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. One tool to help with improve digestion and nutritional balance is the use of digestive enzymes. I also 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<<<
I went Gluten Free after YEARS of trouble, no doctor could ever figure it out. Huge improvement was immediate. This is so enlightening, I really appreciate having this info.
Wow I am learning so much from this site I have had almost every single problem linked to gluten over the past ten years symptoms come and go and change all the time for me but they all can be linked by the gluten intolerance its amazing doctors never figured it out a nutritionist did for me. Thank the lord for him!
I’m dairy and gluten intolerant plus I’m pre-diabetic and need to drastically reduce glucose. I’m running of food to eat…..am at my wits end to find food to eat at least 3 good meals per day. Anyone with the same or similar situation? Please help.
Please anyone who is not getting better being gluten free, have your Immune level checked, your GI antibodies and your yeast and bacteria levels. Leaky gut is such a hard thing to deal with and can take a very very long time to heal from. I think Many Drs. MDs to NDs are MISSING this, I know they did with me and it has set me back several years in getting better and a long road to health again and an expensive one. I took the best probiotics after I realized I had celiac and I took the best vitamins and herbs to heal the gut. Nothing worked, A year and a half later my health got worse and worse. You have to go after killing off the yeast and working at healing the gut. Nystatin etc. for yeast. Each ND told me that I had been Gluten free for a year so my gut should be healed. They were Wrong. Just want to put that out there.. from my experience so no one else has to go through this. 🙂
It is terrible that many doctors today are clueless when it comes to gluten sensitivity.
My sister-in-law was told by her doctor that she is borderline Celiac but she should continue eating foods with gluten because if she stops and accidentally ingests gluten she will be really sick. Scary, since he is an MD who has no clue and literally is hindering my sister-in-law from healing. Yikes!
This is why I am becoming a Holistic Health Coach and training to be certified through Dr. Osborne’s program. Thank you Dr. Osborne for all your knowlege and creating this certification program!
I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant (have gene on both sides of family) and casein intolerant about 2 1/2 years ago. Since then I’ve eaten a grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and processed food-free diet regimen. While the products I’ve taken to restore the brush border & create healthier enterocytes in my gut were helpful, true vibrant health occurred when I restored the healthy bacteria in myvgut. I’d suggest reading Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s book Gut and Psycology Syndrome where she explains how to heal and seal your gut back into health by restoring healthy gut bacteria. The protocol is eating meat broth soups, fermented vegetables, yogurt, and kefir among other fermented foods. She explains how autism, ADD/ADHD, autoimmune diseases, etc. occur when young children who have too much bad bacteria in their gut receive vaccines that overwhelm their immune systems because they aren’t healthy enough to receive the vaccine due to the overgrowth of bad bacteria in their gut. Fear not, for Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride was able to resore her son, who was born with autism, back to full health. So if you really want to return to full, vibrant health you must go grain free, sugar free, processed food-free and then heal and seal your gut.
For those of you who are suffering in the nerves due to celiac disease, watch less t.v. it contributes to the nervous system.
Just got through watching a vid on youtube about that but other things were on there that you might not agree on cause of the subject but it was brought up about t.v.’s and another thing, I’ve stopped using toothpaste because of the flouride in it,
it’s poisonous to our system and it’s causing health issues, my guess, around the world. I just use plain water and once in a while listerine.
Our food supply is not as safe as it once used to be, even foods that are supposed to be gluten/wheat free. Through no fault of their own, those making the foods in good conscience are also being lied to about what they purchase for our safety. You guys need to really dig deep and practically become a P.I. to make sure your food is safe. Not saying that all GF foods are bad just that we need to be more observant and question everything for our safety, that’s all I mean’t
And also stay away from meats unless they come from grass fed animals.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and hope I didn’t upset anyone, not my intentnion.
Leaky gut is far more common than most people realize, so limit additional toxic intake orally or through the skin. Large chain pharmacies not helpful in this area:
Fluoride-free toothpaste and mouthwash is available. Also consider parabens and SLS (sodium laurel or sodium laureth sulfate, a de-greasing agent) as substances to avoid in mouth, hair and skin products.
New info is coming out now about toxic molds infiltrating all grains, so limiting intake is a good idea.
