hopeful

Hi Tricia,

My doctor told me that gluten intolerance is an immunologic disease. When those of us who have a problem with gluten eat it, we may not exhibit any symptoms, but the gluten in our bowels is doing its thing to attack our immune system. We then become allergic to all kinds of foods. That's why everyone has different food allergies. But the underlying cause is gluten, and not just wheat gluten. Products produced from barley and rye cause the same immune reaction. In the U.S., it's also best to stay away from oats because they are usually contaminated in the manufacturing process. Your allergies are specific to you. So, stay away from anything that hurts you, plus stay away from gluten, not just wheat gluten. Remember, wheat free isn't gluten free. For more info, see gluten.net.

I've been on the SC Diet for 10 months and have seen much improvement. This diet is more restrictive than gluten-free. The reason it's more restrictive is because wheat gluten may not be the sole root cause of celiac disease. The sinister thing about celiac disease is that the foods which are the underlying culprits may not generate any symptoms for a long time. ie., you can be symptom-free for a long while, but your diet is creating inbalances of bacteria, toxins, etc. that lead to allergic reactions with other foods. For instance, I ate lots of wheat bread for years and had no problems with it. But all the while, I was becoming progressively more allergic to more and more kinds of other foods. When I went on the SCD, many of these allergies disappeared. For instance, after several weeks, I was able to eat lean, high quality steak. Before going on the SCD, one bite and I'd be agonizing in the bathroom within minutes. Amazing! And by the way, everybody's allergies are different. The question is, what foods are causing the allergies? Again, you can be tolerant of something that makes you allergic to something else. That's what's so sinister about celiac disease.

The specific carbohydrate diet is well-balanced and healthy. So why not do it instead of just gluten-free? It seems to me that you're more likely to improve with the SCD, although it's harder to follow. For more information, read "Breaking the Vicious Cyle: Intestinal Health Through Diet" by Elaine Gottschall. In it, she has a section called "The Celiac Story" where she chronicals the gluten-free diet. Essentially, she argues that the gluten-free diet is the typical doctor's hammer, for which everything looks like a nail. Relapses are "all-too-common," she says.

I'd love to more foods. But because they're not allowed in the SCD, I believe, in the long run, they would push me further down instead of building me up. The reason they're not allowed is very logical. Not enough space to explain here. Read the book.

I ask myself the same question at every meal, "what about _____?" I don't eat millet because it's not allowed in the specific carbohydrate diet I follow. This diet is more restrictive than gluten-free. The reason it's more restrictive is because wheat gluten may not be the sole root cause of celiac disease. The sinister thing about celiac disease is that the foods which are the underlying culprits may not generate any symptoms for a long time. ie., you can be symptom-free for a long while, but your diet is creating inbalances of bacteria, toxins, etc. that lead to allergic reactions with other foods. For instance, I ate lots of wheat bread for years and had no problems with it. But all the while, I was becoming progressively more allergic to more and more kinds of other foods. When I went on the SCD, many of these allergies disappeared. For instance, after several weeks, I was able to eat lean, high quality steak. Before going on the SCD, one bite and I'd be agonizing in the bathroom within minutes. Amazing! And by the way, everybody's allergies are different. The question is, what foods are causing the allergies? Again, you can be tolerant of something that makes you allergic to something else. That's what's so sinister about celiac disease.

The specific carbohydrate diet is well-balanced and healthy. So why not do it instead of just gluten-free? It seems to me that you're more likely to improve with the SCD, although it's harder to follow. For more information, read "Breaking the Vicious Cyle: Intestinal Health Through Diet" by Elaine Gottschall. In it, she has a section called "The Celiac Story" where she chronicals the gluten-free diet. Essentially, she argues that the gluten-free diet is the typical doctor's hammer, for which everything looks like a nail. Relapses are "all-too-common," she says.

I'd love to eat millet. But because it's not allowed in the SCD, I believe, in the long run, it would push me further down instead of building me up. The reason it's not allowed is very logical. Not enough space to explain here. Read the book.

Hi Maggie,

The way I understand it, celiac disease hurts your immune system because you aren't able to absorb nutrients and vitamins that keep you healthy. Allergies, whether in the form of foods or anything else, indicate that your immune system has been weakened. The widely held-belief is that celiac disease starts with an intolerance to wheat gluten. The sinister thing about celiac disease is that this one intolerance throws your body into a downward spiral whereby you pick up more and more intolerances. The sooner you nip it in bud, the sooner you can start improving instead of declining. For the old and feeble, it can lead to death. But you're still young. Don't give up hope. If you do, you'll only get worse.

I'm seeing my gastro doctor next Wednesday. He did bloodwork and a colonoscopy last June and everything looked fine. He said I probably had celiac disease. Because my diet was already gluten-free, he didn't see the need to do the celiac disease testing, which was fine with me. Based on my examination, bloodwork and colonoscopy, I assume that he ruled out these other things. But I'll ask him next week. Thanks for the input.

Hi everyone,

I'm new and frustrated by my stomach problems, which I've had since I was a child (I'm now 40). Yet even as my diarhea and pain have gotten progressively worse, I remain hopeful. After all, if you give up hope, the battle is lost. I will always do everything I can to fight this disease, even if I end up losing.

While I haven't been diagnosed with celiac disease, I have all of the symptoms. I started the specific carbohydrate diet 10 months ago and have been very strict with it. This diet is stricter than gluten-free. But I've been able to follow it very closely because I'm afraid that if I cheat, I'll have lots of pain, even if I eat gluten-free.

After about 9 months of relief, last week, I had diarhea. Ever since, I've had intense bloating and gas. It's interupted my sleep considerably. For the life of me, I can't figure it out.

Then I read about Lectin. It's a new theory. The way I understand it, Lectin is a broader classification for glutens that is found in many foods including wheat. The major food groups containing Lectin are grains, rice, buckwheat, oats, rye, barley, millet, corn, dried beans, soy, peanuts, dairy and eggs.

See the following link for more info.: www.krispin.com/lectin

Interestingly, this link made me realize that people who have a lectin intolerance are not allergic to lectin. Rather, the intolerance creates toxicity which attacks the immune system, first in the gut, then elsewhere in the body, developing all types of allergies and other problems (food allergies, respiratory allergies, headaches, joint pain, etc.). The sinister thing about this is that what's causing the food allergies is not the food you're allergic to. It's the Lectin, which includes wheat gluten.

The way I understand it, an official diagnosis of celiac disease is made by examining the small intestine before and after you eat wheat gluten. So, if Lectin is your problem, technically, you may be a celiac, but a gluten-free diet may not work. It apparently works for some people. But certainly not me. I've been very good for 9 months now and now I'm having major problems again.

I'm beginning to wonder if the specific carbohydrate diet's recommendations of dry curd cottage cheese and eggs are problematic. Since breakfast two days ago, I have had nothing but water, dry curd cottage cheese, and plain chicken broiled in olive oil. My breakfast two days ago was three eggs scrambled in olive oil and three pieces of bacon. And I'm still painfully full of gas this morning. Any thoughts?