Tag Archives: autoimmune

Listen To Your Body… Before Gluten Does You In!

I’ve taken a long hiatus from blogging and with good reason. The last week in August I tripped over a stone in a parking lot that should have been removed years ago and wound up in the hospital for two days with a moderately severe concussion and five staples in my head. I had no recollection of the ambulance, the emergency room, or the concern on the faces of my family as I repeatedly told the doctor how good-looking he was and that he seemed too young to be a doctor.

All the family were around as the next day our kids were planning a big surprise 50th for my husband and me. Needless to say, “I didn’t make it.” I hear it was a great party.

I knew how important it was to have little to no visual stimulation so I spent 3 ½ weeks on the coach with no TV, videos, or books and wore sunglasses and a cap to keep the light down. After a week, books-on-tape and friends got me through the next 2 ½ weeks. My husband was a peach tending to my needs.

After 3 ½ weeks I slowly got back to using my mac and some reading. Fortunately, the neurologist found nothing out of the ordinary on all the tests and I was given the ok to venture to the Far East on a trip we had planned. I managed to keep up with the group fairly well, but opted out of a few adventures that would have been too taxing. My balance was still somewhat off, but manageable.

We arrived home just prior to Thanksgiving and I had to put extra holiday time into the Clever Hand Gallery, an artisans’ co-op in Wellesley that I belong to. Then there was shopping, cleaning, and decorating for our own Christmas holiday party with the whole extended family that we have hosted for close to 50 years. It was taxing, but I got through it. We wound up going out for New Year’s Eve for a quiet dinner with great friends.

On New Year’s Day my youngest daughter who is a captain called and asked if I’d like to join her on a trip to see the northern lights. When she’s not working she’s apt to be flying somewhere in the world. I felt as if I’d been on a rollercoaster for some time and that I needed to rest. Listening to my body, I reluctantly refused this lovely invitation to spend time with my daughter to stay home to rest and recoup by the wood-stove. Of course, my husband doesn’t let an opportunity slip by so he went and they had a lovely father/daughter connection even though it was overcast and they didn’t see the lights. I feel that my balance improved over this quieting stretch.

This story may seem unrelated to my topic of gluten, but it isn’t. First, I expect that being gluten-free may have played a huge roll in the health of my brain and neurons and in my quite successful recuperation. Aside from a balance issue I didn’t seem to have any other serious symptoms that can be associated with a moderately severe concussion. Gluten is a sticky protein in wheat and is linked to many cerebral and neurological disorders. Not having a body full of this hazardous protein destroying the intestinal villi that absorb nutrients to keep the brain/body healthy undoubtedly helped with healing.

Second, I finally listened to my body that was screaming at me to rest. Many of you reading this blog may manifest subtle to more troublesome symptoms and maladies/diseases linked to gluten that can affect any part of the body. There comes a time when you need to stop ignoring and start listening to your body before life gets worse, especially if you want to avoid the slippery slope of aging. You need to realize that your ailments, no matter how seemingly subtle or problematic could very likely be linked to gluten.

The following are just a few symptoms that you may think are a normal part of life (they are not; something is causing them): dry skin, chicken elbows, mouth sores, reflux, rashes and other skin conditions, brain fog, headaches, migraines, joint pain, dull flat hair, hair loss, splitting/weak fingernails, nail striations and white dings, irritability, moodiness, paleness, red face, weight-loss or weight-gain, fatigue, depression, sickly, allergies, asthma, bleeding gums, most any gastrointestinal ailment, etc.

For many more gluten-related issues see the Toxic Staple Table of Contents at: http://toxicstaple.com/wp-content/uploads/TS-TableOfContents.pdf and sign up for the blog notification top right at http://www.toxicstaple.com for a free report and a list of 50 gluten-related symptoms and maladies. You will know people whose lives could drastically change if they address what’s making them so sick and tired.

There are many very serious complications of celiac disease and gluten intolerance that you might avoid or ameliorate including cancer, autoimmune diseases, organ and glandular issues, blood and bone problems, pregnancy/fertility issues, and numerous neurological and cerebral ailments, all supported by easy-to-read research in the book.

What may seem like a simple irritating symptom may be a sign of underlying mal-absorption or antibody activity that is slowly eating away at your body and your health. It would be important to address the matter before it gets worse, but you need to get educated and become your own advocate in working with your doctor. You need to request certain tests. Mainstream medicine is still in the early stages of awareness (mostly unaware) of the devastating issues linked to gluten and how to detect intolerance.

Listen to your body if you have any chronic symptom or disease. Do not delay in getting tested for celiac or gluten intolerance. This intolerance is too serious to just “try” the GF diet. You need to know if you are intolerant then pay close attention to the GF diet. Get educated so you can advocate for yourself. It is a must! Unfortunately, mainstream medicine blood testing is not that reliable that’s why I wrote Toxic Staple. I spell out four blood tests and very sensitive stool testing that will nearly 100% get an answer if you are intolerant to gluten.

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

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Is It Linked To Gluten?

