absorbed by the duodenum. How well can this organ function when it is coated with "glue"? The important thing to realize here is that this happens to everyone and every pet that eats these foods.
That bears repeating. This happens to everyone and just about every simple-stomach creature that eats these foods. We have simply focused on the worst-of-the-worst.... as in the celiacs, casein intolerants, and soy intolerants...in which an immune response is mounted against the glue leading to severe villous atrophy. This immune assault also generates the warning antibodies that we call "allergies" to tell you that this is process is taking place. Otherwise, it would be a "stealth operation" that goes on undetected for years and years until the bottom falls out. Yes, this is all too familiar of a scenario as well, isn't it? It happens in pets all of the time, I'm afraid.
So, the ultimate question is whether pets suffer from celiac disease? My answer is that it doesn't really matter. In the pet, every bite of the average commercial food has "glue" in it, whether it is of wheat, barley, soy, corn, or rice origin. Yes, there are better glues" than others and they are in line with what we see as the principle allergens in the pet, just as one would expect. Wheat and soy are the worst (now that dairy has been eliminated from pet foods) while oats and rice are the best...the least sticky. Corn is in the middle. This is exactly what we see as the main sources of food allergies in the pet, a problem of huge importance in dogs and cats. Now people can understand why lamb and rice foods have become so popular. Rice is the least of the adhesives and thereby less allergenic and lamb is (or at least used to be) an unusual protein source compared to beef and others, which have become the main secondary allergens in the pet. It does all make sense.
But celiac disease has occurred in the dog. It has been definitively identified in one breed, which is almost extinct now.... the Irish setter. This hapless breed was effectively sent the way of the buffalo when the industry added wheat, the number one dog and cat food allergen, to the pet foods about 15 years ago. Thanks to the wheat glut in this country, corn-based diets were quickly replaced with wheat and the subsequent decline in our pet's health began. Veterinarians found themselves wondering why the immune system of the dog and cat were having such problems, ranging from worsening allergies to a rapid rise in immune-mediated diseases. The answer was right before us: you don't add the number one dog and cat food allergen to the diet without having some major repercussions. The veterinary profession was just as shortsighted as the medical profession is today about the ramifications of consuming the top food allergens as the bulk of the diet. 60-70% of the American diet is comprised of cow milk products and wheat alone, with 40-50% being the number one food allergen, dairy products. There is a price to pay for this sort of ignorance and it is heavier than most realize.
The main cost is the disruption of duodenal function. Once the essential nutrients have been malabsorbed for a long enough time, Pandora's Box is opened. This may occur every early in life or very late, partly governed by the degree of immune-mediated component. The worst of the worst will experience severe problems by the time they are adolescents while the more resilient will not be affected until late in life. But, as I tell my clients, I believe that with the top three foods...wheat, dairy and soy...it is a matter of when they cause problems, not if. The "glue" will eventually affect everyone and every pet with it' nutrient-blocking qualities.
Suddenly, conditions such as hip dysplasia, elbow and shoulder problems, intervertebral disc syndrome, cruciate ligament ruptures, and even heart valve failure all have better explanations. All of these problems are caused by failing cartilage and connective tissue, both of which are structured similarly and made up of calcium and collagen. Collagen is the building block of most of your skeletal support structures. The principle component of collagen is vitamin C. Therefore, when it is understood that calcium and vitamin C are absorbed by the duodenum, then it is easily seen that inadequate amounts of these in the diet or failure of their absorption will compromise the integrity of these structures...all of them.
Imagine that a German shepherd puppy begins eating a wheat, barley, corn, or soy-based diet from the moment it is weaned. If inadequate levels of calcium and vitamin C are absorbed, what are the chances that its hips, elbows, spine, and other cartilaginous structures are going to form properly? I would say "Not good". Most people familiar with dogs know that this breed has a reputation for horrible hip dysplasia. But, they also have serious allergies and other immune-related disorders. This, of course, is no coincidence. Once it is understood that the allergies form in the area of the gut that is being damaged or coated by the "glue", it is easy to see why the trouble breeds like the German Shepherd, Cocker Spaniel, Shih Tzu, and others have their "genetic" tendencies such as allergic skin and ear problems, orthopedic abnormalities, intervertebral disc ruptures, and cancers. Once again, Pandora's Box is opened and unleashed upon these poor breeds through one basic mechanism: malnutrition via malabsorption taking place in the duodenum.
I used to be concerned that the veterinary profession had somehow missed the incidence of celiac disease in breeds other than the Irish setter. But, now that I understand the effects of the "glue" on the absorptive ability of the duodenal villi, I believe this possible oversight to be much less important. I believe the same to be true for humans. The "glues" affect all that consume them. Certainly, the "worst of the worst"...the celiacs, casein intolerants, and soy intolerants...have the most to be concerned about. But, with these trouble foods, it is a matter of when they will create a problem, not if. Those who test negative for these food intolerances should not be lulled to sleep with a false sense of security. These fortunate souls will just be healthier longer. This is clearly one of the things that make us individuals, placing us on a spectrum of wellness that ranges from serious illness during the first year of life to a clean bill of health well into the twilight years. The same is true of our pets.
One important determinant will be the length of time it takes for an individual to deplete their reserves of these vital nutrients. We must realize that a condition like osteoporosis is an end-stage result of chronic calcium deficiency and that there existed less identified but significant symptoms that preceded this dreaded outcome. Certainly we can affect the pace of these syndromes through supplementation and eating correctly in other regards. However, if we continue to consume the blocking agents, the "glues", I am afraid that we will eventually lose the battle.
If we don't understand this, it is a matter of when...not if.
Dogtor J. [email protected] www.dogtorj.com (Read: The Answer- to "Why is the plane of our nation's health in a death spiral?" )
Food Intolerance- Man and Animals versus Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Corn
or
How We Won the Battle of ``Helm's Deep''
by
Dogtor J.
�2005 DogtorJ.com
(This is going to be a bit different from most of your medical lectures, I think. I hope you are up for "different". If nothing else, the hard copy in your conference notes will give you something to read on the plane home.)
"Hmmm... Which metaphor do I use to best illustrate the fate of conventional medicine as we now know it? Which one will give the clearest vision of the dramatic paradigm shift that is now taking place, one that will change the way we practice the art of healing for the rest of man's days? Which will they grasp, take to heart, and run with to share with their clients, patients, and loved ones, to give them the good news...the fabulous news...this 'gospel' of medicine: That we are in sooooooo much more control of our health destinies than we have ever believed, certainly more than we have ever been told? This is awesome news. But how do I take them from the deception that we are "genetically-flawed organisms at the mercy of man's mechanical and pharmaceutical creations" to the truth that we reap what we sow? Yes, even in medicine, that timeless principle applies. But once again, this is GOOD news."
Melodrama??? Is this opening statement simply a gimmick to get the attention of the audience? I personally don't think so...but I hope it worked. It is the truth.
We are all witnessing, at this very moment, the most important shift in medicine of all time as far as I can see. We should be extremely excited to be alive to observe this phenomenal event firsthand, especially those who have been waiting for years to see this transition occur as many of you have. Certainly, there have been many who have known the folly of long-term symptomatic medication: taking aspirin for fevers caused by viruses, stopping intestinal symptoms at all costs, and "relieving" the airway obstructions of nasal congestion and bronchoconstriction that were designed to limit the offending agents that caused the symptoms in the first place. "Oh, now you're sounding like one of those holistic nuts!" Yup. And their wisdom has been suppressed long enough. The approach that the body never makes mistakes and that all symptoms serve a purpose has been buried long enough....too long...and it is time for it to be resurrected.
So, on to our first metaphor. Man, I love Tolkien. What a phenomenally wise guy, his epic tales overflowing with truth and wisdom about man's struggle with himself and the forces-at-be. And the conflict for the possession of Middle Earth serves as a fantastic parallel to the one that we face everyday, with every bite and every breath... and every pill... in the battle for our health. There are many foe and there are huge towers that loom over the battlefield, housing those that create the enemy and direct them into our fields. One of these towers was constructed by men and the forces that drive them in what will be seen as a vain attempt to control man's medical plight through the use of "magic", potions as they were once called, to reverse symptoms that came upon the unfortunate victims of illness. "Do you have fever? Not any more. We have a pill for that. Do you have heartburn? Not anymore. We have a bunch of pills for that. Do you have fibromyalgia? Well, we have lots of pills for that one. And, they work 'OK', but you will still suffer a bit... as your bank account dwindles. Do you have cancer? Well, we have soooo much that we can do, but it is a bit of a crap-shoot. You may survive your particular form of this disease with therapy or you may die actually sooner if we treat you. On the other hand, you may conquer this one but die of a different cancer. We won't really know 'til we try."
Folks, we are in the year 2005 as I write this piece. We have now placed man-made landers on the moon, Mars, and Titan...one of the moons of Saturn, on the other side of the asteroid belt and Jupiter (Wow!)...but we still don't know that it is total folly to artificially kill a fever that our body produces solely to control the virus that caused it. Yes, we are still in the Dark Ages of medicine, so the Lord of the Rings analogy is very appropriate. We might as well be wearing animal skins to work instead of lab coats. If we don't know that it is totally insane to stop a vital fever then we certainly can't see that acid blockers unleash Helicobacter pylori, (who has been cultured from atherosclerotic plaques of coronary and carotid arteries) or that some of the immunosuppressive elements of cancer "therapy" are counterproductive when it comes to fighting all of the viruses that caused the cancer to begin with. (Just thought I'd quickly throw in a little actual medicine at this point.)
But...BUT... here's the cool thing. We have just been through the battle at Helm's Deep. For you Tolkien fans, you know that this was a huge turning point in J. R. R. Tolkien's portrayal of the battle for Middle Earth. The forces that were bent on the destruction of mankind were coming against the remnants of man, who were hold-up in a fortress built into a mountain. It was a seemingly solid foundation from which to defend against the oncoming hordes, but the numbers and armaments of the enemy were potentially devastating. As the evil forces approached and the battle ensued, it appeared hopeless for man, battling side by side with elves (angels) and dwarfs. The leaders of those in the fortress decided to ride out to meet the enemy, a valiant move but one that seemed certain to seal their doom. But then, over the hill...in a flash of light...came Gandalf and a tremendous army on horseback, who divided the enemy, slaying many and sending the remainder running back to their towers to recover and regroup. Victory was man's, for the moment. We dodged a bullet as they say today. But shortly, the real battle was to begin...the final battle for Middle Earth and the ultimate survival of mankind.
Oh, how myth puts things in perspective, eh? As a wise author named John Eldridge just wrote in his book Waking the Dead, myths are not simply fictional stories made up to entertain us. They are poignant tales that illustrate timeless truths. They paint mental pictures of these truths that we can draw upon to visualize things that we know to be true in our hearts. They give us faith, hope, and strength to go against what often seem like insurmountable odds to accomplish vitally important tasks and reach our goals. In those myths, we win Helm's Deep against all odds; Cinderella rises from the ashes to marry the Prince; the Lion King grows up, remembers who he is, and takes his rightful place in the Kingdom; Fiona finds out that she would rather be an ogre and live happily ever after with Shrek than take her ``rightful'' place in her previous world. They all illustrate how man's undying spirit can help conquer those circumstances that would hold him back.
In my mind, nothing illustrates our struggle to learn the truth about medicine (and other life lessons) better than Tolkien's trilogy. All of the elements are there, including things ``seen'' and ``unseen''. It is the classic struggle involving good and ``evil``, with man and his knowledge, beliefs, and shortcomings all working together and in opposition to produce the battle of...and for...our lifetime. All of the players are there: the wise masters; those that were seduced by ``the dark side''; elements of greed, ignorance, and lust for power; and the undercurrent in which man searching desperately for truth, wisdom, and justice and the reason that all of this is taking place.
``So, enough of the stage-setting.'' you might be saying. ``How in the world did you get Helm's Deep out of the current medical situation in which we find ourselves and why all of the `prophetic' references?'' Well then, let's get to it. We'll start with a news flash. A relatively small band of men have finally understood the vital importance of...this is so cool...FOOD in our health. Wow! What year is it again? How long have we been saying, ``You are what you eat?'' But, how many have understood this and grasped the full meaning of that statement and what has unfortunately become a worn out clich�'?
Many think in limited terms, I'm afraid, supposing that this expression means things like ``eat your broccoli'' or ``don't eat too much saturated fat``. Little do they know that the actual staples of their diet are harming them with every bite and setting the stage for most of the plagues that will befall them. When we add in the man-made chemicals, preservatives, colorings, and flavor enhancers, the self-induced nature of our suffering should become readily apparent.
A whopping 75% of the calories in the Standard American Diet (appropriately abbreviated the S.A.D.) come from the number one and number two human, dog, and cat food allergens: cow's milk and wheat. Why they are the top allergens and why soy and corn join them to round out the top four will be the main topics of this discussion. But as if this is not bad enough, 90% of prepared human foods have hydrogenated oils in them and 60% have MSG (monosodium glutamate), which we will be talking about very shortly. Throw in things like aspartame (a known neurotoxin and MSG's evil twin), tons of sugar and salt, preservatives, chemicals, estrogens, pesticide residues, and more and you have a pretty good start on how we arrived at Helm's Deep. When we see that the vast majority of pet foods are made with their main allergens, then we can understand why these little angels (elves) and dwarves are fighting right along side of us. Oh, and we can't forget the horses. They are vitally involved in this battle.
But, the real question (and this is huge) is ``Why are cow milk and wheat the number one and two human, dog, and cat food allergens?'' The answer is so simply that it is literally stupefying. There are substances in these ``foods'' and the other primary food allergens (soy and corn) that do physical harm to the intestinal tract, thereby eliciting an immune response. Part of this response is intended to go off to distant locations (skin, ears, lungs, brain, etc) to warn us that the damage is taking place. Yes, the enemy is sneaky and their initial attack on the headquarters of our camp is cloaked in secrecy. But, those with their eyes open should see the smoke rising from that assault.
