This article originally appeared on AlterNet.
My body was completely breaking down, but I had no idea what was going on, Beatriz Rodriguez said, describing the nine years that passed before she was diagnosed with celiac disease. The actor had suffered from digestive problems since childhood and had her gallbladder removed at age 12 but did not experience any relief after the surgery.
It was so normal for me to feel bad that I didnt think twice about it, Rodriguez said, listing stomach problems, low energy, insomnia, extreme fatigue, acne, depression, weight gain and brain fog as some of the symptoms she experienced. She knew her symptoms were related to food, but neither she nor her doctors could diagnose them. Over the years, she tried alternative medicine, acupuncture, holistic doctors, kundalini yoga and Chinese medicine in attempts to find a cure.
After many doctors visits and endless tests, I finally took matters into my own hands, Rodriguez said, explaining that she began the Candida diet in an attempt to treat what she thought was Candidiasis overgrowth; the diet eliminated gluten, dairy, alcohol, sugar, fruit, vinegar and a long list of vegetables.
The diet helped Rodriguez considerably. I finally felt free for the first time in my life, Rodriguez said, explaining that she slowly began to introduce foods she had eliminated back into her diet, and after a week of eating the way she had prior to the diet she began suffering from extreme diarrhea for that lasted for three months before going to a doctor because at that point, I believed they could be of no help.
Rodriguez requested that she be tested for celiac disease and the tests came back positive for not only for celiac, but hypothyroidism and dairy intolerance as well. Since her diagnosis and the elimination of gluten from her diet, her health, energy and mental clarity have allimproved drastically.
Jessica Phillips experienced severe abdominal pain prior to eliminating gluten from her diet. She said it felt like she was being stabbed from the inside out. She also experienced such extreme bloating she appeared to be six months pregnant.
Phillips did not have health insurance at the time, so she chose not to undergo tests to be diagnosed with celiac disease; instead she underwent an elimination/reintroduction test and found her health and energy level were greatly improved when she stopped eating gluten. When I eat [gluten], I feel like I have to completely shut down for a while, she said, adding that she feels amazing when she does not consume it.
Missi Nespolo has tested negative for celiac disease twice but chooses to maintain a gluten-free lifestyle due to the severe intestinal issues, migraine headaches, sinus infections and dermatitis, as well as severe exhaustion she believed was a result of consuming gluten. Arielle Hernandez-Lavadenz, who suffers from endometriosis, chose to eliminate gluten from her diet after undergoing laparoscopy procedure to remove endometrial adhesions in an effort to maintain the estrogen balance in her system.
All of these women suffered from different symptoms and chose to eliminate gluten from their diets for different reasons. But they all share one thing in common: their frustration with increasing media coverage that implies gluten sensitivity is a myth rather than a medical condition that warrants respect and attention.
Originally posted here:
The truth about gluten snobs