Nutrition & Healing

By Jonathan V. Wright, M.D.

Vol. 9, Issue 3 March 2002

There is no food that’s good for everyone. We’ve all heard the old adage “One man’s meat is

another man’s poison.” Well, it’s true! And the ever-touted “healthy” whole grains that we’re often

told by nutrition “experts” to load up on are no exception.

While whole grains are good nutrition—for some of us––the fact is, for years we’ve known that

grains cause digestive disorders that can lead to gas, bloating, and even malnutrition in some people.

More recently, we’ve learned that allergic reactions to grains could actually cause several different

types of autoimmune disease. And now, in a new book being published this year, two experts share

eye-opening evidence that undiagnosed sensitivities to certain grain proteins can be the route to

some very serious—even deadly—diseases including cancer, chronic pain, psychiatric disorders,

infertility, liver disease, and osteoporosis. And the frightening list goes on and on.

Sensitivity may start in your intestinal tract

Experts have known for years that certain whole grains (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut,

and possibly oats) are the cause of celiac disease in some people. Celiac disease affects the intestinal

tract, and its symptoms can vary from mild gas, bloating, and loose stools to life-threatening

conditions like malabsorption of essential vitamins and nutrients, weight loss, and malnutrition. But

celiac disease is somewhat rare. Fewer than one in 100 Americans are diagnosed with it. So why

should the rest of us worry?

Because for the past two to three decades, at an accelerating pace, researchers have demon-strated

that the offending proteins (including gluten, gliadin, and glutenins) found in the above-mentioned

grains can cause symptoms and sometimes full-blown diseases that reach far beyond celiac disease.

These diseases can affect nearly any area of the body, not just the intestinal tract. They are often

called “non-celiac gluten sensitivity symptoms and diseases,” or “gluten sensitivity symptoms and

diseases,” or simply “gluten sensitivity.”

Cure so-called “incurable” autoimmune disease by cutting out grains

I first became aware of the wide reach of gluten sensitivity when I read the book Relatively

Speaking, originally published in Australia and then re-published in the USA under the title Your

Family Tree Connection. (This book is now out of print, but it can still be found on-line through

used book sources.) The book, written by Dr. Christopher Reading and Ross Meillon, describes Dr.

Reading’s detective work as he unravels the causes of many supposed “undiagnosable” symptoms

by closely examining a family health history.

Years later, during a trip to Australia in the 1980s, I got to visit Dr. Reading’s office in Sydney. On

one wall was a chart that listed over 100 individuals who had initially consulted Dr. Reading about a

common so-called “incurable” disease called lupus (systemic lupus erythematosis or SLE). All the

patients on the list had suffered the symptoms (fever, joint pains, and skin rash are among the most

common symptoms) and had tested positive for lupus in blood tests. However, everyone on this

particular list had been symptom free, with negative blood tests for five years or more! It’s true.

Over 100 people were cured of so-called “incurable” lupus in the 1980s. Even today, in 2002, just

about any “lupus specialist” in the United States will say that’s impossible…and then resume writing

prescriptions for prednisone, the most commonly prescribed patent medication used to treat the

disease.

FF011 – Updated 3/02 2

How did Dr. Reading do it? Through complete elimination of all grains except rice and corn. (Note:

His treatment also excluded milk and other dairy products from his recommended diet and included

heavy nutritional supplementation, both orally and intravenously.)

Autoimmune disease is linked to genetics

When I got back to the United States, I headed for the university medical library where I found a

short but very intriguing article in the Lancet.1 The author points out that many people suffering

from autoimmune diseases share a genetic marker called HLA-B8; much more commonly than

would be expected by chance. (See the list below).

The author’s point is that every one of these diseases except for celiac disease is an autoimmune

disease thought to be caused by an internal reaction by the body against itself. But celiac disease was

known to be caused by an external phenomenon, gluten sensitivity to certain grains. The author asks:

“Could this external agent, gluten sensitivity, also be involved in causing the rest of these diseases

linked to HLA-B8?”

I figured that Dr. Reading had already proven this by helping over 100 people to cure their lupus

(SLE) by (among other things) totally eliminating all gluten-containing grains from their diets. So,

since the 1980s, every time I’m consulted regarding any of the conditions mentioned in the list

below, I recommend absolute avoidance of all gluten-containing grains.

