Tag Archives: allergies

Gluten and Guns: Out of Control Mental Health Patients

There’s no doubt that gun regulations sorely need to be addressed, however, the mental health of too many of our children and adults is in dire need of help. Messed up, lonely, bullied, abused, and neglected children who may be suffering with ADD, ADHD, bipolar, depression, anxiety or mood/aggression disorders, autism, schizophrenia, migraines, or other neurological issues become messed up, angry, out-of-control teens and adults who may only stifle their inner rage so long until they explode against some unsuspecting group of humans or perhaps themselves. Many of them may get involved with drugs to pacify their pain and mental anguish.

There is a huge insidious problem in America that is not being properly addressed by mainstream medicine: the hazards of gluten! For the sake of those afflicted with mental health issues and the sake of society serious attention must be given to the devastating and degenerative affects of gluten. Whether it’s celiac disease or gluten intolerance this troublesome protein that we are not meant to consume (we don’t have the enzymes to break it down) is strongly contributing to the human chaos being perpetrated by many of these poor troubled souls.

The “blind eye” in mainstream medicine must be opened. We need to care more about our children and fellowman in getting to the root cause of many health issues than “treating, controlling, or managing” with big pharma drugs. Thousands of studies from around the world link the above mentioned mental health issues to gluten and, in all, to over 300 symptoms and gluten-related conditions or disease. It is indeed a very serious matter and very few of our mainstream doctors, especially neurologists/psychologists, social workers, school nurses, school psychologists, teachers, or parents have any idea of the numerous and devastating affects gluten can have on the brain and neurons, not to mention our muscles, tissues, bones, blood, organs, glands, and the fetus.

A few true stories come to mind:

  •  At age 3 a violent, non-verbal, and non-interactive child was diagnosed with autism. The parents could not take this child into the public. The mom didn’t want to put him on drugs. She began reading and decided to remove dairy and a couple weeks later she ditched gluten. The child began to calm down and learn his ABCs. He was able to go to school without a one-on-one aide that so many kids need, and the mom said, “If you didn’t know he had had a problem you wouldn’t know he had one.
  •  Dick had allergies and a couple very irritating skin conditions as a teen. He had discomforting reflux and two episodes of heart arrythymia. He became so fatigued he needed to grab a nap in his car at lunchtime. At age 55 he was most disturbed when he began to experience serious memory loss and a deep depression feeling disconnected and alone that was interfering with his work. All 7 health issues totally resolved in 7 months by doing an absolute gluten-free diet.
  • A woman spoke of her friend’s 4 children who were all having serious health problems. Two of them had been on psychotropic drugs for schizophrenia. All were doing just great off gluten and the drugs for schizophrenia were no longer needed. (Never stop taking prescribed medicine without consulting your doctor.)
  • Three moms shared that their child would be on the floor in a tantrum 20 minutes after ingesting gluten.
  •  A very smart, capable, well-respected businessman at the top of his field found himself headed for a nursing home until he detected gluten intolerance. His life totally turned around on a gluten-free diet.

You can only imagine how the mental and physical health of these folks could have spiraled downward even more if they had continued eating gluten. These were the lucky ones who discovered gluten was the toxic staple making them so sick and tired by not absorbing the nutrients needed to keep their body and brain functioning optimally.

Tremendous healing on many different bodily levels can occur when the instigator is removed. So many mental health issues could vanish or become miles better if mainstream medicine recognized the detrimental role of gluten. Until then, chaos will reign among much of our troubled population, many who may have the added burden of 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.

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.

***

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/

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

 

 

Celebrating Three Quarters of A Century Young!

I’ve just had the good fortune to celebrate my 75th birthday and I must express that I’m in much better health than when I was 40. It hasn’t been luck that got me this far with great health and energy. I’m totally dedicated to a gluten-free lifestyle and have been since 2004. Having researched the ramifications of consuming gluten for years, like a full-time job with no pay (over the edge, I know), I fully understand how it can destroy one’s health and life.

I also try to get to the gym 3 times a week for an hour of stretching, cardio, and weights, and some walking outside in the good weather. Without this exercise and the GF diet I can’t imagine what shape I’d be in. I had done yoga for a stretch and need to get back to it. Yoga is another great mental and physical dimension to add to your routine. I love to garden and do most of it by bending from my back or on my knees. Love to sop up the sun by being outside, but try not to catch the strongest sunlight, and I don’t use chemical sunscreen. This summer I hope to get into the lake and swim on a daily basis.

