Three Different Faces of Gluten Intolerance

I often find people understand the gluten intolerance phenomenon less than they realize. I can appreciate how this happens: because a food element triggers the problems, people assume it is a food allergy, which is not accurate. They also may come to a gluten-free life as a result of cultural influence rather than medical need, which may mean their understanding is more social than medical.

In this introduction to gluten intolerance, I'll try to illuminate some important distinctions many people may not understand.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a specific clinical diagnosis identified with a blood test and confirmed with a biopsy of the small intestine. It is a serious medical condition that can lead to other serious and even fatal illnesses (including cancer) if left unidentified and untreated.

When someone has celiac sprue disease, consuming any food with a trace of the protein composite gluten triggers his or her immune system to turn on itself and attack the lining of the small intestine. This triggers a domino-effect of symptoms and conditions resulting from both the inflammation and the malabsorption caused by this autoimmune response.

Just because "gluten doesn't agree with you" doesn't necessarily mean you have this frustrating condition, but the most common symptoms of celiac sprue disease are gastrointestinal problems, including gas, bloating, cramping, constipation and diarrhea.

If you think you might have celiac disease, it is important for you to visit with gastroenterologist experienced with diagnosing and treating this condition. To be honest, the term "intolerance" does not do justice to the severity of this disease.

Celiac disease is not a food allergy. Someone with a very serious case of celiac disease might be able to eat something dense with gluten and not experience any immediate symptoms (really!). But deep in this person's gut, an autoimmune reaction will be quietly wreaking havoc on their insides.

It is important you understand this distinction: celiac disease is not a type 1 hypersensitivity like an allergy.

Wheat Allergy

A wheat allergy is not celiac sprue disease: it is a real food allergy involving wheat (and not necessarily other grains in the triticeae family). A food allergy involves a type 1 hypersensitivity where the body produces histamine and other chemicals in response to a foreign body the immune system identifies as a harmful intruder.

In a food allergy, the immune system is over-reacting while it attacks a foreign particle; in celiac disease, the immune system is attacking cells or tissues of its own body.

This allergic response almost always occurs immediately or very soon after consuming wheat.

Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) was only formally identified and accepted by recent medical research (although many of us have been sure it existed for years).

Basically, NCGS will be diagnosed when you test negative for both celiac disease and a wheat allergy, but a carefully monitored gluten elimination diet strongly indicates that gluten is triggering your health problems. NCGS often manifests with symptoms beyond the digestive tract, such as with migraines, joint pain and skin rashes. NCGS does not cause the same damage to the small intestine as celiac disease.

I hope this overview helps you better understand the different, overlapping conditions that may occur as a result of consuming gluten. In fact, there are others, like dermatitis herpetiformis and gluten ataxia, but most doctors will diagnose these as being a result of one of the above three conditions. However, in some rare cases they do manifest on their own.

This was just an introduction to a complex and serious matter. Discover clear, comprehensive and entirely free lessons on all matters relating to gluten intolerance at the Gluten Intolerance School:

http://glutenintoleranceschool.com/

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Is This Whole Gluten Issue Just A Temporary Fad?

Today in the Traditional Medical Model a Celiac Panel is performed on those individuals suspected of having an Autoimmune Reaction to Gluten. This particular test often comes back from the Lab as being negative for the absence of Celiac Disease, when in reality this a false negative- Why? Intraepithelial Lymphocytes have to be gather at the time of testing, is this happening? NO, only in the severest of cases will this Celiac Panel confirm the disease. Think about this for a second, long before someone will develop Celiac or carry the gene for Celiac, there must be a sensitivity issue causing the genetic predisposition.

Why has this become such a problem today with Gluten-Genetic Modification/Engineering of the Wheat, Barley or Rye and Corn. Growing up back in the Midwest our favorite saying on Corn was "Knee High By The Fourth Of July" today that corn is now closer to Sixth Feet High! The seed is now engineered with a pesticide within it.

Testing today we can isolate if someone is a carrier or has sensitivity to Gluten, why is this important? Gluten Sensitivity causes a slow delayed reaction by the immune system thus turning on an inflammatory response alarming the body's defense mechanism and causing a chain reaction with an all out assault on multiple glands, organs and tissues of the body. Other conditions besides the one's talked about earlier include Peripheral Neuropathy, Chronic Sinus Problems, Diverticulitis, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

The major problem being that this is an Autoimmune Attack on our bodies, Yes there is now testing that can be done to determine exactly what tissues in the body are under attack. Approximately 70% of our Immune System resides in our Gut so one of the primary assaults is on our gut creating an environment that leads to "Leaky Gut Syndrome" with consequences like malabsorption and maldigestion syndromes like Osteopenia and Osteoporosis.