Just as I was getting out of the car I heard on NPR that in England 1 out of fifty teens (16 years old) were affected by chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The lives of these kids were being greatly affected by fatigue and other disabling symptoms. I wondered how many younger children were affected as I recalled that my grandson was so tired after dinner he needed help getting into his PJs and up the stairs. This was definitely not normal for a five-year-old. His doctor had no idea what was going on.

There was no mention of gluten or celiac disease as contributing to the CFS in the report. Typical of so much research on numerous illnesses that is more interested in peddling drugs than in what is the root cause of the illness.

It is high time doctors were educated on the hazards of gluten, but since there is huge unawareness of what gluten can do to the human body and brain you must become your own advocate in a quest for better health. Those of you who know anyone with most any chronic symptom please share my website http://www.toxicstaple.com on my award-winning, life-transforming book, Toxic Staple: How Gluten May Be Wrecking Your Health and What You Can Do About It! This is a must read if illness is troubling your family, most any kind of illness: autoimmune, cancer, neurological, organ and skin ailments, women’s and pregnancy issues, and more. It is huge information!

 If you or your child suffers from fatigue/exhaustion, headaches, brain-fog/memory issues, muscle and joint pain, and so much more PLEASE get educated on the hazards of gluten. Read Toxic Staple. Discover the tests you need to REQUEST (or you may not get enough) to get to the bottom of gluten intolerance.

Treasure your life enough to get it and keep it healthy!

Captivating story on chronic fatigue syndrome/gluten: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1356316/At-I-discovered-secret-Emilys-14-lost-years-Esther-Rantzen.html

Article: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/news/2016/chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html

Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26810786

 

Tom Brokaw’s Journey With Multiple Myeloma: Are Celiac Disease And Multiple Myeloma Linked?

I recently watched Dateline featuring Tom Brokaw and his journey with multiple myeloma (MM). Although there is little research linking MM to gluten and celiac disease some does exist. One study that I write about in my chapter, Gluten Indicted: “An Enhancer to Cancer,” questions whether MM is a “more severe form of gluten intolerance than celiac [disease].”*

As I have researched since 2004 I have found such cancer-related terminology as lymphoma, lymphatic, leukemia, leukemic, myeloproliferative, malignant, and more linked to gluten and celiac disease. Many blood and bone disorders are linked to gluten, and some of the cancers associated with celiac disease are throat/esophageal, stomach/ intestinal/colon, and many more.

I couldn’t believe the information on autoimmune hepatic liver and sclerosing cholangitis. These two diseases can resolve with a gluten-free lifestyle. My father died of liver cancer and it was thought by his doctor, much later after reading the stunning research, that he had these two disorders before they turned cancerous.

If you have cancer or know someone who does (doesn’t everyone?) it might be important to determine if they are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease. There is a catch 22, however! The test results for celiac disease (CD) might be affected by chemo and other heavy-duty drugs so the results might not be a true reading: if you tested negative you might really be positive. You need to request a panel of blood tests (the typical one may not be enough to detect intolerance), and if negative on the blood tests do your body a favor and do the specialized stool testing (Chapters 16 & 17).

If you have undetected celiac disease or gluten intolerance or don’t address a gluten issue with an absolute gluten-free lifestyle your body can become quite compromised over time. CD can affect any part of the body and can hugely affect your immune system. How can your immune system even begin to fight any cancer cells if it is drastically compromised? And where do those cancer cells come from anyway? Might it have something to do with all the inflammation from celiac disease or antibody reactivity? I strongly expect so!

If you have most any chronic health issue lingering for 2-3 months it would be important to detect whether or not you are gluten sensitive. Over 300 symptoms and maladies are linked to gluten….that doesn’t leave much to your imagination!

Some of the latest webinars** and presenting forward-thinking doctors are saying if you have a healthy gut you’ll never develop cancer or autoimmune diseases. You don’t have a healthy gut if you have undetected or unaddressed CD.

Many folks are diagnosed with a miserable, life-altering cancer without manifesting any symptoms. “But I’ve been healthy my whole life,” they say. Don’t wait for this most serious diagnosis to hit your family. Especially if you do have health issues. It could be time to look your symptoms and diseases/maladies square in the face. You may be able to turn your health around before something really traumatic consumes your life.

I’ve tried hard to reach out to some folks who have gone through cancer treatment or who have other serious life-threatening diseases, but most of them go to the best doctors (who never mention celiac or gluten) and they expect their doctors would know this vital information. But there is little being done to present conferences to educate all our doctors in all facets of medicine. It’s like banging your head against the wall. It will need to become a grassroots movement much deeper than the faddish movement folks are trying now. And it will take decades for all doctors to begin to understand the full implications of what gluten is doing to much of the human race, but the research is there.

Kindly share http://www.toxicstaple.com and this blog with your ailing family and friends.

*Juranić et al., “Antibodies Contained in “M” Component.”

**The Truth About Cancer, and The Autoimmune Summit

 

 

 

 

 

Type 1 Diabetes and Gluten: Exciting Research!

