I remember one early morning, around 4 AM, after sitting on the toilet for the tenth time with diarrhea, I plead with the Lord to help me. You see, I would get diarrhea after nearly every meal. I had recurring bouts of depression and even suicidal at times. I fought through the day nearly in tears so many times that I questioned the new diet I had adopted.

    I asked God to show me what was wrong with me or I was going to the hospital. I was eating perfectly, I thought, with lots of whole wheat pasta and bread, fruits, vegetables,
and legumes. I was living the eight laws of health and conformed my life to much of what I read in Counsels on Diet and Foods. 

     I was teaching health to audiences all over the United States, and I was getting weaker and weaker, and even thought I might have some terrible disease like AIDS. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why I was was getting so ill. I even went to a Naturopath who diagnosed me as having multiple sclerosis. I was desperate to find an answer to my dilemma.

    That early morning, as I plead to God for an answer before checking into the hospital, I sat down one more time on the toilet and spilled my guts. As I sat there, I picked up a newsletter I had received the day before from a Dr. Lloyd Rosenvold. The title on the newsletter was "The Gluten Connection."

    As I read the symptoms of this disease, I was shocked to see I was suffering from every symptom listed. I had the bloating, the weakness, the foggy mind, the constipation and/or diarrhea, the depression, the weak immune system, the mood swings, the suicidal thoughts...ALL OF THEM!!

     I thanked God for providing this information and the newsletter at the precise time I was praying for an answer. According to Dr. Rosenvold, the problem was diet, specifically, four grains--wheat, rye, oats, and barley--that were causing my problems because they all contain gluten. The alpha-gliadin in the gluten in the grains effect the villi of the small intestine, kind of causing them to lay flat so food and nutrients cannot be absorbed. A malnutrition-like response then happens and the patient gets extremely weak and fatigued or develops an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis since B-12 cannot be well absorbed. 

    In addition to this, a person can develop a secondary disease like candida albicans, a fungal overgrowth in the intestines that has a whole list of symptoms very similar to that of gluten intolerance. Physicians rarely look for celiac or candida as the problem behind digestive and bowel complaints and a host of other complaints. Celiac was thought of as a very rare disease in children that effects one in a million. Today doctors are realizing they have been way off the mark and celiac disease can effect nearly one in a hundred American.

    So I wasn't crazy as many people thought I was as they witnessed my Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-like behavior. It is almost like you have a split personality. When your body is attacking itself and suffering from an extreme allergic reaction, behavior changes can be expected. I always wondered why I would "fly off the handle," as it were, and so sweet one minute and a monster the next. And right after I had my whole wheat pasta.

    Another problem is what you call a delayed reaction to the gluten. You can eat it on Monday and not have a reaction till Wednesday. The problem with this is that as you try to figure what you might have eaten to get the allergic reaction, and you typically think back to the meals you just ate. But when the reaction is delayed, you may miss the true culprit that caused the problem. In my case I new I had a serious food allergy because when I would fast, every symptom would disappear. I felt great. I felt the best when I stopped eating.

    A few symptoms that I would get besides the diarrhea and depression were: involuntary
twitching in my hands and fingers, heart flutters, hangover-like symptoms, a sour stomach, falling asleep right after I ate wheat, and lots of anger. Anything could set me off. I was easily provoked and had little self control. I would literally feel like killing someone if they got in my face. These symptoms can really strain the family and a marriage for sure. Some people think you have bipolar disease or manic depression.

       But, since I figured out my illness, and treated the candida after calling Dr. Rosenvold the next morning after reading his perfectly-timed newsletter, I began to feel like a different person. Dr. Rosenvold sent me B-12 injections, told me not to eat any wheat, rye, oats, or barley, or soy, and to take anti-fungals for the candida. Within 72 hours I woke up feeling happy and joyful. I hadn't felt the intensity of these emotions in years, ever since I went vegan. The twitiching in my hand and fingers stopped, and I was glad to know the cause was gluten intolerance and not MS!

    You see, when I went vegan and started eating the diet that I still believe is the best for me, I also started eating a lot more wheat in the form of cereals, breads, and pastas. Consequently, I loaded my body with gluten and exacerbated the symptoms. I was literally not myself. I did have a sensitive stomach as a child and perhaps a milder case of celiac disease, but when I started loading up on gluten the symptoms got out of control.

     Dr. Peter H. R. Green, M.D., wrote a book called "Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic." He says it is one of the most underdiagnosed autoimmune disease today. He says gluten intolerance can cause:

 

- Bloating or gas

- Diarrhea

- Constipation

- Itchy skin lesions

- Constant fatigue

- Headaches and migraines

- Irritable bowel syndrome

- Fibromyalgia

- Chronic fatigue syndrome

- Nervous stomach

- Autoimmune disease like diabetes, thyroid disease, liver disease,

- peripheral neuropathy

- Cancer

- Psychiatric disorders

- Anemia

- Infertility

 

      Dr. Green says "97% remain untreated. They continue to suffer from GI diseases, fatigue, headache, joint pain, anemia, and itchy skin conditions--to name just a few of the symptoms.

     Celiac is a hereditary condition that damages the lining of the small intestine so that it cannot properly absorb the food that you eat. Without essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrition, the entire body begins to suffer. Because of the autoimmune nature it also sets off reactions the reverberate throughout all the organs of the body. This is a disease that you do not outgrow--it often returns years later with more significant symptoms." (Peter H. R. green, Celiac Disease, 2006, inside cover).

     Please understand that you can live a normal life as I have for the past 15 years. There are many rice products on the market and Trader Joe's has a fairly good selection. They have Gluten-Free granola, bread, tortillas, pancake mix and more. I eat lots of rice and beans and rice tortillas. I like fruit and vegetables and big salads. The brown rice and beans give me the protein I need.

     B-12 deficiency can mimic MS, so make sure if you ever suspect the disease or know anyone who has it to get off all glutinous foods and supplement or inject B-12. Flaxseed oil is another important nutrient. In fact, I just ate some fresh organic oranges with flaxseed oil and our SuperManna all over them. Delicious. The SuperManna contains non-fermented yeast and can be tolerated well by those who have candida. Write me if you have any questions. I have helped a lot of people who were misdiagnosed or the doctor thought it was all in the head. One woman's digestive problems cleared, another's headaches and migraines, another's arthritis,  another's joint pain, another's psoriasis. And the list goes on.

 

God bless you,

Danny