I’m also dairy-free and stay away from soy. I’m trying to add more fruits and veggies to our diet and to eat as organic and whole as possible, including the good fats. It’s tough giving up cheese/dairy, but the consequences for me are a stiff body, lots of throat clearing, and postnasal drip; and I feel it in my lower back. Also I discovered that doing dairy in the middle of hay-fever season kicked on those allergies (that all disappeared once I got gluten out of my diet) almost immediately and furiously. Dairy can act a lot like gluten and probably about 50% of the folks I talk to who are gluten-free also need to be dairy-free.

How could I possibly be 75? Where ever did those years go? I don’t begin to feel my age! I’m most grateful for my family and friends and for the good health we as a family enjoy. You too can enjoy much better health if you really want to. You need to detect gluten intolerance if you are sensitive to it; then adhere to a 100% gluten-free lifestyle. About 30% of the population may be intolerant. Many lives have changed miraculously by attending to the trigger/s… the bottom-line as to what’s making you sick.

You will be amazed by the many rejuvenated GF success stories in the book and I spell out 4 blood tests you need to request or you likely won’t get enough testing to detect it. Too often they only give one test and often it is false negative. If negative the stool testing in Chapter 17 is very sensitive and picked it up in most of my family.

If my family and I hadn’t discovered this monster gluten protein we would all be in very serious disrepair and poor health with numerous issues affecting many parts of the body. By the end of the first year on the GF diet we were basically going for health checkups.

I know you expect your doctors would know about the hazards of gluten, after all many of you go to the best doctors, but little education is being put forth for mainstream medicine and you are suffering because of it.

Your health remains in your very own hands. You can continue to suffer with whatever ails you (from hangnails and dry skin to asthma and allergies to cancers and autoimmune diseases and on and on) or you can take matters into your own hands and change your life and your health. Find a new doctor if you have to (in functional medicine that looks at the cause).

By the time you get to the end of my book, Toxic Staple, you too will totally get it! It appears there’s not much that doesn’t get miles better if you remove the toxic staple and begin to heal your gut, and you will have comprehensive testing information at your fingertips (make copies to share with your doctors) to help you detect not only celiac disease, but intolerance to gluten that can be just as bad.

>>>>

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Please read endorsements from professionals in-the-know saying doctors and patients alike should read Toxic Staple: http://toxicstaple.com/endorsements/

To share your GF success story or if you have a question contact Anne at: http://toxicstaple.com/contact/

 

 

Thanks at Thanksgiving…and All Year

As we approach this Thanksgiving Day and holiday season many of us think a little more about giving thanks for all that we cherish: our family and friends, our freedom, and our good health, among many others. I especially am thankful everyday for the excellent health my family and I enjoy. Had we not discovered we were all quite intolerant to gluten we would not have been such happy campers these last 12 years.

Knowing what I know about the devastating and degenerative hazards of gluten from having poured a decade into research and writing my award-winning book, “Toxic Staple” I can’t imagine what shape my family and I would be in if we hadn’t figured this monster out. I am fortunate to only be on one med for a hypothyroid that was very likely damaged due to gluten (autoimmune diseases are highly linked to gluten) before I even knew what gluten was, and I never get sick, and have great energy.

Many of you, however, do not bask in the sunlight of good health and great energy and may not realize that much of your poor state of health lies in your own hands. Most of you really can do something about your allergies, asthma, fatigue, autoimmune diseases, skin issues, neurological maladies, and on and on, if you want to. Naturally everything is not linked to gluten, but truly, it is incredible what gets better when you address this “toxic staple” that pervades our everyday lives and destroys your gut and other parts of the body.

Going downhill at the rate I was traveling prior to “the gluten-free lifestyle” in my early sixties, I can only assume that my longevity has been extended vastly, along with greater health, and rejuvenated energy and vitality.

I encourage you to look at your health and that of your children and other family members and friends. Many of you think it is normal to have intestinal issues, fatigue, allergies, asthma, arthritis, organ issues, migraines, depression, and on and on for more than over 300 maladies linked to gluten, but it is not. Older age does not necessarily have to mean degenerative, failing health. Your health and life can become so much more enhanced and transformed that you would not believe it. I am in better shape in my seventies than when I was in my forties. No kidding! All I did was remove the “monster” gluten (dairy also bothers many who are gluten intolerant). By the end of the first year I was only going for health checkups instead of sick calls.

But let me warn you that the vast majority of our traditionally trained doctors are not giving enough testing to track down celiac disease or gluten intolerance, nor are they aware of the numerous symptoms and illnesses linked to gluten. It’s not really their fault. Little is being done to educate every health care professional in every facet of medicine, since gluten can affect any part of the body, and many think celiac and gluten issues are rare. They are epidemic!

