Gluten in Personal Care Products?

                                        Gluten Free Personal Products?

I promised awhile back that i would get to the personal care products that i use that do not contain gluten. Before i give you a list i want to explain why i do not use products that conatain gluten even though i'm not going to ingest them.

I know that there are many people including doctors that feel that if you don't ingest a product even though it has gluten you should be fine. I on the other hand have gotten so sick from gluten i didn't want to take a chance. Not only that,  i noticed a huge difference when i removed gluten from my personal product use. You see, even though i had cut gluten out of my diet i still didn't feel well. I was still dealing with a body rash and my hair was still falling out. I was also still dealing with body acne. Once i removed the gluten from my personal care products i got relief in all of these areas. I'm not the only one who has noticed a huge difference in how they've felt after using personal care products without gluten. If you have time to check out other bloggers and chat rooms of people with celiac disease you will see just how many people agree they feel better cutting gluten out of their personal products as well.

It only makes sense that we would have reactions to things that go on our skin when our skin is a huge organ. We actually absorb things that we put on our skin in as fast as 26 seconds. Makes you think, doesn't it? 

Now of course as with anything else there will always be those who refute this. There are still many doctors and scientists that say that gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin and that we don't have to worry about gluten in our personal care products. I on the other hand prefer to go by my own experience and those of others that i have talked to and read about and how they feel better staying away from gluten in their products. 

Having said all of this one of the areas that i believe is especially important to keep gluten out of is our lipsticks. Ladies you cannot deny that we inevitably eat some of our lipstick throughout the day regardless of how hard we try not to, so this is an area i say we definitely cannot afford to compromise.

Now, i am going to share with you some of the personal care products that i use. I would also like to point out that i have started using fragrance free products. I started using fragrance free products when i started having even more problems with my thyroid. When you have thyroid issues you may notice that your allergies get worse. You will also learn that toxins in your environment can aggrevate thyroid function even your cleaning products and chemicals in your drinking water can do this. For these reasons and so many others it is important to be careful with many ingredients in all of your products. Some ingredients to watch out for other than gluten include pthalates, chlorine, flouride, triclosan, latex, dyes and parabens. There is an interesting article on parabens that one of the blogs that i follow published. It stresses how parabens are linked to cancer in humans, you can read that article here.

With all of this information i knew i had to find companies that i trusted and that were just as conscious about these matters as i was.

Here are some that i found and use and trust.  All of these companies have fragrance free and allergen free products. Many of them are organic and many don't just watch out for gluten but corn and soy as well.  yay!

Dessert Essence-  I use their toothpaste and dental products.  I also enjoy their fragrance free shampoo and conditioner.  Side note:  My very, very picky husband has even started using these same products and actually likes them.  : )

Gluten Free Savonnerie-  I love their body soaps and lotion.

Dakota Free-  I enjoy their soap and their moisturizer that i also use on my hair when it is dry.

Hugos Naturals-  I use their fragrance free lotion.  They have a line of products that are certified gluten free.  Warning:  If you are extremely sensitive with fragrances i would make a note when purchasing from their website for them not to include the free gift of decorative soap with your package.  I have come across that soap the hard way.  Im still trying to get the smell out of my linen closet 6 months after i threw it away. Ugh

As for makeup products i use here are some great companies as well:

Red Apple Lipstick-  I love this company.  They are 100% gluten free and paraben free and take great care to keep any toxic ingredients out of their products.  They currently make lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows, lip pencils and i believe there is talk of mascara soon to come.  They do their products in small batches to keep the integrity of their products.  Check them out, you will love them!  Oh and please give my blog a shout out if you purchase their products.  Thanks!

Afterglow Cosmetics-  They are also 100% gluten free.

Beauty Secrets Mineral Makeup-  www.allnaturalmineralmakeup.com- I use their foundations and concealer

Cowgirl Dirt Cosmetics-  I use their mascara.  They are also organic.

FYI-  I started to make my very picky husband an organic hair gel/pomade.  I make it using beeswax.  He loves it and his coworkers loved how his hair looks and they asked for some as well.  I also make a very strong deoderant for him from natural and organic ingredients and of course they are 100% gluten free.  If you're interested in purchasing my products just contact me and i'll discuss the details with you.

My hair gel/pomade:  Its great for curls.  My husband has curly/wavy hair we live in a humid area which causes even more hair issues.

My hair gel/pomade is named - "I Bee Waxin"- $5.00
My deoderant is named- "Bee Stink Free"- $5.00

Something to look out for when buying your gluten free personal products is to verify that the vitamin E they use which is also called tocopherals is derived from a source other than wheat.

I hope that this post helps take the pressure off of looking for some trusted gluten free products.  If you find the information helpful please pass it on.
Thanks so much!!

It's National Celiac Awareness Day!

Today is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day.  

All of us who suffer from celiac disease before getting diagnosed may not have even been aware that there was a day dedicated to this.  

According to the Celiac Sprue Association Sept. 13th was chosen for this day because it is the birth date of Dr. Samuel Gee, M.D. a physician and pediatrician.  Dr. Gee is the first physician that is credited with being the first to identify the link between celiac disease and diet.  One of his famous quotes is: "If the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet."


So i guess we can be very thankful to Dr. Gee because if it weren't for that important link between celiac and diet more of us would be way sicker then we are.

