Ook so when I say reading, I really mean skimming. The book basically details all the effects that ingesting gluten might have on a person i.e. bowel disease (what a nice starter ^_^), Autoimmune Disease, Heart Disease, hair abnormalities (early graying), and even flatulence. Doesn't eating gluten sound soo tasty?
Anyhow, there are little anecdotes in the book to break up some of the medical jargon. One I read was/is particularly...effective. I thought I would share.
An Extreme Reaction to Gluten
~ Deni W.
In 1991 I started having digestive symptoms and losing weight. My doctore started testing. Eventually, during a visit to the doctor I mentioned that I seemed to feel better in the morning if I ate Cream of Rice cereal. The doctor mentioned that there was a rare disorder called celiac sprue and urged me to try a gluten-free diet. I did start feeling better for a while -- but not for long. The weight loss continued. I started becoming "clumsy." I'd drop things and seemed to trip over my own feet. My hands and feet began to feel like they were rubber reather than skin. I lost more weight. With more meds and continued testing, I had so much abdominal pain that it was difficult to function. I was exhausted all the time, and I started having panic attacks. I lost 85 of 215 pounds. I am a tall woman -- but I looked like a concentration camp survivor. I also experienced spontateous bruising, I would watch as a spot on my arm or leg would swell, hurt like heck, and then turn vibrant purple.
In January 1992, I was hospitalized. I could barely use my left hand. I was cold all the time. I was all I could to to stay awake. I was having severe head pains and still losing weight after more testing, a psychaitrist was called in. He annoucned I had what was then called a major affective disorder (depression). I was counseled for anorexia. My guts hurt, my bowel movements were foul, and I was tired of trying to stay alive.
Though still on a gluten-free diet, I was worse than when the doctore first suggested celiac disease. My salvation came when a hospital dietitian was monitoring my food intake due to suspicions of anorexia. The dietitian brought me a photocopy of a booklet about celiac disease. On the last page there was a blurb about making sure your medications had been checked to assure they did not contain gluten. A call to the pharmacist confirmed that 9 of 11 medications I was taking contained gluten. As soon as I stopped taking all but my thyroid meds, I started getting better.
I slowly got my energy back. I started feeling human again. My body had deteriorated so much that it had been devouring itself in an attempt to find protein. I was starving to death.
So basically even our medical doctors are poisoning us with gluten in medicine. This is an extreme case, and in fact, most people who have celiac are overweight. Gluten is really a very dangerous protein. Gotta watch out!
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