What Does Leaky Gut, Vitamin D, Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases Have To Do With Gluten?
GUEST POST BY CYNDI O’MEARA
It was once thought that heart disease was the biggest killer in the western world, but much of heart disease can be traced back to inflammation and autoimmunity.
The body attacking itself is called an autoimmune disease. Type 1 diabetes, dementia, Hashimotos, Graves, CREST, scleroderma, mycariditis, idiopathic cardiomyopathy rhuematoid arthritis, muscle soreness, and osteoporosis are some of the autoimmune diseases that plague people eating a modern diet.
Everything you eat except for pure clean water has an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Inflammation is caused when there is an injury or foreign hazard on or in the body. If you eat a food that the body sees as foreign, it will mount an immune response in order to rid itself of the offender. If you continue to eat the food or food-like substance that causes the problem, the immune system is heightened and starts to look for that foreign particle in many parts of the body.
Most people who eat modern food have no immediate reaction, and therefore believe the food is okay for them. But if you have a sensitivity to the food or additive it is seen as an enemy to the body and the immune system will go into attack. If you continue to eat the food, the armed forces will stay on high alert. When you stop eating the offending food or additive things calm down.
THE ISSUE WITH GLUTEN
Many autoimmune diseases start at a very young age and are perpetuated by a daily dietary habit. They are also perpetuated by a body that has lost its intelligence.
Gluten is one protein that over the last 20 years has become a real problem. There are good and bad glutens. Rye, barley and wheat contain the glutens that cause most sensitivities in humans. It would not be a problem if we ate this food on occasion, but as soon as we are weaned from breast milk, the bread cruskits are administered and then before we know it the diet consists of breakfast cereal, toast, pasta, biscuits, crackers, cookies, and muffins. If you have a sensitivity to these glutens then the body is on high alert 24 hours a day. It may take years for the symptoms to show, but they will appear.
Many people think of gluten sensitivity as something that affects the gastrointestinal tract, as in coeliac disease. But gluten sensitivity is the umbrella and coeliac is just one part of it. For instance, osteoporosis has now been documented to be a gluten sensitivity. A gluten-free diet immediately starts to change the bone density, faster then drugs and calcium supplements.
Of course gluten is not the only food or food-like substance that causes an inflammatory response, but it is one of the natural ones that keeps cropping up. Most additives, preservatives, colours, flavours, modified milks, hydrogenated vegetable oils and other new age foods are also seen by the body as foreign and therefore cause inflammation and a progression of disease.
WHY IS GLUTEN A PROBLEM NOW MORE THAN 30 YEARS AGO?
Before every food was available to us at all times of the year and in plentiful supply we ate seasonally. We also ate real foods rather than a bunch of additives, preservatives and flavourings disguised as food. As a result, if we did eat a food that the body had a sensitivity to it would only be for a small amount of the year and then the body had time to heal and mend. But now we might eat gluten six or more times a day our whole lifetime, and for people who have a gluten sensitivity this is a real problem. It is believed now that between 45% and 60% of the population has this sensitivity.
INFLAMMATION, VITAMIN D, THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND A LEAKY GUT
The body is equipped with most of the immune system surrounding the gastrointestinal tract, as this is where most foreign particles go first when they enter the body. The bacteria (probiotics), proteins, and the epithelial lining of the gut protect the body from e-coli, staphylococcus as well as foreign food particles such as gluten and anything the body sees as a danger.
The body is a well-oiled machine as long as everything is working. One course of antibiotics destroys bowel bacteria for up to two years, creating an imbalance in the system, thus breaking down the whole system of protection.
A lack of vitamin D also is a huge problem as vitamin D is needed to open and close the epithelial lining tight junctions or kissing joints in order for the immune system, probiotics and GUT to do its job. If the tight junctions were not there, anything foreign would get into the body. If vitamin D is lacking, then leaky gut can be the result causing foreign particles to enter the body setting up an inflammatory response. This in turn affects the brain and thought processes as well as leptin sensitivity, exposing the body to a succession of health problems including the thyroid and hormonal (endocrine) system.
Medications, poor food choices and exposure to heavy metals and chemicals interfere with the body’s innate intelligence. The more we know, the more naive we realise we were about bombarding the body with drugs for every slight ailment. Many doctors now realise that food should always be first and medications last.
Vitamin D, cholesterol and sunlight are some of the gatekeepers of the immune system, yet we’ve been told to slip, slop slap and that the sun is dangerous. We are also told that cholesterol is bad and at least 10% of the population are taking dugs to lower this important nutrient and many others are avoiding the foods that help manufacture cholesterol in the body. Cholesterol and sunlight in turn make vitamin D, which is instrumental for immunity especially against foreign foods, allergens, sensitivities entering the GUT. If the tight junctions in the GUT wall are working then the body is protected and the immune system is able to work to keep you healthy.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE SENSITIVE?