After years of my allgerist telling me I could have a gluten issue.(I tested of Gluten senistivty and it came back neg.) She still told me it was a gluten problem. While I was returning home from a trip to Fl. I got so sick after eating at Crackle Barrel that I took a pain pill and feel asleep in the back seat of the car all the way home. But I got really bad stomach cramps on my left side that travels all the way up to my left neck when I eat something is should not. I is worst then delivering a baby it is so bad. I have to lay down if I can for a while. Then I get diarrhea after the attack. Has any one done this?
i have been coliac disease for about to years but despite on being gluten free diet i was still unwell so i used regularly visit the doctors after good to years i decided to change my doctor since my situation wasn’t improving,so doctor told me i had candida(yeast infection)been on medication for about a month and since then my general health was drastically changed so the doctor decided run another blood taste to make sure if the problem i had was caused by yeast infection or if i was celiac and so the result came out negative, went back to my normal diet(wheat) for about a week after being on gluten free for two years, now i feel like am back on stage one so i discontinued and am now back to my gluten free food do you think my villi is more damaged now than before is there i chance i might get other diseases am really scared please help me ? ?
Does anyone know of a site you can get menus for normal everyday people.. I get so tired od all the recipes that you have to own the store to cook.. What’s wrong with just normal short ones, and maybe some menus that help u get started. Thanks. Donna
Donna,
I donated most GF cookbooks – Many are heavy into starches: potatoes, eggs and corn, and I wasn’t losing any weight. However, if you need to gain weight, they may be helpful. I went nearly 100% grain free, to modified Paleo diet. Paleo diet recipes are often easy to find and cook…Dr Osborne offers one on this site.
I find that my other symptoms have slowly continued to improve over the two years that I have been gluten free. I am taking multiple vitamins and am eating as much fresh organic food as possible. No more allergies, joint pain, or stomach problems. The symptoms occurred over a long period of time, you can’t expect them to disappear overnight. I think patience and good nutrition will eventually reverse all the problems secondary to malabsorption.
Following a diagnosis in 2009, I’ve rebounded fairly well, but the most success came when I gave up on the idea of getting my old life back (with modifications).
Now, after educating myself on reading labels in the supermarket, and following some GF websites on facebook, I have a routine.
Off the shelf pro-biotic pill every morning.
A juicing machine with leafy veggies for rebuilding lost bone mass.Breakfast most days.
Packed lunch with lean meat, cheese and GF bread or corn tortilla wrap. Thermos of GF soup. Fruit or Candy bar.
Dinner of fish or meat, rice or potatoes and a salad.
Have continued physical work, with the biggest problem being arthritic pain and stolen lunches. Leaky gut syndrome has gradually eased and dairy and occasional alcohol among friends(tequila or hard cider) tolerated well.
Getting a diagnosis like that at middle age was the last thing I wanted to hear, but the choice was stark.
Adapt or give up.
15 Responses
I went Gluten Free after YEARS of trouble, no doctor could ever figure it out. Huge improvement was immediate. This is so enlightening, I really appreciate having this info.
Wow I am learning so much from this site I have had almost every single problem linked to gluten over the past ten years symptoms come and go and change all the time for me but they all can be linked by the gluten intolerance its amazing doctors never figured it out a nutritionist did for me. Thank the lord for him!
I’m dairy and gluten intolerant plus I’m pre-diabetic and need to drastically reduce glucose. I’m running of food to eat…..am at my wits end to find food to eat at least 3 good meals per day. Anyone with the same or similar situation? Please help.
Please anyone who is not getting better being gluten free, have your Immune level checked, your GI antibodies and your yeast and bacteria levels. Leaky gut is such a hard thing to deal with and can take a very very long time to heal from. I think Many Drs. MDs to NDs are MISSING this, I know they did with me and it has set me back several years in getting better and a long road to health again and an expensive one. I took the best probiotics after I realized I had celiac and I took the best vitamins and herbs to heal the gut. Nothing worked, A year and a half later my health got worse and worse. You have to go after killing off the yeast and working at healing the gut. Nystatin etc. for yeast. Each ND told me that I had been Gluten free for a year so my gut should be healed. They were Wrong. Just want to put that out there.. from my experience so no one else has to go through this. 🙂
It is terrible that many doctors today are clueless when it comes to gluten sensitivity.
My sister-in-law was told by her doctor that she is borderline Celiac but she should continue eating foods with gluten because if she stops and accidentally ingests gluten she will be really sick. Scary, since he is an MD who has no clue and literally is hindering my sister-in-law from healing. Yikes!
This is why I am becoming a Holistic Health Coach and training to be certified through Dr. Osborne’s program. Thank you Dr. Osborne for all your knowlege and creating this certification program!
I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant (have gene on both sides of family) and casein intolerant about 2 1/2 years ago. Since then I’ve eaten a grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and processed food-free diet regimen. While the products I’ve taken to restore the brush border & create healthier enterocytes in my gut were helpful, true vibrant health occurred when I restored the healthy bacteria in myvgut. I’d suggest reading Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s book Gut and Psycology Syndrome where she explains how to heal and seal your gut back into health by restoring healthy gut bacteria. The protocol is eating meat broth soups, fermented vegetables, yogurt, and kefir among other fermented foods. She explains how autism, ADD/ADHD, autoimmune diseases, etc. occur when young children who have too much bad bacteria in their gut receive vaccines that overwhelm their immune systems because they aren’t healthy enough to receive the vaccine due to the overgrowth of bad bacteria in their gut. Fear not, for Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride was able to resore her son, who was born with autism, back to full health. So if you really want to return to full, vibrant health you must go grain free, sugar free, processed food-free and then heal and seal your gut.
