GLUTEN SENSITIVITY AND CELIAC TESTIMONIALS

from Energy Times, April 2013

1. For several years doctors told Lind Allred her stomach pain was likely due to irritable bowel syndrome or stress. “I’d never even heard the term ‘celiac disease,’” Allred says. When she ended up in the emergency room in extreme pain four years ago, doctors found her lipase count was “off the charts.” (High lipase counts can occur due to damage to the pancreas, kidney failure, peptic ulcers and more.) The doctors removed Allred’s gallbladder, believing it was the cause of the sky-high count, but her lipase count remained high. She spent a week in the hospital.

It wasn’t until six months later, after Allred’s health continued to deteriorate, that a doctor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles finally discovered the cause: Celiac disease, a condition caused by a reaction to consuming gluten, which damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing nutrients.

“Even a couple of croutons will make me sick,” says Allred. “I know within an hour if I’ve eaten something wrong. Feeling better is my motivation to stick with a gluten-free diet.”

2. Three years ago, Karen Sammer was 150 pounds overweight when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. The diagnosis motivated her to take charge of her life. “I decided to get control by completely changing my lifestyle,” says Sammer. While undergoing chemotherapy, she stopped drinking all alcohol, cut her food intake (partly due to the effect of the chemo drugs) and lost 28 pounds. “Most people undergoing breast cancer treatment gain weight,” she says.

After finishing treatment, Sammer further revamped her diet by eliminating refined sugars and white bread, pasta and white potatoes, along with processed foods. Lastly she cut out meat, dairy and gluten.

Reading about the negative impact of gluten on the body and the increasing number of people with some level of gluten sensitivity motivated Sammer to eliminate it. She initially gave up gluten for Lent to see what the impact would be, she says. “I then decided to continue being gluten-free because I felt better not eating it.” As a result of all the changes, she lost 135 pounds. To keep her diet as clean as possible, Sammer avoids all sources of gluten and does not use gluten-free substitutes for foods that typically contain it.

“I feel amazing now,” she says. “If someone had told me three years ago that I would get excited over roasted vegetables I would have thought they were crazy.” With aches and pains gone and increased energy, Sammer says she’s never felt better. “I can think more clearly and my skin is much healthier.”

“Our bodies don’t need it and in fact, I’m not sure we can even digest it properly. I am walking proof that anyone can improve their health through good nutrition.”

3. Allergies, brain fog and fatigue sent Hilary Kennedy to several doctors to find out what was going on. All tests for celiac disease turned up negative. But nevertheless, Kennedy had a hunch that while she might not have celiac she might still be sensitive to gluten. (Gluten sensitivity refers to non-digestive symptoms triggered by gluten that, unlike celiac disease, do not damage the small intestine.)

Accidentally eating something with gluten—such as salad dressing or soy sauce—makes her face swell. “I instantly feel a difference and I have a hard time thinking clearly,”

4. Joseph Dinolfo battled his weight for much of his life, reaching 300 pounds by the time he was a high school senior. “I am one of those people who has tried every diet possible,” Dinolfo says. After a few years of fluctuating between 185 and 200 pounds, he tried several different approaches and made an effort to learn about the basic science behind the way various foods affect the body, with the main emphasis on insulin, growth and fat storage.

The real eye-opener came when Dinolfo picked up a copy of Wheat Belly* (Rodale) by William Davis, MD. The author’s description of some of the ailments associated with eating wheat, and the causes behind them, made Dinolfo realize he had similar issues, namely digestion problems, skin disorders and cravings. “So I decided to go wheat-free,” he says. “After about a week all of my health issues cleared up. Whenever “If I trip up and consume wheat products the issues re-appear.”

5. When Michael Wald, MD, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 18, his father, a physician and nutritionist, immediately placed him on a gluten-free diet. Wald credits the diet for keeping him symptom-free since then and has never taken medication for MS. “Two neurologists confirmed the MS diagnosis,” he tells people who question the original finding. (MS occurs when the sheaths covering nerve cells become damaged, leading to symptoms such as balance problems and tremors.)

Wald’s father based the dietary changes on studies linking gluten to the inflammation of the central nervous system that characterizes MS, says Wald, whose sensitivity to gluten-related ailments enables him to spot them in his patients. He currently diagnoses an average of one person a month with celiac disease in his own holistic medicine practice. “Gluten is known to cause shrinkage of the brain and gait problems as well, and it’s known to trigger literally hundreds of diseases,” Wald says.

Gluten-free restaurant dining presented more of a challenge in the past than it does now. “There’s always gluten-free grains,” Quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, teff, amaranth, wild rice.) “There’s also fish and vegetables.” His favorite foods include fruit and vegetable smoothies (typically beets, carrots, celery and kale) in the morning, which he takes with organic supplements. Cheese, yogurt, eggs, tofu, rice pudding, corn tortillas, fish, some chicken (but no red meat), rice, buckwheat, sunflower seeds and gluten-free waffles also top his list of favorites.

Set S.M.A.R.T. GOALS *

Ricki McKenna, CN Cell:970-618-7607 Website: www.mchealthymatters.com