Knowing if you have a sensitivity, intolerance or allergy to a food or food like substance is half the battle – staying away from the offender is another matter. If I was to give a blanket statement about food, I would say what I say in my book Changing Habits Changing Lives: stay away from all processed foods with additives and stay away from any food that has been modified, such as hydrogenated vegetable oils, homeogenised milks, margarines etc. Eat real foods and eat them seasonally as best you can. Have a vegetable garden in your back yard and eat as close to nature as possible.
As for gluten, there are a few ways that you can find out whether you are sensitive. Having a biopsy only shows coeliacs, it doesn’t show whether the gluten sensitivity is affecting other parts of the body. Blood tests and saliva tests are your best indicators. I am not an expert in this so I recommend you go to www.thedr.com, click on the gluten tab and find out what tests will let you know whether you are sensitive to gluten or not. Print it out and take it to your doctor. If you are sensitive to gluten, then it would be prudent to avoid it all the time.
Do you want good health and are you prepared to do what it takes in order to get it? I know I am and the more I learn, the more equipped I am to make the decisions that enhance my health and give me clarity of mind and energy. For me there is no other way to live. If I don’t have my health and my clarity of mind then I can’t do what I love.
Happy Changing Habits,
Cyndi O’Meara
Positive affirmation for the day: All of my relationships are harmonious.
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POSTED IN: autoimmune disease, Cyndi O'Meara, gluten, gluten sensitivity
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This is a very good article Cyndi.
As well as poor food choices, it is so true that medications, heavy metals & chemicals interfere with the body’s innate intelligence.
Presently I’m going through Dr. Rebecca Carley’s web site (www.drcarley.com) for the second time, which goes into the horrific dangers of the adjuvants (substances which enhance antibody response) in vaccines such as aluminium, thimerosal, squalene & bacterial products (eg. tissue cultures that the injected virus has been grown in, yet can’t be separated and thus go into the vaccine). Well worth a read for any mothers who have a child with autism, ADHD etc.; and these diseases can be reversed to some degree by her protocol.
Sorry – I’m not trying to distract from your wonderful article. We need people like you, and Dr. Carley, to get good information ‘out there’.
Kind regards, Lyall
Thanks Cyndi and Jess for this great article. It is just so important that people realise that they can greatly improve their health by changing their eating habits. There is a generation or two out there that believe dietary changes are only relevent to weight loss, but diet is EVERYTHING for EVERYONE!!! I’m yet to encounter a person who didn’t feel fantastic after eliminating gluten.
Great article!
For the past few weeks I’ve actually been cutting out all processed food and feel so much happier and energised!
This might be a silly question but I really felt like toast the other day ( winter always does it too me) but I wanted to get gluten free bread. I was speaking to a lady in the health food shop and she said that this bio-dynamic sprouted bread was ok to eat even though it had rye and wheat in it because its bio- dynamic certified and sprouted and the gluten present in it is not added. Would this be ok for me to eat if I’m trying to cut out gluten?
Any help would be much appreciated!
x
This is such a great article!
I eat whole foods as I have experienced the dangers of eating chemical/processed foods ,so I find it easy to go without gluten.
Going gluten free is easier these days with such a variety of different flours and gluten free products but I agree with you; eating whole natural foods is extremely beneficial to your body but also it plays a huge role in your mind!
I wasn’t aware that a course of antibiotics can take 2 years it get it back to a healthy level of bacteria again.
Thanks for the info on this!
Lisa x
Reading this article really gave me chills, in a good way. The points about medications and antibiotics is something I have only recently felt so strongly about. After my pregnancy/delivery – I experienced serious joint swelling and water retention. For months. It really scared me and I definitely wanted a solution – but every specialist I saw wanted to prescribe something that would medicate the problem as oppose to healing it. I didn’t want to be on water pills the rest of my life or pain killers. I took to vitamins, overloading with juices and smoothies, and prayer. My husband was on a military tour during the birth of my son and for nearly a year afterwards. I was in all respects ‘a single mother’, with a baby boy that loved to be awake. At the end of the day, stress, heartache and sleepless nights/days was what was affecting me most and contributing to my condition. I’m so thankful that I followed my GUT and steered away from medicines – it also allowed me to breast feed my Little One safely and happily. All this to say, I do believe in the power of whole foods and nutrition. I’m learning more and more each day as well and love discovering new nutrients that nurture and heal my body. Love the message! xo
Thank you,thank you thank you for covering this topic!
I decided to go vegan 7 months ago(cold turkey) and have never felt better and nor have i looked back , but was diagnosed with auto-immune thyroiditis some 15months ago.
I hardly have any gluten but now wonder if there is a connection between the two and will now completely eliminate and hope that it can somehow be reversed.
Any further information would be greatly appreciated
Vicki
Great article!!
I gave up gluten almost two years ago now and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. My skin is clearer, tummy feels better, head feels better… Best diet decision I made.
