Tag Archives: weight gain

Scenario 3: Weight Gain, ADHD, Brain Fog, Mucus, Lungs, Atrial Fib, Cardiomyopathy, and Skin Issues

It amazes me how prevalent gluten issues seem to be. On my way to Denver, once again, I jotted some notes. Mind you, I did not request to be seated next to people who had health issues that very well could be or are linked to gluten. In only one example below did the person know she was intolerant to gluten or had celiac disease; the others had no idea the ailments mentioned could be from gluten and perhaps dairy. Certainly there is enough research in my book discussing such connections to gluten, not to mention stories of lives turning around by going GF, that anyone with these symptoms or ailments might want to take testing seriously. It seems life only gets worse if gluten related issues are ignored.

As usual I always suggest requesting the 4 blood tests you will find spelled out in Chapter 16 and if negative on those or if they are not covered by insurance don’t stop until you read Chapter 17 and do the very sensitive stool tests (not your ordinary lab/hospital tests, but a patented specific test that will likely detect intolerance if it exists). Try to find a doctor who is familiar with gluten issues, and bring your list of tests or you probably won’t get enough to discover celiac or intolerance to gluten.

  • On the first leg to Denver I chatted with a woman who had weight issues. I relayed to her that many folks I’ve spoken with dropped 10-40 lbs. without trying by following a gluten-free lifestyle. The weight just sort of peeled off in nearly every case. I lost 10-15 myself without trying. There is scant research backing this up (because little has been done), but there is one study basically saying those people who are so thin due to celiac weight-loss begin to put weight on when the gut heals and those who are overweight begin to lose it.* Also, her grandson who was very smart was also very hyper. I mentioned a couple stories on ADD/ADHD and heavily suggested the parents get the child tested. But it’s the same old story: you need to know what to ask for or you probably won’t get enough testing and may be told you don’t have a problem with gluten when in fact you may be quite gluten intolerant.
  • On the second leg to Denver I sat next to a woman who ate no grains. If she gets hit with a grain her head becomes foggy, ears plug up, she fills up with mucus and her lungs feel heavy. It takes 1-2 weeks for symptoms to lift.
  • On the first leg back to NE I sat with a woman whose son died of cardio issues while running a race. Research exists in Toxic Staple on one form of atrial fib and cardiomyopathy that will resolve with a GF diet.** You will also find a few studies on heart disease. Of course, so much more research needs to done. It wouldn’t be difficult to take a hundred newly diagnosed patients with atrial fib or cardiomyopathy and ask them if they were offered testing for gluten-related issues. My educated guess would be less than 5%…and that’s being generous. Testing for gluten-related illness should be at the top of the list in my estimation; there is just too much bad health linked to gluten and so little is being done to educate our doctors.
  • On the leg back to New England I sat next to a young woman who was dealing with facial skin problems. So many skin problems can be linked to gluten and/or dairy as discussed in Chapter 11: The Skin You’re In. I mention nearly 20 skin disorders that you never heard of before, and it’s very likely barely 5% (that’s being generous again) of skin specialists have heard of their link to gluten. Skin issues can be a sign of unwellness, and many of them will clear up or get miles better once your gut heals with a GF lifestyle.

The purpose of these scenarios is to make the reader aware of some of the numerous and varied symptoms and maladies linked to gluten so they can become empowered to be their own advocate in conjunction with their doctors in seeking better health. Your best health lies in your very own hands.

* A new study concluded that a GFD “had a beneficial impact on BMI [body mass index]; underweight patients gained weight (66%) and overweight/obese patients (54%/47%) lost weight. The improvement in BMI adds to the impetus to diagnose celiac disease.” [from Toxic Staple page 71.)

  • Cheng, J., P. S. Brar, A. R. Lee, and P. H. Green. “Body Mass Index in Celiac Disease: Beneficial Effect of a Gluten-free Diet.” Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 44, no. 4 (2010): 267–71.

** “In addition to patients with chronic anemia of unclear origin, those with rhythm disturbances and myocardiopathies of unknown etiology should be tested for antiendomysial and antigiladin antibodies because, if positive, could indicate the presence of celiac disease.”

  • Callejas Rubio, J. L., N. Ortego, A. Diez-Ruiz, J. Guilarte, and J. De la Higuera-Iorres. “Celiac Disease Presenting as Chronic Anemia Associated with Heart Block.” American Journal of Gastroenterology 93 (1998): 1391–92.

 

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.

 

 

Scenario 2: Arthritis, Weight Gain, Skin Lesions, Iron Deficiency, and Not Enough Testing

These scenarios all took place within about ½ hr. on Oct. 3rd on a trip to the grocery store. I expect each is connected to gluten.

