Tag Archives: gluten intolerance

“Full of Doubt” about Gluten?

I love this quote by Bertram Russell; it so applies to gluten-related issues:

“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.”

Most of my friends fall into the intelligent group, but they are so doubtful about the mega research on gluten related-symptoms and conditions because their doctors, associated with some of the best hospitals and clinics in the country, know so little on this topic. Of course they might be doubtful.

But the research on gluten-related conditions is massive. And the stories in the book of renewed health substantiated by stunning studies pointing to the numerous hazards of consuming gluten are quite incredible. There are over 19,000 studies on over 300 symptoms and ailments. I didn’t fabricate this info.

Wheat has been the staff of life for thousands of years, but in the forties the gluten in wheat was discovered to be the root cause of celiac disease that leads to mal-absorption of vitamins and minerals by destroying the villi. This in turn can affect any part of the body on multiple levels at any age. Celiac disease appears to be on a continuum of gluten intolerance, so gluten may be whittling away at your health for decades before you become so sick and compromised that you do test positive on the one test the doctor may offer for celiac.

We all know people who are miserable and suffering with cancer, autoimmune disease, neurological, skin, and gastroenterological issues and so much more; or perhaps they are just below the surface of “healthy” with fatigue, colds, allergies, rashes, etc. I would urge you or them to look over the Table of Contents at: http://toxicstaple.com/wp-content/uploads/TS-TableOfContents.pdf; many more gluten-related issues are covered in the book.

You too can find better health. My whole family did. Read my family saga in Toxic Staple.

Deadly Flu and Gluten?

When you hear of people dying or suffering the need of amputation (can’t locate the article that prompted this blog) from a terrible case of the #flu, I would wonder what shape their immune system was in. The same goes for #heart issues or most any serious health issue or lingering symptom.

If you have undetected and/or unaddressed celiac or gluten intolerance which can lead to all sorts of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, your immune system can be shot to pieces. Lacking the proper nutrition to keep your body strong and healthy, no doubt, can have a negative effect on how well you handle and fight off the flu.

Not only do you need to be consuming a healthy diet. You need to be “absorbing” those nutrients for the body to function optimally. Mal-absorption is a key issue among those who are intolerant to gluten, especially if they have full-blown celiac disease.

If you are weighed down with the flu or have most any chronic symptom or disease you might want to consider whether or not you could be gluten intolerant. Most people think it’s not their problem, but keep in mind that your symptoms and ailments are caused by something and according to numerous holistic practitioners gluten is at the top of the list of triggers.

If you are a sickly person, always getting the flu, colds, or a sore throat has your doctor ever offered testing for celiac or gluten issues? Too many mainstream doctors still think symptoms for celiac are related only to the gastrointestinal track. Not so! And if s/he has tested you (doubtful unless you are dealing with a functional medicine doctor who looks for the cause) was the result negative? There are too many false negatives with the typical tTg blood test given for celiac disease.

Just recently I spoke with a gentleman who had celiac disease. Both of his kids were tested, but were negative. I explained that they may not have had enough testing to detect a gluten issue and it would be a good idea to follow up with the stool testing.

My award-winning book, #ToxicStaple spells out blood testing and fecal (stool) testing that will likely get you an answer if gluten intolerant in Chapters 16 and 17. Too many doctors are not aware of other tests that are all FDA approved.

Do You Understand Celiac Disease? Does Your Doctor?

I realized, in talking with a few people, that they did not understand what celiac disease was. Like most people they thought it was a disease you just had the misfortune to get and had no idea you could control the outcome by what you consume.

Yes, if you never consumed gluten you’d never develop celiac disease and very likely many other autoimmune diseases and diseases linked to malnutrition due to malabsorption.

To develop celiac disease: you will have one or two genes (HLA DQ2 and/or HLA DQ8), you need to be consuming gluten, and your gut biome will likely be in poor shape due to antibiotics, bad bacteria, parasites, poor diet, and/or, of course, gluten among others.

With celiac disease there is a destruction of your villi, the tiny hairs in the small intestine that absorb all the good vitamins and minerals from the good food we eat. They become flattened and shorn off like a twenty-year-old shag carpet and no longer have the absorption space up and down each side. Spread your fingers apart; there’s lots of absorption room up and down each finger; now make a fist: your villi are shot to pieces, worn down, and your body pays a huge price for not detecting intolerance to gluten sooner.

You can imagine how devastating this can be for the human body. All parts of the body need nutrition to function optimally. Just think what can happen to your eyes, brain, neurons, muscles, skin, heart, liver, blood, and on and on. Over 300 ailments, diseases, and symptoms are linked to gluten by major world research. Yet many of our doctors are not up to speed on what these maladies are or how to adequately test for intolerance to gluten.

