Gluten Allergies

Hey, this is Dr. Gangemi and in this Sock Doc video, I want to talk about gluten allergies and gluten sensitivities. So a lot of people think that they may be allergic to gluten or sensitive to gluten and maybe they’re not. A lot of people are just following the fad because being gluten-free today is the way to go. Companies are marketing this so well. They even plug gluten-free on the back of apples or gluten-free on some heavy cream. Products that are clearly not going to be keep be containing gluten which is wheat, rye, barleys, and sometimes oats if they’ve been cross contaminated.

So how do you know if you have a true gluten allergy? Well first, understand that the wheat of today or these gluten products of today are not the same that they use to be way back when. With a couple of processes called deamidation as well as hybridization that actually change how our wheat products are once they get to our table.

The deamidation process actually combines other forms of the wheat and makes it different than what it was when it was growing. So it’s no longer this whole-grain single source by the time it gets to your plate or packaged food or whatever you are eating. And then there’s a hybridization process that basically is combining acids and enzymes to the wheat, to the gluten product, to make it more water-soluble so it’s easier to mix and easier to create bread, cookies, pastries and all these other products for you. So again, it’s not this whole-grain products that you think that you’re getting so it’s much harder for people to digest them and they’re actually creating allergic responses in people and even autoimmunity issues such as celiac.

So what about celiac? Do you need to be a celiac patient? Do you need to have celiac disease to be allergic to wheat? Absolutely not. That’s only one type of actual gluten allergy. And a lot of people don’t think that they have a gluten sensitivity because they go to their doctor and they have the standard Transglutaminase 2 enzyme test on. And they say, ” Well no, it’s negative. You don’t have a Gluten allergy.” But realize that there’s many other test that will determine if you are allergic to gluten if you have a gluten issue that some labs are starting to do. And there’s a Transglutaminase 3 enzyme that’s more specific for an allergic reaction with your skin, not your digestive tract. And a Transglutaminase 6 enzyme that has to do with an allergic reaction to our actual nervous system.

So you could have gluten allergy to your nervous system. That’s a huge deal. Maybe it’s what’s causing you to have some brain fog, maybe it’s what’s causing you to have concentration issues or your kid maybe having ADD or developmental issues because they’re eating gluten and it’s not a celiac issue. And there’s other markers for other types of gluten types sensitivities too that companies are slowly starting to understand, but unfortunately it’s not out there yet very well in a conventional medicine.

So you might want to just stay away from gluten just to see how you feel. Gluten also hinders absorption of a lot of other nutrients like calcium and magnesium and zinc. So if you’re reading a lot of gluten-containing products, you’re not going to absorb certain minerals very well. And don’t just think that eating gluten-free is a healthy thing. A lot of gluten-free products are no better than the original once that were made with gluten. They’re putting more sugar in them, more processing, more legumes and beans and tapioca flours, and a lot of these flours that are not very healthy for you, and binders and stabilizers to make them truly gluten-free. Just stick with natural foods. Shop around the outside of your supermarket like maybe you’ve heard, eating vegetables and fruits, meats, dairy and focus on these things that are unprocessed. [inaudible 00:03:41] wheat, rye, barley-free. Make sure your oats are gluten-free too if you are eating those sorts of things.

So overall, look at the whole big picture of how you function when you eat gluten. Realize you can live a very healthy life without eating gluten and probably if you already . . . or if you’re truly not allergic to gluten, you’re probably going to be even healthier and notice more energy, notice your sleep be better, notice better athletic performance and an overall sense of well-being just by lowering your gluten intake or even just getting rid of it for a while and see how you feel? It’s not going to hurt you. It might even save you some money if you’re eating a lot of gluten. And you can always go back to it and see if it makes you feel worse. Check it out and investigate that on your own health and you can probably figure out if you have a gluten sensitivity on your own without needing to see some source specialist.

Hope you enjoyed this video. Lots of other information on diet and nutrition over at the Sock Doc site. Lots of natural treatments and injury prevention ideas on the Sock Doc site, and health topics. Shoe reviews and minimalist running and barefoot running. Lots more videos coming up. Hope you enjoyed this one and thanks for watching.
 

Dr. Stephen Gangemi "Sock Doc"

I'm a board-certified chiropractic physician and clinical nutritionist with a passion for true natural health care. I implement dietary & nutritional therapies, exercise & movement practices, and lifestyle changes along with manual therapy techniques to help the body heal and prevent illness and injuries.