Please don't refer to the burgeoning personal explorations into the effects of gluten on health as a
Fad. It is rude to do so, and is a reflection of a lack of understanding of the subject.
Granted, there are some aspects of the gluten revolution that are faddy, but don't throw the whole baby out with the bath water.
As a doctor, I routinely observe or am told of remarkable health improvements in patients, their families, friends and co-workers, resulting from the removal of gluten from the diet (and often other foods such as dairy products at the same time). The improvements are real, often profound, and often lasting.
Even with my experience and expertise, my understanding is expanded and awakened when I read lists of personal comments of real people writing about the suffering that was relieved when they cut out the gluten!
Do yourself a favor, or possibly save your life, and read this abbreviated list below, of comments taken from the Facebook page of world-renowned neurologist,
David Perlmutter, M.D., that he originally posted on November 7, 2014.
https://www.facebook.com/DavidPerlmutterMd
Dr. Perlmutter opened the post with: "When someone tells me they refuse to go gluten-free because they refuse to believe it could be the cause of their illness/ailment, I simply tell them “What have you got to lose?”
He then asked: "What surprising condition has going gluten-free reversed for you?"
By the time I first saw the post, there were 837 replies. Here are a few. Note the number of common ailments listed that people you know, suffer with.
Stephanie Kelly Masheck Everything. ...6 months gluten free and my 15 yrs of
infertility resolved...to our surprise we are pregnant and due on Christmas day!
Pamela Peterson McGinley After years of searching within the medical community for pain relief (an 8 using narcotics) I am now pain free and active once again at the age of 66. My
wheel chair, walker and cane are all in storage. I am grain free and pain free!
Melinda Weldy Wiggins Many of the above mentioned, but the strange one...
hoarding! I've actually mentally changed my need to buy and store everything I can get my hands on. And as the granddaughter of two sets of classic; the kind you see on TV; hoarders, this is a huge step for me and my family!!
Ellie McNiece Actually Melinda, now you mention it, I've done the same thing over the last two years. I have given away or sold almost 40 years worth of "stuff" and have a
lovely uncluttered house (and mind) these days. Not sure if it's a coincidence or not but interesting you've done it too!
Melinda Weldy Wiggins A dear friend of mine studying psychology right now commented on a post of mine on my personal page after I shared that this mind set was happening to me after going gluten free (I also am grain free, dairy free, soy free, and eat very little sugar outside of my two fruit servings per day.) She said that
hoarding has been shown as a chemical imbalance in the brain. I would say I was about 6 months into my new way of living when I started seeing changes. Before, I would have kept all the clothes I was quickly shrinking out of (I've also lost 117 pounds this past year !) but I was ready to send them out the door. Baby clothes were leaving, I recycled all of my college notes because why would I need those now, 17 years later? I stopped keeping every single paper my kids brought home from school too. I am still digging my way out, but find it easier to not buy 20 bottles of whatever at the grocery store too, just because it is on sale! Baby steps toward overcoming something that once very overwhelming. AND we have more room to breathe in our home!
Cristie LaFollette Not ever tired anymore!!!! Haven't had even had so much as a cold in the past 1-1/2 years and am off my medicine I had taken for 15 years due to an auto-immune disorder!
Trecia Herzog GF allowed my daughter to lose her
bipolar diagnosis!
Starr N Norm Vuchetich Fertility!!! Reversed after 18mos gluten free! A GI finally answered a straight forward question. After 5 yrs, finally had my answer ... And got our babies
Katrina Hutchins My
multiple sclerosis symptoms and flares. Eliminated gluten, and it eliminated my brain lesions and restored my ability to walk. I'll never ever go back. I gave up gluten, all dairy, refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, MSG, fluoride, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and GMOs. Whew! I also went vegetarian for a year when I was first diagnosed. I have reintroduced caffeine and some dairy (hard or fresh cheeses only at this point). This has been a three year journey for me, but my grabbing the nutritional bull by the horns has made unbelievable differences. I literally started this thing bed bound, unable to dress or bathe myself, unable to drive or even prepare meals. I have never taken any MS pharmaceuticals. I hope you see some positive results from your dietary changes. In addition to Dr Perlmutter, you may also want to research Dr Terry Wahls and her MS dietary protocol.
Jeanie Weed I have
rheumatoid arthritis. Used to cry most of the day from pain. I stopped all grains and I seldom cry. Also noticed I no longer have 'gut' aches, which I had my whole life.Yes, when I talk about foods my dr looks annoyed. Hell she is annoying. lol
Jill Mitchell My husband had
RA. I went with him to one of his appointments. I asked the specialist about diet. He said my ideas were "ridiculous" which made me more determined. CRP went from 18 to less than 5. No need for two meds. Cut another dose by 50%. He has just finished building a fence.
Donna Stein Maeder My grandson's
ADHD and ODD symptoms have greatly eased now that he is gluten and dairy free.
Chris Jones panic attacks, depression, and cluster headaches.
Sandi Kern Like a different person!
