Reading Dr. Green's Book And Feeling Angry

[gfp]

The situation that progressive doctors are in is a little like someone in aincient Rome coming up with the idea that lead water pipes are bad for health.

People just don't want to know and it goes against much of what is viewed as being a 'civilised' society.

Of course we can look back now and be horrified that the Romans not only thought lead was harmelss but necassary for civilisation.

Our society has grown up with sandwiches and burgers buns etc. and most convenience food being wheat based so we view the all-night deli or drive through fast food as something we define as a standard of civilisation.

Whenever someone suggests, hey 1/3 of people might actually be adversely affected by a common protein like gluten there is a huge backlash .... Dr. Fine and others face an uphill battle largely due to peers who choose not to read the studies that have been made and instead seek to maintain the status quo.

[mle-ii]

Just started reading this book and it's been pretty darn good so far. Only through chapter 2 though.

I really got a lot out of his talk about how the GI system is supposed to work and how gluten affects it. What's funny is that after that explanation and him talking about celiac being autoimmune I'm questioning that it is really an autoimmune reaction. Immune reaction for sure but autoimmune I'm thinking not.

Here's my line of thinking that I posted elsewhere.

What's interesting is that I'm now having thoughts that there is no such thing as Autoimmune, well I was before, but even more so now.

For example, the bacteria in the colon, even though it is a part of the digestive system it is indeed not part of self, so in that regards attacking the bacteria is not an autoimmune response. I'm even thinking that it's not even an "incorrect" response. It is a real response to a part that isn't part of the body therefore it is the correct response. My guess is that something set off the immune response and that something or some other mechanism is not letting it stop; it is continuously protecting itself even at its own demise. The body is on high alert protecting itself from all matter that it thinks doesn't belong.

Related to this, I just read the first two chapters of Dr Greens new book "Celiac Disease, A hidden Epidemic", where he describes celiac as autoimmune and describes the sequence of events that lead to the distruction of the villi. What is odd is that reading the response made sense, and didn't sound at all like an autoimmune response. It sounds like the system is working perfectly well in protecting itself from an attack.

Look at what it does:

1) Body sees something that doesn't belong, doesn't belong in that it's trying to get into the body via the mucosa, the thing is made of protein much like other invaders (virus) or perhaps even has a pathogen along for the ride.

2) The body starts an immune response to regect and attack the object.

3) Part of the immune response is to create antibodies (which do no good) and to creat inflamation.

4) This inflamation destroys the villi. But this is a bad thing right? Well look at this way. The body is reducing the attack surface (destroying villi), making itself impenetrable (inflamation) and sending in the troups to attack (hormones, chemicals, etc).

How was any of that autoimmune? The body did not attack itself, it protected itself and does a pretty damn good job. If only the brain attached to that body would listen and stop ingesting the object it's trying to attack/repel.

Isn't the human body absolutely amazing?

Mike

[queenofhearts]

Since you mentioned looking for a good book, I can't help but recommend Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" which I'm in the middle of right now. Just a an unflinching look at what has happened in this country with our "disconnect" from nature in terms of the "food" we grow and everything else! It is, at times, painful to read, even though I've been aware of these things, his research is painstaking. Anyone interested in eating well and supporting a return to "whole foods" ought to read it. Very illuminating and thought-provoking! Celiac or not!

lisa

Hm, I just saw that on the shelf at the library & almost picked it up, but didn't because I'm more of an herbivore! I really like his writing though.

Leah