Tag Archives: weight loss

Scenario 4

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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.

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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/

 

 

Is Colon Cancer Linked To Gluten?

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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

 

 

Commentary On: Your Grain-Free Diet Isn’t Good For You Or the Planet!

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“Unless you have a serious health problem such as celiac disease (about 1 percent of the population) whole grains and good starches can and should be part of your diet.”

I take issue with the above quote from the Washington Post: Your Grain-Free Diet Isn’t Good For You Or the Planet by Marie Speck, Oct 30, 2015.

I would like to bring to light that in addition to the apx 1% of the population that has celiac disease about 30% may be intolerant to gluten, which means they should not consume this toxic, difficult to digest protein. That’s nearly 1/3 of our population!

Tens of millions of Americans are suffering from hundreds of symptoms, diseases, and associated conditions linked to gluten substantiated by thousands of studies from around the world. Many of them are “trying” the gluten-free diet and find they lose weight, gain energy, headaches and tummy aches disappear, skin, joint, and intestinal issues resolve, and a raft of other ailments get better when off gluten. Many think this is just another fad diet, but it isn’t.  If health issues resolve with a gluten-free lifestyle that tells me they shouldn’t be eating this toxic staple.

It’s important to get tested for celiac and gluten intolerance, but that’s another whole can of worms since too often not enough testing is given to detect the problem and patients are told they don’t have an issue with gluten and can keep eating it as they continue to suffer.

I spell it out in my book.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/rweb/top/your-grain-free-diet-isnt-natural-good-for-you-or-good-for-the-planet/2015/10/31/50ae19fc-7db8-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html

 

Scenario 1: Amazing Variety of Illness and Disease

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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)

 

Is The Gluten-Free Diet Just Another Fad? Absolutely Not!

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The gluten-free diet has become a fad, but it is definitely not just another fad.

It’s no wonder all the gluten-free faddists feel better, lose weight, have more energy, headaches and skin problems disappear, intestinal issues subside, reflux and PMS get better, etc. My take is this: if you have chronic or troublesome health issues that get better with a gluten-free lifestyle, you are most likely gluten-sensitive to some degree. You are somewhere on the path or continuum of having a gluten problem. Of course you feel better when you remove the toxic staple, gluten.

But there is a problem just trying the gluten-free diet. I named my book Toxic Staple for a very good reason: gluten is at the root of huge illness. There are thousands of studies from around the world linking gluten to major ill health. So it’s important to get tested to see the results in black and white. It really helps one stay on the GF diet if intolerant, but to do the blood tests you need to keep eating gluten. If you just think you are a little sensitive and don’t fully comprehend the implications of being intolerant or having celiac disease, you may have the temptation to cheat. No, a little bit of gluten is not ok if you are intolerant or have celiac disease.

Gluten is a toxic protein for a huge part of the population (about 30%). It slowly whittles your health away and devastating, degenerative disease may not appear until years or decades later when your body has become quite compromised. That’s why it’s so important to get tested. Find out if this insidious monster is lurking in your closet before more serious issues manifest. If so, then face the GF lifestyle with an A+ attitude and see how your health, energy, and vitality may change. You deserve a healthier and stronger life, and your family needs you to be healthy.

Please read the disclaimer on my site above.

 

Denial About the Ravages of Gluten

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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.