Gluten! That horrible substance found in all of the foods we love! Is gluten really bad for you? Does it really cause health problems? Is all this hype about gluten just a fad?

Gluten:

Gluten is a general term for the proteins found in grains like wheat, rye and barley. It provide an elastic and binding property to food; it’s the “glue” that holds baked goods together. Gluten is found in many foods, even ones you would not expect to find it like soups, sauces and candies.

Celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity:

So gluten is just a protein found in grains, but why does it cause health problems for so many people? There is a segment of the population that has a condition

called celiac disease; this is a severe intolerance to gluten and it causes damage to the intestinal tract. Researchers (Mayo Clinic) estimate that only 20% of people with celiac disease receive a diagnosis. This disease only affects a small percentage of the population (1%) but according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, 18 million Americans have non-celiac sensitivity to gluten. This means millions of Americans are suffering from the effects of gluten but traditional testing for gluten will come back “negative” and doctors will NOT advise the patient to avoid gluten.

Unfortunately, these patients will continue to suffer the damaging effects of gluten. Gluten has been linked to countless health conditions that do not involve the intestines and digestive tract.

Health Problems Linked to Gluten:

• Neurological problems; nerve pain or damage to the brain that looks similar to multiple sclerosis.
• Depression and anxiety
• Behavior / attention problems in children
• Migraines and fibromyalgia
• Autoimmune disease; including thyroid gland problems
• Osteoporosis and decreased bone density
• Skin problems and rashes
• Liver damage, fatty-liver and elevated liver enzymes
• And many, many more!

Hundreds of health conditions can be caused by gluten and the list continues to grow. What most people (including doctors) do not realize is that gluten itself is not the problem. Gluten is only a problem if your immune system does not “accept” it or it confuses the gluten-proteins with proteins in your body. When this happens, eating gluten not only causes your immune system to attack gluten, it attacks your body!  Heath conditions caused by gluten are best managed with a functional medicine approach and by a physician who has experience with gluten intolerance. Removing gluten may not be enough and the immune system may require additional support.

Gluten Testing:

Identifying gluten intolerance / sensitivity can be a real challenge in today’s healthcare system. Unfortunately, most doctors only run blood tests for celiac disease and many people with gluten intolerance will have negative test results; these patients will be told that gluten is not a problem for them. At Naperville Integrated Wellness, we offer much more comprehensive gluten testing. We have 2 entirely different tests to assess your immune system’s response to gluten. One of the tests actually tests gluten over 20 different ways! Most celiac disease blood tests only consist of 1 or 2 tests and will not be very useful to someone suffering from non-celiac gluten sensitivity or intolerance.

The gluten problem in America is not all hype and certainly not a fad. It causes health problems for millions of Americans and is often dismissed as a source of disease in healthcare today.  For more information about functional medicine and gluten testing go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com.

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask questions. Always consider the source when gathering information; there is no shortage of false, misleading and completely biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.

Dr. Clinton Sexton ND, DACBN, DC, DCBCN