In cow's milk the culprit is casein, a very powerful glycoprotein, from which they make waterproof industrial adhesives. ``What?'' Yes, they make GLUE from casein. Who's picture is on the bottle of a very popular brand of household glue, one that the kids could eat in elementary school if they had a craving for it (which we will also cover)? Yep, a well-known dairy company makes that glue and the cow is on the label. It is made from casein. And, it DOES stick to your (and your pet's) gut, primarily that first stretch of the intestinal tract known as the duodenum, keeping this vital section of bowel from functioning optimally. Its adhesive properties are advertised in the form of a moustache in the ever-popular ``Got glue?'' ads. Stick out your tongue after drinking milk. Yuck! Is it really a stretch to think that it sticks to out intestinal tract? The thinking person is saying, ``But the stomach breaks it down, doesn't it?'' The bad news is that, even with the tons of acid it produces...and the heartburn and chronic gastritis that follows...the glue still survives to reach the duodenum. (Only the fermentation process that takes place in the fore stomachs of the ruminant destroys this glue.)
Who knows this and how do we know? Most doctors both know and don't understand this. (``Huh?'') It's a conundrum to me, too. How can they know to tell you not to take certain medications with milk because it will block the absorption of that drug and not know that milk physically blocks other things at the same time? How can some pediatricians tell new moms not to give cow milk products until the baby is on an iron-rich diet and not see that this same milk blocks iron absorption in adults, contributing to the fact that iron-deficiency anemia is the number one nutritional deficiency in the world, including in these United States...the red-meat-consumption capital of the world. How can that be? Simply stated, we are not absorbing what we consume. And now we know EXACTLY why, don't we? But, cow's milk and casein are only the beginning. (Note: Why do I keep specifying cow's milk? Here is the neat thing: goat milk is nearly devoid of casein, which is real reason why goat milk is considered the ``universal foster milk''...and why the Greeks elevated the goat into the heavens...for the milk it gave. All mammals could be successfully raised on goat milk. BUT, feed those same infant mammals cow`s milk and watch how many come apart at the seams. The casein is the culprit, NOT the lactose. Goat`s milk has plenty of lactose. So much for that deception.)
Here is the important thing. The other ``foods' that coat (and subsequently damage) the intestinal villi...and the ONLY ones that do this along with casein...are gluten, soy, and corn. These are the big four or the ``four horsemen of the apocalypse'' as I now like to call them. And it is man and animals against casein, gluten, soy, and corn as the title implies. The strongest evidence of their potential harm is found in the fact that all of these food elements are used to make adhesives...powerful adhesives. Casein, gluten and soy are the strongest, stickiest, and most powerfully antigenic glycoproteins while corn is a slightly less powerful but nonetheless very significant player (especially the corn that we have recently created). They put cars together with the super-glues manufactured from soy protein. They make waterproof industrial adhesives from casein and gluten that are used for numerous purposes ranging from the glue on stamps and envelopes to putting metal together. But, the ``best'' they can do with corn glues is to put cardboard boxes together. So, we see why the FDA and veterinary lists of food allergens are what they are: in order, the (primary) food allergens are cow's milk, wheat, soy, and corn. (We will discuss ``secondary'' allergens in a moment.) Soy could become number one...if that were possible. Fortunately, there are too many soy opponents who will keep this from happening.
Now, here is what should really grab attention of veterinarians and (hopefully) not let go. Talk about hindsight being 20:20. When I graduated from vet school 26 years ago, dog foods were corn-based. (Keep in mind that corn has been modified to ``death'' over the past 25 years. Ever hear the term ``hybrid corn``? Do you remember the Starlink /CRY9C corn scare a while back and how Taco Bell took the fall for that one? You only heard the beginning of that story.) The bottom line is that corn was bad enough and was, in retrospect, causing so many of the problems that we saw back then, especially in the ``trouble breeds'': the German shepherd, Poodle, Cocker, Shar Pei, some giant breeds, and the Irish setter. (Remember when there were Irish setters around? We'll be getting to that soon.)
But...BUT...when we started adding wheat to the diet of pets about ten years later, we effectively landed the single-most devastating blow to veterinary health that we had struck since adding a milk coating to the puppy and kitten chows. Don't let that last part slip past you, either. The cow's milk coating we had on the growth formulas was a HUGE problem that we are just now seeing the vital importance of. In a recent medical study, researchers in human medicine found that our children that ingested cow's milk in the first five days of life had a staggering 40-50 times higher rate of asthma, type-1 diabetes, and juvenile-onset rheumatoid arthritis when compared to the general population. Oh, no! How could that be? You need to remember what is going on in the gut and immune system of the newborn during the first five days of life as well as understand the concept of ``lectins''...antibody-sized glycoproteins derived from the big four...to really grasp the importance of this cataclysmic mistake. Much of this particular issue is outside of the time restraints of this presentation but I think you will find that this ``fun fact'' fits right into the grand scheme of things. We will discuss lectins a bit later, however.
So, we added wheat to the pet foods about 16 years ago. Why? Did we not know better? Yes, we did. Veterinary texts in print at that time boldly listed cow milk and wheat as the leading food allergens. So, why did we do it? (Hmmm... Remember those powers and principalities I alluded to in the opening comments. Their two most formidable manifestations are greed and ignorance.) Actually, there was a geopolitical phenomenon that occurred at that time. We had a ``wheat glut'' develop in this country as a result of numerous factors, including the fact that China became the number one grower of wheat in the world and thereby stopped importing it from us (an amazing transition in their diet which has its own prophetic implications). We had more wheat in this country than we knew what to do with (and we are repeating history with SOY right now. There is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9). Therefore, wheat became cheaper than corn and the pet food companies started making kibble from wheat instead of corn. So easy to see...in retrospect.
The fact is that I remember that time now like it was yesterday. I was practicing in California and suddenly my colleagues and I were talking about how sick dogs and cats were rather than our golf games when we went to lunch. It is now a well-defined moment of time in my memory that still shocks me when I think about it. Man, talk again about 20:20 hindsight. Suddenly, every dog had allergies, immune-mediated diseases, and cancer, not just the usual suspects. When I went to school the subject of allergies (atopy) was just another lecture, not the lecture. In an instant, the mutts from the pound were just as riddled with allergies as the pure-breeds. The old adage of ``Heinz 57'' dogs being healthier than pure breeds was becoming less and less true. Breeds like the Golden retriever were turning into money pits and their owners were saying things like ``I love this breed but I can't afford to have another one.'' You as veterinarians remember this all happening, don't you? If not, you may be too young or just need your memory jogged...or your glasses adjusted...as did some of my educators.
I was at an orthopedic seminar recently put on by the guys who taught me at Auburn University. They were concentrating on the topic of juvenile bone diseases and the same breeds kept popping up on the slides: the Rottweiler, the Lab, the German shepherd, the Rottie again, another Lab, another Lab, and yet another Lab. You get the picture. They also mentioned how they had learned through experience that the puppy chows were harming these dogs more than the adult foods. They weren't sure exactly why that was so but they no longer recommended the ``high-powered'' puppy foods for rapidly growing breeds that were prone to these conditions. I was squirming in my chair like a four year old that needed to go to the restroom.
After the lecture, I approached one of the instructors (one of my favorites of all time...still is) and asked him a question. ``Where are all of the Irish setters these days? I noticed that you don't have them up there in your slides anymore,'' and I smiled a really big, leading smile. He said, ``I don't know. Now that you mention it, we don't see that breed much anymore, do we? Why do you ask? Do you know why we don't see them?'' (Chuckle, chuckle.) I said ``As a matter of fact, I do know why they're not around much anymore. That's what happens when you feed a celiac lots and lots of wheat.'' (Blank stare). I asked, ``Do you remember what celiac disease is?'' He thought for a pretty long moment and said that he didn't. It sounded familiar but he couldn't recall. I reminded him that celiac disease was gluten intolerance, an immune-mediated reaction to gluten in wheat, and that the Irish setter was the only breed KNOWN to be afflicted with this condition in the veterinary literature. I went on to explain how we transitioned from corn to wheat after I graduated and that once we did, the Irish setter became nearly ``extinct''...end of story. He was truly amazed at my insight. As people were starting to crowd around him, I told him that this was just the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg and that I would talk to him more about it later. I went on to compose a five-page letter on my laptop that day and give it to all of the lecturers at the end of the session, explaining how this had become my ``mission'' (and that this was going to be the contribution that the Upjohn representative was ``expecting'' when he handed me the Upjohn Award for outstanding senior student in small animal medicine...twenty-some-odd years late). I never heard from any of those instructors again, despite follow-up Emails.
Why didn't they see the vital importance of what I was trying to share with them? Why didn't they see the link between celiac disease, the demise of certain breeds, and the fact that puppy chows were worsening juvenile bone diseases? It was right in front of their faces. Are we all that blind? Have we all had the brains washed right out of us in medical schools? Do we really think we know everything when, in fact, we understand very little and are confounded by the knowledge that we do have?
Here is the key!!! As lecturers (and preachers) are fond of saying, ``If you get one thing from what I say today then please get this.'' The duodenum is ``Pandora's Box``. There. Got it? You can go home now. LOL. What? You don't understand? I'll say it more slowly. ``The duodenum....is.....Pandora's.......Box.'' Of course you don't understand.... yet! But you will and this little gimmick will help to keep it in your frontal lobe, I hope. Why do I call the duodenum ``Pandora's Box``? Because, once you ``open'' it (damage it), you unleash the plagues...and potentially all of the plagues...that can befall man and animals. ``Now wait a minute'', you might say. ``I have been following this up to now but you are waaaay over the top now.'' Hold on. This is going to be good...really good.
The sad and startling fact is that I have yet to meet a health professional (MD, DVM, or nurse) that has been able to tell me what the duodenum ABSORBS. In fact, I have had numerous casual conversations with members of all of these professions during which they looked me in the eye and boldly stated that the duodenum absorbs ``nothing''. Then, once I remove the dagger from my heart (not throwing stones, of course, because before five years ago, I didn't know either), I go on to explain that the duodenum does nothing less than absorb the vast majority of our calcium, iron, iodine, B complex, vitamin C, zinc, boron, lithium, chromium, magnesium, lithium, manganese, blah, blah, and blah. In fact, it absorbs just about everything but our calories, proteins, fats, and fat-soluble vitamins (which is a lot of course). The amazing fact is that 95% of our vitamin D activity takes place in the proximal one-third of our duodenum, where the initial and majority of damage caused by the ``big four'' glue-foods take place.
Yes, the ``glue foods'' (as I like to refer to them) leave the stomach...glug, glug, glug...and coat the villi of the duodenum (and jejunum), especially the first one-third of the duodenum. Then, those glycoproteins from the gluten grains (wheat, barley, and rye), casein, soy, and corn induce an immune response in susceptible individuals. Certainly, not all people or pets have an immune response to these glues, but according to recent studies, the incidence is so much higher than once thought that anyone who understands this should have the same medical ``revelation'' that I have had...that we have found the ``mother lode''.
When I was diagnosed as a celiac 5 years ago, it was considered a ``rare disorder occurring in less than 1:5,000 people''. No wonder doctors (and veterinarians) had forgotten about it. But, in the first week of study about my new-found condition...the one that explained everything that was currently plaguing me and all that had been wrong with me since I could remember...I found that they were diagnosing people on the other side of the Atlantic at the rate of over 1:100. ``Say what??? How could it be rare over here, when most of us came from those people...Anglo-Saxons, Italians, Scandinavians, French and Germans?'' Yes, there was something amiss. So, I jumped into the study of celiac disease with both feet, discovering that casein, soy, and corn all did the same thing as gluten. I also found out the truth about hydrogenated oils, MSG, aspartame, sugar, the lactose myth, air pollution, and much, much more. (It was so profound that I started a parallel study in religion and prophecy. But that's a whole `nother sermon. Smile.)
I began writing to one of my best friends from high school, an internist at one of our biggest local hospitals. He casually stated that he was glad to see that I was feeling well but that celiac disease was ``rare'' and that I was simply doing what many do that finally get properly diagnosed with a chronic condition... projecting my illness upon others. At the time, that upset me and I started writing to him like an angry prophet, advising him that if he wanted to get way ahead of the pack, he would start learning all that he could about celiac disease. I even asked him if he believed in God, ``because this revelation was Biblical in proportion``. That settled it... I was ``nuts``.
But, he was the one who sent me the New England Journal of Medicine article about eight months later that boldly labeled celiac disease as the most under-diagnosed (and misdiagnosed) condition in the country and stated that it was occurring in at least 1:250 Americans without their knowledge. ``Na, na, na, na, na,!'' (LOL). Actually, I did not call him and rub it in. By then, I had experienced a few of what I call ``Jonah experiences'', learning that you catch more flies with honey. Plus, I had received a pretty good glimpse of how and why something this important could be so unknown and misunderstood...and why things were sooooo upside down. The fact is that the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University published their incidence studies last year and found celiac disease to afflict 1:122 Americans. Yes, that is the new ``official'' number. However, the unofficial number published by celiac authorities is 1:33. Whoa!
But here's the ``bad news''. (Actually, you will come to see that this, again, is good news.) We are only talking about celiac disease here. And wheat is the number two food allergen. What is number one again? Cow's milk (with casein). I wonder what the true incidence of casein-intolerance is? Is it more frequent than gluten intolerance? I would have to believe so. While wheat-containing foods (the targets of Dr. Atkins' partial truth) make up nearly 25% of the calories of the S.A.D., cow milk products make up a whopping 40% of our overall caloric intake. Errrh!!! What about soy...the ``third plague'' as I like to call it.. Errrh, again!!! How about corn, the fourth horseman? Here's a scary thought: What about a mix and match of the four...some or all of the ``big four``? Think that happens? Of course it does. These guys can ride separately or they can form a gang. We all know a gang is harder to control, don't we?
Now for the pathophysiology that you have been waiting for. The food allergies are just the indicators. During the time that the body is reacting to the ``glue'' from these foods, the IgE antibody...the allergy antibody...is formed to go out and warn us of the damage that is taking place in the duodenum. Otherwise, this is a stealth condition in most cases, with only one-fourth of celiacs and related food intolerants having gastrointestinal symptoms. Get that? That is very important. In fact, this is CRITICAL for all to understand, as it explains much and opens a door through which all truth-seekers must pass. (``There he goes, getting all melodramatic again.'')
