Gluten Allergies
A New Look at Gluten Allergies and Digestive Disorders
Millions of people today suffer from various digestive problems. These include chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, distention , and excess gas. For relief of these disorders people take a wide variety of medical and non-medical products that perhaps offer short-term relief.
In the search for a better diet, some people add more whole grains to their diet. While eating whole grains is much healthier that eating processed grains, for some people eating any of the common grains - whole or processed - may be the cause of their digestive problems. Grains such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, and kamut contain a substance called Gluten, to which many people are highly allergic to. Gluten is a mixture of several grain proteins which are the cause of many digestive disorders. For example: Gliadin is one of the proteins that make up gluten. It is believed that Gliadin is the major cause of celiac disease. Elevated levels of Gliadin antibodies are commonly found in the blood of people suffering from celiac.
Common side-effects of gluten allergy are: inflammation, a thinning of the intestinal mucosa, and increased gastrointestinal permeability - commonly known as leaky gut.
Gastrointestinal permeability in turn, may then become the leading cause of multiple food allergies. These multiple food allergies are usually not true food allergies, but the result of undigested food proteins leaking into the bloodstream and causing symptoms. The symptoms are caused by the immune system reacting to these food proteins. If the gut wall can be repaired, then most of the food allergies will disappear. If you have ever been tested for food allergies, and have been found to be allergic to almost everything that you eat, consider this: your only true allergy may be gluten. Those other food allergies may only exists due to the permeability of the intestinal tract.
While the digestive tract is the primary target organ, other disorders like thyroid disease, anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, asthma, migraine, eye inflammation, undiagnosed joint pain, and learning disabilities have also been associated with gluten allergy. While those disorders just listed may be due to other factors, many digestive disorders have been clearly linked to gluten allergy.
To heal the symptoms caused by gluten, it has to be eliminated from the diet, and substitutes have to be found for gluten-containing grains. The most frequently substituted grains are: rice, corn, and soy which are gluten-free and can be used with remarkable success. The down side to rice is, that when used for baking, it is quite bland and tasteless. Soy is another alternative, but it has been found, that 40% of those allergic to gluten are also allergic to soy and soy products. Corn can be baked with, made into pasta products, and can be used as a tasty hot cereal. But like soy, many people may be allergic to corn.
Two other foods can be successfully used in a gluten-free diet regimen: potatoes and buckwheat. Potatoes can be used as a side dish, a thickener, as flour for baking, and for pasta-like products. Buckwheat is an excellent plant source of easily digestible protein that contains all eight essential amino acids, high in fiber, and B vitamins. According to many studies, buckwheat helps to stabilize blood glucose levels - good news for patients who are either diabetic, or sensitive to carbohydrates in general. It has also been found to help lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. While botanically buckwheat is a fruit, it possesses grain-like properties. It can be used to make breads, pancakes, and a hot cereal called groats. The down side to buckwheat is, it has a strong flavor that some people don't like.
By avoiding gluten grains, many bowel disorders will begin to improve. Using the proper nutrients that promote intestinal healing, people suffering from chronic bowel disorders will begin to feel much better - probably for the first time in their lives. For nutrients, I usually recommend a moderate supplemental regimen that includes: plant-based digestive enzymes taken just before each meal, nutrients that are necessary for healing the intestinal mucosa, and a multiple vitamin to provide all of the nutrients that have been missing for years.
This program can improve digestion, elimination, an increased ability to absorb nutrients, better bodily functions, and a return of well being. With so many conditions linked to gluten sensitivity, it is very possible that gluten sensitivity may be the cause of chronic conditions that you were not able to resolve.
Seeking help and advice may help you to improve your health. If you have any questions about gluten free diets or the actual programs that I use, you may e-mail me at stevefelder@worldnet.att.net or call 914-939-3621.
Posted
by Dr. Steven Felder
