Gluten Blog

Greetings Orac,

I thought this might be of interest to you in particular because you seem quite up to date with the mercury/autism/naturalism noise that is circulating the internet.

My name is John and I’m fairly new to blogging. I’m a big fan of http://scienceblogs.com particularly because there is so much skepticism of untested medical theory that passes as “wisdom” so often on the internet.

However, when it comes to my pet medical cause, Celiac Disease, I’ve noticed that the gluten-free diet often ends up associated with anti-vaccinationists and other sorts of medical quackery. Gluten returns as a search result 20 times on scienceblogs.com, almost exclusively in relation to tainted Chinese products or the latest fads in autism quackery. Celiac only returns three times: once as a user comment, once in a list of digestive conditions, and once in reference to the celiac trunk and not celiac disease at all.

What I would love to see for once, is a story about Celiac Disease and the medically verified effects of a gluten-free diet.

from my site https://glutenblog.com:

The University of Chicago estimates that as few as 3% of all affected Celiac Disease patients have been correctly diagnosed – and on average, those “lucky” few have waited 11 years from the onset of symptoms until the diagnosis was made.

Random sampling and records from nations with universal screening indicates that Celiac Disease affects between 1 in 90 and 1 in 133 people.

This meets the World Health Organization’s frequency criteria for universal screening, but we barely ever catch it. Everyone thinks of allergies: hives, asphyxiation, swelling – but the symptoms of intolerence are completely different.

The patient may be underweight or overweight, constipated or constantly suffering diarrhea. There might be an intensely itching skin irritation, or exhaustion, or symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration. Then again, there may be no symptoms at all.

The University of Chicago says there are over 200 possible symptoms of Celiac Disease and some of these include neurological disfunction or impaired development. Statistically, it makes sense for autistic patients to be tested for Celiac Disease but legitimate scientists shy away from the subject because of its exploitation by profiteering quacks. Maybe I’m wrong about testing autistic individuals for Celiac, but since the WHO says everyone should be tested for Celiac Disease, it would be a cost-effective compromise to at least test chronically ill patients for the disease.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac Disease is basically an intestinal condition caused by a negative auto-immune response to gluten, a protein that can be found in wheat, rye, and barley. This is distinct from an allergic reaction to wheat, but it is no less dangerous. The criteria for diagnosing Celiac is traditionally a small intestine biopsy: flattened villae indicate a positive confirmation. The intestines are damaged by auto-immune chemicals sent by the body to fight the protein, and eventually the intestine loses the ability to absorb food. The tissue damage also increases the risk of malignancies developing later on…

Although the condition has been historically defined by the status of the intestines, it really is a whole-body auto-immune condition. The emphasis has been shifting toward blood testing – and more patients are finding the diagnosis they need.

Untreated Celiac Disease is a killer, with mortality and malignancy rates out-pacing the general population by significant margins. Its also fairly common, affecting about 1% of the population.

Symptoms:

The symptoms are open-ended. The patient may be underweight or overweight, constipated or constantly suffering diarrhea. There might be an intensely itching skin irritation, or exhaustion, or symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration. Then again, there may be no symptoms at all.

Diagnosis Rates:

It shouldn’t be surprising then that it has been extremely under-diagnosed in the United States. The University of Chicago estimates that as few as 3% of all affected Celiac Disease patients have been correctly diagnosed – and on average, those lucky few have waited 11 years from the onset of symptoms until the diagnosis was made.

Random sampling and records from nations with universal screening indicates that Celiac Disease affects between 1 in 90 and 1 in 133 people. This is about 2.5 million Americans – and yet only about 75,000 are diagnosed.

Gluten Protein: “Killer” Plant Defense

Plants need to defend themselves, too. I think gluten is a great example of this plant defense, even if most of the human population has by now adapted around it. The protein is an incredibly complex chain of amino acids that includes a significant dose of opioid peptides (mimicking the effect of opiates in the brain) and phytohormones. In “normal” digestive systems, these are no problem – but in a compromised digestive system often accompanied by “leaky gut” you can start to see how the protein wreaks havoc on an unprepared immune system.

Well they were right about not remembering the surgery. The last thing I remember is a small cut from the IV. After that I remember being in bed, rolling over a few times and thinking that I wouldn’t have to worry about the alarm clock.

There’s a lot of swelling left and I have to admit its hurting still, despite the good pain meds and tons of sleep.

Starving, thirsty – a few milkshakes helped a little bit but I really have a craving for a big steak and some hash browns. Of course, as good as it sounds to my stomach that sounds like torture for my teeth.

I have been awake maybe six hours since the surgery and yet I feel like its bed time.

The pain of the cuts feels a lot different than the nerve pain of cramped teeth. I have to admit that the superficial slashes don’t hurt nearly as much as the deep bone pain I had been feeling before. I guess I’m being a wimp but the medicine is helping with that, buzzing my mind and making me sleepy again.

I had the same medication eight years ago when I had my tonsils out. Liquid loritab. (jeez, I Hope its gluten-free, its liquid so its worth a hope). Back then I had a prescription that would last me eight days but I felt so addicted after six days that I decided to take the pain and reject the drug. The prescription I got this time isn’t a fraction of last time, so hopefully I can watch my intake and not deal with the withdrawals.

You know things are bad when you’re actually looking forward to a trip to the dentist.

I spent most of the day at the dentist’s today too, for x-rays and consultation. There are only two wisdom teeth, but one is completely embedded in the bone and they’re both right up against the major nerve. The top row is perfectly straight and the bottom row with the wisdom teeth in it is starting to point toward the center. The contrast was quite visible!

The bad news is no food or drink (even water!) after midnight. No smoking for five days!

At least I can sleep through the surgery. They say I should wake with no recollection of the procedure – and I hope they’re right.

Elegant simplicity:

Take a glass, and fill it 2/3 with chocolate (or vanilla or strawberry or whatever ice-cream you like.)  I’ll pick a nice, safely gluten-free flavor like good-ole chocolate.

Now fill it up with milk.

Wait.

Wait a little more.

Are you waiting?

Stir it a little bit.  There you go!  You have a milkshake.

Oh but its a little lumpy compared to one in the blender, eh?  Well, when you’re eating on a budget, anything that saves time contributes to the budget.  The time it takes to use the blender and clean it out adds up, especially when you’re drinking 3 milkshakes a night like I am!

Speaking of that, how am I so underweight after a steak&bacon feast and three milkshakes a day..I guess that’s a personal benefit of the gluten-free diet!