Individuals...whether they are humans, dogs, cats, or horses... can go years and years before the bottom drops out of this condition. And it takes the bottom dropping out for most of us to wake up to what's going on, doesn't it? We are the masters of denial as well as the patsies of deception. ``I'll do it `til I have problems. Then, I`ll quit.'' (e.g. cigarette smoking, drugs, alcohol, or over-eating). The bad news is that by the time you have obvious problems with your lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, brain, immune system or duodenum, then you are waaaay down the wrong road. It is a consistent pattern that we can live on about 25% of our organ function...one half of one kidney, a fourth of our liver, multiple coronary arteries occluded, numerous neurons destroyed, etc. before (BEFORE) we even start having symptoms. That's a good news/bad news thing isn't it? As vets, we know that most of our conditions in the pet are ``acute-on-chronic``...acute manifestations of chronic problems. I used to think that this was due to unobservant owners or the laid-back lifestyle of the pet. But when I started seeing friends and loved ones dropping dead of heart attacks and strokes without warning and I found out that atherosclerosis starts as early as 5 years old, I knew that we were missing something. Yep, we are made to take a licking and keep on ticking as the old Timex ads used to say. The bad news is that we are beating our poor bodies (and those of our pets) to death and don't know it or, at least we don't fully understand the magnitude of what we are doing with every bite... and breath.
Imagine now that over 1:30 humans have celiac disease or are afflicted with the other related food intolerances (casein, soy, and/or corn)...food induced villous atrophy of the duodenum. It can affect the jejunum as well. We know that this also occurs in the dog, with our old ``extinct'' friend the Irish setter being the glaring example. (I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that there was a pathologist in a major university in the northeast who has reopened the book on celiac disease.) Now, combine that fact with the consequences of the chronic malabsorption of calcium, iron, iodine, B complex, C, and numerous trace minerals, all of which are vital in the development and normal functioning of our bodies and immune systems. Do you have it in your mind yet? Let it sink in for a second. (Pause)
Which symptoms or clinical signs are likely to show up first? If you said gastrointestinal signs, you would be wrong (unfortunately). If you said signs associated with chronic calcium malabsorption or allergies you would be right. In some it is the former while in others the latter. The ``worst of the worst''...those that have the earliest immune reaction to the glue foods...will have the IgE and IgG related symptoms first. These are your infants, human or pets, with congestion, itching, rashes, irritability, chronically sore throats, and ear problems. Some of them do have colic and diarrhea but these should not be required signs to make one suspicious of food problems. The ``best of the worst'' (and I rarely use the term the ``best of the best'' anymore) have the signs of calcium malabsorption first if they have any signs at all. Remember: the proximal one-third of the duodenum is greatly responsible for calcium metabolism and absorption. In the best-case scenario, these glue foods form a coating on these villi and keep them from performing optimally. (Here you go. Think of a beautiful coral reef with gorgeous sea anemones and multi-colored sponges. Got it? The ``villi'' of the anemones are swaying back and forth in the crystal clear water, absorbing small particles of food floating in the water. So serene, so perfect. NOW, imagine that same reef after the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez. Got that? How well do those anemones do when they are coated with oil? Some will survive but many, many will die. I think you have the picture.)
This is what the glycoproteins from gluten, casein, soy, and corn do. They coat the villi...at best...and ``kill'' the villi at worst, with the first and most severe damage taking place in the proximal third of the duodenum. No wonder I had flat feet, short legs, rib abnormalities and painful joint laxity...and bad teeth...as a child and later developed rotator cuff problems, bilateral inguinal hernias, and premature disc ruptures of my neck and back. I'm a classic celiac.
But now YOU know why the most food allergic dogs have the worst orthopedic problems. How cool is that??? Think about them: the Labs, Rottweilers, German shepherds, the Labs, the Rotties, the Labs, the Labs. Hmmm... I've heard that before. (smile). Why is it that they can't nail down the genetics of hip dysplasia? Hmmm...again. AND, now you know why two of the most food allergic small breeds...the Cocker and Shi Tzu...hold the age record for when they start blowing intervertebral discs. Yep, they do it as early as ONE YEAR OF AGE, don't they? Why again? They have been malabsorbing the building blocks of their skeletal system (calcium and vitamin C) since they were first put on the grain-infested puppy chows. What makes up collagen, again? So, you also know why the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (and I have yet to see one that wasn't severely food allergic) dies of acute mitral valve prolapse at 5 years of age. What is that valve made of again?Hw did we create the chondrodysplastic breeds like the food allergy afflicted, Demodex-encrusted, cherry-eyed, respiratory challenged, squatty body English bulldog, anyway? Shall I continue? I could give countless examples that would keep us into the wee hours of the morning. I think you are seeing the pattern here, right? The allergies are there to warn us that the damage is taking place in the gut. Again, the allergies are things ``seen'' to help us understand the things ``unseen''. Watch for this pattern. It will come up again and again.
This is only the beginning, unfortunately and fortunately. (Please keep in the very front of your mind that the malabsorption syndrome leads to chronic deficiencies in so many vital nutrients. This is paramount in importance. Keep chanting, ``Pandora's Box, Pandora's Box.``) We are still on the tip of the tip of the iceberg. And perhaps this is a good time to throw in the other analogy with which I was considering opening this dissertation. Try this one on for size:
Conventional medicine is steaming headlong into an enormous obstacle that is titanic in importance and yet has only a small piece of its mass protruding from the surface right now.e medical establishment (including both human and veterinary) has built a mighty vessel that many would deem unsinkable. ``We have made such great gains in extending life'' comes the announcement from the captain. ``And one day, we will find the cures for cancer and the diseases that plague us all.'' And the passengers all say ``Hooray!!! It will be clear sailing from there!'' The applause dies down and the captain exclaims, ``And we are working on better ways to make these necessary drugs more available, more well-known by the public, and more affordable to you. Very soon, many of these drugs will be available over-the-counter and you will no longer need to even consult with your physician about them. Simply choose what is right for you by watching your television and then going to your local drugstore, supermarket, or gas station food mart to pick them up. You will be wise enough to choose for yourself.'' Again, the crowd roars with approval.
But, there is something looming in the waters, just off the port bow. Some call it an iceberg. Others call it a ``rock''. I call it the Truth. This treatise so far has mapped out the tip of the tip of this iceberg. With the binoculars you now have, you can see it. Do you see it??? If your eyes are good enough, you can see much of what is below the surface, too. The water is a lot clearer out in the ocean than you may think. And this ``unsinkable'' vessel that man has created is heading straight for it. Why? They are not looking for it. Many are happy, quite content with the cruise they are on. Others don't really know any other way to behave on a cruise like this. Others are desperately trying to keep those who would worry about icebergs distracted so that they don't spoil the cruise for the others.Ignorance and greed are at the controls...our two biggest nemeses... with contentment being a first mate.
Suddenly...WHAM...the mighty craft hits ``the rock''. It starts to take on water.People are dying from drugs they have taken for years: HRT, NSAIDS, nasal decongestants, and what will be the next group- the cholesterol statin drugs. The epilepsy drugs don't work anymore and the pets on board are being put to sleep for ``non-responsive epilepsy''. The vaccines that were meant to protect us ``turn on us'', making us question their role in everything from producing the full clinical disease to hard-to-detect/prove sub-total entities of that disease, such as epilepsy, chronic liver disease, immune glomerulonephritis, cardiomyopathy, or worse. captain is shouting, ``Don't panic. We will figure out what to do. Calmly man the lifeboats.'' But some do panic as they had so much faith in this indestructible piece of man's technology, the same technology that put landers on the moon, Mars, and Titan.
But, it is this same technology that does not seem to understand that taking an NSAID for a fever caused by a viral infection is not a wise thing to do. It is the same captain's mates that don't see that Helicobacter pylori...the opportunistic bacteria that causes deep stomach ulcers...hates an acid stomach and that heartburn is designed partly to control his growth. If they don't know that, then they certainly can't see how this beast that they have been feeding with antacids and problem foods leaves the stomach when the individual's immune system takes a nose dive (after a lifetime of malabsorbing nutrients vital to its health) and takes up residence in a cholesterol plaque (that is safe-guarding a weakened artery) and causes it to break off, inducing a stroke or a myocardial infarction. How can they see that? They have their eyes on the moon and the stars. (And yet, a study done by a group of cardiologists found that a shocking 85% of atherosclerotic plaques that were cultured for H. pylori were positive for this critter. Think about that for a second. Sinking in?)
The iceberg starts by scratching the hull. The captain and crew had early warning signs but it all happened so quickly from there. The destruction continues on and the hull is breached, allowing water to rush in. We are seeing this happen now. People are starting to perish aren`t they?. Next, the boat starts to list to starboard. Passengers are abandoning ship while the crew goes into emergency status. The pumps are started and priorities set. It's a bit chaotic but many are still being hopeful and thinking positively. Those with vision imagine the worst-case scenario and act accordingly. ``I think we can patch this thing up if we back away now and try not to drive this rock any deeper.''
Unfortunately, this is man's `M.O.'', isn't it? We do have to hit the rocks before we learn many of the important things in life. Well, we have hit them and hit them hard. As I stated so melodramatically in the opening, you are alive to see this paradigm shift that has resulted from hitting this iceberg. The ship is going down. One drug after another has been placed under ``the microscope'' and failed the acid test. The cans are all falling off the shelf. For those in medicine, the colon contents have hit the fan. Pick a metaphor and run with it.
Thank God there are lifeboats! And there are lots of them...enough to rescue the entire compliment of passengers and crew. It's just that they are small, spread out, and there doesn't appear to be enough of them. But there are adequate provisions if we stay calm, work together, pool our resources, and WANT to survive. We have to want to get better and we have to believe that there are lifeboats that can get us to safety. The lifeboats are people who understand nutrition and how the body works. They are wise doctors who listen to their patients before prescribing medication, whether they are conventional or holistic preparations. I look at the Internet as a set of lifeboats, although some of them have holes in them.
What's the expression? Oh yeah ``Knowledge is power.'' That is partly right, for sure. Faith is extremely important, as is courage. You must believe and act upon what you think is true. You must be confident, strong, and persistent. So, we need to cover a few more things to build up your faith in the idea that we are in charge of our health destiny more than we have ever been led to believe. It's not hard to imagine now that you know about the extremely common malabsorption syndrome being induced by the staples of our diet, right? There is more, though...much more.
The two biggest killers of human beings are atherosclerosis and cancer. A person every 3.5 seconds dies of a stroke or heart attack in this country. And yet, the dog does not suffer from this as a lethal, clinical entity... yet! Veterinary pathologists are seeing atherosclerotic changes in the vessels of dogs on necropsy. And this is very important for us to understand. Dogs can have atherosclerosis but they don't have it badly enough to cause clinical disease. They develop so many of the conditions that take human life, including a higher incidence of cancer, but dogs don't suffer from this deadly disease process. Why is that? Simply put, they don't get ``enough'' hydrogenated oils in their diet. I believe down to my socks that trans fats are the single-most important factor in the development of atherosclerosis...the ``solvents'' that allow things into the walls of the arteries of those that consume them and set the stage for the inflammatory process that follows. Dogs do get some trans fats in their diet, as they are fed french fries, snack foods and bits of human desserts that are loaded with these culprits. But, they clearly do not get enough to lead to a clinical syndrome. (Please read Hydrogenated Oils-The Silent Killers, by David Dewey on the Internet. Whoa! You will clearly see how and why the first recorded myocardial infarction took place only ten years after hydrogenated oils hit the shelves in the form of margarine. You will also see how and why another plague...type 2 diabetes...''adult-onset`` diabetes...followed ten years after that. Hey, dogs don`t get that one either...yet! ``20:20``.) But cancer??? Oh yeah, dogs have lots and lots of cancer. Why is that? Because they have plenty of the viruses that cause cancer and experience the same immune suppression as humans stemming from their diet, the environment, and the drugs they receive. ``Back up for minute. That's the second time you've said viruses cause cancer.'' Yes, once again, there are medical researchers who have believed for over thirty years that all cancer is viral in origin...not just some, not even most, but all. I personally believe that this is true, especially after spending as much time studying about these guys as I have. And this belief positions all other ``carcinogens'' where I think they belong: as secondary factors, facilitating the action of the virus by causing immune suppression, chronic tissue damage, and/or damage to our actual DNA, where I believe many of these culprits reside.
The ``four horsemen'' fit right into the clinical picture here by inducing at least two of the three factors- causing immune suppression and inciting chronic tissue inflammation and damage. The immunosuppressive effects of the big four should be easily imagined. Back to the coral reef covered with oil. How can those villi that are coated with the problem glycoproteins manage to absorb optimal levels of B complex, vitamin C, and other nutrients critical to the health of the immune system? How can they do it when they are leveled by the immune response to the glue foods in true celiac disease or the related conditions of true casein, soy, or corn intolerance? This should be a no-brainer... and it is.... literally. The brain suffers tremendously from the lack of these nutrients along with a concurrent deficiency in calcium, zinc, iron, iodine, and the pandemic omega three fatty acid deficiencies that exist in humans and pets.
Therefore, it shouldn't be a mystery that cancer is rampant among the three species. The fact that viruses cause cancer is a done deal in veterinary medicine and has been for quite some time. I won't bore you with the list of examples. And yet, in was not until March of this year...2005...that the American Cancer Society put viruses on their list of carcinogens. How can that be? Are you as baffled by that as I am? Remember those landers on Mars? Wherever you have immune suppression and chronic inflammation come together then you should look for cancer. Estrogens fit the bill here and therefore should not surprise anyone as leading carcinogens in breast (mammary) cancer. The good news is that the ovaries of the female do not make enough estrogen by themselves to create this dilemma. It is what the individual is consuming (including hormone replacement therapy) or exposed to in the environment (pesticides, environmental toxins, food animal additives, etc) that tips the scales in favor of the cancer (or endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, PMS, catamenial seizures, or other estrogen-related disorders). The ``big four'' foods fit right in here because the gluten grains, dairy, and soy are loaded with estrogens. Dairy is a huge factor here as it also provides cholesterol precursors to the formation of these hormones. Seeing a pattern here? Yes, the foods that are bad for us are so in a number of ways. [b]So, we should not be surprised to see that Asians have a 15 times lower rate of breast cancer and a 5 times lower rate of prostate cancer...on their native diets. It is NOT because they eat soy. The truth is that they eat very little soy. But they do NOT eat dairy, wheat, or corn in their original diets. Just go to any authentic Japanese or Chinese restaurant and look for the cheese, bread, or corn chips.
