Gluten-Free But You Can Still Have A Serious Problem To Still Fix

[heidi g.]

hello. i am 21 years old going to medical school. after taking an antibiotic i have developed stomach problems. i went with out a clue for 1 year. now i finally had an endoscopy done and they took a biopsy which confirmed damaged villi which usually indicates gluten intolerance. now i believe (due to no medical history of celiacs disease in my family confirmed all the way back to the 1800's thanks to family history researches my mother has done for years) that i have leaky gut syndrome which has caused me to be gluten intolerent. i believe if i heal my gut fully in 5 years or so i could maybe introduce back certain foods and a little bit of grains. now those are my beliefs but this what im about to tell you in beneficial and has nothing to do with my hypothesis. as ive said leaky gut syndrome is in fact linked with celiacs disease or gluten intolerence. and what it is is an unhealed gut. the gluten diet heal the gut slowly but what ive researched makes the gut heal faster. it is still gluten free of course. imagine your gut inflamed and swollen. you still eat the gluten free diet but your stomach still gets its reactions. a sign of an inflmaed gut. 2. another way to tell is if you take acidolphilus and you have a bad reaction. now to heal your gut so you can continue with the gluten free diet lifestyle in peace. take L- glutamine 1 hour before breakfast 1 hour before dinner. drink 1 cup of tea id recommend chammomile or ginger tea, herbal only. if you dont like tea you could even sip on hot water. take 3 papaya after meals (a natural digestive enzyme) after 2-4 weeks start on a probiotic (a gluten free capsule stay away from dairy ((yogurt)) for now) now for the diet. stay away from refined sugars, carbonated drinks, any type of salt, any type of oil, dairy products, caffefine. eat from the earth. fresh vegetables, limit the fruits due to sugar (sugar is damaging to a healing gut) plain rice, cook or steam the vegetables for raw vegetables are hard to digest, rice chex, small potatoes, light meats. don't overate the meats because it takes harder to digest. stay away from heavy chicken, steak, and ground beef. fish is good you need omega 3 oils. you can take those in capsules as well. for proteins eat egg and fish. experiment for light foods. this is a cleansing diet to help your intestines. of course its going to be annoying to follow but once you see how better you feel you will appreciate yourself for doing it. you need to mentally heal aswell. take a hot bath before bed. soothes the digestive system (from the heat of the water) and relaxes you. drink alot of water to flush out your system. and the meditate. stare at a beautiful picture or just daydream. i am still researching more ways to heal your body. this can be used for crohn's disease, celiacs disease, and people with ulcers, ulcerative colitis. i myself have gluten intolerance thats whaat inspired my research and studies. alot of doctors diagnosis you and send you on your way. they dont tell you much so i hope i can help more people with my research. good luck to you all.

[heidi g.]

i also forgot to include that antibiotics are in alot of meats and they damage the healing gut process so id suggest to eat organic meats while trying to heal. even gluten free foods are hard to digest so you need to heal your gut before going all out. they have some great gluten free recipes out there to enjoy! ive recently discovered gluten free chocolate cake mix sold at the store but to eat that when you have an inflamed gut is going to hurt due to the chocolate cocoa in the cake mix.

[domesticactivist]

You might get a lot out of the GAPS book. It is all about restoring a good gut flora balance and healing leaky guts. However, I do think a lot of healing can be done, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to reintroduce gluten. In many cases I think the gluten may be the root cause of the damage which leads to leaky guts. All the people I know who have healed their guts have discovered that returning to old habits brought back the old problems.

[heidi g.]

i will stay gluten free just because it is a healthy lifestyle but i would like to test it out. but im not going to do so until years. i need to continue researching. its said because when i interview gi doctors, their very limited on information

[ravenwoodglass]

i will stay gluten free just because it is a healthy lifestyle but i would like to test it out. but im not going to do so until years. i need to continue researching. its said because when i interview gi doctors, their very limited on information

If you are celiac reintroducing gluten in a few years is a real mistake. Doctors thought for years that celiac was a childhood illness and that kids would outgrow it because after years gluten free they seemed not to react to gluten when it was reintroduced. We now know that it not the case but it can take a while for the symptoms to become pronounced again and meanwhile the antibodies and resulting inflammation can be attacking pretty much any body system.

[heidi g.]

im not celiac. i believe there is an underlying cause for me to be gluten intolerent. docotrs say it is hereditary. but no one has had celiacs disease in my family traced all the way back to the 1800's. so why after an antibiotic does this happen? why even on the gluten free diet does my stomach feel bloated and sick? i don't believe i have full blown celiacs i believe the antibiotic damaged my gut and it gave me food allergies until it heals.

[jswog]

im not celiac. i believe there is an underlying cause for me to be gluten intolerent. docotrs say it is hereditary. but no one has had celiacs disease in my family traced all the way back to the 1800's. so why after an antibiotic does this happen? why even on the gluten free diet does my stomach feel bloated and sick? i don't believe i have full blown celiacs i believe the antibiotic damaged my gut and it gave me food allergies until it heals.

