May 2004
New Canaan Chiropractic Newsletter
"Experience the Difference"
Phone: 966-9777 Bradley A. Williams, DC, CCN Fax: 966-0778

Gluten Intolerance - you've heard the term, but what does it really mean? Gluten intolerance causes an inflammatory reaction at the gut wall, particularly the small intestine. The technical term is "mucotoxicity."

It exists because of a genetic trait that makes a person sensitive to particular sequences of proteins in certain grains. The genetic trait is most prevalent in those of Irish, English, Northern European, Scandinavian and American Indian decent. You might rightly think at this point, "Well, that's a lot of people in the United States" and you would be correct. Gluten intolerance, next to intestinal infections, is the most prevalent reason for the massive numbers of obesity, diabetes, allergies and autoimmune diseases in our country today.

Many people start off only showing intermittent, mild signs of the condition - some gut oriented and many not seemingly gut oriented. This is at a subclinical level requiring specific saliva, blood or stool testing to identify the anti-gliadin antibody. Gliadin is the half of the gluten protein molecule that the genetic trait is intolerant to (the other half is called glutenin).

The downside is that you can never get rid of gluten intolerance. If you have it, at least one of your parents has it and it means you can pass it along to your children. The mucotoxic reaction itself only takes 1 ounce of the grain to get it started and can easily continue from 1 to 7 days from one exposure. Complete abstinence is the key.

Many disease states have been directly linked to gluten intolerance. Crohn's and Celiac's Disease are the pathologic endpoint of gluten intolerance. Over 50% of multiple sclerosis cases are gluten intolerant. A large percentage of all leaky gut problems arise from gluten intolerance.

OK, so what is gluten in? Here's the list:
Wheat (in all its forms), Oat, Rye, Barley, Spelt, Couscous, Quinoa, Amaranth, Kamut, Orzo, Semolina, Teff, and Triticale. Anything that says flour and is not proceeded by another source (like rice or soy) is probably wheat based. You will still find articles that say amaranth and kamut are not gluten as well as it still being taught in our finest culinary schools, but they are mistaken. Over 10 years of testing tens of thousands of patients have proven otherwise.

So what is acceptable for such a limiting diet - corn, rice, wild rice, buckwheat, millet, tapioca, arrowroot, taro, barley malt, barley grass and wheat grass.

Testing is not expensive. Kits are available at my office. Muscle testing will also show those with obvious gluten intolerance.

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