Thank you for all the wonderful information! Anti-inflammotory diets make so much sense to me. As a Holistic Health Coach (in training) I am working hard to learn about how to raise and nourish young children so that they can be prepared to tackle this world head on! That leads me to my question, should I turn down antibiotics when my pediatrician prescribes them for my toddler’s ear infection? What are natural ways to cure infections like ear infections in children? I hate to see her suffer! Also, if I do decided to give them antibiotics, how can I re-regulate her system in less than 2 years!? Thank you again!
We use colloidal silver for all infections.
Antibiotics ‘come’ with side effects, and with use over the years can lead to some severe sickness and disease such as systemic yeast infection; pseudomembranous colitis where part of the bowel wall dies and you pass your own dead tissue & blood; liver, kidney, thyroid & heart dysfunctions; folate and vit B6 deficiency etc. etc.
An acquaintance of ours has cholestasis where his bile won’t flow, possibly caused by antibiotics.
One of the best brands of colloidal silver is ‘Allan Sutton’s – My Colloidal Silver” from New Zealand (not Allan Sutton’s Original Colloidal Silver as someone else owns this), however the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) has banned the importing of this brand. There still is some stock of this brand left in the health shops etc.. The TGA has their eyes on banning all colloidal silver sales some time in the future, like they are slowing doing with sales of cansema/black-salve.
We are looking to buying a ‘kit’ soon to make our own colloidal silver.
Kind regards, Lyall
Great Article!
Poor food choices means that the vast majority of todays society have a form of leaky gut syndrome.
Unfortunately, as Gluten Free options become more prevalent, several large food companies are creating glorified ‘gluten free frankenfood’, further fuelling our nations rapid health decline.
Now we need to not only get people to make lateral shifts with their food choices but also show them that processed food is still processed food, regardless if it is ‘gluten free’ and ‘vitamin d enriched’.
Thanks for the Article Cyndi and Jess.
x
Great article! Garlic in olive oil, warmed for ear infection. Even my Dr prescribes this instead of antibiotics.
Thanks for good info, I would be interested on the topic of sourdough breads? The for and against
This was a great article, & a confirmation of things I already suspected.
I had some pathology tests done at the beginning of the year because for the last 6 months I’ve been losing hair at a greater rate than what I would think is normal & having shorter than normal cycles (23 days). It came back with low Vit D, high cholesterol, high TSH, normal thyroid.
The next test I had done 3 months later showed an increase in the TSH (still waiting on the thyroid antibody results but I have been called back in to the doctors to discuss, so that means something is not normal).
I’m not asking for a diagnosis, but could you please point me in the right direction as to what might be going on so I can do some more reading and research.
Hi Cyndi,
Yes, very good article 
I myself now choose to eat vegetarian, as after having Crohns Disease for 40 years, all the inflammation, operations and medication, my bowel needs good stuff and an intake of fresh food with good fibre!
You mention to check the diet first, before just handing out medicine. Definitely, a good diet makes a great difference. We are what we eat don’t they say? However, there’s one more thing prior to all this. And that is thought.
How you think affects how your body reacts on a cellular level. (Dr. Bruce Lipton ‘The Biology of Belief’)
I suffered for 40 years with pain and suffering, operations and the horrible effects of medications.
Then, I fundamentally changed my mind in the middle of a bleeding attack in 2000 and the bleeding ceased within 7 days and I avoided yet another bowel re-section. That was over 12 years ago, and in my understanding, I no long ‘have’ Crohns Disease
Prior to that final attack, three years prior, I was discussing with my husband who was going to be in to receive the new washing machine. He said “I don’t want a washing machine, I want a divorce” I started bleeding from the bowel within two weeks. The specialist gave me more steroids and more salazopyrin, but I put them in a cupboard and searched all types of different alternative remedies and did special diets for two years, bleeding from the bowel every day, until it all stopped. The experience convinced that if my mind got me into this, my mind was going to get me out. And it did. Over the two years I got happier and healthier and ate well as a result.
But then in 2000, through a business venture, I created stress for myself and started bleeding from the bowel. For the last time. So the diet just wasn’t enough, as I was eating really healthily.
So yes, diet is really important, eating ‘live’ food as opposed to ‘dead’ food, great. Plenty of water to keep the bowel lubricated and psyllium husks for added fibre works a treat! (turmeric has limitless qualities and turmeric tea works really well on an irritated tummy. However, cells change according to their environment. This is cell biology Your mind creates a large part of that environment
Anyway, just thought I’d share my understanding Keep up the good work!
Cheers
Kit
http://www.youtube.com/user/theirritablebrain
Very informative post! I agree wholeheartedly about the part where food comes first before medications. If you can help it, avoid the taking of medication because of nasty side effects plus as you said, the body is a well oiled machine and supplying it with essential and non-essential nutrients is almost always enough to keep it working fine.
Great article, the evidence how Vitamin D insufficiency affects various diseases is piling, it is time to rethink the suntanning phobia.