Of course those of us who suffer from this disease know that it is way more complex then it sounds.  We also know that doctors themselves can't even tell us everything about celiac because of their lack of education when it comes to this disease.  The education given to these doctors in medical school is to suspect celiac disease in a child suffering from diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating.  As we know it's much more complicated than this.

Like me, so many of us are getting this disease in our adult years.  Many deal with constipation, itchy rashes, hair loss, bloating etc.  Or many might have just one complaint being neuropathy, tingling in their hands and feet.  It becomes way more complicated and it masks itself as other disorders.  Unfortunately many of us do develop other disorders as well.  Then there are those that have no symptoms at all.

Dr. Green the director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in NYC was asked in an interview why it is so hard to get doctors to realize that celiac disease could be the culprit for making patients so sick and this is how he responded:

<DGF: Why is it still difficult to get doctors in the U.S. to consider that celiac disease could be the culprit making patients sick—especially the ones with IBS symptomsthat don’t resolve with IBS treatments?

Dr. Green: There are a couple of reasons, actually. Most doctors here are not prominently taught about celiac disease in medical school or in post-graduate education. The latter is often funded by big pharmaceutical companies, and none of them presently offer a medication to treat celiac disease. We really can’t blame the doctors totally because most of them are not going to look for something in their patients that they were taught is extremely rare. Of course, celiac disease is not rare at all, but many doctors still think that it is.>

I got this information from the www.delightglutenfree.com website.  Read the entire article here. It is very informative.

I have to give my experience with a doctor very briefly: 

After i had been diagnosed and had seen the doctors at Jefferson University Hospital at the Celiac Center in Pennsylvania i was trying to get help for my brother who lives a few states away in Ohio.  He was in his doctors office at the time and was asking him to test him for this disease.  My brother couldn't remember the names of the tests so he called me while he was with his doctor and put me on the phone to give him the names of the tests that the doctors at Jefferson had done on me. 

The doctor was not polite at all.  He kept insisting that my brother did not have celiac because he didn't have diarrhea.  I explained to him that i didn't either in fact i suffered from constipation.  I tried to ask him if he would at least test him to see if he carried the gene for this disease.  He said there was no such test. Although i explained that they had just finished these tests on me and found that i carry the gene and i gave him the name of the test he still protested.  Now i'm not a doctor and i understand that many of them have very big egos but i wasn't trying to belittle him in any way i was just trying to help my brother get the proper help he needed.   Unfortunately there are many doctors out there with this same attitude and if this is the case for you i encourage you, just as i did for my brother, to find a new doctor.  Keep looking until you find one that listens!

What can we do to help educate people?  Well there are several things we can do and they don't take a lot of effort.  

It's important to start with our own family and make sure that they have all been tested for this disease.  We can share interesting articles on celiac disease with family and friends through email or social networks. We can email local grocery stores in our area and request that they get more trusted gluten free items in their stores.  Talk to your doctor openly about what you have learned and print out specific articles you have found helpful or that you may have questions on.  Even if you just get the conversation going it is better than them just sending you out the door after diagnosis saying go eat gluten free and see me in a few months.  

There is quite a bit of downloadable guides and articles on the www.celiaccentral.org website that you can use for yourself as well as for your childrens schools.

Another way you can do your part is just to educate those around you.  Yes more and more people are becoming aware of Celiac Disease and being gluten free but they are still very uneducated about it.  You can educate and not bombard people with information with the smallest of phrases such as:  "I suffer from an auto-immune disorder it's not an allergy" ,  "Gluten is a protein that causes damage to my intestines", "I have to be extremely careful to avoid gluten because this disease can lead to developing cancer down the road."  

You don't necessarilly have to give an entire speech but just saying a short phrase that shows the seriousness of the disease will help people to see that this isn't a fad for you and it will give them some much needed information that will leave them thinking.  Who knows maybe they will even go home and do some of their own research,  that is what has happened to me at times.  

Well i hope that this article was enlightening and gave you some encouragement to go out in the world and educate others or even in the very least i hope i encouraged you to educate yourself some more on this disease.  I have found that there is much to learn.  

Please tweet this article to others so that we can raise more awareness on this complex disease.  Thank you!

Stay Healthy!!

References:  celiac sprue association website

                    celiaccentral.org

                    delightglutenfree.com

How Can I Support My Thyroid?

Thyroid Support

Are there things that we can do to support our thyroid?  The very short answer is, yes! When do i ever keep things short though....

Although there is tons of information about thyroid support i will try and keep it as short as possible.  

Whether you are taking a thyroid supplement or not you should definitely be doing things to help your thyroid.  The reason that many people feel that their dessicated natural thyroid hormone isn't working for them is because they aren't supporting their thyroid in other ways as well.  

When you have Celiac Disease your not as able to absorb nutrients in your body as much as a healthy person.  In this case it is even more important for the functioning of your entire body that you do everything possible to support yourself.  

First thing to do is to make sure you are eating as healthy as possible.  There are so many foods out there that contain important vitamins and minerals.  You will find these in fresher foods like veggies,  fresh fish, meats and nuts.  You will more than likely not find them in the more popular processed foods.  Now i'm not against the occasional pizza and cupcakes, gluten free of course, everything in moderation.  However, it is vital to our health to eat fresher foods.  They may take a little more effort to make but definitely pays off when your body is getting the necessary nutrition and you are feeling better.  

