Authors: Steve Rowland
Women often have thyroid problems even when their thyroid blood tests are normal. This is frustrating, and is similar to the early predictors of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Women may have all the signs of thyroid problems without testing positive for thyroid issues:
These are all indicators that the thyroid is not functioning properly. Women, especially post partum women, with elevated thyroid antibodies, have over a 90% chance of developing the thyroid disease known as Hashimoto’s disease in less than 10 years. This has been proven in published studies. It is recommended that women do not eat gluten before they become pregnant, or during pregnancy.
In Sweden, a report has shown that if a pregnant woman eats gluten, the fetal blood shows autism trends. This was extrapolated in the United States, as well, found at the
National Institute of Health
. Children who have autism have shown elevated gluten antibodies when they were born.
When the mother has elevated antibodies to gluten in her system, they make it through to her baby, and the baby will be born with an immune response, which is elevated. These children often check positive for autism. This may just be an associated factor. The results were simply observations.
A recent study that was centered on celiac disease looked into this autoimmune response to gluten. It causes a shortening of the intestinal flora. 73% of people with celiac disease show a lack of proper blood flow to the brain. This is known as hypo perfusion. After a year without gluten in their diet, less than 10% of these people still experienced hypo perfusion.
This problem results when you don’t have sufficient blood flowing into your brain. In autistic children, studies show the same behavior patterns, and each is linked to different areas in the brain.
Once you are not eating any sources of gluten, the time that passes until you become symptom free varies from one individual to the next. It depends on each person, his or her medical history and the amount of damage that had already been done. In many cases, improvement can be seen in as little as three weeks. If you do not feel significantly better in this time, you may want your physician to check for other medical causes for your symptoms.
Many people notice they sleep better after only three or four days of going gluten-free. Their overall outlook is better and their joints don’t hurt as they did in the past. Again, it doesn’t work if you only reduce your intake. You must cut gluten out of your diet entirely.
You cannot trick your immune system. Your body will always tell you what is going well and what is not. By doing blood work, your physician can tell if you have a problem in your immune system. If your antibodies are elevated, then your immune system is telling you that it has a problem.
Enteric Neural Science Studies
Researchers at Harvard and Stanford have conducted post-doctoral studies regarding enteric neuroscience. This, in short, is the way the stomach affects your brain and your central nervous system. The gut is critical to many of the health concerns you face today. This doesn’t mean just stomach pain. It refers to any health concerns that may be related to the stomach.
Colostrum ties into the overall view of health and the stomach. Colostrum has more nutrition within it than any other source. Using that as a basis, you may ask how you can help your gut. If your stomach is inflamed, that must be reduced. This is done by listening to the signals sent by your immune system. If it tells you that there is a problem, then stop eating the foods that cause the problem.
How is the tissue rebuilt after you remove gluten from your diet? In addition, how does your body start production of the proper bacteria that it needs? One ingredient is above all the rest in turning on genes in different ways, and this is colostrum.
Why Is Colostrum so Important?
Colostrum is a mother’s first three days of breast milk. When your baby is born and you begin breastfeeding him/her, this is colostrum, not simple breast milk. Colostrum activates the ”on” switch in the baby’s immune system in the stomach, which starts the production of good bacteria. Enzymes are made that carry messages for more enzymes, to prepare the gut for food. Colostrum is responsible for turning on so many important switches in the gut.
Cow colostrum can be used for children and adults who need those valuable antibodies in their system. Human and cow colostrum show no difference at the molecular level. When you are attempting to heal your stomach, using quality colostrum is a good choice.
Researchers who work in the field of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are eager to share their specific knowledge with others. This will help patients to understand the big picture of gluten sensitivity and how it manifests itself.
Dr. Tom O’Bryan spoke with experts from around the world for the Gluten Summit. The scientists he spoke to are among the leaders in research into celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. He went to Oxford, in England, where he interviewed Michael Marsh, known as “the godfather of celiac diagnosis”. Marsh reiterates that any inflammation in the gut is as serious as celiac disease.
Dr. O’Bryan spoke with a number of nutritionists to carry forward the importance of a gluten-free diet for those who have a sensitivity to gluten.
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
Many people once believed that “using” gluten to explain symptoms was simply reaching for an explanation. However, today’s research reveals that this is an actual condition, non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).
NCGS is not the same as celiac disease; rather, it covers the physical explanations for sensitivities to gluten and the symptoms they create. The people who experience these symptoms may also be sensitive to carbohydrates, which makes treatment more challenging.
