Going Gluten Free is Not Always Enough to Heal


Years of Gluten Induced Damage Needs Help Healing

The status of the body after being exposed to gluten for years and years prior a medical diagnosis is not ideal. Typically, a person will have developed 1 or more autoimmune diseases. The internal chemistry favors inflammation, and the nutritional status of vitamins and minerals is suppressed and deficient. These factors can work against the body's ability to heal, and in many cases, the body will not begin to heal until these factors are addressed.

Autoimmune Disease

One of the primary detriments caused by gluten is autoimmune disease. Most patients will have developed at least one before they are diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Celiac disease, Hashimoto's, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Migraine, Neuropathy, Psoriasis, and Asthma are a few common examples. Once an autoimmune disease develops, it can take 2-3 years to calm the immune system down. This process often times requires the investigation of other food and environmental allergens, as these can perpetuate autoimmune dysfunction. I recommend that you have your doctor investigate this possibility with you.

Nutritional Deficiencies Through Mal-absorption, Mal-digestion, and Increased Need

Gluten can damage the mouth, stomach, small intestines, large intestines liver (including the gallbladder), and the pancreas. All of these organs are necessary for proper digestion, absorption, and assimilation of nutrients from the food you eat. Damage to these organs can take time to repair, but also requires adequate nutrition. If a person is nutritionally compromised, the road to recovery is stopped or slowed dramatically. I recommend that you and your doctor perform functional lab testing to determine vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is important to use functional lab tests, as serum measurements are very inaccurate.

Infection - A Commonly Missed Factor in the Recovery Process

Aside from damaging the organs of digestion, gluten has been shown to alter the normal bacterial flora in the gastrointestinal tract. The bacterial changes can predispose a person to secondary infections. It is very common for patients with gluten intolerance to develop bacterial, yeast, parasitic, and viral infections. These types of chronic infections can weaken the immune systems ability to perform its normal functions and subsequently lead to or contribute to the development of other disease. For example, yeast infections are common contributors to muscle pain and inflammation, fatigue, and memory loss.

Gluten can also create microscopic holes in your intestine (leaky gut). These holes allow for whole proteins and micro-organisms to leak into your bloodstream. This process contributes to further immune dysfunction and perpetual systemic inflammation. Get with your doctor and have him or her order tests to assess for infections as well as to assess for intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and abnormal bacterial overgrowth.

My Doctor Won't Help Me

I started Gluten Free Society to help educate patients and doctors about gluten and the recovery process. One of the reasons I was compelled to do this is because 90% of my patients come to me because traditional medicine has failed them and their doctors refuse to look beyond the proverbial box. If you fall into the 90%, visit our doctor database and look for a doctor who has been certified and trained by Gluten Free Society.

If you still can't find a doctor in your area, I have developed a protocol to help you address many of the above issues.