Tag Archives: testing

Problematic Pregnancies and Gluten

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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_

Disclaimer

Thanks at Thanksgiving…and All Year

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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

Testing Children And Adults For Celiac Disease And Gluten Intolerance

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After a short talk on my journey in writing my book, TOXIC STAPLE, within 10 minutes of each other, two different people told me of their friend whose child had been diagnosed with celiac disease. I took a minute to explain that sometimes doctors neglect to inform them that other siblings and the parents should also be tested due to the genetic component of celiac disease. The general answer I get is “Oh, the child (or other children or themselves) was negative.” In which case I inform them that quite often not enough testing is given to detect an intolerance.

I can vouch for this myself with just about everyone in my family except for the grandchild that was very compromised and was off the charts positive for celiac. The rest of us all tested negative on the blood tests, and I had read enough to even request 3 tests. I hadn’t discovered the specialized stool test until a few months later. We were all positive on those. If we hadn’t done Dr. Fine’s stool testing I shutter to think how much more our health might have slipped down the tubes.

It seems mainstream medicine is setting the bar too high and too often they give only one test and by the time someone tests positive for celiac they have a full-blown case or near to it with very damaged villi (hairs that absorb nutrients)…..and quite compromised health.

Testing negative on blood testing to celiac disease or if positive on blood testing, but  negative on the endoscopy does not negate gluten intolerance which can also have devastating and degenerative consequences.

Be thankful you or your other children did not test positive for celiac disease (yet), but that is not the end of it until you make sure you have received enough testing to detect intolerance to gluten. It’s kind of like preventative medicine.

You will need to become your own advocate as few doctors are giving a panel of 4 blood tests, few are recognizing they should also be looking at the lower antibody numbers, and most of them are unaware of a very sensitive stool test that will pick up intolerance in nearly 100% of the cases.

If you can catch gluten intolerance before your body becomes so compromised, you are ahead of the game of life.

As always, please share my information with your doctor.

I spell it out in TOXIC STAPLE with research to back it up. The real story is not just about celiac disease, it’s also, and more so, about whether one is intolerant to gluten. It seems to be a progressively worsening continuum, according to some experts.

 

 

Poem: Trickster or Treat?

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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.

 

 

Not Enough Testing!

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dreamstimefree_164004Until there are mandated conferences for doctors in all facets of medicine (dream on), since gluten can affect any part of the body, you may need to become your own health-seeking advocate. You need to know the blood tests to REQUEST. All too often not enough testing is given to detect celiac disease or gluten intolerance and the patient is told she/he doesn’t have a problem, can still eat gluten, and meanwhile is still having troublesome health issues.

TOXIC STAPLE will provide testing information that will very likely detect a gluten issue if there is one. Sorry, but the one blood test often given may be negative and the patient may be quite gluten sensitive. By the time you test positive on the one blood test you most likely have full-blown celiac disease with very damaged villi and a very compromised body. Even if the panel of four blood tests is given you may still test negative, but be quite gluten intolerant.

This is when it would behoove you to read and “absorb” the stool testing information in Chapter 17. This testing saved my family, as we were all negative on the blood tests except for the baby (not old enough to test), and one grandchild with full-blown CD.

The book will empower you with the knowledge to get to the bottom of what’s ailing you or a loved one, if gluten sensitive, to find greater health, energy, and vitality just as my family and I have. It is not rocket science. It is about removing the toxic staple that is making you sick and tired, and jeopardizing your health in a myriad ways!

Although I wrote the book for the masses that are so sick and tired of being sick and tired, or misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or over-dosed, it is being recommended for health care practitioners by medical professionals up on gluten. So please do consider loaning a copy to your doctor.

Kindly share this site with family and friends who may have chronic health issues.

 

Type 1 Diabetes and Gluten: Exciting Research!

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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/

 

“Gluten Is Not YOUR Problem!”

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You may have tested negative on the one blood test often given and been told, “Gluten is not your problem.”

Unless your blood test is positive, denoting full blown-celiac disease, the one blood test you may be given is very likely not enough testing to track down the insidious gluten sensitivity. It is important  to REQUEST a panel of four blood tests (there is more likelihood to detect it with more than one blood test), and if negative on blood testing it would behoove you to follow up with stool testing.