Today I met B. in the parking lot and hadn’t seen her for a while so I went over to say hello. She was having a time getting out of the car, but was still driving and using a cane. She mentioned she had arthritis and was doing the GF diet, but cheats “once in a while.” Her disabling arthritis is somewhat better….she explained. “I wouldn’t even be able to walk if I weren’t on the diet,” she exclaimed. I wondered how much better she might feel if she didn’t cheat and tried to stress being 100% GF.

I received news about several people struggling with arthritis that read my book and took it seriously by doing the GF diet. Their arthritis was 95% better. Arthritis is an autoimmune disease and autoimmune diseases are highly linked to gluten. It is important to know if you are intolerant to gluten or have celiac disease; seeing it in black and white will really help you stay on the diet.

I also met a young man whose girlfriend tested negative for celiac disease. She endured intestinal issues and was told she needed to do the “low fodmap” diet…which “eliminates just about everything,” he said. He thought she only had the tTG and wasn’t tested for gluten intolerance. He was very appreciative of my info and was going to pass it on.

Ten minutes later I overheard two women talking about weight lose. I excused myself for butting in and mentioned that often people who have celiac disease lose 10-12 lbs.…even 30-40 lbs. without trying once they remove the toxic staple. They were both very interested in my topic and glad I shared my card with them. One woman mentioned she was taking iron pills. I asked if her doctor ever questioned why she needed iron or did s/he offer to test for celiac. No! That’s why I wrote my book. She wanted to know where to get the book and was most interested. Hoping she’ll get back to me with a success story.

As I was pulling out of the parking lot I noticed a woman intrigued by my number plate, XGLUTEN, so I rolled the window down for a chat. She was off sugar and gluten. Her doctor said her psoriasis and actinic keratosis, precancerous skin lesions, were better than he’d seen in 10 years. And she lost 5-6 lbs.

Skin issues can signify an unhealthy body. Numerous multisyllabic skin diseases that can respond to a gluten-free lifestyle are mentioned in Chapter 11: The Skin You’re In. Dairy is often another protein linked to skin issues.

Whether you have arthritis, excess weight, iron deficiency, intestinal issues, or skin lesions, you may very well have celiac disease or be somewhere on the continuum of intolerance to gluten. Unfortunately, too often, not enough testing is being offered to track it down and the patient is told they don’t have a problem with gluten. I explain testing and present the research and stories to back it up.
It is very important to detect gluten intolerance if it exists whether it’s affecting your gut, joints, skin, or some other part of your body. You are in the drivers seat and you too may be able to turn your health around as my family and I did.

Download your Free Report on The Hazards of Gluten at the top right corner above. Read the endorsements on my site above saying doctors should read my book.

Please get back to me with your success story at: anne(at)toxicstaple.com.

Denial About the Ravages of Gluten

I can’t tell you how many people I run into who are in strong denial about the hazards of gluten. “Oh, we don’t have that!” But signs of intolerance are written all over their face: paleness or flaming red cheeks, sallow color, puffy eyes, sickly looking, drab, thinning hair, weight loss/weight gain, dry skin and lips, skin issues, etc.

I often ask folks who are in denial and resistant to testing who have a lot of health issues, “Do you like living?” It’s difficult to comprehend the severity of how gluten can affect the body over time. That’s why I poured a decade into researching and writing Toxic Staple. By the time you get to the end of the book hopefully you’ll get it.

Whether it’s celiac disease (CD damaged villi) or non-celiac gluten intolerance (GI damage to many parts of the body, but not to the villi) one’s life and health can improve immeasurably when gluten is removed from the diet—perhaps even return to normal, though you may have forgotten what that feels like. It’s surprising how well you may come to feel and only then, looking back, recognize a list of symptoms that you took as part of the aging process or part of a kid-being-a-kid. I encourage you to keep track of these symptoms no matter how seemingly trivial as your body heals – you will be surprised.

If you are experiencing borderline suboptimal health, gluten may be the issue. No one in his or her right mind wants to know that wheat, the staff of life, has become a toxic staple for millions, but ignoring the effects of gluten can lead to disastrous health issues over time. Throughout TOXIC STAPLE you will be bombarded with numerous degenerative and serious health issues that seem to only worsen if a gluten-free lifestyle is ignored or get better if it is addressed.

Disease is caused by something! Time to get your head out of the sand. Discover if you have intolerance to gluten. Then embrace your new way of life and be thankful you know what’s ailing you. Or you may need to prepare for a degenerative decline over the years ahead, a road you may already be traveling.

Only you can turn your health around! Toxic Staple paves the way for you to dramatically change your health and life if gluten intolerant. I originally wrote it for people who are “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” but it is being recommended for health care professionals by those-in-the-know.

Please note: The patient may respond better to a GF lifestyle if diagnosed earlier rather than years to decades later when the body may be very compromised on many levels. And of course, numerous other toxins can add to the mix of a sick body. Your turnaround in health may depend on how sick you are, how well you adhere to an absolutely GF diet, and other factors affecting your health.