HI Marion
you can buy very good priced grass fed beef from Aldi, kind rgds, Martine
For those of you who are suffering in the nerves due to celiac disease, watch less t.v. it contributes to the nervous system.
Just got through watching a vid on youtube about that but other things were on there that you might not agree on cause of the subject but it was brought up about t.v.’s and another thing, I’ve stopped using toothpaste because of the flouride in it,
it’s poisonous to our system and it’s causing health issues, my guess, around the world. I just use plain water and once in a while listerine.
Our food supply is not as safe as it once used to be, even foods that are supposed to be gluten/wheat free. Through no fault of their own, those making the foods in good conscience are also being lied to about what they purchase for our safety. You guys need to really dig deep and practically become a P.I. to make sure your food is safe. Not saying that all GF foods are bad just that we need to be more observant and question everything for our safety, that’s all I mean’t
And also stay away from meats unless they come from grass fed animals.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and hope I didn’t upset anyone, not my intentnion.
Peae to all
Leaky gut is far more common than most people realize, so limit additional toxic intake orally or through the skin. Large chain pharmacies not helpful in this area:
Fluoride-free toothpaste and mouthwash is available. Also consider parabens and SLS (sodium laurel or sodium laureth sulfate, a de-greasing agent) as substances to avoid in mouth, hair and skin products.
New info is coming out now about toxic molds infiltrating all grains, so limiting intake is a good idea.
After years of my allgerist telling me I could have a gluten issue.(I tested of Gluten senistivty and it came back neg.) She still told me it was a gluten problem. While I was returning home from a trip to Fl. I got so sick after eating at Crackle Barrel that I took a pain pill and feel asleep in the back seat of the car all the way home. But I got really bad stomach cramps on my left side that travels all the way up to my left neck when I eat something is should not. I is worst then delivering a baby it is so bad. I have to lay down if I can for a while. Then I get diarrhea after the attack. Has any one done this?
i have been coliac disease for about to years but despite on being gluten free diet i was still unwell so i used regularly visit the doctors after good to years i decided to change my doctor since my situation wasn’t improving,so doctor told me i had candida(yeast infection)been on medication for about a month and since then my general health was drastically changed so the doctor decided run another blood taste to make sure if the problem i had was caused by yeast infection or if i was celiac and so the result came out negative, went back to my normal diet(wheat) for about a week after being on gluten free for two years, now i feel like am back on stage one so i discontinued and am now back to my gluten free food do you think my villi is more damaged now than before is there i chance i might get other diseases am really scared please help me ? ?
Does anyone know of a site you can get menus for normal everyday people.. I get so tired od all the recipes that you have to own the store to cook.. What’s wrong with just normal short ones, and maybe some menus that help u get started. Thanks. Donna
Donna,
I donated most GF cookbooks – Many are heavy into starches: potatoes, eggs and corn, and I wasn’t losing any weight. However, if you need to gain weight, they may be helpful. I went nearly 100% grain free, to modified Paleo diet. Paleo diet recipes are often easy to find and cook…Dr Osborne offers one on this site.
I find that my other symptoms have slowly continued to improve over the two years that I have been gluten free. I am taking multiple vitamins and am eating as much fresh organic food as possible. No more allergies, joint pain, or stomach problems. The symptoms occurred over a long period of time, you can’t expect them to disappear overnight. I think patience and good nutrition will eventually reverse all the problems secondary to malabsorption.
Following a diagnosis in 2009, I’ve rebounded fairly well, but the most success came when I gave up on the idea of getting my old life back (with modifications).
Now, after educating myself on reading labels in the supermarket, and following some GF websites on facebook, I have a routine.
Off the shelf pro-biotic pill every morning.
A juicing machine with leafy veggies for rebuilding lost bone mass.Breakfast most days.
Packed lunch with lean meat, cheese and GF bread or corn tortilla wrap. Thermos of GF soup. Fruit or Candy bar.
Dinner of fish or meat, rice or potatoes and a salad.
Have continued physical work, with the biggest problem being arthritic pain and stolen lunches. Leaky gut syndrome has gradually eased and dairy and occasional alcohol among friends(tequila or hard cider) tolerated well.
Getting a diagnosis like that at middle age was the last thing I wanted to hear, but the choice was stark.
Adapt or give up.