I’ll leave it to you to read between the lines. All I can say is that my family and I (you can read my family saga in Toxic Staple), after a year on the gluten-free lifestyle, were basically going to the doctor’s office for health checkups, not sick visits. Everything that was wrong with us (including the 4 grandkids, 3 daughters, my husband and myself), and believe me there was plenty, began to clear up once gluten was removed. Most everything resolved.

If you have lingering sinus, cough, allergy, asthma, aches and pains, low energy, dull hair and weak nails, paleness, thinness or overweight, stomach issues (most any chronic issue, this is just a drop in the bucket) you need to consider that something is the root cause of your ailments. Gluten can be a huge trigger of illness. Throw in dairy too. Well over 50% of those intolerant to gluten also can’t handle dairy.

We all have choices to make. You can either eat to be sick or eat to be healthy. Your health lies in your own hands. You can become your own advocate by getting educated on the hazards of gluten and how to test for intolerance by reading Toxic Staple. As a driven grandmother I have spelled it out. You will know more about gluten than 90% of our doctors by the time you finish the book. Be sure to read the Endorsements from professionals at http://toxicstaple.com/endorsements/ saying doctors should read Toxic Staple.

A new wave of medicine is in the works. It’s all about addressing the trigger/s of what’s making you sick and not about managing and controlling diseases, once thought to be incurable, with drugs. I even see much of it as preventative medicine. I know that as long as I follow an absolute GF lifestyle and stay away from dairy my allergies, asthma, fatigue, dry skin, brittle nails and on and on will not return.

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Scenario 4

Scenario 4 covers a 24 hour period of meeting folks who either have issues that will very likely clear up on a gluten-free diet or their conditions have already vanished or improved. I base my hunches of ill health reversal on the magnitude of research I have done to write Toxic Staple and on having talked with hundreds of sick and tired folks since 2004 and patients who have rediscovered their health.

The incidence of gluten intolerance seems to be growing rapidly. As I was at a fair recently I only chose to introduce my book to 4 people. Three out of four went for their wallet without even asking to look at the book (I hadn’t intended to sell to them on the spot…just wanted to introduce my website and get them thinking about what might be triggering their symptoms). I made no promises but I expect their health issues to resolve when they remove the trigger and begin to allow their gut to heal.

This is the outcome:

  1. The first woman was most interested when I mentioned thyroid issues; she had hypothyroidism, dark circles around her eyes, and had been dealing with migraines, UTI’s, fatigue, and asthma. She may have been 15 to 20 lbs. overweight and couldn’t lose it, and heat bothered her. Tired of not feeling well, she was all excited to think there may be a better way to live and was most enthusiastic to read Toxic Staple. She has no idea how good she may come to feel if gluten is her problem and she relinquishes it. She has two friends doing the GF lifestyle  who are off their allergy and high blood pressure meds and their lives have positively changed. How common is this picture among women? I would suggest…VERY!
  2. I met a woman who was very enthusiastic about my book and is affiliated with a health and wellness company. She had a skin issue presenting and I mentioned the lengthy list of skin issues linked to gluten in the chapter, “The Skin You’re In.” Skin ailments can be a sign of ill health. Many skin diseases can turn around or get miles better off gluten according to the research which begs for much more on the skin disease/gluten connection.
  3. One gentleman was eager to checkout my website and read the book. I expect he will find he has celiac disease or is gluten intolerant; and I highly expect his psoriasis, that must be most irritating, will clear up. Dairy can also be at the root of some skin conditions.
  4. One woman mentioned allergies and she had a couple other symptoms. I expect her life will change if she digs into this. Many who address gluten intolerance find their allergies and food sensitivities clear up once the gut is healed.

Heading for a breakfast gathering the next morning we bumped into an old friend of my husband’s who was anxious to tell me he was on a gluten-free diet. His gout had disappeared and he had lost 20 lbs. Life is good and he’s feeling great! He’s definitely on a healthier road and is taking the diet quite seriously. This is the first I’ve heard of gout healing on a GF diet…gone! Many have told me their arthritis is 95% better with a gluten-free lifestyle.

These scenarios are intended to bring awareness to the sick and tired population not only of many of the 300+ symptoms and ailments linked to gluten, but of the expanding epidemic gluten intolerance has become. Some experts claim it to be about 30% of our population. By the sheer magnitude of gluten issues among folks I talk to, I think they are right!

