Are you Gluten Intolerant?

Gluten is a special type of protein molecule that is commonly found in wheat, rye, barley and in lesser amounts, in kamut and spelt. Grains that do not have gluten include brown, wild and white rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. Gluten is found in most types of cereals, breads and pastas and is actually the most nourishing part of the grain.

So whats the problem with gluten?
When gluten breaks down in the small intestine, it combines with water and yeast (a bacteria) to become a sticky, gluey mass that disrupts our assimilation and digestive process. Many people think absorption happens in our stomach. It actually occurs in the small intestine. Gluten sticks to and flattens the villa that lines our small intestine, whose job is to absorb nutrients from the food we ingest.

As a result, it creates for many a sensation of heaviness, yet we are literally starving from a lack of nutrients. Additionally, during the fermentation process, water and oxygen is absorbed, decreasing the amount of hydration and 02 to the brain. In increasing numbers, an intolerance to gluten results in fatigue, brain fog and weight gain or obesity. It can also lead to stomach cramming and loss of appetite, skin rashes and constipation, arthritis and auto-immune disorders (see below).

Why are so many people gluten-intolerant?

• The average america diet contains more processed (junk) food which takes more energy and time to break down than live, organic foods the body knows how to assimilate easily and use.
  
  
• Due to over cropping, our soil is deplete of the nutrients (especially minerals and enzymes) needed to metabolize our food during the digestive process.
  
  
• Higher than normal levels of cortisol in the blood stream (read what Dr. Jared Allomong has to say about gluten and hormonal imbalances).
  
  
• Gluten, metaphorically can symbolize being stuck due to a limiting core belief that creates a repetitive cycle, limiting the person's ability to go forward in life.
  (Listen to our Healthy & Free, May 26th radio archived show for details --very powerful...)
  
  
• Lack of forgiveness and self love. (Many people experience feeling stuck as a result of self judgment or self criticism which for many, can be a challenging pattern to break free of -- see our Nourish & Nurture Program for more insight).

Gluten-Intolerance & Celiac Disease can develop
at any point in life, from infancy to late adulthood.

Some people suffer from a more severe form of gluten intolerance called Celiac Disease. Individuals with celiac must eat foods that do not contain gluten in order to prevent illness. If improperly treated, celiac disease can be fatal. In addition, care must be taken when eating grains that do not contain gluten, particularly oats and teff, as they are commonly grown near foods with gluten or processed in the same bins.

Those with a family member with celiac disease (inhibits the digestion of gluten), are at greater risk for developing the disease or experience symptoms caused by an intolerance to gluten. It is most common in Caucasians and those of European ancestry. Women are affected more commonly than men.

Symptoms can vary significantly from person to person. This is inpart the reason the diagnosis is frequently delayed. For example, one person may have constipation, a second may have diarrhea, and a third may have no irregularity in stools.

A partial listing of gastrointestinal symptoms:

• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal distention, bloating, gas, indigestion
• Constipation
• Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged)
• Diarrhea, chronic or occasional
• Lactose intolerance (common upon diagnosis, usually goes away following treatment)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Stools that float, are foul smelling, bloody, or “fatty”
• Unexplained weight loss (although people can be overweight or of normal weight upon diagnosis)

A partial listing of non-intestinal symptoms:

• Anemia (low blood count)
• Bone and joint pain
• Bone disease (osteoporosis, kyphoscoliosis, fracture)
• Breathlessness (due to anemia)
• Bruising easily
• Dental enamel defects and discoloration
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Growth delay in children
• Hair loss
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• Irritability and behavioral changes
• Malnutrition
• Mouth ulcers
• Muscle cramps
• Nosebleed
• Seizures
• Short stature, unexplained
• Skin disorders (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• Swelling, general or abdominal
• Vitamin or mineral deficiency, single or multiple nutrient
  (for example: iron, folate, vitamin K)

There are numerous conditions associated with celiac disease including::

• Anemia
• Autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus
• Certain types of intestinal cancer
• Dermatitis herpetiformis
• Down syndrome
• *Lactose intolerance
• Miscarriage or unexplained infertility
• Neurological conditions
• Osteoporosis or osteopenia
• Thyroid disease
• Type 1 diabetes

*Learn how you may feel better than you have in years, begin by receiving a gluten-intolerance screening from Wellness Intuitive, Tcha LaPlaca.

Discover what a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, live enzymes and amino acids as a delicious and affordable whole food liquid, nutritional supplement can do for you, especially if you're gluten-intolerant or Celiac.

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