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Earlier this year I discovered that I have problems with gluten. It came up when during a check-up I mentioned the fact that I’m a second-generation American. My dad’s parents had come over from Sweden and my mom’s dad came from Ireland by way of Scotland. This sparked an interest in my examiner, causing them to check for gluten issues. Apparently people from those ethnic groups show a tendency to have problems with gluten. The result was a surprise to me in light of the fact that I didn’t think I had any problems eating bread, cookies, muffins, or anything else made of wheat, rye, or barley. I didn’t have any gastrointestinal problems that I was aware of. There were things going on, but I just put it down to eating broccoli, having a yeast infection, stress, not drinking enough water, etc. I did have issues with my skin and scalp, but I knew that a form of psoriasis ran in my family so no big deal. Up until a week or two ago my attitude was that this was no big deal. But I recently came across some information that let me know that I do need to take this much more seriously then I have.

A number of years back I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Recently I came across an article linking thyroid and celiac issues. In going to the first article I went on  a journey of several hours losing track of where I’d been. Apparently there has been some success in lightening the affects of thyroid symptoms when that individual actively chooses to eliminate all gluten from their diet. Just as someone suffering from candida albicans must eliminate sugar and yeast to heal their body so do I need to eliminate gluten. The difference is that once the candida is out of a person’s body they can add reasonable amounts of yeast and sugar back into their diet. For those with gluten issues the change must be lifelong.

While I don’t appear to have celiac’s disease I do need to give attention to eliminating gluten from all aspects of my diet. With over 250 symptoms that can be a part of many other diseases, you shouldn’t just assume that you are gluten intolerant. But if after being examined you find that you are, you do need to take it seriously. Gluten in the system of someone who does not tolerate it prevents absorption of needed nutrients.  Long-terms effects if left untreated include osteoporosis, bowel cancer, anemia and diabetes. Untreated food allergies can lead to small abrasions to a variety of organs creating a “leaky gut”. In my case the one symptom that caught my attention and made me understand how seriously I need to take this is DH, dermatitis herpetiformis. This condition shows up as little bumps under my skin with extreme itchiness, particularly in my scalp. In some respects this was a relief.

In the many pages I visited a number of them laid out the vision that being strictly gluten-free for even as short a time as 3 to 6 months can see a significant reduction of symptoms. While I know that living gluten-free is what I need to do for the rest of my life  I can look forward to reducing the effects of my thyroid symptoms. Chances are I won’t be scratching my head as often as well either. Or at least not because it itches.