Advocate for yourself by getting educated on the hazards of gluten and how to adequately test for intolerance. You are in the driver’s seat for better health.

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Order Toxic Staple and read the reviews at: https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Staple-Gluten-Wrecking-Health-ebook/dp/B00I45HWWM:

Endorsements from professionals in-the-know suggesting doctors read it too: http://toxicstaple.com/endorsements/

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Can Dementia and Cognitive Decline Be Reversed?

Dietary supplements such as vitamin E, Omega-3s, curcumin, ginko biloba, coconut oil, and other vitamins and minerals basically have no dietary benefits on dementia or other cognitive problems or there is not enough data to prove it, as reported by the Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: NIH. Wait a minute!

The real problem could be this: A significant part of our population either has celiac disease or gluten intolerance and is malabsorbing to many different degrees, so it stands to reason that these supplements or even a multi-vitamin may not be well absorbed. In addition, the vitamins and minerals needed to keep your brain and neurons functioning optimally may not be absorbed from the good food we eat eventually leading to brain fog, cognitive issues, and a raft of ailments. This appears to be a no-brainer to me!

Knowing that about 80% of those with celiac (1/100) are still undiagnosed don’t you wonder what could be happening to those poor folks. I would suggest they are on their way (many already there) to the utmost of ill health: cognitive issues, organ failure, compromised pregnancies, cancers, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases…what more is there?

And what about those who are gluten intolerant? Are they malabsorbing too? (To be addressed in another blog?)

New research exists on dementia turning around. I need to find it. Meanwhile if you have most any chronic issue, don’t take it lightly and know that many of you can do something about so much of your chronic health issues. You are in the driver’s seat.

Your copy of Toxic Staplehttps://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Staple-Gluten-Wrecking-Health/dp/0989239217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383169580&sr=8-1&keywords=toxic+staple

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Article that provoked this blog: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/alzheimers-science?nav=cd#heading1

Something Stupid!

I have to admit I did something quite stupid recently, and I paid for it. Mind you, I would never knowingly touch a crumb of gluten. Yes, it’s that nasty for probably about 30% of the population according to some experts. Whether you have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant you should never consume this troublesome protein.

We were out for a bite of dinner and I ordered a gluten-free vegetarian pizza. When it arrived I realized I’d forgotten to ask for no dairy. The waitress was happy to get me another pizza without cheese, but I said, against my better judgement, not to bother. I managed to foolishly consume most of it.

At the gym the next morning I would say I was about 20% off my usual self. I could feel my lower back around my spine, my leg muscles talked to me, my energy wasn’t quite there, and my balance and rhythm were a bit off. I was also a bit stuffy. You might think this isn’t so bad, but with repeated indulgence of foods our body recognizes as “the bad guy” along with the # 1 “bad boy, gluten” that many of you are in sheer denial about, the inflammation that is generated may be wearing away at numerous levels of your health.

If I had intestinal ramifications from dairy I never would have let this slip. But I never should have anyway because the immune system recognizes dairy as a foreign invader, in my case, and creates antibodies to fight these antigens off. Dairy can act just like gluten in destroying the villi. (1)

Gluten can affect any part of your body in a degenerative manner, and dairy seems to be affecting about 50% of those on a GF diet that I talk to.

Do you have aches and pains, fatigue, general ill health, brain fog, skin or gastro issues? Download the Free Report on the Home page upper right corner for a list of 50 symptoms and disorders linked to gluten at http://toxicstaple.com. Gluten and dairy may be at the root of what’s ailing you or someone you love. Dig your head out of the sand before your health spirals down any further.

There is no end to the research on a lengthy list of over 300 symptoms and diseases linked to gluten. It appears through copious reading since 2004 that there’s not much illness that’s not linked to gluten and often dairy, as many of my storytellers report. Add in heavy metals, dirty water and air, chemicals and plastics, and you have a toxic soup of degenerative disease and numerous ailments. At least clean up the toxins in your environment you can control before they control you!

Become your own advocate to rise above your ailments and live a longer, stronger, healthier life. Do it now before your health issues become much worse. You can do this!

  1. Watt, J., J. R. Pincott, and J. T. Harries. “Combined Cow’s Milk Protein and Gluten-induced Enteropathy: Common or Rare?” Gut 24 (1983): 165–70.

 

 

Problematic Pregnancies and Gluten

Did you know “the prevalence of celiac disease is estimated to be 4 to 8 times higher in women with fertility problems than in the general population?” (1)

Many women having pregnancy or women’s issues are undiagnosed and therefore untreated celiacs. This opens the door for any number of problematic pregnancy issues.