Here are some foods that support thyroid function-

These foods contain iodine:

seafood

eggs

lima beans 

asparagus

garlic

sesame seeds

summer squash

spinach

swiss chard

These foods contain selenium:

brazil nuts

tuna

mushrooms

halibut

beef

sunflower seeds

These foods contain copper:

beef 

oysters

lobster

dark chocolate

chickpeas

shitake mushrooms

white beans

These foods contain zinc:

sardines

beef

lamb

turkey

pecans

brazil nuts

whole grains

split peas

walnuts

ginger root

almonds

maple syrup

These foods contain iron:

clams

oysters

pumpkin seeds

white beans

lentils

spinach

These foods contain Vitamin A:

kale

sweet potatoes

carrots

winter squash

pumpkin

spinach 

broccoli

cantaloupe 

liver 

lettuce

These foods contain Vitamin C:

guava

peppers

citrus

kiwifruit

strawberries

brussel sprouts 

papya

cauliflower

parsley

greens

These foods contain Vitamin E:

whole grains

almonds

sunflower seeds

peanuts

leafy green vegetables

asparagus

These foods contain Vitamin B2:

brewers yeast

organ meats

almonds 

white rice

mushrooms

egg yolks

These foods contain Vitamin B3:

brewers yeast

rice bran

peanuts with skin 

poultry white meat

liver

These foods contain Vitamin B6:

brewers yeast

fish

liver

pinto, navy, lima, garbanzo beans

lentils

walnuts

brown rice

bananas

Now there are many, many other foods that contain these nutrients so i encourage you to research foods that support thyroid function for yourself as well.   The other thing to keep in mind is that our soil has been compromised because of all of the pollutants in our environment.   Cooking may also reduce some of the nutrients from foods as well.  For these reasons it may be necessary for you to take supplements.  Just make sure to check to see if any supplements may interact with other meds you may already be taking.  Also you may want to look into what time of day you should take them as some supplements do better at night and some do better on an empty stomach.  

All of the above vitamins and minerals are extremely vital to the functioning of a healthy thyroid.  I encourage you to make sure you are doing everything possible to get these things in your diet daily.  

Also remember that there is a distinct connection between gluten and thyroid issues whether you have celiac or not.  Many people find that when they remove gluten from their diets they feel better and their thyroids function better as well.

Thanks for reading and remember a healthy thyroid makes for a happier individual!

This information is provided on an informational basis.  Be sure to discuss any supplements or change in diet with your doctor or naturopath.    

Why Aren't Restaurants Taking Celiacs Seriously?

Check out my latest experience,

I know i had said that my next post would be more about the thyroid but i just had to share what happened to me over the weekend while going out for breakfast at a place that offered a gluten free items.

I have been to this particular restaurant a couple times before but only for breakfast.  They have an extensive breakfast menu including pancakes and waffles and they state on the menu that they can make anything gluten free.

Well, being that i am a very sensitive celiac i am always very careful and most of the time i call and inquire ahead about practices and equipment.  Although this hadn't been my first time to this place it was the first time i noticed they offered gluten free waffles.  (I always check out menus online before going anywhere.)

I called and spoke with someone in the kitchen.  I told them my situation and asked if they had a separate waffle maker for gluten free waffles or if they shared one with gluten waffles.  He said "yes".  Ok so i was confused by this answer.  I asked "which one?" "you have one just for gluten free waffles?"  He said "yes."
I said "ok well i have to be very careful so that's why i'm inquiring."  He said "just let your server know your concerns when you get here and she will alert the kitchen."

That was the end of that convo.   His whole attitude on the phone was one of irritation and just saying what i wanted to hear to get me off the phone.  Now i have to say that i did not get sick this visit.  I ended up getting pancakes with no syrup.  Here's why:  When i told the server what i was told about the separate waffle maker just for gluten free waffles she said that wasn't true and would double check.  She came back from talking to the chef and said they only have one waffle maker and this is what she said the chef said: "The chef said that he has either read or heard that gluten burns off at 400 degrees F. and this is what they cook the waffles at.  So even though they do share the waffle maker with gluten containing waffles it would be safe for celiacs and he has never had anyone complain about getting sick."

Needless to say this enfuriated me but i just politely said "well then i'm going to need another minute to decide because i am very sensitive to gluten and i would get sick if i ate the waffles."  I also inquired about the vermont maple syrup that they offered but the server also told me she didn't recommend it because she sees crumbs around the rim of the container that they pour it from.  She did write down the ingredients for the syrup that was kept at the table but informed me that it was shared between tables, so i just decided to play it safe and go without.  I've seen kids putting syrup on pancakes and they touch all over the bottle and sometimes even touch the tip to their pancakes.  I may be being a little paranoid but after all i've suffered i'd rather be healthy and paranoid then take chances and get sick.

Well, i did get the pancakes with blueberries and walnuts and had them without syrup and did not get sick thankfully.  Unfortunately if i want waffles i will have to make them at home myself.

What was so irritating about the experience was the ignorance of the chef.  Who told him or where did he read that gluten burns off at 400degrees?  How are they taking the waffles off of the machine?  Could they be accidentally scratching it and allowing gluten to get into the pores? How well are they cleaning it in between gluten and non gluten waffles?  There's just too many variables for me.   I mean if I'm not cooking a pizza in an oven that once had gluten in it at 400 degrees then why would i want my gluten free waffle poured directly on a gluten shared surface that has all kinds of potential to get me sick.

