Allergies, Sensitivities, Celiacs... oh MY!

May is Celiac's Disease Awareness Month. I follow a few other gluten free bloggers, some who choose to be gluten free because of Celiacs and others because of other medical necessities. I've never been medically diagnosed with Celiac's, the blood antibody test was inconclusive for me because I had already eliminated wheat from my diet a year pior to being tested. But trust me wheat and me we are not friends, the fine flora and I are mortal enemies in fact!

I guess on some level getting some diagnosis on paper would be some sort of affirmation for me but the only confirmation I need really is how I feel. I once accidentally without knowing it ate some wheat flour in some candy and was sick for about a week after, when I found out that their was wheat in the candy a part of me was relieved to know that my symptoms were not psychosomatic.  I guess that was kind of like my unscientific diagnosis.

For some reason though this juxtaposition of "wheat sensitivity" to Celiac's Disease reminds me of a conversation I had once with my doctor. I'm like the Queen of sensitivity over here, antibiotics and most pain medications make me projectile vomit, I once had an endoscopy in which I was unsuccessfully sedated, there is a reason my high school drug experimentation was limited to marijuana.

However, in the medical world, sensitivity or adverse reactions are not regarded with the same fear that allergies are and here is why:

My doctor explained to me allergies are a histamine reaction that causes swelling, inflammation, can inhibit breathing and can cause death, quickly. So if you say to a doctor you are allergic to something they have to take it VERY seriously.

I understand this, though I mentally compare my actual allergy to pineapple to my sensitivity to wheat. Pineapple gives me hives, it also for some reason makes me irritable, I love the flavor but sadly can not eat the stuff! However, one benedryl later my symptoms rapidly subside. Wheat on the other hand I won't even realize has snuck into something or cross contaminated my food until I am doubled over half an hour later with pain in my stomach that lasts about two weeks like someone socked me in the stomach as hard as they can.  I'd take my allergy any day over my sensitivity.

This is me specifically, of course, allergies can be life threatening so I in no way mean to down play the seriousness of allergies. I do however think that its unfortunate that sensitivities are not regarded with the same respect. It essentially has left me resorting to lying at the doctors office "I am allergic to certain antibiotics." If further questioned I like to tell them the story of how when I got my wisdom teeth out the doctor assured me that these antibiotics would be fine and then I had to suffer through days of projectile vomiting out of a mouth that hardly would open. Yes, gross! But I think it drives my point home.

So now back to Celiacs versus Wheat/Gluten Sensitivity.

Here is the scientific difference. Those with Celiac's disease have an autoimmune reaction to wheat/gluten consumption that leads their body to attack itself, specifically the lining in the small intestine. This damage over time leads to a myriad of problem including malnutrition and the forms in which that effects your overall health.

Wheat/gluten sensitivity is where, as apposed to the body attacking itself, the body attacks the wheat/gluten protein as a toxic invader. The bodies reaction is to become inflamed, specifically throughout the digestive tract. There has not been enough research on this to determine what the long term effects of this on your body would be. I supposed it really would depend on how long you've been living with these symptoms and their severity.

Both have very similar body reactions and can manifest themselves in similar symptomatic ways in your body. Remember IBS? yeah, thats probably Celiacs or a wheat sensitivity...

I am not someone that preaches a gluten free lifestyle to the masses and the estimates of how many in the population are effected dramatically varies from 5% to 50%.

I can however speak to my own personal experience and the experiences of those around me.

I first eliminated wheat from my diet in November of 2011 at the recommendation of a friend/acupuncturist who was trying to assist me with my severe and sudden onset of dysphagia.

The reduction of my symptoms was dramatic enough for me to stay the course. What began to happen though was very interesting, my overall digestive health improved fairly quickly, my skin completely cleared up and I lost about 50lbs. My body was definitely appreciating the change. Shortly after this several friends of mine decided to become gluten free, one was a long time severe heart burn sufferer. Within a week of eliminating wheat from his diet he had no heart burn, reintroduction of wheat and bam symptoms returned.

My other friend had eliminated wheat on a whim because his cholesterol was high, weeks after eliminating wheat from his diet he had lost 15lbs and his cholesterol levels dropped immediately. He expressed to me that his symptoms were not so dramatic when he ate wheat again though overall he felt better when he wasn't.

Conversely I have some friends who complain to me about symptoms that I feel SOOOOOO sure would be appeased through a diet with wheat elimination but haven't successfully tried it out. And really its easy if it doesn't make you feel better then you can go back to your wheat.

I guess the point is for me its irrelevant, to get the an actual diagnosis would be just validation, somewhere in me its a validation I want but no matter what I'll be spending the rest of my life wheat and gluten free. I know what it does to me and its important to not live your life sick.

xoxo - Iris