Ibs/hives/weird Kid Behavior/fatige/crohns/arthritis/psoriasis

My sister has celiac disease, which is mainly gluten intolerance which causes problems in your intestines. But since finding out, she has gone gluten-free and noticed many improvements in her health - skin, hair, mysterious aches and pains, anxiety, ADD - all much better.

However, food intolerances are totally different from food "allergies", which involve your immune system overreacting to something it perceives to be dangerous. I'm not an expert so I don't know how to describe it for sure, but the way I understand it is if you are intolerant to a food, your body can't digest it, and this can have a variety of effects.

I'm not sure if you can be tested for food intolerances in general (I think it is usually a process of eliminating things from your diet and re-introducing them), but there is a specific test for celiac disease that doctors can do. My sister was doctoring for 6 months before she happened to see a doctor who knew about the test, ordered it, and voila! They had an answer.

I attempt to stay natural, however years ago before pre-packaged foods our families seemed to do okay. (Recall our Great-great grandparents?) You are going to find that many doctors, unless they are Naturalpaths/ Wellness-Holistic Practitioners have no clue about natural anything. I can tell them until I am blue in the face about my work and the results I have had and they never buy it. LOL~
(They just do not want to loose out to the Alternative care providers. I have more luck and less time in the doctors office now than ever! LOL~)

I stopped eating wheat products after reading a book that said it was "bad" for my blood type. I lost weight and stopped having frequent heartburn. I felt better following the diet. I'm not sure blood type is why, but it seems some people tolerate and thrive on foods that others don't, with or without allergies. Your family is certainly the most likly to share those trends I think.

Doctors study medicine...they don't study natural alteratives. If you come to the doctor, why would we assume that you wanted anything other than medical advice? Stop blaming doctors for giving you the advice we assume you came here for! Sorry, I have no intention of being offensive, but it's like going to an electrician to get your plumbing fixed. If you want a natural approach, go to somebody who studies it. Most doctors will tell you that if it works for you, do it. It doesn't necessarily mean they do/don't believe you....it's just not their specialty. In our office, the docs would be thrilled if more patients took a proactive approach to their own health through diet modification...but most people won't. I applaud anybody who has figured out the connection between good health and diet! So many people come to our office overweight, sedentary, with a TERRIBLE diet, on a million meds but REFUSE to do anything except ask for more meds!

~L.

A.,

I have found that many doctors, and allergists, don't know a lot about food intolerances - exactly what you are describing. I have intolerances to cow dairy, wheat (but not gluten), corn, and soy. My son adds chicken eggs, oats, and yeast to this list. When I spoke with my last allergist he thought food intolerances were "in my head" and not real....but he had a brochure sitting on the counter in the exam room with information on food intolerances! Go figure!

Since we have been cooking without the "bad" foods I have seen a vast improvement in our health. My son's ear infections have cleared up, his skin sensitivities have almost disappeared, his hearing is back to normal, we both have more energy, patience, my acne is virtually gone, yeast infections down to zero, etc.

I think everyone should be tested for food intolerances because it can explain a lot of "weird" behavior in kids. It's not a magic bullet, but it can make their lives easier when they feel their bodies are more in control and not always fighting off intolerances.

Good luck with your gluten-free diet!

-C..