Which brings us to ``lectins'', something I mentioned a while back. Lectin is the term that has been given to the antibody-sized glycoprotein that is derived from the consumption of foods that are part carbohydrate and part protein (thus the term glyco-protein). Once again, the big four foods are glycoproteins by structure. Our antibodies are also glycoproteins, a protein core with a sticky carbohydrate outer covering to facilitate adherence to foreign proteins such a viruses, bacteria, and the like. In fact, viruses have glycoprotein receptors on them. Normally, our antibodies attach to these sites. Hmmm...I wonder if dietary lectins ever do? Could one plausible explanation for food-induced immune-mediated disease episodes be that the chronic latent viruses in situ in our tissue become coated with dietary glycoproteins rather than our antibodies and that when we develop IgE, IgG, and other antibodies to these foods that our immune system starts to react to these ``food-coated'' viruses in the host tissue and attack that tissue just as it would if it were a viral infection coated with our own antibodies? Could that be how food lectins such as those from wheat, dairy, soy, or corn auto-agglutinate red blood cells. Maybe it is just the glycoprotein itself that does it in most cases but it sure would help to explain why some ``autoimmune diseases'' are triggered by foods while others follow viral infections, either naturally acquired or through vaccination. It would also help to explain why avoidance of the trouble foods could greatly reduce the incidence of recurrence of these attacks. (For a well-written discussion on lectins, please look up The Lectin Report on the Internet. It goes into great detail about how these tiny glycoproteins ``unlock'' the cell and allow things to enter it, inciting inflammation and causing cell death. It's all about the same guys. The four horsemen ride again.)
The fantastic news is that sooooo much starts going right once the big four are avoided completely and for a long enough time. By avoiding the casein, gluten, soy, and corn, the gut starts to heal and the malabsorption syndrome begins to reverse. How long does it take for the intestine to heal once the offending foods are withdrawn? Well, according to the celiac literature, it takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years for the duodenum to return to normal. Does that make sense? Not to me, unless you consider the fact that gluten is not the only thing doing the harm to those duodenal villi. This was my first quest, to get on celiac forums and make sure they knew the truth about casein, soy, and corn. I hated reading about celiacs that had struggled so valiantly to be gluten-free only to find that they were shooting themselves in the foot big time by the continued consumption of the other three culprits. Statistically, celiacs have a 50% chance of also being casein intolerant. I have to believe that it is much more common than that. But soy and corn are looming larger and larger as we fall for the myth that soy is a health food, we turn to vegetarianism for various reasons, and we continue to genetically modify corn to death.
Assuming that we do enough right, the gut does heal and probably much more quickly than we currently believe. After all, it is one of the fastest healing tissues in the body. Once healed, it starts to take in all of the calcium, iron, iodine, B complex, vitamin C, and trace minerals that it has been starving for over the past years, often from the moment the individual started consuming the big four. The thyroid becomes healthy, the iron deficiency resolves, enzyme systems start operating at peak efficiency, tissue repairs, and the immune system gets back to normal. And that last item is critical. That's when many of the long-term symptoms finally resolve...the allergies, GI signs, skin problems, and in the best case scenario, the immune-mediated diseases. I would love to think that the risk of cancer then plummets, as well. What couldn't our immune system accomplish if it were in optimal condition? I can no longer put limitations of what our body is capable of doing in the way of healing or prevention when I think about that last statement. However, I know that our environment...with its staggering levels of serious pollution...is a HUGE limiting factor. I would love to dive into that topic but time constraints do prevent that.
The really cool thing is that some ``completely unexpected'' things can happen when individuals go GFCFSFCF (gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, corn-free). In retrospect, they were ``unexpected'' only because we had not fully grasped the impact of what we had learned. The most notable...the most amazing...the coolest of the cool...the ``hook'' as I now call it...was the response of epileptics to this elimination diet. I find it just so utterly fascinating that something we stumble upon can wind up be the glaring example of everything we know... AND end up leading us into realms that we could only dream about in the past. Epilepsy is just that condition.
Man, I could talk about epilepsy for the full two hours- how it all comes about and what the study of this condition has done to my knowledge base . Thankfully, I have chronicled the entire journey on my Website (www.dogtorj.com), starting with how I read the captivating fact that celiac children with epilepsy who went gluten-free often had major reductions in...if not total cessation of...their seizures. "Wow. I wonder why that happens?" I asked myself. "Epilepsy is considered idiopathic in veterinary medicine. There has to be something about wheat that leads to seizures." Elementary thinking, I know. But, this was novel stuff to me. How about you?
It did not take long at all to find that MSG (monosodium glutamate) could trigger seizures and that wheat gluten was an incredible 25% glutamic acid by weight. "Eureka! Is it that simple? I then found that soy had even more glutamate, almost twice as much as wheat. ``Oh, oh.'' Casein is 20% glutamic acid by structure. Yep, three of the four horsemen are packing glutamate in their saddlebags. Do the food sources of these neurostimulating... potentially neurotoxic...non-essential amino acids (glutamate and aspartate), really do the same thing to our brain that the "crack cocaine" versions (MSG and aspartame, respectively) do?" I assumed so and started putting my epileptic canine patients on gluten-free diets and, son-of-a-gun, they became vastly improved. Some stopped having seizures completely within 24 hours of the diet change and never seized again. We were onto something... and it was big...really big.
As the significance of these findings sunk in, I threw myself into the study of neurological, psychiatric, and other "idiopathic" neurodegenerative conditions that affect us all. The "excitotoxins" ( MSG and aspartame), as Dr. Russell Blaylock termed them, were well-known culprits and played roles in epilepsy, ADHD, bipolar disease, and more. It wasn't until later that I would finally start reading about their involvement in the other "big 4": MS, ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. But still, no one was talking about the FOOD sources of these non-essential amino acids. But it was so simple, and a little something called ``insomnia'' illustrated the point I was trying to make. These neuroactive amino acids were clearly responsible for waking people up like a shot at 1-2 AM, 5-6 hours after eating dinner and dessert and I was a living example. And that was the exact time interval I was finding between meals and seizures in my un-medicated dogs. Once I published my work on the Web and contacted over 500 breeders in the process (oh, how I love the passion of breeders), the testimonies to these finding were flowing in on a regular basis. And, the pieces to this puzzle started fitting together...phenomenally well.
And here is where it all comes together. I had written a totally different summary for the end of this discussion, but upon proofreading the pages, I realized that the discussion of epilepsy...the condition that grabbed my attention and pulled me into this epic battle at Helm's Deep...would serve that purpose. It would illustrate all of the principles that I "preach" every day in the exam room and will attempt to enlighten people with (hopefully not bore to death) in lectures like this for the rest of my days.
Principle number one: The foods that are bad for us are bad in numerous ways. The ``four horsemen''...gluten (from the grains wheat, barley, rye), casein, soy, and corn terrorize us in more ways than simply inducing villous atrophy, which results in the chronic malabsorption of the essential nutrients that we have covered. These foods provide staggering levels of glutamate (and aspartate), estrogens, allergens, and lectins, and when prepared for consumption, act as carriers of many of man's worst creations in the form of GMO's, hormones, and chemical additives. So these foods damage our gut, cause malnutrition of our entire body, and provide many of the ingredients necessary to generate symptoms including pain, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, behavioral disturbances, and seizures.
Applying this to epilepsy, the brain suffers from the malnutrition, the immune system going down, and the rise of chronic latent viruses The war begins. Add to that the vaccination with modified live virus vaccines made with viruses that love the central nervous system. These viruses naturally take up residence in the glial cells of the brain, those cells that control the level of the normal neurotransmitter...our friend glutamate...at the synapse. We have seen vaccine-induced disease in the past, right? How hard is it to believe that this is happening ``sub-clinically``? These top allergy-producing foods are also stimulating histamine production, the release of which causes the blood brain barrier to become more permeable to glutamate, a normal occurrence that serves to counteract the depressing effects of histamine. These same foods contain estrogens, both naturally occurring and those from pesticide residues, which are neurostimulating, irritating, and immunosuppressive. P.M.S. anyone? How about catamenial seizures? I hear about them all of the time. The malnutrition that we have discussed then starts to compromise enzyme systems in the liver, kidneys, and elsewhere in the body, some of which are responsible for controlling the blood levels of the evil twins, glutamate and aspartate. No wonder some of us have seizures. The way I see things now, it's a bigger wonder that more of us don't have epilepsy.
Are you seeing ``Pandora's Box'' opening yet? Have you grasped what these foods- the damage they do and the ingredients they contain- are capable of? Thank Goodness our body knows what to do with all of this mess we put it through, eh? And it does.
Therefore, principle number two: Our body never makes mistakes...ever. Only we make bad choices about what we do to this vessel of ours. ``What about birth defects?'' is always the first challenge. Certainly, this degenerative process sometimes begins prenatally, leading to premature births and birth defects, but we are ultimately responsible for these occurrences. The more you learn about this topic (and study celiac disease as a model), the less you will simply write off to "genetics" or Providence.
Fevers, heartburn, sore throats, nasal congestion, bronchoconstriction, diarrhea, hives, headaches, and even ``autoimmune'' attacks have a purpose. Some clinical signs are warning signs that we have made a mistake while others are therapeutic measures on our body's part. Others are both. ``But autoimmune disorders?'', you might question. Yes, I believe down to my socks that viruses are vitally involved in most (if not all) immune-mediated diseases. I believe that the immune-mediated diseases are our immune system's valiant attempt to wipe out these viruses before they have the opportunity to do what they really "want" to do...cause cancer. This would help to explain why people with chronic active hepatitis have such a high incidence of liver cancer. But it might also help to explain why the same breeds of dogs that develop panosteitis...the ones with all of the allergies and other juvenile bone diseases...are the guys that go on to develop bone cancer at age six and a half. So, is eosinophilic panosteitis our body's attempt to rid the bone of viruses that might later go on to cause cancer? What are eosinophils involved in other than allergic reactions?
``But get back to seizures. I can't wait to hear how a seizure is a good thing``, the skeptics are saying. Yes, I am convinced that even seizures serve a vital purpose, that being to burn up the excessive glutamate in the brain. As you may know, no matter what the cause of our bodily death may be, the brain dies as a result of the ``glutamate cascade''...the sudden rise of glutamate in the brain resulting from the dying glial cells and increased permeability of the blood brain barrier. Glutamate is potentially...and eventually...neurolethal. How hard is it to believe that seizures are designed to keep the death of vital neurons from happening? The sufferers of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) sure wish a peripheral neuron could have a seizure. But because they can't, the neurons eventually die as a result of the excess glutamate in the synapse. But guess what. ALS sufferers have also reported benefits from what I now call ``The G.A.R.D``.... the glutamate-aspartate restricted diet. So have people with ADHD, chronic pain, insomnia, MS, and other conditions that have the ``excitotoxins'' as part of their pathophysiology. This is all on my site.
Seizures may even serve to limit viral infections, if through no other mode of action other than to encourage a rise in body temperature, something that viruses hate. We know that viral infections of the central nervous system are usually accompanied by high fever, right? Remember: That's a good thing. (I wonder how many people who died of West Nile Virus might have survived if we didn't treat them so aggressively? Its a parallel to that cancer thing we talked about earlier.)
So, do you see why I got so excited about the role epilepsy would play in bringing people into the fold? It has all of the elements we have discussed...all of the necessary cast, plot, and scenery to make a great and epic tale of how the four horsemen road into town and stole our health. But we really did it to ourselves, didn't we? We made these bad choices. The fact is man created the wheat we now eat in about 400 AD, introducing lethal quantities of gluten into our diet. A millennium later, we changed milk sources from goats to cows, adding casein to the mix. Now, five hundred years later, we want to start eating soy...``the third plague''...something that has been previously relegated to the lowly positions of a nitrogen-fixing, rotational crop and a mere condiment on the table of our Oriental restaurants. Did we really just get smart enough to see the health benefits of consuming the soybeans themselves? Do we really think that loading our bodies up with plant estrogens, goitrogens, anti-nutrients, villous atrophy inducing ``glues``, and staggering levels of the non-essential, epileptogenic amino acid glutamate is going to improve our health. How many trips to Mars are we gonna take, anyway?
We do reap what we sow. Through the eyes of food intolerance, medicine becomes so simple that even* the layperson can understand it. (* I say ``even'' because I know a growing number of lay people who understand these things much more than the doctors who look down their noses at the ``untrained``.) Isn't that the way it should be? Shouldn't we all be able to comprehend our medical lives? It is, after all, one of the most important aspects of our existence, isn`t it?
The way I look at it now, our medical lives are divided into three phases: the acquisition of viruses, the progressive malfunction of our body and immune system, and the failure of our immune system. I think you now have a very good idea why that occurs. In a word, malnutrition. Symptomatically, it usually also breaks down into three phases: allergies, immune-mediated diseases, and cancer. We see this so clearly in certain breeds of dogs but I have also heard this sort of history from many, many from people I have interviewed about their own health. Hopefully how and why these three phases occur is much clearer now. The allergies...phase one.. are the warning signs that you are making mistakes. The immune system is throwing warning signs at us while closing the doors to further invasion.
Phase two...the immune-mediated diseases...is the first set of conditions that these allergies were warning you of. They are also a second set of warning signs of increased severity because we didn't act upon the first set. We usually still have time to get things right owing to the fact that our organs can take a beating and still survive and repair...usually we still have time. Unfortunately, some are lost in phase two due to overwhelming lupus, glomerulonephritis, or the chronic active hepatitis that finally raised its ugly head. As I have mentioned, the last condition in that list is a glaring example of the type of condition that has led me to make some bold statements concerning the role of viruses in immune-mediated diseases AND why phase three...immune failure...often manifests as cancer.
