Gluten Symptoms
There are over 300 documented gluten-related symptoms or disorders, and celiac disease is now considered just one of those. As I write about gluten symptoms and concerns, I'll add them to this page so readers can easily spot a topic.
"Eighty percent of chronic eczema is triggered by food allergy/intolerances. In older children and in adults, the culprit food is most often gluten/wheat." Dr. Rodney Ford is a pediatrician, gastroenterologist, allergist, and worldwide expert on adverse food reactions who has been studying and helping patients for over 35 years. Dr. Ford's new book, Dermatitis Eczema: Gluten Wheat–Solving the Eczema Puzzle, is filled with evidence-based research, making it the source for understanding and curing dermatitis/eczema. It is the only one of its kind.
In this book, Dr. Ford is authentic and direct as he dovetails clear scientific explanations with personal stories from his patients. He uses data with graphs, charts, and patient's pictures and narratives to educate the reader.
Gluten sensitivity runs in my family. (I'm not using the new official term: "non-celiac gluten sensitivity or NCGS" because we weren't officially tested for celiac disease and won't ever know). I believe there is a genetic component to gluten sensitivity that has yet to be confirmed. There are many researchers and doctors who are focused on the world of gluten like Dr. Alessio Fasano, author of Gluten Freedom; and Dr. Rodney Ford, author of numerous books and most recently Dermatitis Eczema: Gluten-Wheat - Solving the Eczema Puzzle. This is new territory and the science behind gluten sensitivity is advancing. Here's how gluten sensitivity plays out in my family...
Are the donuts pictured above tempting to you? Just imagine how difficult it is for a child! Are these donuts nut-free, soy-free, dye-free, dairy-free, and/or gluten-free?
More and more children now have food allergies or medical conditions like diabetes that are affected by food. Six out of the seven houses in our cul-de-sac have children with food allergies. We are one of those houses. The allergies on our street range from nuts (peanut, cashew, pistachios) and shellfish, to fruit (kiwi, mango skin, strawberries), dairy, oats, buckwheat, and gluten. Yes, we are living in a new age.
Dr. Terry Wahls gives an amazing TEDx Talk on healing multiple sclerosis with food. She was diagnosed with MS in 2007. She was loosing mobility and memory until she changed what she ate. Now she rides a bicycle and educates people. Dr. Wahls says she is the "canary in the coal mine" and here as a warning.
I was pleased to hear Dr. Wahls mention gluten and the role it plays in numerous illnesses. In her words: ...
Testing for gluten sensitivity can be a frustrating struggle, and some say there isn't a test. This is our family's testing story that began two years ago.
Lichen Planus is a disease of the skin, it is associated with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, and the cause is unknown. My dad was diagnosed with Lichen Planus ten years ago. His symptoms were raw sores on his scalp; and disintegrated fingernails and toenails that ultimately left only skin tips of his fingers and toes.
A few years ago my dad removed gluten from his diet (subsequent to my gluten diagnosis). Two months after he stopped eating gluten, his nails started growing back, and his scalp lesions began to heal.
A recent study by the National Institutes of Health was reported in The New York Times today. The study found that those people who ate a low-carb diet and more fat actually lost weight and improved their HDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides. This caught my attention as it relates to my dietary experience and giving up gluten.
Leg pains, joint pains, and body aches are common symptoms of gluten sensitivity. It took me 44 years to figure this out. I remember complaining to my mom when I was young about my legs. They ached terribly and sometimes just wouldn’t work. Mom responded with a sympathetic smile and blamed it on typical growing pains.
Decades later I was faced with the same persistent complaint from my daughter as she climbed up the ladder to her loft.
Julia Child was my idol. I loved watching her on PBS, which was one of the few channels we received on our 9-inch black and white television. Julia entertained me as I was recovering from chronic strep throat and ear infections. I can still hear her lively voice as she whacked the rolling pin trying to flatten pastry dough. With genuine personality she raised the pitch in her delivery and confidently moved through an unexpected situation: “...and if the dough is too stiff, just bash it down with the rolling pin.”
Two points come to mind with that image. First, I was comforted by Julia’s shows. She made me forget how miserable I felt as a kid, sick with strep throat, ear infections, and congestion. I had a running prescription of penicillin at the local drug store.
Is there a link between gluten and ADHD/attention issues? My eleven-year old daughter says, "Yes!" Two weeks after she stopped eating gluten at the age of eight, my daughter described a remarkable change in her behavior and told her teacher: "It is so much easier to pay attention in class now that I'm not eating gluten. And, three weeks after I stopped eating gluten, I noticed a significant difference in my own attention span as well. Clearly there is a direct connection. But, why?