Ancient time-tested natural medicine

Gluten - Genetic Testing

Now Available at MHC

You cannot control what genes you are born with, but you can identify them and change your diet and lifestyle to accommodate them. Fortunately gluten sensitivity and celiac disease can be evaluated with genetic testing.

View world-renown expert on gluten Dr. Peter Osborne's talk on why most gluten tests are flawed and yield false negatives.

Traditional diagnostic testing has focused on blood antibody tests and or intestinal biopsies.

Unfortunately traditional tests for gluten sensitivity are often incorrect!

Why? They only measure a fraction of how a person’s immune system can react to gluten. Add to the problem that different grains contain different types of gluten. Blood tests only measure the gluten found in wheat (gliadin). The other problem is that people react to gluten in different ways. Some people have immune reactions, some have intestinal problems, some develop psychological problems, some suffer with migraine headaches, psoriasis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis… The list is over 200 diseases long. I can’t even begin to tell you how many patients have come to my office after they were already biopsied or blood tested and told that they did not have gluten intolerance only to find out that their gene DNA tests were positive.

Unfortunately, the traditional definition of gluten is not 100% correct!

Why? Most of the research regarding gluten is directly linked to celiac disease, and most of the research on celiac disease focuses only on 3 grains (wheat, barley, rye) and sometimes a fourth (oats). There are a number of studies that have linked the gluten in corn to adverse reactions! But wait, there is more… Almost half of the people diagnosed with celiac disease do not get better on a traditionally defined gluten free diet! So the big question is…Why?! The answer – The traditionally defined Gluten Free Diet is not really gluten free.

There is usually a 30-50 year gap in medical research and its application in actual practice. Point being don’t expect your gastroenterologist or other specialist to start discussing gluten with you. Don’t take my word for it, watch the news report below. Fact is many doctors are on cue with the research curve, and many are not.

Who Should Be Genetically (DNA) Tested For Gluten Sensitivity?

Those directly related to someone who has already been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease should always be tested, but those suffering with any of the following list of diseases should also get tested:

Those who suffer from chronic intestinal problems
Infertility or recurrent miscarriage
Chronic anemia
Osteoporosis
Migraine Headaches

Psoriasis

Eczema

IBS

Bipolar or Schizophrenia

Low thyroid (Hypothyroid)

ADD or ADHD

Autism

Fibromyalgia

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Restless Legs Syndrome

Sleep Apnea

Type I or II diabetes

Multiple Sclerosis

Any Autoimmune Disease

Because of recent media exposure on The View, Larry King and Fox News, gluten sensitivity is becoming more and more of a house hold word. Watch the video below to see a recent report by Fox News featuring Dr. Osborne as an expert in gluten sensitivity. Pay particular attention to the symptoms and diseases that the woman had before finding out that she was gluten intolerant (hint – they were the opposite of celiac disease symptoms!)

Don’t know where your illness is coming from? It’s time for you to get tested…

Psoriasis is a Symptom of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

Skin disease is common in those with gluten sensitivity. The most commonly seen skin affliction is called dermatitis herpetiformis.

Scientists at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland decided to find out whether or not antibodies for celiac disease could be found in the blood of those with psoriasis. They already knew that psoriasis was seen in some patients that had celiac disease without symptoms (called non-celiac gluten sensitivity) plus the fact that a remission could be seen in the psoriasis with a gluten-free diet. A remission of the psoriasis could even be seen in those who had had psoriasis for years.

The researchers took blood serum samples from 67 patients with psoriasis as well as serum from healthy people without the disease. They looked for antibodies against transglutaminase enzyme and against gliadin. They found that patients with psoriasis had higher antibody levels of both transglutaminase and gliadin for IgA. Both of these correlated with psoriasis activity.

The Polish researchers concluded that these results imply that there is an association between psoriasis and celiac disease / gluten intolerance without the symptoms.

Source:

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol, Sept 2008; Vol. 22, No. 9, 1055-61.

Someone with gluten sensitivity doesn’t always manifest symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea that are commonly associated with celiac disease.

Psoriasis is just one more of the skin manifestations of gluten sensitivity.

Each year, millions of people visit their doctor with rashes of all types. Many of them are sent home with corticosteroid creams that do little for the rash.

After reading this research study, we now know that dermatologists can solve some of the cases of rashes just by recommending a grain-free diet. A gluten-free diet usually eliminates rye, wheat and barley, but a true gluten free/grain-free diet eliminates all grains.

Do you have psoriasis or any other type of ‘mysterious’ skin disorder that has not responded to traditional medical treatment or to a standard gluten free diet (wheat, barley, and rye elimination)? If so, consider eliminating all grains and see what happens!

Genetic Testing For Gluten Sensitivity is Being Recommended for IBS Sufferers

A new review in the American Journal of Gastroenterology recommends that those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) be genetically tested for gluten sensitivity intolerance. The Review elucidates the role of diet in the progression of IBS symptoms. The authors further state that the classic signs of celiac disease are often absent for those suffering with IBS even thought gluten is the culprit.

Source: Am J Gastroenterl2009;104:1587-94.

This article is a major breakthrough in the advancement for gluten sensitivity recognition. Traditionally IBS sufferers are told to “eat right and limit their stress”. IBS typically manifests as symptoms of gut pain, bloating, gas, and loose bowels. Endoscopic and other common diagnostic tests are most often negative leaving people without answers. Medical treatment of IBS is largely unsuccessful.

Food intolerance and allergy and infections are the most common contributing factors in the development of irritable bowel symptoms. It is important to have a physician evaluate these areas.