I spoke of bone cancer occurring in problem breeds at 6.5 years of age. What else happens at six to seven years of age in the dog? Better put, what doesn't happen at that age: tons of immune-mediated diseases, cruciate ruptures, spinal disorders, heart murmurs, worsening allergies, numerous benign skin tumors, and more. It's a crisis period, isn't it? Just like 40-50 years of age is in the person. If these conditions are all "genetic", why do they wait so long to show up? Hmmm...great question. Something is waiting, right? What??? Can we think of anything that we have in our bodies that might be "waiting"? I can. They're called viruses. We have been acquiring them our entire lives. Our parents even gave some to us. ``What?`` Can't viruses be transmitted vertically? How about genetically? Others we acquired "naturally" during our lifetime and still others we acquired through vaccination. (Most of our pets and us are too unhealthy to take on any more modified live vaccines, aren't we?) And as I have mentioned , we invited many in to stay by killing the fever that was designed to limit the infection. We have become walking virus hotels..."mobile homes" for these guys, if you will. The startling fact is that we are riddled with 'em. And they are waiting for their chance. They are the ultimate opportunist...the consummate terrorist. Sure, there are others: bacteria, mycoplasms, fungi, and more. But the virus is the guy who incorporates his genetic material into our cells and then bosses them around. He's the guy who our immune system hates enough to risk killing our own tissue to root him out. He's the guy that can go anywhere in our body and do anything he wants ONCE we get to that point of immune suppression that we are destined to reach once we have done enough wrong to this body of ours. In my mind, he wasn't designed to be. Viruses are ubiquitous in nature and critical to its development, variety, and adaptation. So why did they turn on us? ``Shoot...look at the time. We'll have to go down that rabbit hole after this presentation.'' I think you can figure it out, anyway.
Yes, we DO have our health destiny more in our own hands than we ever believed. Yes, we DO reap what we sow. We just didn't realize that we were sowing such bad seed all of these years did we? We have had glimpses of our wrongdoing and our conscience has told us not to overindulge and to try to eat properly. That's just common sense, right? But whodathunk that the staples of our diet were killing us? Who would believe that cow's milk, wheat, and the "newest health food"...soy (errrrrh)...were plagues on mankind, brought on by our own doing? And who would believe that the "simple" elimination of the big four would lead to the vast improvements in our health that I have personally experienced. (I cannot overstate the phenomenal changes that have taken place in my body over the past 5 years)
I'll tell you who would believe such things: those that know that our body does not make mistakes...ever. (Only we make mistakes in our choices of what to put into this body.); those that can still remember why our body does what it does instead of just covering up the symptoms should believe this (Who would believe that heartburn might be a symptom that we ate something wrong? Wow!); and those that have eyes to see and ears to hear and can still be taught something. They are fewer in number than I ever thought existed.
BUT, there have been enough wise people over the years to carry this torch. There have been a select number of doctors, researchers, and lay people that have been beating this drum for years and years and stood their ground against the onslaught of drugs and misinformation...the ``magic'' (pharmakeia) and slight of hand...that has taken away the motivation of the masses to find real answers to their health problems. Is the white tiger really gone or does he lurk off stage, sometimes even attacking his master? Yes, celiac researchers, holistic health advocates, naturopaths, and the like have been finally vindicated. They rode out to meet the enemy years ago and are finally being joined by a ever-growing cavalry. Against seemingly insurmountable odds, the message has survived..."We are what we eat. You do have control of your health's destiny." It is through the valiant efforts of this Brotherhood...and the prevailing nature of Truth...that we have won at Helm's Deep.
posted
I didn't read the article, but I have celiac disease, and have been gluten free for 3 yrs. During that time I went from dangerously poor bone density to younger than my age bone density.
Gluten is only really a good food for animals like cows goats, etc who have multiple stomaches and chew their cude to breakdown the gluten.
For humans, gluten tends to get stuck un digested in the begiining of the large intestine and ferment, causing malnutrition and leaky gut. So for individuals who do not have celiacs it is healthier to limit one's gluten intake to allow that undigested gluten to get dilluted to pushed through by other no glutenous foods.
In my house, that means that the non-celiac members of the family have found they feel better being gluten free much of the time also. Besides, I'm the cook, and keep a gluten free kitchen!
Healthy Tummies to you all!
Posts: 663 | From NH USA | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by timaca: there is a very good, very supportive gluten sensitivity/celiac disease forum at www.braintalk.org. Scroll down (way down) until you find that forum.
I didn't intend to post two articles....everytime I try to edit out the second one, I run into trouble...I give up!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TX Lyme Mom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3162
posted
This topic really excites me because I recall that Sam Donta reported that Bb is capable of producing a low molecular weight lipoprotein toxin, which is similar to Clostridia toxin, and we all know that Clostridia toxin causes diarrhea and "leaky gut".
Furthermore, this Clostridia toxin is known to be capable of interfering with "tight junctions". Tight junctions are the "mortar" which holds the epithelial cells of the intestinal mucus membranes together tightly so that nothing can leak through. (There are quite a few articles on PubMed about this effect -- more than I care to cite.)
Now, if a toxin interferes with these "tight junctions" in the GI tract, then you've got "leaky gut" (increased intestinal permeability) so that undigested food macro-molecules, such as gliaden (from gluten), can get into your bloodstream and set up an immunological reaction. Not a good thing.
Visualize "tight junctions" this way. You know that you have small spaces between your teeth and that you can cause liquids in your mouth to squish between your teeth, but if your teeth were all sealed together tightly by "mortar" (ie, by "tight junctions") beteeen them, then there would be no tiny spaces between your teeth for liquids to squish through.
That's the way it is supposed to be with the epithelial cells which line your GI tract because of "tight junctions"though. There's not supposed to be any space at all between the epithelial cells of the gut for any undigested food particles to pass through and to enter the blood stream in order to trigger an immunological reaction.
They used to test for celiac disease by looking for anti-gliaden antibodies (AGA) from gluten, but then they found that so many patients had these AGAs who were not true celiac patients that they no longer rely on the AGA test alone as a definitive diagnosis for celiac disease.
Nevertheless, it stands to reason that if these bacterial lipoproteins (BLPs) from Bb can have a toxic effect, similar to Clostridia's toxin, then probably many/most chronic Lymies might actually be "gluten intolerant" by virtue of this fact. This is not the same thing as true celiac disease though.
Therefore, many Lymies would probably feel much better if they were to decide to try a gluten-free diet. However, Lymies probably won't need to be as extremely fanatical about avoiding every last tiny trace of gluten, as "true celiac" patients must do, because celiacs can react so acutely to even the smallest traces of gluten that they can die from it.
For Lyme patients, the AGA test might be predictive of whether a gluten-free diet might help or not -- although a positive test result for gliaden does not necessarily mean that a person is a true celiac patient. The AGA test is only a preliminary "screening test" when it comes to diagnosing true celiac disease.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Great discussion and thanks Lymetoo for Dogtor J's website. I've been gluten intolerant for 15 years now and lactose intolerant for many more. I almost went the way of the Irish Setter. The insight into other glue foods like casein, soy, and corn is enlightening. It's time to adjust the diet again and see what happens.
It seems that in addition to toxins produced by the Lyme bacteria and its demise along with toxins from incomplete digestion, whether it is from an allergy or intolerance, or wrong combination of foods, or just choosing poor quality foods (highly processed, many additives not fresh, etc.),it all adds up to a shortened lifespan of reduced quality.
I'm fortunate to have recovered from Lyme disease and Morgellons, but my energy level isn't up to par yet.
Thank you for stoking my interest in an improved diet.
Blue Skies..........John
Posts: 134 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2004
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Lymetoo,
This is a great topic and of great interest to me since diet has had the most dramatic effect on my healing to date.
I am scheduled for a food allergy bloodtest next week and am anxious for the results. I do gather from the celiac website though that a biopsy is the only reliable test.
Will see what the doctor says after results are in. He has not spoken specifically of gluten intolerence, so I am not sure if he is testing specifically for it or not.
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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I do gather from the celiac website though that a biopsy is the only reliable test.
You will also read on the gluten free site that the biopsy can only RULE IN gluten intolerance, but can't rule it OUT. WHY??
Because when they take the microscopic piece of the small intestine, they can MISS. That is what happened to me 25 yrs ago!!!!
So I was lulled into thinking I was OK. I had a known "allergy" to wheat though....so I stayed away from it for about 15 yrs ... then I began to cheat and I THOUGHT I got away with it!!
Four or 5 yrs ago I had the gliaden test TXLymeMOM mentioned and ignorantly ignored it after staying away from wheat again for several months.
I don't have the immediate reaction that true celiacs do....and I don't usually get the diarrhea......but now I see that I AM having other symptoms which I was blaming on Lyme.
I definitely have Lyme, but I also have the gluten intolerance....I see that now.
Thank you for your interest, John, TXLM and luvs...I think it's a very important subject for everyone on this board!
John...ironically, I was wondering a few months ago why I never saw any Irish Setters anymore! Wow!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Some of you may know that oats are gluten free. Cross-contamination in the fields and in processing has until now prevented celiacs from eating oats.
As a nutritionist I've been watching the gluten-in-oats controversy for many years. Just heard about this and for someone who hasn't had a bowl of oatmeal in 15 years this is truly exciting:
posted
John, Perfect! Thanks for the info. I have celiac, avoid all gluten and processed foods -- but I miss oats and satyed away because of the controversy. Now I can have oatmeal again! and cookies made of oatmeal. Great.
-------------------- Jeff Posts: 533 | From CA | Registered: Mar 2006
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I dont know the answer but I know not eating wheat changed my life. All my life I suffered from major constipation.
In my twenties major gas came along with it. I could have powered a small town. Passed stinky gas at least 4 times an hour. There was no way to stop it even at night when sleeping.
This went on for years with no relief.
Several years ago I went to a naturalpath and she put me on an elimination diet.
No doubt about it wheat and dairy caused the gas. I still had trouble with constipation but chlorella has completely fixed that, Thanks GIGI!!!
I posted this just to show not everyone can have the same symptoms. I never did like to follow the mainstream!!!
I was never tested by a main line doc for celiac cuz I didnt see the point. I know my body screams when I put it in me so I havnt touch it or dairy for several years.
Posts: 561 | From connecticut | Registered: May 2004
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posted
well it says it affects the upper GI, but my intestinal problems appear to be in the lower right hand side of my abdomen, where the bottom of the small intestine is connected to the colon. But I'm trying the diet anyway...can't hurt thats for sure.
Posts: 594 | From NJ/NY | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
Somewhere in the article he mentions the pain where the small intestine meets the large. I have pain there too and that really got my attention.
Also, the most damage is what is done to the villi in the small intestine,....not the upper GI.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
really?! I missed that...will have to re-read. Thats where my pain started. I have chronic gastritis, and the lower right abdomen (that spot where the two sections meet) is always "full" feeling...almost sausage like.
At times it almost feels like appendicitis!
I am currently going on the gluten free diet, just to see. I'm getting blood work done tomorrow.
The gluten test will get done, plus she wants to test a million other things (to see if I have some other inflammatory disease besides lyme-figures-but oh well, insurnace is paying for it, let them test all they want).
Posts: 594 | From NJ/NY | Registered: Jun 2006
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Nal
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6801
posted
Yep, I get pain there too. Sometimes radiates to other areas-does that sound familiar?
If one goes gluten free, is it ok to do gluten free breads and such?
Nancy
-------------------- Life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you respond to it!
-Chuck Swindoll Posts: 1594 | From Colorado | Registered: Jan 2005
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Before I became sick with Lyme, I was the writer of the newsletter for my local Celiac Disease support group, so I'll pass along a few tips for those of you suspecting celiac disease.
If you want to be tested for true celiac disease (which is a true genetic autoimmune disease/intolerance versus a food allergy) DO NOT STOP EATING GLUTEN UNTIL ALL YOUR TESTING IS DONE! Otherwise you can get a false negative.
The steps for testing are: - Blood tests - The most recent and highest correlation to Celiac Disease is the anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-ttg), but several are run.
- If positive blood test (or clinical symptoms are really obvious), then go to small intestines biopsy. As posted by others, this is where non-celiac gastroenterologists often fall down on the job and take too few samples from too few places within the small intestines.
But like Lyme Disease, most gastroenterologists in the U.S. were taught that they'd never see Celiac Disease in this country, that it's a European Disease. So only the ones who have caught on to the new study showing 1 in 133 Americans having it will understand it.
- Genetic testing can rule out true Celiac Disease but can not rule it in. That's because the genes for Celiac Disease are held by about one-third of the population, but not everyone goes on to develop the disease. The major celiac genes are HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8. It is believed that other genes may contribute but have not been fully identified.
The lab that is the gold standard for Celiac testing is Prometheus Labs here in San Diego. They are like the IGeneX of Celiac testing. They will know exactly which blood tests to run. If you ever do genetic testing, they do it too.
There is a lab that does stool testing called Enterolabs run by Dr. Kenneth Fine. He tests for a much wider range of gluten issues and sensitivites, not just celiac. Plus he can test for milk allergies, etc. However, his testing is controversial and not accepted by some celiac experts.
Again, think of the analogy of the Bowen testing in Lyme where almost everyone is positive. That's been the criticism of Enterolab - so many people are positive, but is it because he is testing for many degrees of sensitivities or is the test not accurate enough?
I have mentioned to my LLMD and to one of the most prominent ILADS doctor that every time I go to a Lyme appointment or gathering, the majority of us have celiac disease or some degree of gluten issues and there must be a correlation. They seem to agree to more in terms of Lyme triggering Celiac.
However, I know other Lyme patients like myself who had Celiac prior to being bitten by the tick. So are we more predisposed to developing Lyme symptoms because of autoimmune disease? Who knows, but I think there is an interesting connection.
Take care, Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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By the description of your bowel movement and from what I have read in a yeast book, tan/whitish movement means yeast, and floating means too much fat in your diet. I have been working very hard for past month on lowering yeast in my system and it seems to be working.
Hope this helps.
Corinne
quote:Originally posted by Carol B: Looks like I am chasing you around the board tonight,too,TUTU.
I was referred to a gastroenterologist for unrelenting diaryia (can't for the life of me figure out how to spell it) I think I have brain fatigue from all this posting tonight.
Anyway-I was telling him all my sysmssptoms(I'm also too tired to edit") I noticed my stools were tan in color and floated. unlike my daughters' which were dark and sunk to the bottom.
He got this serious look onhis face and said"you know what THAT means?" "No " is ansered . He replied "you need to teach your daughters how to flush the toilet !" No mention of Celiac whatsoever.
He just ordered a colonoscopy and thenthought he had me on laxative abuse-escept the biopsy came back neg. which confused him because he ws so sure. he just gave me a script for diarhea and told me to come back in six weeks.
That was six months ago and i am not going back.
I really do need a break from posting. tonight. I feel so sad for my innocence in seeking treatiment for very real problems and being treated with such idiocy.
BTW since starting tereatment for Lyme and being on a modified diet-including the elimination of wheat, soy, corn and milk( except for a recdeent trip to Coldstone when i really did think I had od'd) things have improved. I only messed my pants up three times this month !