In our office this testing and analysis is done on a daily basis helping to turn around those individuals with Chronic Health Problems-remember your body is designed to Heal Itself it just doesn't need any interference!
Unfortunately today so many other grains have been cross contaminated that foods that are supposedly Gluten Free like Corn, Oats or Rice have a certain degree of Gluten Contamination. To many people following a Traditional Gluten Free diet this isn't enough for them to regain their health, their becomes such a Massive Gut compromise that more strict parameters have to be put in place for actual repair to occur.

How would you know what needs to be addressed and in what order of prioritization depends on many factors ie, testing results, record review, previous lab tests and questionnaires identifying blood sugar handling, hormones, neurotransmitter deficits and brain hemisphere imbalances.

Dr Michael Valentine DC maintains a full time practice in Orange County CA and he himself is Gluten Sensitive with Autoimmune Reactivity markers.

If you are interested in finding out more please contact the office of Dr Michael Valentine DC at 714-964-9566, he is available for phone consultations and testing can be done on out of state individuals. Once testing results are confirmed ongoing health coaching is available to monitor and direct the individual towards regaining their health.

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Gluten Free Diet - Tips To Help You Know Hidden Sources And What It Takes To Be Gluten Free

There is no question that when someone receives their diagnosis of celiac disease or gluten intolerance and must now follow a gluten free diet, there's usually a very strong and emotional reaction. There is usually anger, fear, confusion, and there is also worry and anxiety about how much their lives are going to change. They are going to need to learn about gluten, what it is, where it is, and how to avoid it. This is very doable.

People experience a wide range of gluten intolerance and how much is needed to trigger symptoms. For many, cutting out the foods that are not allowed under the gluten free diet is enough. For others, the tiniest trace amounts can trigger symptoms, sometimes quite severe that can last for days or even weeks. For instance, just licking a postage stamp or an envelope where there is gluten in the glue, could cause a reaction. For those people, vigilance, detective work and assertiveness are going to be needed to live symptom-free. Remember, no matter how severe the gluten sensitivity, it is absolutely possible to live a normal active life.

Wheat is the first and the most common food with gluten that must be eliminated. However there is a myriad of listed food ingredients that contain gluten, including:

Modified food starchHydrolyzed vegetable proteinMaltodextrinMany flavor additives either contain gluten or are processed so they become contaminated by gluten

And if that weren't enough, many non-listed ingredients may contain gluten:

FillersBindersAnticaking agentsAdditives to prevent ice crystal formation in ice cream can all contain enough gluten to provoke a reaction

Also, manufacturing techniques, like using wheat flour to keep foods from sticking to conveyor belts, or baking gluten free in an environment that contains airborne wheat flour can also contaminate otherwise gluten free foods.

What to do?

Given all this, how can the extremely sensitive person avoid gluten entirely? Here are some helpful tips:

Learn to read labels. Learn all the gluten containing ingredients and check for them. Re-check labels to make sure recipes haven't changed.
Leverage the work that has already been done in the gluten free community, on the web, blogs, and forums, etc. Many hundreds of people have preceded you in confronting gluten sensitivity. They've made lists, developed techniques, written books and collected advice which you can benefit from. Take advantage and soon enough you'll have something new to contribute to the community, and the cycle continues.
Talk to manufacturers. Most manufacturers now expect to be responsible to consumers for revealing whether their products contain even trace amounts of gluten.
Avoid processed foods. Additives and unlisted ingredients are more likely to be a problem in foods that are more highly processed. Whole foods are much more likely to be safe.
Be assertive. You have a real condition that, as you know, can cause you extreme and often long-lasting ill effects. Do not let that constrain your life any more than it absolutely has to.

Unless a restaurant is billed as gluten free, assume that they will be unable to serve completely gluten-free foods. However, if you're dining with a group, call ahead, explain the situation, and ask if you can bring your own food. Just about any restaurant would rather lose a single meal than a table full of paying customers. Likewise, if invited to eat with friends or family, don't be shy about bringing your own food. Once you make the seriousness of your condition known, few people will be anything less than fully accommodating.

Many people before you have managed to live complete and rewarding lives while living gluten free. You can too. Once you've learned what's required, gained some experience, and educated yourself of available resources, you'll be able to live a symptom-free life and your gluten free diet won't feel so terribly restrictive after all.

Go now to get more information about our salt-free, sugar-free, gluten free seasonings, our salt substitute and recipes. I invite you to sign up for our Free Season It Newsletter when you visit Benson's Gourmet Seasonings at http://www.bensonsgourmetseasonings.com/

From Debbie Benson owner of Benson's Gourmet Seasonings with over 30 years experience promoting seasonings.

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