The results I’ve seen have been fantastic. This is especially true when they are compared with the

results of conventional treatment, which usually consists of prednisone prescriptions and other

immune-system destroying patent medicines. Although not everyone has been cured, many patients

have seen major improvements or complete remission from their autoimmune diseases, with the

exception of patients with established type-1 diabetes, where already-destroyed islet cells cannot be

brought back to life, even by a gluten-grain free diet. In these cases, insulin treatment needs to be

continued.

When treating the above autoimmune illnesses, I also recommend several other steps along with

advising patients to completely avoid gluten-containing grains. First, stop consuming milk and other

dairy products. The next step is to undergo comprehensive allergy testing and desensitization, along

with gastric analysis. Digestion is abnormal in much more than 50 percent of all problems linked to

HLA-B8. Once those steps have been taken, patients usually need to work with their physician to

plan on individual treatment regimen, which usually involves taking large quantities of omega-3

fatty acids and many other oral and intravenous vitamin and mineral supplements. Often, hormone

level testing and subsequent treatment with DHEA and testosterone can also offer significant benefit.

Autoimmune diseases linked to the genetic marker HLA-B8 include:

• Addison’s disease

• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia

• Celiac disease

• Childhood asthma

• Chronic autoimmune hepatitis

• Dermatitis herpetiformis

• Graves’ disease

• Insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus

• Lupus erythematosis (systemic)

• Myasthenia gravis

• Pernicious anemia

• Polymyalgia rheumatica

• Scleroderma

• Sjogren’s syndrome

• Thyrotoxicosis

• Ulcerative colitis

• Vitiligo

FF011 – Updated 3/02 3

Dangerous grains are linked to many of today’s top illnesses

With their new book, Dangerous Grains, being published later this year, James Braly, M.D., and co-

author Ron Hoggan, M.A., have reminded me of the still-growing volume of gluten sensitivity

research. Dr. Braly estimates that 90 million Americans may suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

In fact, he and Mr. Hoggan report that undiagnosed sensitivities to gluten, gliadin, and other grain

proteins are “the root cause of many cancers, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, chronic

pain syndromes, psychiatric and other brain disorders, and premature death.” Furthermore, they claim,

“there is also a clear causal connection with some cases of osteoporosis, epilepsy, learning disorders,

attention deficit disorders, infertility, miscarriage, premature births, chronic liver disease, and short

stature.”2

Dr. Braly is a long-time clinical investigator into allergy, sensitivity, and health. He warns that anyone

who has gluten sensitivity also has other food sensitivities, frequently many of them.

I agree with Braly’s view that gluten/gliadin/glutenin sensitivity and dairy product sensitivity are

among the more common sensitivities that can lead to the development of many allergies. When

gluten sensitivity (or dairy product sensitivity) is found, comprehensive allergy testing should always

be done. Keep in mind, however, that although successful desensitization techniques can eliminate

other allergies and sensitivities (and allow you to reintroduce certain foods back into your diet), you

shouldn’t even try to desensitize gluten/ gliadin/glutenin sensitivity. It, along with dairy product

sensitivity, is one of the root causes of allergies, and if you’re sensitive, the offending grains and dairy

products should be permanently eliminated from your diet.

The first step is to determine your own gluten sensitivity

The most sensitive and specific blood test for gluten/gliadin sensitivity that’s presently available is

called the tissue transgluaminase (tTG) test. It’s the one I’ve used since it became available. Others

include the endomysial antibodies (EMA) test, which checks mostly “short-lived” antibodies and the

antigliadin antibodies (AGA) test, which checks “longer-lived” IgG antibodies as well as IgA

antibodies. [Note: You will not have antibodies to anything you haven’t previously been exposed to.

So if you’ve been avoiding all gluten grains, the test will be negative even if you are truly gluten

sensitive.]

Fortunately, these newer blood tests for gluten sensitivity have made diagnosis much easier and have

greatly facilitated research. But, keep in mind that the standard test for celiac disease is an intestinal

tissue biopsy, followed by a probe for characteristic changes in the biopsied tissue. And since most

gluten-sensitivity-linked symptoms and diseases (such as those listed in Dangerous Grains) are not

accompanied by changes in the intestine, this older test may not be appropriate. Please make sure your

doctor uses the test that’s applicable to your specific situation.