But you say you had flattened villi shown on intestinal biopsy? Then you DO have Celiac Disease. And are you 100% sure there is no history of Celiac or other auto-immune disease? Auto-immunie diseases were not understood until relatively recently, so it could well be that there were undaignosed celiacs back there somewhere. And what about other auto-immune disorders such as auto-immune thyroiditis, Crohn's Disease, Cushing's Disease, Fibromylagia, etc.? And IMHO, the antiobitic cannot just damage your gut without a propensity to it being damaged. People go on antibiotics EVERY DAY without ending up with flattened villi. And Celiac Disease is NOT a food allergy; a food allergy is NOT going to cause flattened villi. Celiac is an auto-immune disease.

[ravenwoodglass]

im not celiac. i believe there is an underlying cause for me to be gluten intolerent. docotrs say it is hereditary. but no one has had celiacs disease in my family traced all the way back to the 1800's. so why after an antibiotic does this happen? why even on the gluten free diet does my stomach feel bloated and sick? i don't believe i have full blown celiacs i believe the antibiotic damaged my gut and it gave me food allergies until it heals.

Many celiacs have a trigger event and the illness you required the antibiotics for my have been your trigger or may have excaberated the disease. Antibiotics will cause an imbalance in the intestinal bacteria that is normally present. That can cause D and other intestinal problems until they come back into balance. They will not flatten villi. The autoimmune disease celiac does though. Just because you don't have any family members diagnosed with celiac does not mean that no one had it. Even now doctors have a hard time diagnosing many of us. You have had the endo which showed the 'Gold Standard' for diagnosis. It is pretty unlikely that you are not celiac. You need to go with whole unprocessed foods and avoid places like Subway which have very high risks of cross contamination.

[bartfull]

And if you're still not feeling well after being gluten free for a while, odds are you are intolerant to other things. I found out that corn is even worse for me than wheat. And with the help of some great folks on this board, I figured out that I am salicylate sensitive. Others have problems with tree nuts, nightshades, and a host of others. Flattened villi are a sure sign you have celiac, so please, be careful.

[Skylark]

You might get a lot out of the GAPS book. It is all about restoring a good gut flora balance and healing leaky guts. However, I do think a lot of healing can be done, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to reintroduce gluten. In many cases I think the gluten may be the root cause of the damage which leads to leaky guts. All the people I know who have healed their guts have discovered that returning to old habits brought back the old problems.

I was about to suggest the GAPS book too. There is a lot of information in that book, plus a lot of useful references. It's well worth reading for anyone with GI/emotional problems and/or food intolerances.

I didn't take the GAPS book as suggesting that gluten is the root cause of leaky gut. The zonulin research doesn't support that idea either.

[domesticactivist]

No, GAPS does not say gluten is the cause o leaky gut. The causes seem to be complex and varied from what I've read. However GAPS also doesn't claim to make it safe for celiacs to return to a gluten heavy diet. It is my *opinion* that for gluten intolerant and celiac people that the gluten reactions are probably more of a primary cause of problems, and will eventually cause problems again if reintroduced after a healing protocol.

[domesticactivist]

Realizing my tone here sounds rude. Sorry about that, I'm just being brief due to the noisy room and being on my phone. No ill will intended toward anyone!

[Skylark]

You're right. It's her FAQ where I read it. Open Original Shared Link

Is gluten intolerance a subset of GAPS or is it something independent?

Yes, gluten intolerance is a subset of GAPS. Gluten is a large protein molecule and is quite difficult to digest, even for people with a healthy gut. People with abnormal flora and hence damaged gut function are much less able to break gluten down. In those people where gluten absorbs partially digested the immune system can develop antibodies against it, which leads to celiac disease.

I still don’t understand if the GAPS diet actually heals celiac, Crohn’s disease and gluten intolerance or whether it just manages it. For example, would a person with celiac, who successfully did the GAPS diet for 2 years, then be able to eat gluten? Or would they be less sensitive to gluten if they had it in limited quantities? Or would they need to continue to not eat gluten but have overcome the symptoms of celiac?

GAPS diet may cure celiac disease and other inflammatory bowel condition, not only manage them. Of course, everybody is different and would take different time to heal. [sourdough recipes edited out]

And from another section...

Why is blue cheese (of all kinds) legal on the diet when it may contain gluten?

Please, see the previous question. Cheese is introduced in the diet much later, and blue cheese is not the first on the list. By then a lot of healing happened in the gut lining, and the person can digest small amounts of gluten, as well as many other proteins. The beauty of GAPS Programme is that it heals the gut, so you do not have to avoid any real food for the rest of your life, including gluten-containing foods. People, who used to be diagnosed as celiac, after following the diet for a few years, can eat ordinary bread and pasta and any other gluten-containing foods.