I was reading jennifersway.org.  Jennifer Esposito's blog and she had posted her experience at a restaurant where she was told by the server that they just get so many people wanting gluten free and not everyone can be celiac.  So it seems to me that they just don't feel the need to take it seriously.

These places assume that if people don't call and complain or if they don't see you keel over right away that you must be exaggerating, being picky or just doing a fad diet.  I have to agree that all these people who have jumped on the gluten free band wagon has made it very hard for celiacs.  On the other hand i have to say that going gluten free isn't easy and if someone is doing it because they feel noticeably better than there is a good chance it's because they have some sort of sensitiviy or allergy to it that they didn't realize.  Also, after what i've learned about wheat as a whole it is showing itself to be something that us as a human race are having difficulties digesting because of the hybridization of wheat and the lack of enzymes we need to digest it.  I recommend you check out my post (celiac disease issues & helpful tips).  

Having said all of that i believe it is very important, actually vital to us celiacs, that restaurants go through the proper training on gluten and celiac disease.  Ignorance shouldn't be acceptable.  These restaurants may not want to pay for their kitchen and wait staff to be trained but they should realize that if they were to go to these lengths for us we would trust them more and definitely patronize their establishments more often.  I know many celiacs that would even pay any extra markup if they knew they were able to eat as worry free as possible.  Of course we are always a little bit worried and we should always be extra careful but when we know that there has been training that has taken place it is a little relieving to us.  Plus if the food is good we'll keep coming back again and again.                                              

I have to ask the restaurant business, What could it hurt, whether it be a gluten free eater that does it for diet or gluten free for celiac, that when you get this request just be extra careful period.  Why not treat everyone that requests gluten free as if they could get deathly ill?  It never hurts to be too careful, right?

I would also like to encourage every celiac or gluten sensitive/allergy person that does get sick from eating at an establishment please call and report it.  I know it's easy to get frustrated and just let it go especially when you feel crappy for the next few weeks but it's vital for all those fighting this that you  let these restaurants know they are messing with your health.  Maybe if they hear how much we are getting sick they will be motivated to do something about their practices.  Maybe if they see that we won't stand for their ignorance and we just won't go to their place of business they will see how much money they are losing and change what they are doing?

 
So next time you get sick at a restaurant call and complain make your case known.  Tell them you won't return unless they show you that they can be trusted.  Write a review to help your fellow celiac and gluten sensitive/allergy eaters.   On the other hand, next time you get great service and they take the time to make you feel comfortable and you can tell they are going the extra mile, why not thank them by tweeting about your experience, write a great review on them, send them a thank you note.  You would be surprised what these seemingly small details will do to make a difference in not only your dining experience but your fellow celiac/gluten sensitive friends as well.

Please tweet this article to your followers so that we can show people and restaurant owners that this subject is very important to us!

Thanks for reading!

Synthetic Thyroid Hormone or Natural?

Synthetic or Natural?

In one of my previous posts about synthetic hormones i shared reasons as to why synthetic hormones such as Synthroid and Levothyroxine really don't seem to help many thyroid issues.  Being that the thyroid is much more complex then we realize containing T4, T3, T2,T1 and the synthetic hormones that many doctors prescribe are mainly T4 hormone.  This is the reason that many people don't find relief from their frustrating thyroid symptoms.  I recommend that you read my previous post "Why Aren't My Thyroid Meds Working?".

I decided to explore another route for my own personal treatment.  My doctors answer to my thyroid issue was to continue to up the dosage of my Synthroid medication but i just wasn't feeling the relief i needed.  Now what i did next i do not recommend.  I recommend that when it comes to any medication changing or changing in treatments you decide to do, always consult your physician or naturopath first.  I was so desperate to feel better and i had just found out that my thyroid meds were blocking an enzyme that i desperately needed for histamine breakdown so i stopped my medication.

Of course after stopping my meds it didn't take long before my thyroid started feeling even worse.  I think i really confused my body by doing this.  I knew that i didn't want to get back on the synthetic hormones so i started doing my research.

I came across several and i mean several blogs, studies and personal experiences of people sharing their experiences with Natural Thyroid Hormone.  Of course i was a little skeptical but i thought from what i was reading it merited more looking into.  In most of the information that i was reading the people who had decided to take this route were pretty happy with their choice and didn't want to go back to synthetics either.

In my research i found that the natural thyroid hormone not only contained the T4 but also the other T's that the thyroid needed to function and complete it's oh so important job.  That was a plus already.  I began to look into natural dessicated thyoid hormones.  I found a few different ones that required a prescription.  One of them being Armour.  The thing i noticed is that many people had good results with Armour but then the FDA made them change the formula and now many aren't feeling the same relief as they were feeling before.
So I continued to look into hormones that didn't require a prescription and finally ran across a company called www.Nutri-Meds.com that sells not only natural dessicated thyroid hormone but also adrenal support which is critical to helping thyroid issues.  Their prices are also very reasonable.

I have been on them less than a month and already feel a huge difference.  I'm looking forward to even more improvement.  I encourage you to check out natural dessicated thyroid hormones.  I am currently taking their bovine but they also offer porcine.  They do not have any crazy fillers either so you don't have to worry about all the other allergy concerns as with the synthetic hormones.