Also keep in mind that before the blood tests were available, Dr. Reading figured out many of the

disease and symptom connections with gluten sensitivity by examining family trees for various

symptoms and diseases. Armed with a copy of Dangerous Grains for a comprehensive list, you can

examine your own family tree and make a very educated guess as to whether or not you have a gluten

sensitivity problem. Dangerous Grains is scheduled to be published this July and will be available in

bookstores and through  the Tahoma Clinic Dospensary (1-888-893-6878; www.tahoma-clinic.com).

If you have any suspicion that gluten grains may be contributing to your symptoms or illness, check

with a health care practitioner skilled and knowledgeable in nutritional medicine, and have testing

done, especially the tTG determination. (Remember that the test is only accurate if you’ve been eating

“gluten grains.”) To locate such a physician in your area, contact the American College for

Advancement in Medicine (1-800-532-3688, www.acam.org), the American Association of

FF011 – Updated 3/02 4

Environmental Medicine  (1-316-684-9500; www.aaem.com), or the American Association of

Naturopathic Physicians (1-703-610-9037, www.naturopathic.org).

Low stomach acid levels could make symptoms worse and treatment more difficult

Recheck the list of problems on page 2 related to HLA-B8. You’ll note that pernicious anemia, a rare

disorder in which the body does not absorb enough vitamin B12 from the digestive tract, is on the list.

One hundred percent of individuals suffering from pernicious anemia have achlorhydria (no stomach

acid at all), which is the worst form of hypochlorhydria (a low stomach acid level). Because all

diseases linked to HLA-B8 have a genetic link, they frequently share features, and hypochlorhydria is

on the list.

Hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) is a frequent subject within the pages of Nutrition & Healing

because it is connected with so many illnesses. (See the September 2001 issue for the most recent

article on this topic.)

So be sure to have a doctor check for hypochl-orhydria in addition to gluten sensitivity, so you can

best treat or prevent any illness.

225 reasons to steer clear of dangerous grains

Dr. Braly and Mr. Hoggan have compiled a list of 225 symptoms and disease conditions either linked

to or caused by gluten sensitivity. The list includes symptoms and diseases in the following areas:

Gastroenterology: recurrent canker sores, chronic diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, abdominal

pain, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis

Hepatology (Liver disease): autoimmune hepatitis, gallbladder malfunction, primary biliary cirrhosis,

and elevated liver-function problems thought to be “of unknown cause”

Hematology (Blood diseases): iron and vitamin-deficiency anemias, vitamin K coagulation disorders,

low white-blood cells (due to autoimmunity), and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP, a low

platelet count again thought to be of “unknown origin”)

Internal medicine: unexplained weight loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, IgA nephropathy (an

autoimmune kidney disease), kidney stones, and recurrent urinary tract infection

Pneumonology (Lung diseases): bronchiectasia (a disorder of small “bronchial tubes”)

Dermatology: vitiligo (an auto-immune depigmentation disorder), alopecia (“patchy” or complete hair

loss), hives, and dermatomyositis

Obstetrics/Gynecolgy: infertility, amenorrhea (a lack of menstrual periods), recurrent spontaneous

miscarriage, low birth weight, and vulvodynia (a painful vulva)

Rheumatology: rheumatoid arthritis in adults and children, Sjogren’s syndrome, autoimmune

connective tissue disease, systemic lupus erythematosis (“lupus”), scleroderma, and polymyositis

Neurology: seizures accompanied by brain calcifications, cerebellar ataxia, brain atrophy,

neuromuscular disorders, and peripheral neuropathy

Psychiatry: depression, schizophrenia, and autism

Dentistry: defects in dental enamel

Immunology: IgA deficiency (IgA is a specific immune globulin.)

Oncology (Cancer): cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus; intestinal lymphomas; other

intestinal cancers; sarcoidosis; kidney adenocarcinoma; and rhabdomyo-sarcoma (a muscle cancer)

Orthopedics: “spontaneous” fractures, osteoporosis

Parasitology: relapsing giardiasis

Infectious diseases: delayed recovery from infectious disease

Endocrinology: type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashi-moto’s), Addison’s disease (weak to

very weak adrenal functioning), and Graves’ disease (another autoimmune thyroid problem)

Genetics: Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, and other chromosome problems

Pediatrics: unexplained weight loss in children over 2 years of age, dirt eating, recurrent infection,

failure to thrive, and short stature

This is only a partial list. The entire list will be printed in Dangerous Grains. Remember, gluten

sensitivity is one possible cause of each of these symptoms or diseases; it’s not necessarily the entire

or only cause.