I met a woman recently whose life is miserable with stomach/intestinal ailments and fatigue. She tested negative on the typical one blood test her doctor thought to give her and was told gluten was not her problem. The doctor didn’t know what was making her so sick. The woman’s granddaughter has so many food sensitivities that there is not much she can eat. The child’s mom has Crohns. I urged the gram to read my book (testing info that will likely detect a sensitivity/intolerance to gluten) and to look further into the more sensitive stool testing. I expect gluten is at the root of most of their issues and I expect they all could have a much better life with a bit of gluten detection and a gluten-free lifestyle. This is a common scenario: doctors unaware of the hazards of gluten and adequate testing.

Please do not postpone getting screened for celiac disease/gluten intolerance if you are suffering, especially from stomach/intestinal issues (but there is so much more). Life seems to only get worse over time. It could take decades for serious ailments to evolve —ailments you don’t ever want to deal with. If you are already dealing with serious health issues you may be able to turn many of them around. It’s never too late to detect the cause, delete the “toxic staple,” and realize better health, as exemplified by the numerous success stories in my book, TOXIC STAPLE.

30% of the US Population May Be Gluten Sensitive! Are You One of Them?

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Celiac disease (CD) prevalence is about 1% of the US population. About ten years ago 97% of those with CD remained undiagnosed; now about 80% are still undiagnosed. Not a very comforting number! A recent study from Austrailia finds the prevalence of CD among women to be about 2%. (Anderson et al. BMC Medicine 2013, 11:188)

But CD (with villi damage) is just a small part of the gluten equation.

CD is still in its infancy as far as recognition of the myriad serious illnesses linked to it, but now a broader view beyond celiac is being identified. Non-celiac gluten intolerance (GI – no intestinal damage) is also in its infancy with miles to go. The patient may have a wide variety of health issues and have normal villi, the hair-like part of the intestinal wall that absorbs nutrients that are destroyed if one has celiac disease. The prevalence of GI may reach 30-40% of the population (perhaps even higher). This is huge!

About 1/100 with celiac disease translates to approximately 3,000,000 in the US; about 2,400,000 are dying to be diagnosed. If 1/3 of the population has gluten sensitivity that translates to roughly 100,000,000 – staggering numbers! Are you among them?

TOXIC STAPLE will help you sort out the testing you need to discuss with your doctor/s to detect whether you are malabsorbing due to celiac disease or have other gluten-related disorders. If you have symptoms and disease you may be able to relate to many of the 50+ stories and over 600 easy-to-read research citations. So many of our children are affected by gluten, and the aging process doesn’t need to be a slippery slope of degenerative illness if you adopt a gluten-free lifestyle, if positive, and  begin to absorb the vitamins and minerals (needed to keep your body healthy) as your gut  heals.

Michael Dresser Interview: Gluten

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Below listen to an interview by Michael Dresser on The Michael Dresser blogtalkraido@SuzyRadio. Dresser and Sarkisian discuss celiac disease, symptoms, importance of testing, unawareness, contamination, and children with celiac and growth issues.

Depression and Gluten

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What sad news about the talented and respected actor and comedian, Robin Williams, who has brought so much entertainment and so many laughs to the American public.

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear some awful news on TV, radio, or among friends and acquaintances that could be the result of gluten ingestion. Having read over two thousand abstracts and studies on the hazards of gluten consumption, I wonder if he and many others with debilitating illness might have been tested for gluten sensitivity.

Did you know that depression is a common symptom in those diagnosed with celiac disease. Many other neuro/cerebral symptoms/diseases and associated conditions, some of them very degenerative, are linked to gluten through numerous studies from around the world.

Celiac disease slowly destroys the ability of the intestinal wall to absorb the nutrients vital for good health. It stands to reason that if one is mal-absorbing due to damaged villi it could affect your brain and neurons. After all, in order to be healthy the brain and neurons need certain vitamins and minerals.

The longest chapter in my new book, TOXIC STAPLE: How GLUTEN may be wrecking your health – and what you can do about it! is entitled Neurological Dilemmas: The Mind-blowing Hazards of Gluten. If you or your child are suffering from ANY neurological health issues (or any other chronic health issues) please checkout more info above on this website for the lowdown on my book. It offers health and life-transforming information.

Neurological maladies are nothing to play with and often get worse over time. PLEASE get tested for gluten sensitivity, and if positive take the gluten-free lifestyle very seriously. You will need to request certain tests or it’s very likely you won’t get adequate testing to detect an intolerance.