Now I also ran across a lot of information that showed how important it is to add specific vitamins and minerals to your thyroid hormone treatment to ensure that the hormone is able to complete its job.  Many people believe that the natural dessicated thyroid hormone isn't working for them after they don't feel the desired results and decide to go back to synthetics.  What they fail to realize is that we need to supplement ourselves with other things that are missing from our diets, either from the way we eat, our bad soil or as in my case my celiac disease that inhibits my absorbtion of nutrients.

Oh and to answer my question at the beginning, Synthetic or Natural?  For me it's Natural all the way!

In my next post i will talk about what nutrients, vitamins and supplements are also vital for our thyroid to function. Stay posted!

My Thyroid Gland

My Thyroid

(Im going to start off with some background info about my own experience with thyroid issues and that will help you to understand how i got to the place that i did with my thyroid.  I don't recommend stopping any meds without consulting your doctor.  The reason i go into detail in this post is so that you can parallel my experience to yours and see if anything makes sense in your situation as well.  Maybe you'll get a lightbulb moment like i did.  Then in another post i will go into more medical information about the thyroid that i discovered including why doctors say we're in normal range and why the synthetic meds don't seem to work.)

One of the reasons that i found that i had not been feeling better even after starting a gluten free diet was my thyroid.  It took a couple of years to discover this though.  Unfortunately i discovered this without the help of my doctor, which if you are also having thyroid issues you will probably understand.  You see a couple years before i was diagnosed with Celiac Disease i was put on Synthroid a synthetic version of T4 hormone for my thyroid.  I was told by the doctor that i wasn't hypothyroid or hyperthyroid and that my TSH levels (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone levels) were in the normal range.  So why put me on the hormone then?  Well he told me to supress the nodules that were growing on my thyroid  and stop them from getting bigger.  I was feeling so miserable with a whole host of syptoms so i took it for granted that the doctor knew exactly what he was talking about and started on the med.  I was told that i would more than likely have to continue on the meds forever once starting them. I was also told i'd never be able to take the generic version of Synthroid which is Levothyroxine because the effectiveness wouldn't be the same.

I was so desperate to feel better i thought, fine give it to me.  Im losing hair, i'm not sleeping, I've gotten fat (30lbs overweight) and i had absolutely no energy!  What i didn't know at the time was that if i had just realized (or if the doctor had just realized) that this was my Celiac i wouldn't have had to start the meds and once i got off gluten hopefully after 3-6 months the thyroid may have normalized.  Now i'm not saying this is a sure thing that would have happened but there are studies that prove that many Celiacs that have thyroid issues seem to get relief from thyroid symptoms after stopping the gluten.  Remember gluten causes inflammation in the body and inflammation affects the thyroid negatively.

After being on Synthroid for a couple of years i still wasn't feeling well.  Finally i received the Celiac diagnosis and i thought everything would finally be all good.  My family and friends were also expecting this of me.  I did feel really good for awhile.  I had more energy, my hair was growing back and my weight was normalizing.  I was sleeping better and i wasn't so angry all the time.  This was great!  Finally i had the answers i had been waiting for.  Time kept passing i was being very careful, of course stumbling here and there as does anyone who is newly diagnosed with Celiac disease.  Of course there's so much to learn about this disease, cross-contamination, food, auto-immune issues etc.  (I'll be getting into those more later as well) That's why i started this blog to help others going through these issues.

Anyway, one of the big things that i noticed right away was the fact that i was still dealing with acid reflux issues.  Don't get me wrong the reflux had subsided greatly, because it was really, really bad.  Now it was more annoying than anything else.  You see, everything i was reading was saying that i should be feeling good being off gluten.  I shouldn't still be dealing with acid reflux and hair falling out.  Although many of my symptoms had gotten better they hadn't completely gone away.  I was still taking my medications as well.   Now when i say medications I'm talking a lot of medications.  I'll talk more of those later though.  Right now i just want to deal with the relevant ones so as not to confuse you because this is a lot of information.
So please bare with me. : )

Ok, so a couple of years had gone by and i'm now completely off of gluten and feeling better than when i was eating gluten but not feeling great.  Why not?  I kept going to doctors for follow ups and they had no clue.  They continued to check my thyroid and i was still "within normal range".  What does that even mean?  Within normal range for whom?  They developed this thyroid blood test in the 70's with a test group of a couple hundred people.  It was now 2012 at this time and things have changed dramatically.  By now family and friends are growing quite annoyed with me because i'm still not feeling well and i should be because according to them i'm off gluten and that should fix everything, right?  Not right!  Remember this is an auto-immune disorder not just an allergy.  It's not easily fixed but because i'm sick of feeling sick i'm not going to stop looking for answers.   So i began doing my own research since i was getting no answers from the doctors.

During my research I figured out the issue with histamine intolerance (see my post on histamine intolerance) and began eating low histamine foods, supplementing with vitamins such as vitamin C, D, calcium/magnesium, zinc, potassium, vitamin B complex (vitamin b's did hurt my stomach) and i was feeling some relief.  I also started taking DAO enzyme that helped with the digestion of the food i was eating.  You see, just a quick explanation for the DAO enzyme is that in your small intestine is the place where DAO enzyme is made.  This DAO enzyme is what helps a person to digest high histamine foods or pretty much any food because all food contains some amount of histamine.  Being a Celiac damage has taken place in the small intestine and so it made sense that this enzyme was lacking.  Supplementing this enzyme and eating low histamine foods and taking the supplements i listed above did help.