This most compelling study, “Remission without insulin therapy on gluten-free diet in a 6-year old boy with type 1 diabetes mellitus” was published in the British Medical Journal in 2012*. The boy did not have celiac disease, but nevertheless was put on a gluten-free diet after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He was able to survive nicely without insulin for 20 months while in the study.

Although he was negative for celiac disease I wonder what his test scores were, as too often the bar is set too high and the patient may not test positive for CD, but may be gluten intolerant and on the road to CD. According to some experts it is important to pay attention to the lower numbers on test results, as this could be a sign of things to come. Perhaps the pancreatic islet cells can be damaged the same way the villi can— without having celiac disease, but being intolerant to gluten.

It’s most interesting that the child responded to the GF diet. Numerous autoimmune diseases, as discussed in my book, Toxic Staple are linked to gluten, and patients sometimes manage their disease by removing this noxious protein with some amazing results.

The wife of one of my storytellers who had type 2 diabetes adhered to the GF diet along with her husband. Her diabetes normalized and she was able to get off her meds with the approval of her doctor (never stop taking your meds without consulting your doctor).

Do you suppose that detecting gluten sensitivity and adhering to the GF diet would be preventative medicine from developing T1D or any other autoimmune disease? I expect it would!

Don’t you think this info is headline news? I do, but it will take decades to be featured as such. Did you know it is recommended that those with type 1 diabetes be tested for celiac disease? Maybe they should be tested for gluten intolerance too.

The bottom line of this study suggests that more research is needed on the effectiveness of a gluten-free diet in aiding remission of T1D.

If you know someone with type 1 diabetes, especially if they are newly diagnosed, please introduce them to my book, Toxic Staple, and my web site http://www.toxicstaple.com and blog.

Refer to chapters 16 and 17 on traditional and cutting-edge testing to detect whether or not you are gluten sensitive. If positive pay strong attention to the GF lifestyle.

*Sildorf et al., BMJ Case Rep. 2012; 2012: bcr0220125878 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3387460/

 

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.

 

Serious Health Conditions Linked to Gluten – Over 300

Your doctor might think to test you for celiac disease (CD) if you have gastrointestinal issues, but some still think it’s a rare condition. Far from it! It’s very common. Sadly, many of the more serious conditions (cardio, thyroid, liver, neurological, autoimmune, blood, muscular, cancer, infertility, and skin, to name a few) linked to gluten and the associated malabsorption and immune reactions are not on many doctors’ radar screens across our country. That’s why I wrote TOXIC STAPLE. Too many folks are too “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Let’s take 100 folks with atrial fib, liver disease, or memory issues and ask how many of them were offered testing for celiac disease or gluten intolerance (GI). And if they were tested (doubtful), were they offered more than the one typical blood test (doubtful – I hear from too many people they were only given one test – a panel of four tests has a better chance to detect the gluten issue and even then the patient may be negative on all four tests and still be gluten intolerant).

In TOXIC STAPLE you will find such stories on atrial fib, liver disease, and memory issues getting better or disappearing on a gluten-free diet, all supported with significant research. And chapters 16 and 17 will help to clarify testing that hopefully will get an answer if you are gluten sensitive, so you can begin a campaign to transform your health and practice preventative medicine.

If you are burdened with chronic or degenerative illness, no matter what kind, it would behoove you to get tested for gluten sensitivity (CD and GI). Naturally, the sicker you are and the longer you put off trying to determine the cause of your ailments the longer it may take to rejuvenate your health, but most people can find some to a great measure of success with a gluten-free lifestyle if sensitive to gluten. So many success stories are spelled out in TOXIC STAPLE. You may be able to relate to many of them.

If you are gluten sensitive and you ignore this degenerative condition you may be paving the road to an earlier demise. I know that by living a gluten-free lifestyle I have totally enhanced my health and extended my life. You have the power to transform your health! But don’t wait too long. The sicker and more compromised your body becomes the more difficult it may be to totally turn your health around.

 

Knowledge Is Power!

 

TOXIC STAPLE is a collection of over 60 stunning stories of renewed health supported with nearly 700 easy-to-read citations from significant research from around the world and my own slant from going to conferences and talking to patients, practitioners, and the general public.

Read TOXIC STAPLE and you will –

  • Learn to recognize how gluten could be affecting your health
  • Discover the revolutionary health benefits of a gluten-free lifestyle if gluten sensitive (it is rampant)
  • Get the scoop on cutting-edge and more adequate traditional tests
  • Find hope in the inspirational stories of real people whose lives have done a 180 turnaround in health
  • Recognize the preventative aspects of a gluten-free lifestyle
  • Become empowered to enhance your health and transform your life with vital information to discuss with your doctor

Read the strong endorsements (click Endorsements above) from those in-the-know who say doctors and health care professionals or anyone wanting to feel better should read Toxic Staple.

Knowledge is power!

Read TOXIC STAPLE.

 Discover the power to transform your health and your life.