Tag Archives: liver

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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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

Is Colon Cancer Linked To Gluten?

Colon Cancer

Daniel has been cancer-free for 4 years after a colon resection and 6 months of chemotherapy. His doctor thought his inflamed colon might have been due to gluten, but testing for both Crohns and celiac disease were negative. This can be a common experience as too often not enough testing is offered to detect a problem with gluten. The patient may be told, “Gluten is not your problem,” when in reality it is. I spell the blood and stool testing out in chapters 16 & 17 that will very likely detect an issue with gluten if there is one.

About a month prior to surgery his naturopathic doctor tested him for antibodies to gluten and wheat protein. He was high on both and began giving up gluten, which most likely affected the negative outcome of the celiac testing he was offered.

He claims, “I didn’t know I had a problem. My only symptom was leaky gut, a symptom that I had had my whole life. I was diagnosed with leaky gut in college because of chronic abdominal cramps and constipation. Taking psyllium fiber helped, but never completely relieved the symptoms.” That’s because it was a band-aide and didn’t address the main issue: What was causing his symptoms?

Leaky gut is not a symptom; it is a disorder caused by something and can lead to huge illness. Too many patients (and their doctors) underplay abdominal pain and constipation. They come to believe it is a normal part of life. Had Daniel been given adequate testing for celiac disease and gluten intolerance and adhered to a GF lifestyle he might (probably would) have avoided the colon cancer.

Daniel “tries” to stick to the GF lifestyle, but finds it difficult when traveling, especially abroad. If he gets hit with gluten he immediately, within 30 seconds, becomes congested and begins clearing his throat. Digestive issues ensue: constipation and gas. These symptoms appear to be a clear sign of gluten causation. They are a reaction to a foreign body that his immune system recognizes as a threat.

I’m hoping when Daniel gets to the end of my book, Toxic Staple, he will realize the necessity to be absolutely gluten-free wherever in the world he may be if he cares about his future health. Restaurants can always come up with something GF. Yes, it’s a bother to ask too many questions, but it is most important to keep yourself safe from mini-hits of gluten that can continue to do internal damage. Restaurants are coming more on board, but travel with fruit, nuts, and GF crackers and bars, just in case.

There is no way I would ever consume gluten and I am not overly sensitive. That’s because I do have a handle on the devastating and degenerative diseases linked to gluten (a decade of research – 2000+ studies, writing, collecting success stories, and going to conferences). Do you? Please educate yourself on the myriad symptoms, diseases, and associated conditions linked to gluten by thousands of international studies, many of which you will find in my book, Toxic Staple. I wrote this book to empower you and your loved ones. Only an over-the-edge driven grandmother could spell it out as I have. And please read the endorsements at http://toxicstaple.com/endorsements/ suggesting doctors read my book.

Celiac disease is associated with a difficult to diagnose and difficult to treat form of lymphoma called enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL). Anyone with celiac disease needs to be diagnosed early and live a 100% gluten-free lifestyle to avoid this and other serious complications of celiac disease. It is suggested “that EATL should be regarded as part of differential diagnosis in any patient presenting with abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and malabsorption because delay in treatment can result in an irreversible clinical outcome.”*

EATL: Patients with this form of cancer may not have a good prognosis; they may have abdominal pain due to “a hole in the wall of the intestine,” or ulcers or a blockage. EATL can travel to the colon, gallbladder, liver, lymph nodes, skin, spleen, and stomach.** Thus, the need to detect gluten issues early and pay strict attention to the GF lifestyle.

If you or your child have been suffering from stomach pain and intestinal issues or any one of the over 300 issues linked to gluten you will get the full picture from Toxic Staple, especially the testing you need to detect intolerance or celiac disease. Make a copy of the testing info for your doctor, and do not keep putting it off. You need to keep eating gluten until you have the blood tests. Low or no gluten can skew blood test results. Some doctors don’t even ask about this.

Celiac disease is only a fraction of the gluten problem. What really matters is whether you are gluten-intolerant. If intolerant you should never consume this nasty destructive protein. It can do you in over time. Even the littlest bit can keep the internal damage happening if you are sensitive to gluten.

There is a strong message here for the reader. If you are suffering from any one or more gastrointestinal issues please address it by getting thoroughly tested for gluten issues (4 blood tests). You will need to advocate for yourself as there is still huge unawareness of adequate testing to detect a problem with gluten. Keep eating gluten until you have the blood tests. And if negative on blood testing don’t stop until you follow it up with Dr. Fine’s stool testing. I have no financial interest in his lab; I just strongly believe in his very sensitive testing. My whole family, except the really sick grandkid, was negative on blood testing yet positive on stool tests. Everyone’s health turned around once we got on a GF diet/lifestyle.

A fair bit of research exists on colon cancer and gluten.

Do you have a colon cancer/gluten or cancer/gluten story to share for the benefit of others. If so please send via my contact button above.

The next post will address gluten issues in Daniel’s family.

*Onco Targets Ther. 2016 Feb 22;9:863-8. doi: 10.2147/OTT.S96745. eCollection 2016. Type I enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma in the colon of a 29-year-old patient and a brief literature review. Zhang JC1, Wang Y1, Wang XF1, Zhang FX1.

**Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Enteropathy-associated T-cell Lymphoma http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/types-of-nhl/enteropathy-associated-t-cell-lymphoma/?region=on

 

 

Poem: Trickster or Treat?

I have to admit Halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine, but I was prompted to write this jingle for a local poetry group I’ve been trying to attend.

Trickster or Treat

It is a devilish trickster
In everything you know
From white flour in cupcakes
To wheat flour pizza dough

It plays with your health
In insidious ways
It can lead to cancer
And shorten your days

Neuro issues quite linked
To celiac disease
Detect if you have it
Get some expertise

Part of its schtick
Is autoimmune disease
It devastates your body
With seemingly great ease

Type 1 diabetes
Is associated you know
All should be tested
Before diseases overthrow

Over 80 autoimmune
Oh, you didn’t know
From thyroid, blood, and liver
To MS and cardio

A few symptoms
You might recognize
Reflux, fatigue, and headaches
Can be a great disguise

From intestinal issues
To weight loss or gain
To organ and skin problems
Can be related to grain

If you experience
Most any chronic disease
Consider it could be
Gluten is your sleaze

You have an opportunity
To educate yourself
On the many faces of gluten
That can deteriorate one’s health

The treat is finding out
What is wrecking your health
Once you discover it’s gluten
You’ll realize your greatest wealth

Over 300 symptoms and maladies
Linked to gluten if you please
Substantiated by world research
This is a moment to seize

By deleting this nasty protein
Your body can quickly heal
Feeling energetic, never sick
Has tremendous appeal

If you’ve been down and out
Not feeling very well
Get tested for gluten issues
Your health can excel

If your doctor says,
“There’s nothing I can do”
Don’t believe it for a minute
With gluten-free you can renew

A decade into “Toxic Staple”
Recommended for doctors too
With life-transforming info
For the sickly to pursue

So take this poem seriously
Your health may be at stake
Let the gluten-free diet
Your health vigorously remake

© Oct. 1915 Anne Sarkisian

For excellent testing information that goes beyond what is generally offered (if it is even offered), if you have chronic health issues, please check out and share with your doctor Chapters 16 and 17 in my book. Little is being extended in the way of conferences for health care professionals in all facets of medicine, and certainly not enough testing info is offered unless you have full-blown celiac disease and do test positive.  Too many folks test negative and told they don’t have a problem with gluten when in reality they are gluten intolerant.

Catch this nasty monster before it overtakes your health.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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.