Now remember all during this time i was on the synthroid and even on levothyroxine at one point because of my insurance company changing me.  Now i did say earlier i was told that the levo wouldn't work the same as synthroid.  I don't think this really mattered though because even while on the synthroid i still felt bad. Anyway, as i did research on the histamine dao enzyme i found that the synthetic thyroid meds i was on blocked the production of this very important enzyme.  At the time i was getting headaches, rashes, nose running, coughing while i ate.  I tried everything to minimize these issues because i was finding that more important than anything else was the need to eat and get my nutrition.  What i did next i do not recommend to anyone without consulting your doctor first.  I stopped my thyroid medication.  I was feeling crappy anyway and now it seemed to be messing with my food intake.  Food is our source of life and nutrition, so it took awhile but after doing this i finally started feeling some relief with the histamine issue. I was eating better, eating healthier foods, staying away from processed foods (gluten free processed foods) and i was starting to feel somewhat better.  Not all was better though....

Time passed and although i was feeling some histamine relief in other areas i was feeling horrible. By this time things had progressed for the worse, my energy levels had dropped drastically, I had become horribly chemically sensitive, my hair was falling out in the front of my head and my stomach was hurting all the time. I was having stomach cramping, dull pain in the right side of my abdomen and still had bad acid refllux when i ate.  My periods although came every month were sometimes heavy sometimes light.  Then they started to come more frequently and never the same time every month.  One morning when i couldn't drag myself out of bed and i was waking up in night sweats and my throat felt like i had swallowed a golf ball, a light bulb went off,  My Thyroid!  I need to figure out how to fix my thyroid without going back on those synthetic hormones!
In another post on thyroid i will tell you how i started to do this.
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Gluten Free Food Brands

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If you read my other post you remember that i mentioned that there are many fresh food options and unprocessed meat and fish options that do not contain gluten.
Now im going to tell you about the options that are out there for processed foods.  There has been an explosion of gluten free options in the last few years.  I find there is an upside and a downside to this.

First the downside.  I feel that many companies have just jumped on the bandwagon to make money and they really don't care about the fact that millions of us rely on gluten free foods to live.  Hence, they don't seem to care so much about the alternative ingredients they use, the amount of sugar or how careful they are about processing and manufacturing these products.  Maybe now that the gluten free labeling law has passed some of this might change in regard to how careful they will be with the amount of trace gluten anyway.  I'm not putting all my confidence in this law though, for many reasons.  I still plan on checking labels carefully and sticking with certified gluten free and foods processed in dedicated facilities.  I highly recommend you do the same.  I will not deny though that some companies out there cannot afford to get that certified label and yet they still take every precaution and are very reliable and reputable.  With some research you can find out what those companies are and many times they will let you know somewhere on their packaging just how seriously they take being gluten free.  Reading that information will certainly make you feel more at ease. Now, the upside, sooo many more options, less feelings of deprivation and feeling left out.  Oh, and not getting sick!!!

So what are the companies that you can trust?  Well, let me first state that there are way too many to list so i will list some but i recommend you do more research to find others you may like.  In time this will all become second nature.  You will eventually know what stores to buy from and what online sites to trust.   I will also give you a resource that will help you to navigate the grocery stores with a better knowledge of what is safe and what may not be so safe.
First a small disclaimer before i start listing names:  Always check labels and ingredients and manufacturer information as many companies change ingredients often.  Always run any diet changes by your physician or homeopath first.

Ok so here we go:

 123 Gluten-Free
 Allergaroo
 Amy's
 Ancient Harvest
 Annie Chun's                                                                      
 Annie's Naturals                               
 Arrowhead Mills
 Authentic Foods
 Bakery on Main
 Beanitos
 Better Batter
 Better Than Milk
 Bionaturae
 Bob's Red Mill
 Bragg
 Cause You're Special
 Chebe
 ConAgra
 Cookies...For Me?
 Dakota Lakes
 Dakota Prairie
 DeBoles
 Domino Sugar
 Easyglut
 Eco-planet
 Ener-G
 Enjoy Life
 Enjoy Life Foods
 EnviroKidz
 Erewhon / US Mills
 Fantastic Foods
 Flavorganics
 Fleischmann's Yeast
 Food Should Taste Good- very tasty chips
 Frontera Kitchens
 Frontier Herbs
 Gillian's Foods
 Glee Gum
 Glow Gluten Free
 Gluten Free Living
 Gluten Free Sensations
 Gluten-Free Naturals
 Gluten-Free Pantry
 GlutenFreeda
 Glutino
 Goody Good Stuff
 GoPicnic
 Ian's
 Jovial
 Katz Gluten Free
 Kay's Naturals / Better Balance
 Kettle Chips
 KIND
 Kind Fruit & Nut Bars
 King Arthur Flour
 King Soba
 Kinnikinnick
 Lara Bar
 Living Without
 Lucy's
 Lundberg
 Mary's Gone Crackers
 Muir Glen
 My Dad's Cookies
 Namaste Foods
 Nana's Cookie Co.
 Natural Nectar
 Nature's Path
 New Harvest Naturals
 Organicville
 OrgraN
 Pacific
 Pamela's
 Pamela's Products
 Perky's Cereals from Enjoy Life Foods
 Popchips
 PureFit
 Real Foods
 Really Great Food Company
 San-J
 Schar
 Something Good
 Spectrum
 Surf Sweets
 Suzanne's
 Thai Kitchen
 thinkThin
 Tinkyada
 Triumph Dining
 Udi's - In my opinion best bread option out there
 Utz
 Vanz
 Wholesome Sweeteners
 WOW Baking Company