Inflammation GONE!!
Odde St Goddes That did not work for me. We have been organic for 30 years. I lost all my
joint pain and digestive issues when I went gluten free.
Roxane Maiko Pate I suffered from horrible and
debilitating IBS for 25 years. It started in early adolescence and become increasingly worse as I got older. I had a few doctors suggest that gluten free could help me, but they also always said "but it's really hard to do". Funny that they would suggest something then tell me it was "really hard". Anyhow in June on 2013 I discovered Paleo and after only 1 week on the plan and being totally gluten free, ALL of my IBS symptoms diminished. I also saw an extreme decrease in my asthma (which I have had for almost 30 years) and I saw my anxiety decrease exponentially. I love being gluten free and will never intentionally eat any gluten EVER. Actually, I am very vigilant to avoid gluten in every situation. Thank you Dr. David Perlmutter, M.D. for inspiring me and letting people know how detrimental gluten is AND how EASY it is to eliminate it from our diets!
Yvonne Morgana I had
IBS and chronic fatigue also, doesn't it feel amazing now?
Belinda Jones I had
IBS, fibromyalgia, arthritis &; my sons behaviour issues and loads of gut problems have improved dynamically since going gluten, dairy, fructose free &; eating a fairly clean diet without a lot of processed foods &; mainly organic..
Sue Cauchy It took more than just gluten, had to go grain free for me, no more
IBS and constipation.
Jan Bennett After a lifetime of a variety of pathways to health but never able to lose weight and keep it off and fighting for a
clear mind and a peaceful gut for years, I went off all grains in late March this year. I have
lost 27 lbs without being hungry or stressed or exercising myself beyond my capacity. With low carbs, little sugar, good fats and no processed foods, I have kept that weight off and steady as I prepare to take steps into exercise that I can now manage. I'm 74. My life has changed for the better with this and I realize that I have suffered from a grain intolerance since childhood. I feel free!
Susan Yohe Prusator Chicken skin on the back of my arms . . . has been there as long as I can remember, disappeared at age 50 after going gluten free. (Lots of other things too, this was just the most surprising). My teen-aged daughter's
asthma and moodiness vanished when she went gluten free.
Kristin Coria McNulty I think it's worth saying that for some people it can take quite a while to notice improvement. After 2 months of being strict GF, my sister in law and her whole fam went through some intense detox (vomitting, diarrhea, etc) and it wasn't until after they'd detoxed the gluten in their systems that they started to notice big improvements. She swears by it now for the changes it made for their family.
She looks like a completely different person and her son isn't on the spectrum anymore
Elizabeth Morgan Secora Went GF due to celiac, but my
dry icky elbows cleared up too!
No more panic attacks or depression either.
Carol Collins In 2013 I gave it a try to my surprise,
i have new life.
Shannon Cuoco I suffered from
adult acne for over 20 years. I read a lot about the role of gluten in skin conditions and decided to go 60 days without any gluten-containing product to see what happened, and in that 2 months, my skin cleared completely. I added back in some bread and beer, and POW- a face full of red, hard, cystic bumps. I had my answer and am now gluten free for good.
Tali Kentof My face on gluten...gluten free three months now....
my complexion is perfect.
Julie Berndt Hansen Less frequent migraines and headaches, hypoglycemia, and joint pain were the big ones for me. I will never eat gluten again on purpose. It's so not worth the ill effects and so easy to avoid.
Summar Ann Evans A
lifetime of eczema on my fingers. Just gone. Period!
John Eastman Same here on my rt. thumb for years in 3 months gone. So great!
Debbie Ellis Same here!! It was awful... The
blisters, itching, burning and the scratch cycle...just awful. Three drs offered only steroid creams and pills. Gluten and casein discovery on my own research has saved my fingers, hands and sanity! Kudos to everyone who gets off the poison.
C Bailey Ramsden Just about everything.
I feel better at 58 than I have in 30 years!
Maureen Ludlam Lipsett I went gluten free for my
Hashimoto's. Not only has that relived some symptoms of the Hashimoto's, but the
motion sickness that has plagued me since I was a child - and more recently
vertigo - is gone!
Deb Clark Rennie That's interesting about the
vertigo ... I've suffered with it for 30 years and we have been gf for 3 months and I haven't had an attack .... So I'm really hopeful that perhaps this might be the answer?
AnaRuth LariosdeCruz FIBROMYALGIA! !!
Anita Cardwell Brodsky I could barely walk because of knee and hip pain, hives, depression, anxiety, bloated, tired, and much more. Changed my life when I gave it up.
Allison Grady Eczema, migraines, brain fog, acid reflux, bloating, and sleep a whole heck of a lot better.
Lori Ede I
lost 65 pounds and no longer get headaches
Michelle Clark Years of
chronic migraines! I'm 25 and have had migraines for almost 10 years. Going gluten/grain free has been the only solution and I am so thankful for that.
Linda Sodaro On the third day,
my nose opened up. I hadn't realized it had been stopped up for years.
