Most physicians are familiar with celiac disease and the digestive issues associated with gluten sensitivity, but the vast majority of doctors not familiar with many of the other symptoms, especially the non-digestive symptoms that can be caused by gluten. It’s estimated that 18 million people suffer from gluten sensitivity, and those are the people who have figured it out. There is still an enormous number of people walking around with a gluten sensitivity and they have absolutely no idea.
Gluten sensitivity is the next epidemic. Most physicians are familiar with celiac disease and the digestive issues associated with gluten sensitivity, but the vast majority of doctors not familiar with many of the other symptoms, especially the non-digestive symptoms that can be caused by gluten.
It’s estimated that 18 million people suffer from gluten sensitivity, and those are the people who have figured it out. There is still an enormous number of people walking around with a gluten sensitivity and they have absolutely no idea. I suspect that 1 in 2 people has an issue with gluten. In my functional medicine clinic, I test all of my patients for gluten sensitivity, and about 95% of them have some issue with gluten.
Most people with gluten sensitivity have no digestive symptoms at all. In 2002, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine was able to link 55 chronic diseases to gluten. I often get asked, if gluten can cause this many health issues, why don’t more physicians know about this?
When something new is discovered in medicine it can take an average of 17 years for this new information to make its way into medical schools and clinical practice. Much of the research surrounding gluten sensitivity is not 17 years old—in fact we’re just now beginning to scratch the surface in understanding gluten’s role in many diseases.
We do know that gluten sensitivity lies on a spectum. On one end there is no issue with gluten and one can eat all the pasta and pizza they want. I don’t really recommend this for anyone as gluten is a very inflammatory food, however in theory one has no issue with gluten and can eat as much as they want. On the other end of the spectrum is celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which even trace amounts of gluten can have devastating consequences to the person consuming it. Everyone else falls somewhere on the spectrum in between the two extremes. One could be one step away from no issue with gluten or one step towards celiac disease.
Non-Digestive Gluten Sensitivity Warning Signs
These are only a few of the possible warning signs of gluten sensitivity. For a more complete list, click here.
1. Migraines and headaches
Food sensitivities are known to cause headaches and migraines, and gluten is no different in that respect. A recent study showed that 56% of people who had been diagnosed with migraine headaches actually had an underlying gluten sensitivity. After removing gluten from their diet and adopting a gluten-free lifestyle, their migraines resolved.
2. Brain fog
Gluten contains gluteomorphines that can act like morphine in some people causing brain fog. Gluten can also attack the brain, causing inflammation, leading to brain fog.
See full story on mindbodygreen.com
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