The Gluten Effect: How "Innocent" Wheat Is Ruining Your Health

Food that enters the intestine goes through a complex digestive process. It must be broken down to molecules that can pass through the intestinal wall. The intestine is also a major part of the immune system, producing antibodies that destroy harmful bacteria entering the digestive tract. But some foods we ingest contain proteins that the body does not recognize, and so the intestine mounts an immune response. One common protein that is relatively new to our species and abundant in our food supply is gluten found in wheat, rye, and barley. For those of us who are sensitive to gluten, this immune response begins to inflame and damage the intestinal tract causing what is known as "leaky gut syndrome." Gaps in the intestine then allow uninvited molecules into the bloodstream. As the body mounts a defense against these intruders, it often mistakes its own tissues as the same foreign bodies. And thus many develop autoimmune diseases. Additionally, the body's ability to absorb nutrients is compromised, resulting in malnutrition. This book provides a comprehensive explanation of gluten sensitivity and how it contributes to diseases such as celiac, ADD, ADHD, arthritis, diabetes, IBS, fatigue, sleep disturbances, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, malnutrition, depression, fibromyalgia, obesity and many other unexplained symptoms--both physical and mental. The book emphasizes finding the cause of your illness and eliminating it, as opposed to the common practice of drugging the symptoms while the underlying disease state progresses. I wish this book could be mandatory reading in medical schools. The authors teach when and how gluten sensitivity testing should be done, and they provide numerous case studies of patients they have treated who have renewed their vigor, improved their mood, lost weight, and reversed many chronic diseases. I highly recommend The Gluten Effect for anyone suffering from autoimmune diseases, general fatigue, or unexplained illnesses, aches, or pains. The information could completely change your life.

I've always been pretty healthy, but I've had some minor problems with "hereditary" skin rashes I thought would never go away. I was also tired all the time, waking up tired, tired in the afternoon, tired in the evenings, despite getting a good amount of sleep. I read this book which explained gluten sensitivity in a very real way to me, great examples and success stories from people with the same issues as me. I decided to try it taking myself off gluten. After a few weeks I noticed I was waking up full of energy and I wasn't tired throughout the day or in the evening, I was attentive and had no attention on being tired. I few months later I noticed my skin hadn't broken out in a while, anywhere on my body, the rash I had for my entire life had gone away. The book was easy to read and quite enjoyable. I recommend it to anyone with any type of body issue.

I struggled with serious digestive problems for over a year and have always struggled with my weight. My family MD was pushing me to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy (since he'd run all of the other expensive tests and was running out of ideas). I had read an article years ago about Celiac disease/gluten sensitivity and kept suggesting this as an option but was told by my doctor that people with Celiac are malnourished and emaciated (which I obviously am not). After reading `The Gluten Effect' I find out that that is simply not true! In fact, this book debunks A LOT of common misconceptions that have been sabotaging my health for years! Once I stopped eating gluten it was amazing how much better I felt; I had stopped gluten in order to fix the digestive issues I'd been suffering but was surprised when my joint pain, fatigue, and ten-year-long headache seemed to go away overnight! I was more shocked when I went an entire year without getting the typical 2-3 nasty colds/flu that I've been living with since childhood, and once I read the book I understood why. `The Gluten Effect' is an excellent reference since I can use the index to look up any number of common health issues and find a chapter that explains how gluten plays a role; at the same time the book is so easy to read with its many anecdotes and case studies, that I read it page by page like a novel. I have given this book to friends who thought I was crazy, and after reading it for themselves they have declared it genius and are passing it to their friends.

This book is packed with all the details and anecdotes you could need to understand the insidious effect gluten can have on your body. Mind you, I thought I ate very healthy (minimal red meat, lots of veggies) before learning about gluten sensitivity. My story. I was lucky enough to hear a seminar from one of the author's back in 2003 at the same time my allergy medicines "quit working" for me. I couldn't sleep, my nose ran 24x7 and then my eyes puffed up. For weeks nothing was working and I was frustrated beyond belief. It was easily the worst attack in 10 years since being in California. I was approaching my mid 30s and I guess my body was showing it's age a bit. Through a free educational seminar (prior to this great book being available) as well as personalized nutritional testing program, I developed a respect for the "sensitivity" of my body to gluten and sugar. In just 3-4 days of zero gluten and zero sugar, my swollen eyes had resolved themselves with out any medicine. My runny nose had reduced, and I slept 8 full hours for the first time in weeks. That was my "light bulb moment". I had gluten sensitivity! I went gluten free for 6 months, and then slowly introduced a "treat" of bread or pizza once a week. After a while I fell off the wagon, only to find the allergies return with a vengeance. Back on the wagon, the allergies were under control and then gone. Wow! Many a friend has jested me on my "gluten free" diet only to try the diet and watch headaches and previously issues such as uncontrolled weight gain disappear. Every person's body is a little different, so the side-effects of the sensitivity are too. For me it's an uncontrollable horrible runny nose (post nasal drip) and very bad sleep (wake several times a night). For other's it's migraines, etc... As you can imagine, I highly recommend this book. If you have a previously unexplained allergy or unexplained body ache or sleeping troubles, this book is a must read. If you wonder about proper nutrition, you need the data in this book to go beyond the simple "food pyramid" and learn what the Gluten Free subject is all about and how you can improve your nutrition without adding lots of suppliments. Mind you, I take some suppliments. The thing is, all the supplements in the world won't help if you are eating food that your body has a sensitity too. There are substances which can throw your adrenal system into a continual low grade allergy attack. Although not the title subject of this book, I learned that as I got older, the more I would pay for taking my adrenal glands for a ride on the blood sugar roller coaster (that one can of soda a day for 5-10 years took a toll over time.) Finally, the authors are very professional. Excellent training, and dedicated to the subject of nutrtional health. They run a clinic that specializes in finding the root cause of your body problems and try as I might I found it impossible to find an equivalent group for my family in New York area to v

The Gluten Effect is an excellent resource for people who have just begun a gluten free life. It would also be a great gift to give to those doctors who are still unaware of the effects of gluten on the human body. You do not have to have celiac disease to suffer from the effects of gluten. Unfortunately, most doctors still know little, if anything, about gluten sensitivity. So many people are dismissed with diagnoses of IBS, nervous system disorders, or hypochondria and gluten is the cause. This book is easily understood and backed up by numerous citations to research and studies. I recommend this for anyone who suspects gluten may be a problem.