He said I had IBS-and to go to a spsssychiatrist. By for now. Jerks-all .
Carol I'll edit later.
Posts: 461 | From Abbotsford, BC, Canada | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Nal: Yep, I get pain there too. Sometimes radiates to other areas-does that sound familiar?
If one goes gluten free, is it ok to do gluten free breads and such?
Nancy
Yes!!! I have no clue why I get pain down there. It feels almost like things get 'stuck' in that area and have a tought time getting through. Sometimes its just irritating, other times its quite painful and the pain will reach all the way to my stomach.
I hate having so many problems and trying to figure all of them out on my own. I feel like I get minimal help from doctors.
"take probiotics". Great. Been doing that for a month. Got anything else?
Posts: 594 | From NJ/NY | Registered: Jun 2006
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mlkeen
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1260
posted
Very insightful. Now I clearly understand why my llmd wants me off dairy and corn as well as wheat.
Ok, so what do I feed the dog? He is a dalmation with lyme and the uric acid condition they tend to get. He is off all meat and beans. Now he has to give up pasta and bread.
How about potatoes with his eggs and veggies?
Life would be so much easier if food was really food and not so modified and chemically treated
I have mentioned to my LLMD and to one of the most prominent ILADS doctor that every time I go to a Lyme appointment or gathering, the majority of us have celiac disease or some degree of gluten issues and there must be a correlation. They seem to agree to more in terms of Lyme triggering Celiac.
However, I know other Lyme patients like myself who had Celiac prior to being bitten by the tick. So are we more predisposed to developing Lyme symptoms because of autoimmune disease? Who knows, but I think there is an interesting connection.
[/qb]
My thinking exactly. I was wondering if maybe we have a difficult time getting well because we're not absorbing nutrients?
Maybe we're not even absorbing the meds? Not absorbing probiotics, so we get yeast....and on and on..?
I am not willing to eat tons of wheat just to get a positive test. I think I'd be pretty miserable!
Also, I have the saliva test which was positive. I think those can show false positives, but with that and the response to being off gluten is enough for me.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Tutu, thanks so much for posting this on gluten/csaein free diets! Glad you warned us how LONG it was. Happy you took the time to bold impotant things said.
Since I was finally correctly dx with GLUTEN INTOLERANCE & CASEIN/eating freshfruits galore, etc.
Too bad this guy ws so gbby, lots of good points there.
To those who use " ", when you use the quotes,
please go to the 2nd line and delete the BOLDING marks. The bolding hurts my eyes just like looking directly at the sun. Thanks so much for your consideration. continuous bolding causes me migraines too. Thanks or whatever help you can give me.
I notice that when I cut out gluten and cow milk my body feels better in general, especially my GI tract.
It may be possible that the body just doesn't enjoy digesting these things, even if its not technically allergic.
When I need to give my GI tract a rest I throw it on the following diet:
my chicken soup...nothing but veggies & chicken cooked for a really long time so its super easy to digest and super good for you.
Also I'll add in hard boiled organic omega 3 eggs when the soup isn't cutting it for my apetite...I'll also have some goat or sheep yogurt, rice milk...
these things are all easy to digest. Been doing for only 2 days no and my GI tract certainly isn't normal...but its feeling less irritable, and I'm even taking doxy 2X a day.
Quick question...I'm ordering the recommended supplements from..I believe its Dr. B's 2005 Managing Lyme Disease thing. Have you guys noticed a big improvement in muscle twitches and spasms when taking mag?
I'm hoping it will decrease the spasms in my intestines and stomach as well, they are muscle...just organ muscle.
Posts: 594 | From NJ/NY | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
The chicken soup sounds good. Ya got a recipe??
The gluten and cow's milk make everything stick together in our small intestines. I don't see how we can digest anything [or get nutrients frome the food] if we have "glue" surrounding the villi!
Goat's milk is supposed to be OK! Glad you're feeling better on this diet!
Yes, magnesium should help. I take plenty of it!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TX Lyme Mom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3162
posted
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo:
quote:Originally posted by Jill E.:
I have mentioned to my LLMD and to one of the most prominent ILADS doctor that every time I go to a Lyme appointment or gathering, the majority of us have celiac disease or some degree of gluten issues and there must be a correlation. They seem to agree to more in terms of Lyme triggering Celiac.
However, I know other Lyme patients like myself who had Celiac prior to being bitten by the tick. So are we more predisposed to developing Lyme symptoms because of autoimmune disease? Who knows, but I think there is an interesting connection.
My thinking exactly. I was wondering if maybe we have a difficult time getting well because we're not absorbing nutrients?
Maybe we're not even absorbing the meds? Not absorbing probiotics, so we get yeast....and on and on..?
I am not willing to eat tons of wheat just to get a positive test. I think I'd be pretty miserable!
Also, I have the saliva test which was positive. I think those can show false positives, but with that and the response to being off gluten is enough for me.
Thanks for all your information, Jill! [/QB]
TuTu, Jill, Here's my take on it now, after having learned about the effect of biotoxins on immunity and also on the endocrine system from having read all 4 of Ritchie Shoemaker's books about biotoxins.
As I tried to explain in my previous post under this topic (above), Bb produces a low molecular weight lipoprotein toxin, which is similar to the toxin produced by Clostridia, and which affects the "tight junctions" in the gut, leading to "leaky gut".
This allows undigested macromolecules of food, such as gliaden (from gluten) and casein to enter the blood stream, where they set up an immunological/inflamatory response. Not a good thing.
Next Question: Are we genetically predisposed to these conditions such as chronic Lyme &/or gluten-intolerance? I'm beginning to suspect so, based on Ritchie Shoemaker's statistics which he keeps on his chronically ill patients.
Dr. Shoe finds that 20-25% of the population falls into several HLA-DR (or DQ) sub-groups, according to diagnoses -- ie, whether chronic Lyme or mold or whatever.
He also states that Lyme patients for some inexplicable reason tend to become sensitive to mold allergies. Dr. Shoe doesn't explain the pathology for this to my satisfaction, but I suspect that it has to do with liver enzymes and the inability to detoxify such biotoxins.
I say this based on research findings from Gulf War Illness showing that the sick soldiers were genetically predisposed to being unable to detoxify various chemical toxins which they were exposed to in the Gulf War. (There's a lot more to GWI than just the toxin exposure aspect of it though, which I don't want to get into here because it would derail this gluten-intolerance topic too much.)
Since it's such a large segment of the population who fall into these genetic groups, it's easy to understand how widespread all of these problems are becoming nowadays.
This might even explain why some patients test positive for Lyme disease but do not have symptoms of chronic Lyme, also. These lucky person probably have the right genetic endowment to be able to detoxify the Clostridia-like lipoprotein biotoxin which Bb produces.
Yes, I think I'm beginning to understand the connection between food intolerances and mold sensitivities and chronic Lyme disease. It's all starting to add up and make sense. Furthermore, it ties in with a lot of other mysterious symptoms as well which chronic Lymies experience -- if you take a look at the "related diseases" listed on the Celiac webpage:
Tutu, This topic is so timely for me. Thanks for posting it. I had been searching for answers for an MCS friend who has not been as successful with the Marshall Protocol as our lucky daughter has been. Your links to the vet's info and to the Celiac forum have just opened the door for me to be able to help her.
I've been glued to my computer screen for the last two days straight, trying to absorb it all and to make it fit in with everything else which I've been studying recently, and it's all starting to come together in one Big Epiphany for me.
CyberHugs to you, TuTu!
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
TX Lyme Mom,
Regarding your post about BB producing a low molecular weight protein that is similar to the toxin produced by Clostridia, and which affects the "tight junctions" in the gut, leading to "leaky gut" - I agree that leaky gut is a huge issue.
Dr. Alessio Fasano - one of the preeminent Celiac Disease physicians/researchers, who is the one who spearheaded the groundbreaking study that 1 in 133 Americans have Celiac Disease, believes that Celiac Disease itself loosens the junctions in the intestines and that Celiac Disease is also a disease of intestinal permeability.
Some of his current research is looking at particular enzymes and other ways to tighten the junctions. (I'm doing this from memory so forgive me if I'm not explaining it correctly, but there is some very exciting research going on in Celiac Disease). I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Fasano speak at one of the Celiac Disease conferences and he is one of the most inspiring and innovative physicians around.
Celiac Disease is genetically related to autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases. Many of us with Lyme also have Celiac Disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, etc. It just shows that the genetic and environmental picture is bigger than just one disease in many of us.
Add to that some exciting research and theories being pursued in some of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Autism circles, regarding genetic defects in many of these patients that do not allow them to detoxify properly.
Given that I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the 1980s, I have been trying to jump back into this research and see how it applies to Lyme, especially given how much we stress our detoxification systems with antibiotics, neurotoxins, etc.
This disease will turn us all into scientists!!
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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1 medium whole chicken--organic, free range or kosher chicken
3 quarts of filtered water
1/2 ounce structured water concentrate (garden of life makes one called Springs of Life-sold at Vitamin Shoppe)
4-6 tablespoons of moist high mineral salt
4-6 tablespoons of coconut oil
2-4 chicken feet (Optional)
8 organic carrots
6 stalks of organic celery
2-4 organic zucchini
3 medium-sized organic white or yellow onions
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
4 inches of grated ginger
5 cloves of garlic
1 large bunch of parsley (added 30 minutes before the soup is finished)
Directions Take the largest stainless steel pot you can find and fill it with 3 quarts of water.
Add 1 ounce of structured water concentrate and 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes.
Fill pot with chicken, vegetables, sea salt and other ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil for 60 seconds and lower heat.
Simmer soup for 6-24 hours. Add parsley 30 minutes before soup is finished.
Remove chicken from the bones and add chicken meat back to the soup. Remove chicken feet and discard.
For anyone suffering acute situations with high inflammation, it may be best to allow the soup to cool and blend or puree all ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor.
Posts: 594 | From NJ/NY | Registered: Jun 2006
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
How do you wheat free/dairy free people keep your weight up? With chicken and veggies? And then add in possible corn sensitivity's.
I am at my panic weight of 92lbs at 5'3" and can't gain any weight. With chronic stomach issues and yeast issues this is a real problem.
Help! Can anyone on a wheat free/non-dairy/ anti-yeast diet lists some things you eat. Besides veggies and chicken.
P.S. I can't eat almonds yet either.
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
I eat yogurt, just not cow yogurt...but full fat yogurt has alot of calories in it. Mix it with some raw honey and its good
Also, organic omega 3 eggs are gentle on the stomach.
I must say I have lost 20 lbs. in the past motnh and a half...I'm not happy about it, although it certainly got me bathing suit mode fairly quickly...not that I can enjoy it!!
I'm 5' 8" and now weigh 124...which is really small for me, I was at 143 when this all started a month ago! Posts: 594 | From NJ/NY | Registered: Jun 2006
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northstar
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7911
posted
I am not diagnosed celiac but am gluten sensitive. I, too, lost too much weight trying to over-do the low carb.
Never had a problem pre-lyme, but found out the SigA was in 40's when I consulted with a nutritionist. (that is 4 times the max). I had mild milk and egg allergies, so I just cut down on eggs, and switched to goat products.
So I needed to get the weight up in a safe manner.
I use goat yogurt which has minimal casein in it, which I think is the major allergen/offender in cow dairy. Watch out for casein as an additive in foods. I use natural flavorings such as vanilla, hazelnut, and sweet with stevia, and add fruits. I buy frozen organic fruits, such as mango, blueberries, etc.,as the fresh ones are so hard to find,
Rice, brown, red, & wild, are my carb, and they are wonderful in homemade soups. Make a big batch and put in portion bags in freezer.
Also, goat cheese (chevre) with herbs and garlic on rice crackers. Totally spoiled with that one.
Breads from gluten free rice, are available at Whole Foods or other similar stores. (spelt is a no no, too).
There also are some gluten free rice based cereals on the WF shelves. Maybe available online.
There also is a guaranteed gluten free rolled oats available online (someone just posted about it). The website said that the gluten found is usually from cross contamination in field, truck, and/or factory, and that the grain itself varies in gluten content. They are a dedicated facility, and test gluten levels in their oats. I have not tried that yet.
Real butter with the eggs. I read somewhere that butter is ok for dairy problems, but who knows. It is a small amount though.
They also said real cream is ok, too, in limited quantities. So I use a tablespoon on cold cereal, and add water.
Avocadoes for snacks.
Gluten free cookies : one cookie has 2.5 g. sugar, which is pretty small. The brand is Mi-Del; maybe you could get it online. My source is Whole Foods.
Potatoes are high glycemic, but I have heard that when served with other foods, they do not make much of an impact. So I have those every few weeks, and even have potatoe chips (cooked in lard, not fake oil) every few weeks.
Dip or spread: hummus?
Pears are the least acidic for my stomach.
Gluten free pasta is the pits.......I have yet to find one that did not make me gag or stick to my teeth horribly. I cheat every few months........with a half cup!
I also snack on nuts, but you mentioned you cannot do that now. I used almond butter for a long time, and then I think my liver said enough. So I tried cashews for small snacks, and that seems ok. Perhaps it was the quantity I used!
Another good soup is chicken broth with spinach and a beaten egg added, plus a bit of white wine which you let boil up to get rid of alcohol.
Even a beef broth, such as oxtail/short rib soup, cooked with the shallots, garlic, celery, carrots, parsley, and a dash of red wine, can be used for the base for a vegetable soup. I seive out the over cooked vegetables for personal preference, when done, and then add fresh veggies/rice/meat when preparing a meal.
These can all be made in bulk, and put in serving portions in the freezer, to pull out at meals.
Those soups were what helped me regain my appetite when I was the sickest.
I would avoid soy products (tofu) in general because I have heard they are a high allergen, also.
Good luck....it seems severe at first...........and after a year, it still does! But I get to justify the price of chevre, so I feel a little spoiled!
N.
Posts: 1331 | From hither and yonder | Registered: Sep 2005
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More gluten free carbs for fiber are quinoa and buckwheat. Pears are great for fiber, as is psyllium.
I would think a nut butter (creamy) may be worth a try. There are no nut pieces in it to get lodged.
Check Asian section of grocery stores, or even an Asian store, for various rice crackers. Have to check ingredients though for hidden MSG.