If you are plagued with chronic symptoms and illness please…do your body and brain a favor… you must become your own advocate in conjunction with your doctor. Get educated, get tested (you will need to request certain tests), and if positive follow a 100% gluten-free lifestyle. No cheating!

 And give mega thanks you have discovered the root of your health problems.

Please read the disclaimer above.

Please get back to me with your success story at anne(@sign)toxicstaple.com and kindly share this info with all your sick and tired friends who may be misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or overdosed! Even some of those who have rare and incurable diseases may find life can improve without gluten.

Need a speaker? anne(@)toxicstaple.com

Scenario 1: Amazing Variety of Illness and Disease

Please keep your “sick and tired” friends and their children in mind as you read this.

On a recent trip to Denver I ran into several scenarios that you or a friend might relate to. I am trying to open your eyes as to how pervasive gluten intolerance is. We drove a lot and if I had occasion to talk to someone along the way about my book and the hazards of gluten, I did. Now I didn’t talk to that many people and I was shocked at the numbers already doing the GF diet and those who had no idea that gluten could be linked to their ailments/symptoms.

  • I spotted a rib-thin child with circles under his eyes and a narrow chin (these can be typical signs of classic celiac disease); he was traveling with his parents and two siblings. We were on the concourse train at the airport so time was limited. I immediately introduced myself, and the subject matter of Toxic Staple to the mom and said, “I’m pleading with you to read the information in my book,” as the train drew near the last stop and I handed her my card. She didn’t say the child had been tested and we didn’t have time to get into any other issues he might have been experiencing (fatigue, achy muscles and bones, irritability, hungry all the time, belly ache, intestinal issues, etc.). This parent will need to be armed with testing info I spell out in the book, since the child’s doctor obviously hadn’t offered testing, or if s/he did, it wasn’t enough. I realized later I had one book with me and I was kicking myself that I hadn’t given it to her.
  • This same mom, as we were heading to the escalator, told me of a family of 4 children who were all having issues. Two were hallucinating and on psychotropic drugs; I didn’t have time to find out about the other children. Yes, psychoses and many other neurological/cerebral issues are linked to gluten. The children are off gluten and off the drugs and doing fine. I am hoping to hear back about them. (Never stop taking prescribed meds without consulting your doctors. Please see disclaimer above at http://www.toxicstaple.com). My neurological chapter is the longest in the book and links many neuro problems to gluten with great research from around the world. The All American Diet is doing terrible things to our kids and their families.
  • I met another mom whose daughter had mouth sores and was very anxious. She was pale and unwell from about the age of 8 (a teen now I think) and was diagnosed with Behcet’s disease. There is little research linking Behcet’s to gluten however it is listed on page 146 in Toxic Staple as one of many manifestations of celiac disease (Abenavoli et al, 2006). I am praying she follows through with the cutting-edge testing in my book; it is a terrible disease. This kid’s life might drastically change for the better if celiac disease or gluten intolerance was uncovered and a strict GF lifestyle was followed. Behcet’s is one of about 20 eight-syllable skin diseases you never heard of that are linked to gluten—along with eczema and psoriasis.
  • One woman whose husband was a chiropractor said her family was gluten, dairy, and bean-free because of the negative affects of these proteins on many people. If she gets a little gluten a rash develops on her hands.
  • Another woman at the airport was in a wheelchair (late 60’s early 70’s). The doctors told her she would never walk again after falling and smashing leg bones, and maybe the hip. She gets around fine, but needs help when traveling. She is on a GF diet. Osteoporosis can be a sign of celiac disease. The problem is you don’t know it until you break your hip or some other bone.
  • Another woman on GF/DF/yeast-free diet needed 14 hrs. sleep and a nap and didn’t wake up feeling rested and about 6 hrs. after dinner the heat would come on like she was on fire. She gets an itchy rash under her breasts if hit with gluten.
  • Another woman told me she had swollen ankles like she might have had congestive heart failure, she couldn’t lose weight, and had hypothyroid. She was doing great on a GF lifestyle except for the dystonia, muscular spasms affecting speech. She didn’t think dystonia was linked to gluten, but I expect it is. Numerous neuro/muscular issues are linked to gluten and much more research is needed. You will find some “brain talk” communities and enough neuromuscular research to make you wonder.
  • On one flight I heard two women talking. One was into infertility research. Wished I’d been sitting beside her because there is huge research linking celiac disease to infertility, sterility, miscarriages, lousy PMS, and numerous other women’s and pregnancy issues. But is anyone educating our doctors? The young mother next to her was talking about ADD and one youngster in the hospital. The neuro chapter has stories on ADD/ADHD, autism (an incredible story) and Asperger’s. Our poor kids don’t have much of a chance with the tainted, overly processed, high gluten/dairy diet they are being feed along with the plastics and chemicals that permeate our food.
  • One retired nurse told me her whole office follows a GF lifestyle and everyone feels better. Her husband chimed in and said his sister’s life has been totally transformed by going GF.
  • Another woman told me her very good friend is having a terrible time even though she follows a GF/DF and I think a couple other proteins are out too. It is important to detect gluten issues early and address them with an absolute diet. Some people who have a difficult time responding to the GF diet probably have a gut that is very out of whack with a destroyed gut biome. They may have other issues they need to clear up before the gut will heal.
  • One woman said she and her family ate little gluten. “Why,” I asked? “Everyone feels better,” she answered. She mentioned that she was having a problem with mold. She was still getting some gluten in her diet. Since she has been doing low gluten the blood tests won’t work so I suggested she get tested with the specialized stool test (Chapter 17). These stool tests are very sensitive and saved my family, as we were all negative on the blood tests. If positive she needs a 100% GF diet. I expect her mold problem will clear up. Mine did, along with a bunch of other allergies.