It is a no-brainer that women should be screened for celiac disease before they even think of becoming pregnant, yet this is not even one of the required tests  if pregnant, and it would be important to know if they were gluten intolerant too. Testing for gluten intolerance is practically nonexistent and often the celiac testing is false negative. (Testing is well covered in Toxic Staple.)

There remains huge unawareness among OB/GYN professionals about the numerous hazards of gluten and how it affects the mother and the fetus. Many of these issues will resolve or not evolve if gluten is addressed with an absolute gluten-free diet.

Celiac is a malabsorption issue. When you can’t absorb your vitamins and minerals that keep the body and a fetus healthy a vast array of nasty outcomes may develop including infertility (and sterility), miscarriage, light birthweight, premature births, developmental and learning disabilities, and many more (discussed in Chapter 12: Our Children Are Our Future).

Send your GF success story to share anon. on the Toxic Staple Blog to Anne at:  http://toxicstaple.com/contact/

http://www.drschaer/institute.com/smartedit/documents/content/_published/Forum_02.2016%20US.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email_

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Endorsements for Toxic Staple

Toxic Staple was written to enlighten the general public that is so sick and tired of being sick and tired about the hazards of gluten; however, many glowing endorsements by doctors and professionals in-the-know suggest doctors read Toxic Staple.The research, made easy-to-read and tied into many gluten-free success stories of lives turning around, delves into many of the 300 plus symptoms and diseases linked to gluten by over 19,000 studies. 

Check them out here: http://toxicstaple.com/endorsements/ 

If you would like to share an endorsement for Toxic Staple please do so through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Staple-Gluten-Wrecking-Health/dp/0989239217 and/or at the “contact” on this site:  http://toxicstaple.com/contact/.

  • This is an excellent book!  Anne Sarkisian has sifted through a daunting quantity of research on the subject of gluten intolerance, then delivered the information in readable, layperson language. The urgent quest to understand the reason for her five year old grandson’s poor health set Anne on her mission to educate others about this subject.  Readers will find this to be a sensible book with practical suggestions that include specific testing that can be ordered to determine if symptoms experienced lie on the continuum of celiac disease.  Case examples round out the picture.  Sarkisian’s writing style is clear, concise, compelling.  Toxic Staple ought to be read by and in the waiting room of every health care professional!   >> by Barbara Wooly 5/6/17

Is Hepatopulmonary Syndrome (HPS) Linked to Gluten? Do you have shortness of breath or a low level of oxygen? What shape is your liver in?

While looking for something else I ran across a website on hepatopulmonary syndrome. Hepato has to do with your liver, and pulmonary has to do with your lungs. When your liver is compromised your lungs may also become damaged and not function up to capacity causing shortness of breath and lower oxygen levels in your blood, among other issues.

It appears the only “cure” for HPS is a liver transplant.

In steps gluten. A number of lung and liver diseases are linked to celiac disease and gluten toxicity. Many of them will reverse or resolve when gluten is removed from the diet. Neither of the sites I peeked at mentioned a word about gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

“At a gluten-related conference I heard the story of a man who needed a liver transplant who was diagnosed with CD. When his doctors put him on a GFD his liver began to mend; ultimately, he no longer needed the transplant. This story was undocumented, but there is a formal study proclaiming that patients with critical liver dysfunction who adopt a strict GFD may preclude liver failure, even when a liver transplant is being contemplated. Of the four patients in this study who had acute liver disease, ‘hepatic dysfunction reversed in all cases when a gluten-free diet was adopted.’ (1) Seems to me this should be headline news, but I wonder how many folks with severe or even mild liver ailments have ever heard the words gluten or celiac disease uttered by their doctors.” (2)

“Some of the liver diseases associated with CD are autoimmune hepatitis, nonspecific reactive hepatitis (‘the most common’), primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis.(3) Liver disease can occur in people of any age, including children. A 2009 Swedish study of children with CD concluded that ‘severe hepatic damage or failure’ could evolve and that children with CD should be assessed for ‘liver function and vice versa, children with severe liver damage should be investigated for untreated celiac disease.’(4) The link is obvious! Nearly 40 percent of children and adults with ‘fatty liver transaminitis or hepatitis’ who have barely any symptoms have liver issues that improve or resolve themselves on a GFD.”(5)(6)

Many lung diseases and ailments are linked to gluten. The research is sparse, but there is some linked to various ailmets that cleared up with my storytellers in Toxic Staple. A woman was told she had lung cancer with a short time to live. It turned out to be sarcoidosis which cleared up with a gluten-free lifestyle…even the pain from the scar tissue disappeared; asthma and reactive-airway disappeared on the GFD; a chronic dry cough vanished on the GFD; lung function crashed and returned (see Holly’s story on page 135).