Chip snacks: some stores are carrying veggie chips now. Dont know how they taste, though.
Northstar
Posts: 1331 | From hither and yonder | Registered: Sep 2005
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
Dana i have the same problem 94lbs 5'3....
cant eat much cause many food are bladder iritants. Almonds were tolerated now they arent...phooie!! they filled me but i didnt gain much weight on them.
I eat some brown rice and gluten free pasta for carbs....i may try adding in potatoes and see how my body handles it. once a week maybe.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by northstar: LT: I just googled the div. diet: 2 of 3 places checked said no to nuts, and the 3rd said maybe, just try.
More gluten free carbs for fiber are quinoa and buckwheat. Pears are great for fiber, as is psyllium.
I would think a nut butter (creamy) may be worth a try. There are no nut pieces in it to get lodged.
Check Asian section of grocery stores, or even an Asian store, for various rice crackers. Have to check ingredients though for hidden MSG.
Chip snacks: some stores are carrying veggie chips now. Dont know how they taste, though.
Northstar
Oh no! I'm not eating nuts....just telling dana that may keep her weight up. Nuts were my best snack until a few weeks ago.
Rice crackers just add more carbs, which adds to the yeast problems. Same with pears.
What are your favorite nut butters? [brands?]All the ones I've tried are SO tasteless!!
Saw the buckwheat today at the store...gotta find some recipes first. I used to have a good gluten-free cookbook. It's in storage somewhere.
Thanks, northstar!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
How can you all AFFORD this expensive food where they gauch us 400 - 500% MORE than normal prices?
I bought a 1/2 loaf of bread for $5.50 last night plus sweet dream milk for $4.50 for 1/2 gallon.
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
Lymetoo i buy maranatha brand almond butter the raw kind.... i like the taste. too bad the bladder does not.
Betty- i can relate all my money goes into wholefoods....it gets expensive
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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Jellybelly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7142
posted
Have any of you ever seen the magazine on being Gluten free? I got it once at Whole foods, I think, maybe it was another health food store. It had alot of gluten free recipes and advertisments galore for gluten free products. Some stuff looked pretty good. Expensive, I'm sure.
I think I have JUST developed acid refux, so I have been watching this topic. So spelt is a no-no??
Posts: 1251 | From california | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Betty...yes, alot of it is expensive. I'm going to avoid most of it because most ready-made products have too much sugar and/or yeast!!
I used to have a gluten-free cookbook...hope I can find it. In the meantime, I'll be shopping for a new one.
Cant'...thanks for the tip! I'll look into it.
Jelly...spelt is not OK
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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henson2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 463
posted
Hi,
I have not read thru all the messages, so apologies if I am duplicating info.
This is important --
My celiac test was negative and normal.
HOWEVER, when I got blood tested for IgG Antibodies (that is, Delayed Food Reactions, or Food Intolerances) - the Gluten numbers were astronomically high.
In regular IgE allergy tests to peanuts, I show anaphylaxis. That is, peanuts will KILL ME. (I carry Epinephrine).
The Delayed Food Reaction for gluten was higher than the Delayed Food Reaction for peanuts... and peanuts kill me!
My point is this: a celiac test is not enough. You must find someone who will test you for IgG Antibodies to foods -- that is the Delayed Food Reactions.
Mainstream Allergists test only for IgE reactions (immediate, anaphylactic). A mainstream Allergist will probably not even believe in delayed reactions.
It is crucial to get the Delayed Food reaction IgG test from someone who will test you (a holistic MD, alternative, naturopath, etc. and there are test kits available thru certain labs).
All my joint pain and swelling went away when I got off the foods that I learned I was intolerant to.
(but I am still working on the damage these foods created in the gut).
If you can't afford testing, go for the elimination diet and take out the 4 main culprits listed in messages above.
Warmest good wishes to everyone! Posts: 1066 | From East Coast | Registered: Dec 2000
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TX Lyme Mom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3162
posted
Wow! This celiac/leaky-gut topic is becoming mind-boggling for me.
I'm starting to feel overwhelmed already by trying to knit all of this valuable celiac info together with all the other promising new concepts which I've been researching and learning about recently, especially Ritchie Shoemaker's ideas about insulin control and also about biotoxins in his 4 books.
I'm equally fascinated with Dr. Shoe's "No/Low-Amylose" dietary concept as it relates to immunology through insulin control -- especially since there is so much interest nowadays in eating foods with a low glycemic index. His No/Low Amylose diet is somewhat similar to a celiac diet because it cuts out so many grains.
Maintaining steady blood sugar is extremely important for insulin control, and insulin has an enormous impact on immunity -- as explained in his last two books (his diet book and his "Mold Warriors" book).
Furthermore, Dr. Shoe's "Mold Warriors" book explains how biotoxins, which are fat-soluble toxins, interfere with both immunity and with our endocrine system, as well as with the nervous system -- since all of these body systems are high in fatty acids, especially those steroidal (and secosteroidal) hormones which are derived from sterols/cholesterol.
Fat-soluble toxins will dissolve into other fatty tissues, you know, so fat-soluble toxins represent a major source of our modern 20th and 21st century diseases!
Thus, I'm beginning to suspect that these fat-soluble toxins might be the trigger which has provoked such a rapid increase in Celiac disease within the last few decades -- not only just the fat-soluble lipoprotein biotoxin produced by Bb of course, but also all of the many other fat-soluble toxins which we are exposed to on a daily basis.
Special Note to Jill E.: Yes, I know they've developed some digestive food enzymes for autistic children who are gluten- and casein- intolerant, but these enzymes are too expensive for adults because adults would have to take so many of them and they are very costly.
If anyone is up for it, I encourage you to explore Dr. Shoemaker's ideas. There's a lot of good free info at his two websites, but the best stuff is inside the covers of his books. If I can ever get everything all assimilated, I'll be a happy camper.
Regarding diverticulitis/diverticulosis, I glanced at those links which Northstar posted and I observed that two of them suggested the use of Citrucel or Metamucil products. I would like to comment that I've learned from several sources that many sensitive folks tolerate Citrucel much more easily than they do Metamucil, so you might want to keep that in mind when shopping. The psyllium in Metamucil can cause adverse reactions in sensitive individuals.
There is also the question of whether the sugar-free fiber products are safe or not because of the artificial sweeteners in them. Buyer beware.
Do your homework first on the pros and cons of artificial sweeteners before choosing which kind of fiber product to buy because the small amount of real sugar in these products might be less harmful for us than the artificial sweeteners are -- in spite of what Dr. Shoe says about sugar being bad for insulin control. (I part paths with him here because I don't trust artificial sweeteners very much at all.)
If all these far-ranging conepts of mine aren't too confusing already, I feel urged to mention that our daughter has lost all of her food intolerances and gained some needed weight now after having been on the Marshall Protocol (MP) for two years.
My main reason for continuing my personal quest for new ideas is that I am keenly aware that there have been a few patients who have not had the same amazing success with the MP that she has enjoyed, so I'm trying to figure out why not. Thus, I'm continuing my own search for better answers for their sakes. Afterall, I've been a support group leader for too many years now to be able to give up this passion in my life now just because my own daughter has found health and healing.
(If anyone is curious about the MP program, please feel free to contact me privately. I don't want to side-track this important celiac topic with a discussion of the MP, other than just to make brief mention of it -- because the MP really does seem to have healed all our daughter's "leaky gut" issues very nicely after so many long years of terrible digestive miseries.)
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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TX Lyme Mom
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posted
Elley & Northstar, I forgot to ask about the goat yogurt. Is it available commercially, or do you make your own? (I know how to make yogurt, but I'm lazy, so that's why I'm asking.) TIA.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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northstar
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Member # 7911
posted
TLM: I buy a big container of plain goat yogurt....again, at Whole Foods. Then I add flavorings,stevia, and fruits.
I have a book by Bette Hagman, "The Gluten-Free Gourmet". It has good recipes using alternative flours for soup & gravy thickeners, plus the muffin/cookie recipes, plus using tapioca as a dessert with fruit (and as a thickener).
There is much on the internet, including chat groups, with recipes, etc.
But I am too lazy to get fancy, and just cook and eat light, no muffins, pasta, etc.
The most difficult challenge is combining the problems of gluten free with no-cow/dairy ( tried almond milk, and my liver sang the blues for half a day), avoiding sugar, and the need to regulate or lower carbs, and for others, the diverticulosis challenge.
I tried no-carb, lost way too much weight, and was so weak and miserable, and then read some opposing viewpoints.
One view is that no carb is not healthy, and that we need to re-think it, to lower carbs, instead of eliminating carbs. And I think I read somewhere that this low carb demand is more important only if you are overweight and eating an unbalanced diet. And I did not fit in that category.
For example, the big news is the overweight American with snacks of fast food, chips, pastries, deep fried Krispy Kreme's, and meals that are 50-75% potatoes, etc. Those diets need to change. Maybe that is the reference population, when they are talking the yeast diet?
It is like the salt story. The gov/t said we use too much salt, etc. so I cut salt consumption to almost negligible. But that was table salt.
Then others here talked about the ocean salts, & Real Salt, and the importance of minerals. So I use more salt now too (RealSalt), and make sure it is at least 2-3 grams.
I try to control, but not eliminate carbs. I use the dark rices as my central staple, which will be 1/4 of meal. I use carbs for 2 of 3 meals a day, with 2 small carb snacks approximately, during the day. Small portions, about 2/3 c., at meals.
I do not get hung up on it too much by measuring, just regulate it. If I judge it was too much, then the next day, I will cut back. Pretty simple.
My grocery bill is probably a little more, but that is because of the higher price of organic meats and vegetables (most of veggies are frozen).
But I have eliminated candies, chips, dips, cookies, yummy pastries, desserts, ice creams, fancy drinks & juices, all alcoholic beverages, so there is some trade off in costs.
(somehow I lymely digressed from gluten/dairy free to carb intake.....) Northstar
p.s. Lymetoo, I also read on some candida websites that the yeast in bread is not a concern in Candida problems. It is truly confusing.
Posts: 1331 | From hither and yonder | Registered: Sep 2005
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TX Lyme Mom
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quote:Originally posted by Jill E.: Some of his current research is looking at particular enzymes and other ways to tighten the junctions. (I'm doing this from memory so forgive me if I'm not explaining it correctly, but there is some very exciting research going on in Celiac Disease).
Hey Jill, I've found some info about a new enzyme therapy for Celiac. I'm not sure if this is the same thing that you heard about or not, but take a look. It's very new, as of just the last couple of months, so it might be something else different from the therapy that you had in mind.
http://www.chembiol.com/ -- Scroll down to read the Cover Caption at the bottom of the page. (This link may become outdated soon. If so, then look for the related articles by Bethune, et al, and by Siegel, et al, in the June, 2006 issue of this same journal at this same link.)
I'm editing now to add the link to the entire article, which is available on the internet as a PDF document. (I'm posting the link below to only one of these two related articles, but the other article is available also if anyone cares to visit to the journal website, at the link above.)
"The most difficult challenge is combining the problems of gluten free with no-cow/dairy ( tried almond milk, and my liver sang the blues for half a day), avoiding sugar, and the need to regulate or lower carbs, and for others, the diverticulosis challenge."
Yep, that's where I am right now. Between a rock and hard place. The most frustrating part is the difficulty I'm going to have trying to safely eat out.
Thanks, TXLM, I'm reading what you've been writing. I appreciate all your interest in this. I really do think it could be a major reason alot of Lymies are not well.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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LymeToo, I must confess that my interest in Celiac diets is more "academic" than it is personal in nature.
Personally, I've much more interested in learning to control the insulin response -- according to Ritchie Shoemaker's "fat book" and also Jennie Brand-Miller's popular diet books about the "glucose revolution" and the Glycemic Index.
I'm 99.99% convinced that the answer to the immunological-hormonal-neurological aspect of chronic Lyme disease lies with insulin control because of insulin's influence on the immune system and on other steroidal hormones.
Besides, the insulin control diets don't seem nearly as difficult to stick with as avoiding gluten and casein and everything else that goes along with a strict celiac diet.
As I said earlier, Ritchie Shoemaker's diet eliminates gluten anyway since it eliminates grains because they are high in amylose, but it does permit cheeses and milk. (His maintenance diet permits very limited use of grains later, after weight loss goals have been attained.)
Unless you are a true celiac patient, then you might want to look at Ritchie Shoemaker's diet book and also at the diet books by Jennie Brand-Miller which are best-sellers now in bookstores everywhere.
Oh, regarding milk, we buy Kroger's store brand of whole organic milk ("Naturally Preferred" label) because we can get vitamin D-free milk, which is very hard to find elsewhere. Hubby has done great with it these past two winters -- no colds or flu at all. Avoiding synthetic dietary vitamin D is an important part of the MP program which has helped our family so much.
Remember, most celiac patients (and autistic children) must avoid the casein in milk also. This aspect of the celiac diet might or might not be important for you -- especially if you learn to avoid milk products with synthetic vitamin D in it. (Some yogurt has synthetic vitamin D added now, too. Read labels.)
For years, our daughter thought that she was milk-intolerant -- until she finally figured out that it was the hormones and antibiotics and synthetic vitamin D in regular milk which was her enemy. After switching to organic, vitamin D-free milk, she's been able to drink milk with no problems whatsoever. Hooray!!
I can't help but wonder if vitamin D in our milk supply might not be what's bothering the autistic children, too. They even add synthetic vitamin D to goats milk now too, I think. What a shame!
Whole Foods carries some kinds of whole milk without vitamin D added. The FDA requires that vitamin D be added to any milk which has had its fat content altered, so only whole milk can be sold without ersatz vitamin D.
Are you getting confused yet, Dear TuTu? So many choices to consider. It's enough to rattle anyone's pretty head, isn't it?
PS -- I forgot to mention that Dr. Shoe's diet helps to cut the sugar cravings like nobody's business. I decided to give it a trial recently, and I'm surprised at how easy it is to stick with 'cause the sugar cravings vanished immediately.
I'm a sugarholic unless I watch myself. His diet is the easiest to adhere to of any diet that I've ever tried before -- so far, that is. I'm almost afraid to brag about it for fear I'll jinx it and then my sugar cravings will return.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Many autistic children are celiacs. That is one thing I found out.
Hmmm, Maybe DR S's book would help with my sugar cravings. They go way down as long as I'm VERY strict with the carbs. Is that basically what he advocates?