Here are some websites that i have gone to to buy many products.  I trust these companies and have had a good experience all around when buying gluten free items from them.


www.nuts.com- I've bought GF flours, sugars,  nuts & candies here
www.glutenfreemall.com- too many options to list
www.vitacost.com- I'm able to get a good price on shampoo, conditioner, shaving gel & vitamins here
www.luckyvitamin.com- I get many supplements here
www.edisongrainery.com-  I buy dried beans and rice and grains here

Here is a book that i bought that helped me navigate my grocery store and told me what the companies themselves stated about their practices and how safe different brands really are.  It was of great help to me and i highly recommend you give it a shot.  I bought mine on Amazon for a pretty fair price.
It's called:  The Essential Gluten Free Grocery Guide 4th Edition from Triumph Dining

I would also like to state that i don't receive any kickbacks from any of these companies that i've listed here. Remember to always make your own inquiries, always check labels and ask companies and manufacturers any questions you may have.  It's better to be safe than sorry!

Later in another post i will let you know what personal care products i put my confidence in and why it's important to make sure that they are gluten free as well.

What companies do you trust?  Let me know by leaving me a comment.

Don't forget to check out my shop where i try and help raise awareness of Celiac Disease and Gluten Issues
www.cafepress.com/celiacsfightgluten.com

This Food Is Just Right!

                      In The Spirit of Goldilocks "This Food is Just Right"

So, you've gotten a Celiac diagnosis or a gluten sensitivity diagnosis or you suspect you have an issue with gluten and now you're ready to take action!  What the heck do you eat now? Gluten seems to be in everything!!

Well although this is true, gluten is in many things.  Things you would never even guess.  Things like the glue on the back of stamps!  What?!  

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye) and spelt. 

There are many things gluten is not in, like what you may ask? 

Well for one it's not in fresh produce, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, nuts in their natural form, beans, seeds, fresh eggs, potatoes (check label on frozen brands as some contain wheat), unprocessed meat and fish, cheeses (except for some brands of shredded cheese that use wheat as a declumping agent) always check labels.  Cabot Creamery is a company out of Vermont that is said to make all gluten free cheeses.  I've had them and they are delicious.  Yogurts (again check some labels because some companies do have wheat in their yogurt) why this is necessary is beyond me... check out some brands such as Fage, Stoneyfield, Greek Gods and some of Yoplait.  Many yogurts also contain a lot of sugar so be careful because an already upset digestive system can get very aggravated with too much sugar.  If you are looking for the probiotic aspect of it do the greek yogurt it has way less sugar it's a great source of protein and just all around healthy. 

If you have dairy issues as many of us do then you may want to try some brands as So Delicious that offer a gluten free coconut yogurt, Very tasty.  Oh, they also make some pretty tasty milk alternatives.    If coconut is not your thing for any number of reasons and you need your probiotics (which i can say with almost a certainty more than likely you do) try taking a probiotic supplement.  They work wonders! 

Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Eating a gluten-free diet helps us who have  celiac disease and or gluten issues to control our signs and symptoms and prevent complications now and in the future.

Now, at first following a gluten-free diet may be frustrating and you may feel like you have nothing to eat. With time, patience and creativity, you'll find there are many foods that you already eat that are gluten-free and you will find substitutes for gluten-containing foods that you can enjoy.  Give yourself time to adjust to different tastes and textures.  Eventually your body will recognize how good these foods are for you and you will develop a taste for them.  Your body will even begin to crave these foods when it finds the good vitamins and minerals it is receiving from them.

Grains and Starches can be part of a gluten-free diet:

• Amaranth
• Arrowroot
• Buckwheat
• Corn and cornmeal
• Flax
• Gluten-free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato, bean) (personally i avoid soy because of its tendancy to mess with your hormones)
• Hominy (corn)
• Millet
• Quinoa- (great source of protein) 
• Rice  (best to eat brown and jasmin because of the b-vitamins and lower starch content as opposed to white)
• Sorghum
• Tapioca
• Teff

Always avoid any and all food and drinks that may contain:

• Barley (malt, malt flavoring and malt vinegar are usually made from barley)
• Rye
• Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
• Wheat
• Bulgur

• Durum flour
• Farina
• Graham flour
• Kamut
• Semolina
• Spelt

Avoid unless labeled 'gluten-free':

• Beer
• Breads
• Cakes and pies
• Candies
• Cereals
• Cookies and crackers
• Croutons
• French fries
• Gravies
• Imitation meat or seafood
• Matzo
• Pastas
• Processed luncheon meats
• Salad dressings
• Sauces, including soy sauce
• Seasoned rice mixes
• Seasoned snack foods, such as potato and tortilla chips
• Self-basting poultry
• Soups and soup bases
• Vegetables in sauce

If you accidentally eat a product that contains gluten, you may experience some abdominal pain and diarrhea and or constipation.  Some experience no signs or symptoms after eating gluten, but this does not mean it's not damaging their small intestines. Even trace amounts of gluten in your diet could be damaging, whether or not they cause signs or symptoms. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that more than likely the damage to your body from gluten containing foods has been happening for years.  Give the new diet time to work and your body time to adjust. There is damage that is trying to heal,  this healing process does not occur over night and may not even happen in a few weeks or months time.  Some intestinal damage can take up to two years to heal. Don't despair though, that does not mean that you won't start to feel some relief right away.  