Monash University Study, 2011
Dr. Peter Gibson is a gastroenterologist at Monash University in Australia. In 2011, he and several colleagues studied 34 patients who had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They did not suffer from celiac disease, but they did have sensitivity to gluten. The study split the group into two, and provided one half with a Gluten-Free diet. After just 3 weeks the Gluten-Free group had seriously reduced symptoms, many showing none at all. The group consuming gluten, as you may expect showed no reduction in symptoms.
Gluten has negative effects on the intestine’s barrier function. This allows substances to leak through the intestine into the bloodstream. This was determined in a controlled trial with patients on gluten-free diets, who also have IBS diarrhea effects on intestinal function and bowel frequency. This was published in National Institutes of Health.
IBS involves digestive problems of unknown causes. It affects almost 15% of people in the United States. Some IBS cases may be brought on or exacerbated by gluten. This study was reported in the US National Library of Medicine.
This study makes it clear that even people without gluten sensitivity may react in a negative way to gluten. Other studies, too, show that IBS patients without diagnosed sensitivity to gluten may still have adverse reactions to it.
The Differences between Celiac Disease and NCGS
A Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Joseph A. Murray, is an expert on celiac disease. He states that it is important to be tested for celiac disease before diet changes are made. Celiac disease is much more prevalent in the last 10-20 years than it once was. Gluten sensitivity signs are often similar to those of irritable bowel syndrome and other gastroenterological problems.
Testing first is important, according to Dr. Murray, before the patient goes on a gluten free diet. Once you are on a gluten-free diet, your tests will not allow for an accurate diagnosis.
If you have gluten sensitivity without celiac disease, you will not suffer as much damage to your small intestine. To be sure that you have NCGS, your physician will run tests, to make this determination. The findings may include:
Once celiac disease is ruled out, your physician can test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity by removing all gluten from your diet for three to four weeks. If your symptoms disappear, begin eating gluten again, to find out whether they will recur. You can also keep a detailed food log for several weeks. This entails recording everything that you eat and drink, along with any symptoms you experience afterwards.
Fibromyalgia causes generalized pain, among other symptoms in a broad spectrum. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia may experience cognitive dysfunction, headaches, sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue.
In addition, many fibromyalgia patients have gastrointestinal symptoms that may be overlooked by some studies. A study was conducted in August of 2014 by Mahmoud Slim, Fernando Rico-Villademoros and Elena Pita Calandre from the Instituto de Neurociencias, and was published in Rheumatology International, regarding the exploration of gastrointestinal aspects of fibromyalgia.
Several studies have discovered that fibromyalgia patients may also experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Other gastrointestinal symptoms included bowel changes, dyspepsia and abdominal pain.
There are several underlying mechanisms that could potentially be at the root of these manifestations. Sensitivity to gluten is one such cause of gastrointestinal symptoms. Study into the links between sensitivity to gluten and the symptoms of fibromyalgia may lead to favorable treatment alternatives.
Dr. Frank Lipman is the director and founder of 11-11 Wellness Center in New York City. He is a recognized expert in functional and integrative medicine. He often recommends eating plans that have no gluten.
The reason he prescribes this type of eating plan is the presence of specific proteins in gluten that cause the immune system to react as it would to foreign bodies. Gluten, he states, is not well-digested, which is accepted by most physicians and nutritionists.
Most patients who do not have celiac disease have gluten sensitivities. Gluten causes their systems to react in a way that slows them down. This reaction creates inflammation with many effects. They extend to all systems, including the digestive tract, joints, heart and brain.
Physicians are often unable to diagnose gluten sensitivity, since it may present itself as vague unwellness. Gluten can be the cause of many different medical issues, and to treat those, you must treat the sensitivity to gluten.
Many people suffer from gluten intolerance, but are not aware of the fact. Estimates show that about 99% of people who have problems with gluten do not even know that this is what their problem is. Their symptoms often are not specific, and some are not related to their digestive tract.
The serious affects gluten can have on your health are becoming clearer. The more readily it is recognized, the sooner it can be properly treated.
Moving Forward
I hope this chapter has convinced you that gluten is really quite bad for your health. The number of physical and psychological issues that it has been linked to in 1000s of studies is just staggering. These are no small issues either – Autism, depression, crohn’s disease, liver cancer, all serious conditions that in some cases are life threatening. The next couple of chapters focus on how to eradicate gluten from your diet so please, please take action here. These studies are all very real.