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TX Lyme Mom
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LymeToo, Ritchie Shoemaker's diet differs slightly from the gluten-free diet in that it eliminates rice, which is considered to be hypoallergenic by most other dietary standards. He eliminates rice because of its effect on the insulin response.
Corn contains amylose, but it also contains an anti-amylase substance, so the amylose in corn doesn't trigger the insulin surge which many of the other grains do. That was a happy surprise because it's so easy to find Mexican corn tortillas and Italian polenta and fresh corn. I've been living on corn a lot lately without any trouble at all. I buy corn chips which contain no trans fats.
You'll want to read his book though because it is so different from any other diet book in print today. He's had 25 years of clinical experience and a good track record of success. Patients fly in to his little rural clinic from everywhere in the USA -- all by word-of-mouth because of his high rate of success with obesity (and MCS/CFIDS) patients.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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TX Lyme Mom
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LymeToo, It's been several hours since I composed my last response, so instead of merely editing it to add another idea, I'd better create a new message so that you don't miss seeing it.
Ritchie Shoemaker's diet is totally different from all of the other "low carb" diets out there, which are so difficult to stick with because with those diets you get hungry and then glucagon kicks in to bring your blood sugar back up again. That Yo-Yo effect of hormones is very bad for you.
With Dr. Shoe's diet plan, you don't get hungry because you get enough protein and enough of the good fats, and if you get hungry, then you can eat proper snacks. The idea is to keep your INSULIN levels steady, which of course helps keep your blood glucose levels steadier also.
This diet is for INSULIN control, which is the key to managing diabetes, even more so than simply controlling blood glucose -- especially for Type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes), which is the more common form of diabetes -- because so many other degenerative illnesses tend to accompany both forms of diabetes. Insulin surges are our true enemy. This diet controls insulin levels.
I'm liking this "low/no amylose" diet so much that I think I'll stay on it. It's NOT at all like any other "low carb" diets out there, all of which I despise with a passion. (Many celiacs might do well with this diet too, since it automatically eliminates gluten, as long as casein isn't a problem for them.)
I had decided to try Dr. Shoe's diet myself first before recommending it to a close family friend. I had heard a nutritionist speak at a medical conference once many years ago who said that she would never ever recommend any diet to a patient that she herself had not tried for at least a couple of weeks first.
Well, I was studying his books, so I decided to experiment on myself with his diet plan in order to gain a better, first-hand understanding of his ideas.
What a surprise! I think I've found a diet that I can live happily with for a long, long time to come. Let's put it this way -- when I go to my next high school class reunion, I want to be able to surprise my old girl friends.
We just had our 50th year HS class reunion this spring and most of them looked better in the group photo than I did. But most of them had been on the popular HRT (hormone replacement therapy) fad at menopause, and I had stubbornly refused to do that, so maybe that's why they looked so great.
I want to look great the "natural" way -- as well as look as good as my little 93 yo aunt does when I'm her age, too -- not to mention avoiding the degenerative diseases which go with being a senior citizen.
I'm really sold on Dr. Shoe's approach because it's a lifestyle, not just another blankety-blank, four-letter-word kind of diet. I HATE (other) DIETS! -- but I'm loving his eating plan, and I have more energy on it, too. I still need my afternoon beauty-rest siesta time, but I can (almost) keep up with the younger generation of my family now, energy-wise.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
How is his plan different from the glycemic index type plan? Seems it would be the same thing. [I hate spending $25 for a book that maybe I wouldn't HAVE to buy... ]
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TX Lyme Mom
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LymeToo, Ritchie Shoemaker's book is only $15.95 at his wesite. It's $24.95 at Amazon. (It's not sold thru B&N.)
I'll have to review the Glycemic Revolution book again because I got rid of it after I decided that I wasn't really that interested in it anymore. I've put her newest book on order though at B&N, the one that just came out in June about what causes blood sugar to fluctuate, so I'll let you know after I get a chance to read it.
What I like so much about Dr. Shoe's book is that he goes into the science of it to explain why it works. I need to understand things in-depth in order to motivate myself to trust a new idea like this.
Furthermore, his book takes into consideration the 30% of patient who gain weight because of biotoxin exposures because they require special prior treatment with CSM (Rx to absorb the toxins), besides just doing the diet. Supposedly, both mold and Lyme patients fall into this category.
I've read all 4 of his books, and they are all among my most favorite books on my shelf. I refer to them often.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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bettyg
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EDITED: Since learning I "AM" allergic to gluten/wheat & rye and casein/cow's milk, egg whites, & 3 cheeses plus being a diabetic 2 patient, Tutu's post has had my full attention.
Tutu & TLM, my good LLMD on Monday, 7-3-06, told me I should be on the "zone" diet which is for gluten-free, casein-free, and diabetes folks.
Have either of you tried it? How different is it than what you 2 have been discussing here? Thank you both.
If the prices are are equal (or nearly equal), then I like to support his research work by buying directly from him -- as long as it doesn't cost me too much extra to do so, that is.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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TX Lyme Mom
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Betty, The IgE tests for food allergy do not show if you have delayed type food reactions or not. For that, you need IgG testing.
Even then, I don't trust the food allergy testing though because it often show folks allergic to almost everything they eat -- thanks to leaky gut.
That's why I'm exploring other dietary options instead because the "rotation diet" backfired on our daughter. She became much more sensitive, with horrible MCS, during the two months that she tried to follow a strict rotation diet, after testing positive for such a large number of common foods. That was about 10-15 years ago though, long before we knew anything about LD.
Nothing helped her food intolerances until IV antibiotics, but then she relapsed again several months later.
Since then, the MP program has been the answer for her. She can eat whatever she wants now as long as it doesn't have any vitamin D in it (neither synthetic nor natural vitamin D). For her, the vitamin D-free diet has been her salvation after almost a lifetime of digestive miseries, plus many other intolerable symptoms too numerous to mention.
LymeToo, I should mention that Dr. Shoe recognizes Lyme disease, but he doesn't seem to understand that it can become a chronic, persistent, intracellular infection. He has bought into the mainstream propaganda that 3 weeks of abx will cure it, and if not, then 6 weeks of CSM will do the trick by getting rid of its biotoxins.
I plan to offer him info about intracellular persistence of Bb if/when I see him again at another medical conference this next fall -- if he attends, that is. Wish me luck! I hope he's open to reviewing it.
I suspect that he's been too busy with his own research to know about this aspect of LD yet, although it's hard to understand why not since he practices in a Lyme-endemic area. He seems to think that it's all genetic and that genetically predisposed persons can't get rid of the Lyme toxins.
I contend that there is a continuing antigenic stimulus, due to a persistant infection with Bb which continues to produce more biotoxins, no matter how much you mop them up with CSM. I've got a lot I want to discuss with him if I ever get another chance.
I also think I now understand why Lyme patients have such terrible "intensification reactions" when first starting to take CSM, but that's a whole 'nother different discussion topic.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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quote:Originally posted by TX Lyme Mom: LymeToo, I should mention that Dr. Shoe recognizes Lyme disease, but he doesn't seem to understand that it can become a chronic, persistent, intracellular infection. He has bought into the mainstream propaganda that 3 weeks of abx will cure it, and if not, then 6 weeks of CSM will do the trick by getting rid of its biotoxins.
Yeah, that gripes me. I noticed he had info on Post Lyme Syndrome, which of course I don't believe exists.
The amazon was without S/H...I think it's $5 or $6 dollars... I'll see if I can figure this out!!
Good grief...just checked his site and it says $12.95 plus 5.95 for S/H ....on your link.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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TX Lyme Mom
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LymeToo, Yea, that's why he doesn't see very many hard-core, late-stage Lymies in his practice. They go elsewhere. That's not to say that he doesn't treat a lot of Lyme patients. It's just that he doesn't see as many of the really late-stage patients as the other ILADS doctors do. (I don't know if he belongs to ILADS or not, come to think of it, but he has spoken at one of their meetings.)
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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TX Lyme Mom
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quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: Good grief...just checked his site and it says $12.95 plus 5.95 for S/H ....on your link.
Yep, you're right about the price, TuTu. I gave you the price for the "Mold Warriors" book instead by mistake. I'm glad you caught that error.
Also, he charges only $1.50 S&H for each extra book after the first title that you order. That seems like a real bargain to me.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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bettyg
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Tutu, thanks for catching my mistake! I AM allergic to gluten & casein! Boy do I need to proofread my typing again! uffda.
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TX Lyme Mom
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Betty, You know what I've been wondering about? I'll bet that all Lymies are probably semi-celiacs-in-disguise because of the leaky gut problem caused by Bb's neurotoxin, which (probably) interferes with tight junctions just as Clostridia toxin does. (I think I explained about this earlier.)
Dr. Shoe has been saying that all Lymies tend to develop mold allergies, so I suspect that all Lymies probably have leaky gut and gluten-intolerance issues also for similar reasons -- ie, because of biotoxins and their downstream effects on the immune system.
If so, then this would allow undigested gliaden (from gluten) and casein molecules to sneak through into the bloodstream where they set up an immunological reaction.
I suspect that the real difference between true Celiacs and Lymies in regard to gluten is that true Celiacs have the genetic predisposition to destruction of the villi in their small bowel area but "semi-celiacs" (for lack of a better term -- ie, the non-genetic types) don't have the same degree of host tissue involvement. They would have only just the leaky gut issues, but not the autoimmune reaction against their own mucosal tissues.
This is just a half-baked hypothesis on my part. I'm curious about it, that's all, which is why I'm mentioning it -- in case someone else knows and can set me straight.
Either way, avoiding gluten (and maybe casein too for some individuals) might be helpful to many/most Lymies -- except that they probably won't need to be as fastidious about it as a "true Celiac" patient might have to be. I'm just guessing here, so don't place too much stock in my hypothesis.
I'm also wondering if "Rejuvelac" (homemade drink from soaking wheat berries which creates a lactobacillus probiotic specific for digesting wheat) might work effectively. I think it's called Lactobacillus salivarius, which is very hard to manufacture into a commercial powdered capsule but which is very easy and cheap to make as a homemade drink.
Drinking this homemade probiotic along with any meal which contains small amounts of gluten might help gluten-intolerant folks to digest the gluten more easily since this probiotic would be specific for wheat. I'm not sure if a true (ie, genetic) Celiac would be able to tolerate this or not, but I'd be willing to be that a "semi-Celiac" person might benefit from it.
Afterall, this sounds along the lines of what those researchers are trying to conjure up from barley enzymes into a treatment for celiac disease. (The post about that is on the previous page.)
The way you make Rejuvelac is to soak organic wheat berries overnight in the refrigerator. They tend to ferment if let to sit out at room temperature. You drink the liquid off of the soaked wheat berries, but you might need to flavor it with a bit of fruit juice for improved taste. It's a pretty hardy strain of lactobacillus so I doubt that the acid from the fruit juice would kill the living lactobacilli, unless you mix it with too much strongly acidic fruit juice, that is.
PS -- I'll be gone all day, so I won't be able to write any rapid responses today, in case I've left anyone confused about what I've tried to say in this message.
Posts: 4563 | From TX | Registered: Sep 2002
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mlkeen
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Somone asked about affording to eat wheat/dairy/corn and soy free. I buy nothing in a box. I buy meat, chicken and salmon and vegtables, now fresh because they are ready, but mostly frozen, because what is offered as fresh is very old most of the year.
I don't live near any whole food stores and super Walmart is the closest grocery store, pretty scary, but there are things there that I can eat. Then there is a locally owned grocery that has 6 kinds of wheat flour, egg noodles in many widths and locally made baked goods. Not a good gluten free store. Both of these places do have basic foods.
On today's Menu: Zuccinni sauted with onions and garlic and tomotoes with left over grilled chichen from last night.
To keep from loosing weight, think FAT, but only the good stuff. Olive oil drizzled on your veggies or meat is a great way to up calories and it has no trans fat or chorlestorol.
I've added about 1-2 tablespsoons of fat a day and as an added bonus no longer have dry skin.
Posts: 1572 | From Pa | Registered: Jun 2001
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I eat only organic now, I'm fortunate to have a Whole Foods 10 minutes from me.
My tummy is happily able to handle food outside of soup now so thats a plus.
I eat salmon, brown rice, veggies-all organic. Just like what was sad previously, add a tablespoon of flax, olive, coconut oil to rice, fish, veggies...adds at least 100 calories for only 1 tablespoon and these fats are essential and good for you as well.
breakfast: sheeps yogurt with raw organic honey (yes yes I know honey is a no no for yeast-but I'm so good in every other way haha). 2 hard boiled eggs
lunch: chicken veggie soup (this has alot of fat-from added coconut oil plus I don't remove any of the chicken fat when I cook it) rice crisps with goat cheese
dinner: broiled salmon with tblsp of olive oil, sliced op lime-layered on top of the spices and oil, dill, garlic, celtic sea salt and parsley mixed zucchini and yellow squash w/tblsp of coconut oil and celtic sea salt 1 cup brown rice w/tblsp of flax seed oil, garlic, celtic sea salt
at some point throughout the day I will also have a cup of rice milk, made from brown rice-about 130 calories
I know the brown rice is a no no for some yeasties-but I need the extra carbs for energy-I tried going without them and felt worse from it.
Besides I take a ton of coated probiotics, drink nothing but water, green & chamomile tea, and eat hardly sugar at all, with the exception of the honey and sometimes some applesauce or fruit.
posted
Thanks for the diet tips, Elley and mlkeen!
TXLM said, "Drinking this homemade probiotic along with any meal which contains small amounts of gluten might help gluten-intolerant folks to digest the gluten more easily since this probiotic would be specific for wheat. I'm not sure if a true (ie, genetic) Celiac would be able to tolerate this or not, but I'd be willing to be that a "semi-Celiac" person might benefit from it."
A true celiac would NOT be able to eat ANYTHING with any connection to wheat or other harmful grains. They have to be extremely careful.
I wish I knew if I am a true celiac or not. To have the "gold standard" treatment, I would have to eat the equivalent to 3 slices of bread a day for at least 3 months.
I'm not sure I'm willing to do that. I have, at the very least, an allergy to wheat. Doing this would also give me a terrible case of yeast....something I'm trying to kill out once and for all.
I could also take the tests through Entero-Labs in TX .. but I understand they have ALOT of positives and I just wonder about that process.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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