Many are able to stop their antacids soon after starting a gluten-free diet and others it may take some time.  Please be careful when taking antacids because many block the b vitamins that we so desperately need.  That being said never stop taking any medication without consulting your physician first.    

Read the Label:

Start at the package label. Some manufacturers state that the item is gluten-free, usually on the front of the container or near the ingredients list.  I like to make sure there is a Certified Gluten Free Label. Read the ingredients. Modified food starch is one ingredient that might indicate that gluten is in the product, but not always.  The starch, many times, can be derived from wheat but this can also be derived from corn.  Many times the label in parantheses next to modified food starch will say but not always.  If there is ANY doubt whatsoever contact the manufacturer for more information.

Call the Company:

If I'm not sure about the safety of a brand, I call the number listed on the package and ask. At times you may have to leave contact information and wait for a representative to call back. Most of the time, they are able to tell you if the item is gluten-free. Fortunately, if it isn't, many other choices are available.  You may also email many manufacturers.  I have done this on many an occasion and they are pretty good at getting back to you in a timely manner.  

Also, if in doubt while at the store in the middle of an aisle.  Google the item.  This has also been very useful for me.

Celiac Disease Tests To Request

What tests to request from your doctor:

To get a more accurate diagnosis you should be following a daily diet that contains gluten for at least 4-6 weeks. My doctor told me to eat some bread the day before but some information from the National Institue for Health and Clinical Excellence in the UK explains it is important that you eat some gluten       (for ex. bread, pasta, biscuits or cake) in more than one meal everyday for at least 6 wks.   

If your doctor doesn't listen to
 your requests find one that does!

Specific antibody blood tests are the initial step in screening for Celiac.  Remember to always consult with your physician to ensure a proper diagnosis. Depending on the outcome of these tests a biopsy of your small intestines will more than likely be ordered, make sure they take at least four biopsies and that they have a good reputation in being able to read these specific biopsies.  Your best bet is a specialist that deals with Celiac Disease on a regular basis.  I saw the experts at the Celiac Center in Pennsylvania at the Jefferson University Hospital.

These are the recommended Blood Tests:

• Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG – IgA and IgG)
  commonly used whether or not symptoms are present and it's the most sensitive test that is available.
• Anti-endomysial antibody (EMA-IgA) 
• Anti-deaminated gliadin peptide (DGP – IgA and IgG)
  used when tTG or EMA is negative and in cases where patient is IgA deficient
• Total serum IgA – used to check levels to exclude selective IgA deficiency that results in a false negative test
• Anti-gliadin antibody (AgA – IgG and IgA) used for children under 2 because tTG and EMA antibodies may be absent. The anti-DGP test is sensitive in this group.

This Info is also found on the celiac.org website.  

Some questions that i encourage you to ask your doctor are as follows:

• Please give me more details about the tests I should have.

• What do the tests involve?

• What exactly are you testing for?

• How long will it take for me to get the results of these tests?

• Can you provide me with help or information about what

   I should and should not eat and for how long?

Questions if your blood test yields positive results:

• Please give me more details about the tests I should have next.

• Should I make any changes to my diet, if so what types of changes and for how long?

• What could or will happen if I choose not to change my diet? Short term and or long term?

For family members and friends of those with Celiac or thought to have Celiac or gluten issues:

• What can I/we do to help and support the person with

celiac disease or gluten issues?

• Is there any other support that I/we might find

helpful or are entitled to?

* How can we show that we are willing to listen, comfort and support our loved ones with these issues and make their lives easier?

It is just as important for your family members to be informed about Celiac Disease or your gluten sensitivity, allergy or intolerance as it is for you.  This is especially the case for your immediate family or family members that you regularly share a living quarters with.  

"Diseases are killing us faster than we're killing them so let's not kill each other's spirits.  Let's be upbuilding to all those who suffer whether we can relate or not.  After all none of us are immune to sickness it may be your burden one day and then, Who will build you up?"

Remember when finding out you have this disease or problem with gluten you will undoubtedly go through a period of grieving.  Take the time necessary because this is a completely new way of living.  It's like a baby learning to walk, there's a lot of discovery that has to happen and a lot of falls that will happen but once you get it down you will see it's not so bad after all.  After you have grieved for your appropriate time period, pick yourself, up dust yourself off and keep moving forward.  With the help of friends and family, support groups and blogs such as this one you can start to feel healthy again!

Side note for friends and family:  Be understanding to those with these diagnoses, allow them to grieve.  You would grieve too if you were told that the way you've been doing everything your entire life needed to change.  They are learning a whole new way of life and their moods will no doubt not always be the greatest.  Now is the time they need your love and support the most.  They will eventually get past this stage and they will be so appreciative for your love and understanding, plus this experience may even draw you closer.  This isn't an easy time for any of you but especially for the newly diagnosed.