Jackie Kordek McGehee Linda I'm totally with you on this!!! I have had such a hard time breathing for so many years (out of my nose) and been gluten free for 6 months and
my sense of smell is amazing
Cheryl Schreiber Theurer My husband was diagnosed with
poly neurothy [poly neuropathy]. After very expensive treatment I read in your book about that it could be because of gluten sensitivity. It has been about 5 MO now. And the doctor said that he doesn't need any treatment. And no muscle relaxers.
Cate Sommer My
migraines, which I've gotten regularly since the I was 8 years old, are essentially gone! I can also drink red wine now without getting a headache, which is a very nice side effect of going gluten-free for me.
Maggie McCracken While I didn't go GF to give myself more energy, I can't believe how less often I say, "I'm tired." As a SAHM/WAHM mom of three little ones, I am surprised by how well I can get through the day! Also...
no more fuzzy brain!
Kim Luzzi Cut my
hypothyroid meds in half.
Mary Berger Tremors, neuropathy, endometriosis, minimized gastrointestinal problems...and when I tried to add back a little after 1 year of being gluten free I broke out with a few hives... IgA and IgE reactions.... Makes you say hmmmm.....
Jo Vaughan Neurological paralysis, tremors, and seizures
Jo Vaughan uncontrollable muscular seizures and full body tremors
Jo Vaughan I would never have thought that removing wheat would do so much to heal my body. All of my doctors said I had
intermittent MS that was increasing in severity and frequency. Brain issues, memory loss, speech difficulty, you name it. IBS, severe body pain, joint pain, confusion, etc.
Amanda Zawjatunazmul I have
fewer seizures too. It especially helps my
tonic clonic and complex partial seizures.
Angela Caine Reis Myoclonic seizures are a thing of the past! It is AMAZING! Within 3 weeks I was virtually done with them. Also gave up dairy! I wish I had known this 30+ years ago!
P. Jane Walmsley i had serious neurological issues... no seizures, but
body parts/limbs going dead numb, twitches, breathing problems, erratic heart rate, thinking/speaking problems, muscle weakness...body completely shutting down! like i had MS, but my MRIs were normal. i was in my mid-30s and felt like i was 90. stopped eating gluten and my resurrection was unbelievable! i consider myself to have Celiac because my endoscopy showed mild damage, but the truth is i am not a typical Celiac because my IgG was high but IgA was normal. I am having some new symptoms now (bloating, water retention, fatigue, reacting to everything I eat) and think it may be that i have to give up dairy too now. hate the idea bc I love it!
Nancy Currie Jahn Fibromyalgia, acid reflux, chronic yeast infection and intense itching, also the 30 lbs I couldn't lose no matter what I did, dropped off. I am still hoping for a reversal of my Type II diabetes. The most common comment I get is, "you look like you are aging backward".
Leslie Burge Eklund My twin girls with
autism lost their echolalia (repeating words spoken to them) and began to meet developmental language goals when gluten & dairy were removed from their diet. MIRACLE!!!
Aileen Cortez-Padilla I've had
stomach aches since I was a kid. When i was little i was told i was a worry wart which is why I always had a stomach ache. Then at 10 my doctor prescribed an ulcer medicine because he claimed I had a minor ulcer. At 21 I was told it was because I was lactose intolerant so I cut out dairy, I still had pain. I am 41, after my yearly check up my doctor did a complete blood work up and said I could be allergic to gluten and asked if he could do a blood test for that. It came back as not being allergic to gluten but he said I could have a sensitivity. I stopped eating gluten and guess what!!
The pain is gone!!!!
Ellen Gurak For me, going gluten free, I've
LOST depression, body aches, joint pain, asthma, low energy, sinus headaches (less of them anyway), weight, swelling hands and feet, high blood pressure, OCD, menstrual pain, cystic ovary pain, inconvenient (to say the least) bathroom visits, anemia... I had a lot to lose going gluten free.
Jennifer McKinney I went GF to be on the same page as my son with autism (who was already GF) and my
constantly achy joints cleared up and my headaches went away. I have much more energy and am more clear-headed.
Linda Gebhardt Fitchett Joint pain! It's been unbelievable. Haven't had an Advil in weeks!!
Lesa Thomas Haggard Ulcerative proctitis in remission and no more body aches. I used to get out of bed feeling like an 80 year old woman. Now I wake up with no aches and pains. I've also started sleeping grounded.
Nancy Glazer LaBossiere My husband's
debilitating headaches, and reoccurring sinus infections: which no Dr. could diagnose. Gone for over 3 years now. Totally worth a try.
Nancy Glazer LaBossiere It changed our whole familys' lives. He suffered for years and went to allergists, and doctors. Even had an MRI, and nothing. I read a book called Clean by Dr. Junger, and talked him into doing the cleanse with me. That was 3 years ago, and he is a like a new person. Grain Brain just reinforced what we already learned. I hope he reconsiders, it's so worth it.
Carole Blackschleger Crohn's disease
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