Gluten Intolerant...isn't good enough!!!

Many of my Customers start the conversation with..."My Naturopath/Acupuncturist/Chiropractor/Kinesiologist etc...says I'm gluten intolerant". My standard reply is "So, have you been tested for Coeliac Disease?"

The reply? Always...always, is no.

Only a Medical Doctor can diagnose Coeliac Disease, and I've ranted and raved about why its very important to be diagnosed properly yet so many are accepting being told they are gluten intolerant without being diagnosed! Anyone with CD will tell you that given half the chance we would be on a "normal" diet, therefore its difficult to understand why you would change your entire lifestyle without a definitive Yes or No answer. Why be Gluten Free if you dont have Coeliac Disease. Oh the deafening roar of ..."Because I feel better"! Excellent, but it ain't over until we find out WHY!!!

Many...many other serious conditions have the same symptoms of Coeliac Disease and THATS why you must take the next step to diagnosis. Its quite possible that you have one or none of the following conditions......

Crohn's Disease
Common symptoms of Crohn's disease include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. Less common symptoms include poor appetite, fever, night sweats, rectal pain, and occasionally rectal bleeding. The symptoms of Crohn's disease are dependent on the location, the extent, and the severity of the inflammation.

Ulcerative Colitis
Common symptoms of ulcerative colitis include rectal bleeding and diarrhea, but there is a wide range of symptoms among patients with this disease. Variability of symptoms reflects differences in the extent of disease (the amount of the colon and rectum that are inflamed) and the intensity of inflammation. Generally, patients with inflammation confined to the rectum and a short segment of the colon adjacent to the rectum have milder symptoms and a better prognosis than patients with more widespread inflammation of the colon.

IBS
People with IBS have continuous or recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort that is relieved by a bowel movement (passing stool), or occurs along with a change in the frequency appearance or consistency of stool. Other symptoms may include:

• altered stool frequency (more than 3 bowel movements per day or less than 3 per week);
• altered stool consistency (lumpy, hard, loose or watery);
• altered stool passage (straining, urgency, feeling of incomplete evacuation);
• passage of mucus; or
• bloating or a feeling of abdominal distension.

IBS is diagnosed only if there are no identifiable disorders to account for the above symptoms, and if the person has had symptoms for at least 12 weeks in the past year. Some people find that their symptoms are triggered by certain foods or by eating too quickly or too much.

Small Intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
The symptoms of SIBO include:

• excess gas,
• abdominal bloating and distension,
• diarrhea, and
• abdominal pain.

A small number of patients with SIBO have chronic constipation rather than diarrhea. When the overgrowth is severe and prolonged, the bacteria may interfere with the digestion and/or absorption of food and deficiencies of vitamins and minerals may develop. Weight loss also may occur. Patients with SIBO sometimes also report symptoms that are unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract, symptoms such as body aches or fatigue. The symptoms of SIBO tend to be chronic. A typical patient with SIBO can experience symptoms that fluctuate in intensity over months, years, or even decades before the diagnosis is made.

Gastroparesis
The primary symptoms of gastroparesis are nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms of gastroparesis include abdominal pain, bloating, early satiety (feeling full quickly when eating), and in severe cases, weight loss due to a reduced intake of food because of the symptoms. Reduced intake of food and restriction of the types of food that are eaten can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Ok ....see a pattern here Peeps?? Although (unproven) with many of these conditions Patients claim to feel improvement with less gluten and wheat in their diets, NONE....NONE of them require a strict gluten free diet for life. There of course many many more conditions and diseases I could list here....and that's why I say "Gluten Intolerant"....is not a good enough answer!