Gluten: A Hidden Poison?

I have to admit, during the early years of my practice, I consistently overlooked one of the most powerful tools to help my patients who were suffering from chronic disease - eliminating hidden food allergies and sensitivities.

Maybe it was easier to pretend it wasn't an issue than to educate and motivate people to make a difficult lifestyle change. Whatever the reason, I'm glad my colleagues continually reminded me of the critical relationship between the foods we eat and our digestive, immune, nerve, and hormonal systems.

Most of you know that I am continually researching and learning from many of the top holistic practitioners around the country about what it takes to really balance and heal ourselves in this crazy, toxic world that we live in. Two doctors, in particular, have shaped my understanding of food allergies: Dr. Thomas O'Bryan (www.thedr.com) and Dr. Mark Hyman (www.drhyman.com). Dr. O'Bryan is a world-renowned clinical expert in gluten sensitivity and autoimmune diseases, and Dr. Hyman is a leading voice in the functional medicine community who teaches that gut function and its interaction with our immune system play a huge role in overall health.

Several years ago, I took an advanced certification course through Dr. O'Bryan that taught the emerging understanding that gluten sensitivity went far beyond merely diagnosing people with Celiac disease. That certification course has proven incredibly valuable in helping hundreds of patients through in-depth analysis of their gut function and sensitivity to gluten and other food reactions.

What is Gluten Anyway?

If you don't know, gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. These grains have been the staple of human diets for 10,000 years or more, so you might ask, "How could they be dangerous?

To be truthful, there are many facets to that answer that are far beyond what could be covered in this blog (Dr. O'Bryan has a great video interview that goes into the details if you're ready for a deep dive)

Suffice it to say that over the past several decades our world has changed significantly. Not only have food engineering practices changed, but our bodies have also changed in response to the many stresses we experience. These changes have uncovered a sleeping giant. Many people have a specific genetic predisposition to allergy or sensitivity to gluten.

Many of these people would never express that gene were it not for a breakdown in other areas of their health - like their digestive system and their immune system. Once that gene is expressed, however, each bite of food containing gluten is like squirting lighter fluid on a fire. It causes severe inflammation of the gut wall and excites the immune cells throughout the body. As Dr. Hyman suggests in his book The UltraMind Solution, when the gut is inflamed, the brain is inflamed.

Bizarre as it may seem on the surface, through this complex relationship of the gut, immune system, hormone system, and nerve system, the intake of gluten and other food sensitivities can cause a host of serious illnesses, including neurological disorders like:

• ALS

• MS

• Parkinson's disease

• peripheral neuropathies

• learning disabilities

• depression

• anxiety

• Hashimoto's thyroiditis

• diabetes

• lupus

• rheumatoid arthritis

• scleroderma

In addition, the research points out that over 59% of gluten-intolerant people had been misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and a host of other digestive disorders such as Crohn's disease. I could go on and on with what the literature says about this, but maybe this last statistic will be enough - for every 1 person who knows that they are sensitive to gluten, there are at least 14 people who don't know that they are, and it is estimated that it takes over 10 years for the average sufferer to get an accurate diagnosis. WOW!!

In my little corner of the world, we're going to change that! In fact, I need your help. If you or someone you know has any chronic disease - from cardiovascular disease to asthma and everything in between - you need to send them to our office. We will help them safely eliminate major food allergens for a period of time to see how much impact they have on their health. We will help them understand the relationship between their food choices and their health. We have solutions and support. It can't be overstated; you really may be saving their life.