Gluten-Wheat Sensitivity

In her mid-forties and enjoying a good career in real estate, Deirdre came to my office suffering from fatigue. She had been feeling sluggish, anxious, and prone to mood swings in addition to having diarrhea, nausea, and heartburn. She had also been wheezing and was taking a medication for nasal stuffiness. She had pursued many health avenues and programs, including allopathic medicine for relief of her symptoms, but nothing helped.

When a friend of hers suggested that she might be allergic to gluten and should consider seeing a holistic chiropractor, Deirdre was extremely resistant. Her faith in the medical profession was severely impaired and the thought of being examined by yet another doctor, even a holistic practitioner, made her want to run. But she continued to suffer and became so miserable that she decided to try an alternative route. Out of desperation, she came to my office. Taking all of her symptoms into account and noticing a rash on her skin, I assessed that the problem truly was related to celiac disease, an allergy to gluten.

Like most Westerners, Deirdre's diet included muffins, bread, pasta, cereals, pizza and other wheat-containing foods. If she continued to eat foods that she was allergic to, she would continue to have symptoms, but with the simple natural holistic treatment steps I offered, her wheat-gluten-grain allergy was eliminated by the sixth session. This wasn't an easy task because Deirdre was reluctant and doubtful. Dealing with her allergies had become part of her life and she had a hard time letting go and making changes.

I had her hold her arm up and affirm, "I am okay with letting go of my allergies." Deirdre could not hold her arm up while speaking this statement, so I concluded that Deirdre had an underlying emotional connection associated with food. Through a holistic technique, she was able to access the memory of John Kennedy's assassination. It seems she was so distraught over his death when she was eleven years old, that it affected everything she ate that day (mostly grains). Her memory in combination with her present day eating was the source of her hostile food reactions. Rationally, she said, it made no sense, but she took my advice.

A list of products that contain wheat or gluten:

Many of us don't know why we feel fatigued, cranky, stuffy, or irritated. It is often because of the foods we eat-especially wheat grains.

The more obvious products that contain gluten are baked goods, bagels, biscuits, bread, cereal, cake, cookies, dinner rolls, doughnuts, crackers, dumplings, muffins, pancakes, pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, lasagna, etc.) pies, pizza, stuffing, and waffles. Less obvious are coffee substitutes, deep-fried or battered foods, ice cream cones, gravy or sauces that have been thickened, hamburgers, hot dogs, luncheon meats, malt, salad dressing, soy sauce, and soups.
Always read the ingredients on a product label to be sure they don't contain flour, bran, wheat germ, wheat starch, gluten or any other substance you are allergic or sensitive to. 

Deirdre's relief was such a strong healing experience for her, that she began to feel a tremendous urge to become part of a holistic healing profession. She pushed aside her thoughts about not being able to attend college and continue to afford her comfortable and established lifestyle, and decided to sacrifice three years of intense study to follow this new path. Less than a month after her final treatment, Deirdre's boss sold his business and offered her a buy-out whereby in exchange for three years' salary, she would relinquish her stock holdings in the company. Thus, she obtained the income and three years of time off she needed to go back to school. Today, Deirdre is a busy acupuncturist. She credits her new life to her holistic chiropractor. She didn't just get rid of a wheat allergy-she regained trust in the process of life.

I can't promise you three years of income, but anyone who has a sensitivity to wheat or gluten will benefit from the following:

Three Tips to Discover a Reaction to Wheat

a) Avoid all wheat products for ten days. See if your demeanor improves.
b) Fifty percent of food reactions happen in a delayed manner. Therefore, you need to have an ALCAT (food and chemical sensitivity/intolerance test) to rule out a delayed-onset reaction to wheat/gluten.     
c) Have a holistic practitioner who specializes in kinesiology (muscle testing) to see if your muscles go weak when coming in contact with wheat products.

For further information about food allergies, I suggest Dr. Doris J. Rapp's book Is This Your Child? Seeing a holistic practitioner may help you overcome underlying emotional connections that are causing food reactions.

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