Gluten Intolerance/Celiac Diease Basic Information

Celiac Diease is commonly referred to as gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and oats. Celiac is defined as relating to the abdomen or abdomen cavity. The symptoms of gluten sensitivity are not limited to abdomen issues such as irritable bowel disease. Gluten sensitivity is an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body. Gliadin, a glycoprotein found in gluten, attacks the small intestine lining causing damage to the tiny villi, which absorbs nutrients.

 The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 diseases that can be caused by eating gluten. These included anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Gluten was also linked to neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, and migraines. A skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis is also caused by gluten intolerance. It is an itchy, blistering rash that usually occurs on the torso, scalp and buttocks.

For millennium our diets consisted of wild game (meat), fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. During the Neolithic period (9500 BCE) humans began cultivating wheat. Our bodies were not designed to digest gluten and break it down into individual amino acids.

 Gluten intolerance is genetic, 30% of people of European descent carry the gene, with higher numbers of people of English, Irish and Mediterranean ancestry.  People with type O blood are more likely to have gluten intolerance and 60% of people with gluten intolerance are women.

Gluten sensitivity is a very serious condition. Read all food labels. Gluten is found in soup mixes, salad dressings, sauces, vitamins, as well as lipstick and stamps. Even Play-Doh contains gluten!


written by Johnny

"The healthiest response to life is joy. Deepak Chopra"