[domesticactivist]

I stand corrected, but I still don't buy it Im all for the stuff with science to back it up, though. GAPS is great, but that sounds a bit too good to be true to me. Of course I'd love to be proved wrong, though!

[ravenwoodglass]

GAPS diet may cure celiac disease and other inflammatory bowel condition, not only manage them. Of course, everybody is different and would take different time to heal. [sourdough recipes edited out]

I'm sorry but I just don't buy into that diet being a 'cure' for celiac. It might be helpful in healing the gut when we first go gluten free but cure celiac, well I think that is taking it a bit too far.

[heidi g.]

a couple doctors don't even believe in an illness called leaky gut. i have also ready that other things can damage villi. my villi was not completely flat. i can still gain weight when eating gluten but i can eat non gluten things and ill still get the biggest symptom, inflammation and gas. Im taking 2 diets and making them one. just so your gut can heal and you can start eating gluten free. THE DIET IS GLUTEN FREE FROM THE GET GO. i have experimented with this diet with me and a couple other patients that come into our clinic. its a very simple diet and there's no salts or additives that will agitate you gut. for example- rice and a boiled egg. protein but rice is easy to digest. spinach also has anti inflammatory products in there. i am basically suggesting for 2 weeks to eat plain and fresh from the earth. now you can comment and tell me its a bad idea. the diet worked for me and other people and i was just sharing a way to help you feel better. there's no hard coming to you if you try it; its safe. if you don't want to then don't. leaky gut has said to cause gluten intolerance and gluten intolerance has said to cause leaky gut. i just went out of my way to create a simple diet to knock out two birds with one stone. id rather not hear anyone's negative input ok? your free to believe what you want. And sorry if my spelling is a little off. Im not perfect

[ravenwoodglass]

i am basically suggesting for 2 weeks to eat plain and fresh from the earth.

That's what we are all advised to do and many of us do eat that way and have for years.

I don't think anyone was saying that the diet was not a good one and can be beneficial. What some of us do disagree with is the idea that it will somehow cure celiac disease and enable us to go back to eating gluten at a later time.

[heidi g.]

This is my story- I took an antibiotic and excedrin (because the antibiotic gave me a migraine) on an empty stomach, like a dummy, and my stomach had a bad reaction. It gave me gastritis for 4 months and when that healed, i had problem digesting meats, pastas, pizza, etc. Now when i ate bread, it didn't bother me that much. My question is: Is it possible for an antibiotic to cause villi damage? I am also wondering is there any other conditions that can cause villi damage? I have heard that the antibiotic can be a trigger. I have also heard that celiac disease is a hereditary disease and no one in my family has had it (no records i have found so far). I believe the only medical history in my family is diabetes.

[psawyer]

Heidi,

Antibiotics are sometimes associated with the onset of celiac disease, but it is not the antibiotic that is the trigger. It is the underlying infection for which the antibiotic is prescribed that stresses the immune system.

Damage to the villi can also be caused by:

Tropical sprue;

Giardiasis ("beaver fever");

exposure to high levels of radiation;

alcohol abuse.

However, the most common cause by far is celiac disease. The pathologist's examination of the biopsied tissue should identify the cause.

[heidi g.]

Okay thank you that does make sense.

[sahm-i-am]

I am also wondering is there any other conditions that can cause villi damage?

I have heard corn and soy can cause problems to villi:

Open Original Shared Link

[Di2011]

This is my story- I took an antibiotic and excedrin (because the antibiotic gave me a migraine) on an empty stomach, like a dummy, and my stomach had a bad reaction. It gave me gastritis for 4 months and when that healed, i had problem digesting meats, pastas, pizza, etc. Now when i ate bread, it didn't bother me that much. My question is: Is it possible for an antibiotic to cause villi damage? I am also wondering is there any other conditions that can cause villi damage? I have heard that the antibiotic can be a trigger. I have also heard that celiac disease is a hereditary disease and no one in my family has had it (no records i have found so far). I believe the only medical history in my family is diabetes.

Celiac History: Open Original Shared Link

My maternal side family medical history contains the following references:

depression, alcoholism, bowel cancer(plural), all and sunder issues with sinus/stomach, pollen allergy, asthma...

NO Celiac (or Coeliac as we use in Australia)

But then how long has the term Celiac/Coeliac been used in medical documents? Bet it still hasn't made it onto many death certificates, autopsy reports and coroners reports.

I believe the lack of the term Celiac/Coeliac in my families history/medical records (written and oral) is by omission and not because family members were not suffering from the side effects of and death by complication of Celiac/Coeliac

[Bubba's Mom]

There's an article here that lists other reasons for flattened villi.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/50/1/Main-Causes-of-Flattened-Villi/Page1.html

It makes all of this more confusing!