Research exists on idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis and fibrosing lung disease as linked to gluten. Some patients with dermatomyosistis (DM) may have lung cancer among other cancers and it is recommended that those with DM be screened for celiac disease.

If you should have unrecognized and therefore untreated celiac disease or gluten intolerance and your body is not absorbing vital nutrients needed for optimal health how can you expect to have healthy lungs, liver, blood or even a healthy brain?

If you have most any serious disease, especially autoimmune, or any chronic symptom, I urge you to get educated and get tested. I spell it out in Toxic Staple as only an irritated grandmother could. You can make a copy of the testing, both blood and stool to discuss with your doctor. It is life-enhancing information.

See Disclaimer: http://toxicstaple.com/disclaimer/

 Your future health may depend on addressing gluten. To order your personalized copy now visit: http://toxicstaple.com/buy-the-book/ or visit https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Staple-Gluten-Wrecking-Health/dp/0989239217 or check in at your favorite book store.

http://hpscare.com/for-patients/ This site provoked my interest in writing this blog.

  1. Kaukinen, K. et al., “Celiac Disease in Patients with Severe Liver Disease: Gluten-free Diet May Reverse Hepatic Failure.” Gastroenterology 122, no. 4 (2002): 881–88.
  2. Quote from Toxic Staple
  3. Barbero Villares, A. et al.,. [Hepatic Involvement in Celiac Disease.] [In Spanish.] Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 31, no. 1 (2008): 25–28.
  4. Casswall, T. H., et al., “Severe Liver Damage Associated with Celiac Disease: Findings in Six Toddler-aged Girls.” European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 21, no. 4 (2009): 452–59.
  5. Duggan, J. M. “Coeliac Disease: The Great Imitator.” Medical Journal of Australia 180, no. 10 (2004): 524–26.
  6. Quote from Toxic Staple

Are Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lewey Body Linked to Gluten?

I had written this a while back in response to an article in the New Hampshire Leader, Sept 18, 2016; Silver Linings: Issues of Aging in NH: Could This Be A Cure by Gretchen M. Grosky

If nearly 8 million people are suffering from Lewey Body, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s it would seem incumbent on mainstream medicine to look at the root cause of these degenerative, debilitating, and costly diseases that are tearing into the heart of families.

Since gluten can affect any part of the body it would be essential for health professionals, in all facets of medicine, to have a handle on the widespread hazards of gluten consumption. But it appears little is being done to educate our practitioners  (motivation for writing Toxic Staple).

Over 300 symptoms, diseases, and associated conditions are linked to gluten by thousands of world studies. Gluten can affect neurons, the brain, blood, bones, muscles, tissue, organs, glands, and the fetus. It is linked to numerous neurological, gastrointestinal, autoimmune, and cancer issues with strong research to back it up, yet many diseases and symptoms are begging for more.

Significant research links many devastating, neurodegenerative diseases to gluten. Among them are MS, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, ALS, Alzheimer’s/dementia issues, supranuclear palsy, schizophrenia, seizures, autism, ataxia, ADHD, tremors, neuromuscular disease, migraines, depression, ataxia/balance issues and more.

It’s easy to understand how such crippling neurological diseases as Lewy Body, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s can evolve. When the intestinal villi that absorb vitamins and minerals are destroyed due to celiac disease the body becomes deficient in nutrients vital for optimal brain and neural health. Taking a handful of vitamins will do little to help if malabsorption from celiac disease is the problem.

One storyteller (in Toxic Staple) speaks of allergies, skin issues, fatigue to the point of needing a nap in his car at lunchtime, arrhythmias, depression, and memory retrieval problems. He was diagnosed with celiac disease, followed the gluten-free lifestyle 100%, and seven months later everything was gone. Another woman was headed for an Alzheimer’s unit. She was diagnosed with celiac, put on the GF diet and is doing great at age 85 in her own place.

It would be most important for any patient with most any chronic health issue to look into testing for gluten intolerance/sensitivity or celiac disease, but testing is another whole can of worms. Too often not enough testing is given and there can be many false negatives. Patients need to become their own advocate and get educated. Don’t delay!

Order your copy of Toxic Staple here: http://toxicstaple.com/buy-the-book/https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Staple-Gluten-Wrecking-Health/dp/0989239217

Read endorsements here suggesting doctors read Toxic Staple: http://toxicstaple.com/endorsements/

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