Gluten is hugely affecting our population and those around the world. You must empower yourself by getting educated on the hazards of gluten. Request the panel of blood tests if you are having health issues. If negative on the blood tests then do the stool testing. (Chapters 16 & 17)

 

Are You Gluten Sensitive? How Would You Know?

RECOGNIZE you may have an issue with gluten (celiac disease or gluten intolerance) if you can relate to any of the following:

  • Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?
  • Are you misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or overdosed?
  • Do you have one or more chronic symptoms/conditions that just won’t let up?
  • Do you pick up every cold and flu bug or have a poor immune system?
  • Are you plagued with allergies or asthma?
  • Are your children bouncing off the walls in school, sick a lot, suffering on the autism spectrum, not able to focus, exhibiting behavioral/anxiety issues, etc.?
  • Do autoimmune diseases, anemia, and/or cancer seem to run in your family?
  • Are you suffering with liver, cardio, thyroid conditions, and more?
  • Are you plagued with migraines/headaches, insomnia, restless legs syndrome?
  • Do you think illness, arthritis, and lack of energy are just a part of growing older?
  • Are you fed up with too many doctors’ appointments, time lost from work and play, too many meds, and not enough answers as to what’s making you so sick and tired?

This is the short list. Over 300 symptoms, diseases, and associated conditions are linked to gluten. TOXIC STAPLE is an eye opener, as in “WOW, I didn’t know that!”

Wouldn’t you like to feel better, have more energy, and age more gracefully without chronic illness and degenerative conditions? TOXIC STAPLE can help you detect celiac disease or gluten intolerance with significant testing information, and it can help transform your health and life by following a gluten-free lifestyle, if you or someone you love is gluten sensitive.

 

Are Celiac Disease & Gluten Intolerance Epidemic?

YOU BET THEY ARE!

On my way to the gate for a flight to the 15th International Celiac Disease Conference held in Chicago I shared my business card for my new book, TOXIC STAPLE, and chatted with nine different people. I was amazed at the results. Here is the rundown:

  • Has CD and follows a GF diet
  • Has a friend with gluten issues
  • Her mother has CD and is doing the GF diet
  • Has IBS and fibromyalgia and her doctor does’t know the cause – on meds (I suggested she read my book then loan it to her doctor)
  • Knows 2 friends with CD/gluten issues
  • Said she probably needs the GF diet – has sinus/allergy issues (she’s probably right)
  • Has a friend doing the GFD
  • Has CD – her sister is an MD and is up on CD (there is still much unawareness of the serious complications of celiac disease in traditional medicine)
  • Was interested and will share my info

This is an incredible slant toward epidemic, wouldn’t you say? Eight out of nine people either had a gluten issue themselves or knew someone who did. Three to four years ago gluten and celiac were not a part of anyone’s vocabulary unless they were one of the few diagnosed. But since then nearly everyone I talk to either has gluten issues or knows someone who does. It’s exploding!

Read TOXIC STAPLE and you will come to understand the breadth of nutritional deficiencies, symptoms, diseases, and disorders being caused by a protein once thought to be healthy.