Why is it a problem?
Let’s look at just three (3) general reasons why a gluten addiction unknown to you can damage your health physically, psychologically and emotionally.
First reason maybe obvious – that having any addiction can enable other compulsive and/or addictive behavior or undermine recovery from another addiction.
Second, if you are gluten sensitive and have an autoimmune disease, you are addicted to a food that is advancing your autoimmune disease each time you eat it and damaging other parts of your body. The inflammation from the reaction damages the intestinal tract, blood brain barrier and other tissues putting you at risk of developing other diseases and disorders along with a new autoimmune diseases. Also, the inflammation can exacerbate and/or advance other conditions such as cardio-vascular disease, osteoarthritis and any brain based psychological disorder such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism, and cognitive impairments.
Third, if you are struggling with any emotional & psychological issues, anger management, substance addiction, an eating disorder or obesity you are unknowingly battling a chemical addiction which includes the pain of withdrawal from opiods and the intensity – for some people it can be the equivalent to the withdrawal from heroin. The addiction in its mildest presentation looks like this: After you eat the bread, pasta, chips, or any of the foods that can activate the gluteomorphin response, you feel calm, content, feel normal or perhaps ‘high’. This effect can be misidentified as a ‘sugar high from carbohydrates’. But during periods of time when you haven’t eaten those foods you are more than irritable that is common with a low blood sugar. You are easily angered, may experience rage or feel and/or behave out of control. Worse is that you can be misdiagnosed with a mental disorder and begin using psychotropic drugs or begin self-medicating with alcohol, recreational drugs, sleeping medications both prescription or over the counter, herbal remedies, acupuncture.
NOTE: Cow’s Milk has a potentially addictive protein, caseomorphin. Hence, alone it is equally as problematic as gluteomorphin and when they are combined the problematic effects can be significantly magnified and harmful.
What Are The Consequences of Not Knowing?
If you are unaware of this addiction and attempting to deal with anger management, a substance addiction, an eating disorder, insomnia, anxiety, depression or mood swings it is most likely that your efforts are being undermined and you are experiencing constant set-backs. Deeply saddening is that you may think that these set-backs are due to a lack of willpower, discipline or coping skills when in fact you are in the throws of an addiction. Worse, you may feel guilt, shame or inadequate. I want you to know that this can exist and your setbacks have nothing to do with YOU.
For those dealing with alcohol withdrawal it is normal to crave sugar (Carbs) when not consuming alcohol. And it is acceptable for you to eat foods to meet those cravings instead of reaching for the bottle. But, for you, eating gluten or gluten sensitivity triggering foods will sustain the gluteomorphin addiction and we all know that when dealing with any substance addiction it is necessary to treat ALL addictions. Hence, you have to break the cycle of all substances you are addicted to in order to intervene fully on the neurological mechanisms of the addiction.
Folks what deeply saddens me is a very strong probability that many people who have succumbed to their substance addiction may have been addicted to gluten and it unknowingly fed and perpetuated their addiction despite all of their monumental efforts in recovery.
For those of you dealing with substance addiction of either recreational or prescription, you too may be are dealing with an additional addiction which unaddressed can be undermining your recovery, physical and emotional health.
For those dealing with an eating disorder the diet typically includes the consumption of whole grains – gluten and other gluten sensitivity triggering foods. There are three key factors for your case. First, you are struggling with an unknown addiction which can undermine your best efforts in your recovery. Second, you may already have a damaged or compromised GI tract and the gluten can cause more by the immune system response. I indicated earlier that the immune systems response to gluten causes damage to the intestinal wall and lining, hence it can be causative to malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies, thus you overall physical health is being undermined or even worse the intestinal tract is being destroy, can cause the onset of an autoimmune disease. Third, your anxiety, depression and mood swings can be exacerbated by the influx of these foods in your daily or weekly diet. The inflammation on the brain, what we call Brain On Fire, can cause significant damage to brain function and sometimes is irreversible.
Folks, again I am deeply saddened that most of you are unaware of this new scientific research and may be burdened by this additional emotional strain and physiological damage. Again, there is a strong probability that an unknown gluten sensitivity, gluteomorhin or casein (addiction) was a factor that tipped the scales and the individual succumbed due to the physical bodily damage or became so emotionally overwhelmed their life ended in suicide.
For those of you struggling with obesity or weight loss and if you are gluteomorphin or casein positive then you too are dealing with an addiction. How awful is that is for you? You want to stay away from the bread and pasta to reduce the calories but you feel terrible, become anxious or angry and you need that comfort food or worse you experience opiod withdrawal when you don’t eat it…the same withdrawal that a heroin addict experiences.
For those of you struggling with mood swings the hormones may not be the only factor effecting your physiology and emotions. Folks, are your comfort foods ice cream, mac & cheese, pasta or pizza? And when you do not eat them because you are dieting – cutting calories – are the mood swings worse?
For those of you struggling with anger management does the timing of your intake of gluten foods and/or dairy products vary…meaning, do you not ingest it on a daily basis? If so, you might not be getting your ‘daily fix’ and become more explosive, lacking self-control when you haven’t eaten it!
Can an unknown addiction to wheat gluten or cow’s milk lead to substance abuse of alcohol, recreational/ prescription drugs? Can it cause a misdiagnosis of a psychological or psychiatric disorder leading to the use of psychotropic medications?
For those of you who do NOT have a known substance abuse and are unknowingly addicted to gluten and/or casein know this: some people reach for alcohol or recreational drugs to calm the anxiety of withdrawal and amphetamine drugs (speed) and concentrated caffeine to deal with the sedative effects. Others are prescribed anti-anxiety medications or anti-depressants because their doctors do not know about the gluteomorphin & caseomorphin.
Sadly, this can cause a substance dependency because the gluten & casein remain in the diet, you respond to it and then medicate yourself to be able to function or gain relief from the overwhelming physical and/or emotional side effects. Good medicine tells us to eliminate the gluten from the diet and get off the alcohol, illicit drugs and/or medications to end the suffering.
If you or someone you love wants to uncover this possible hidden addiction or be at ease that it does not exist, Register and Schedule a Gluten Screening Consultation.
by Blake Farmer Feb. 16, 2012