Gluten is the complex protein found in wheat, barley, rye and some oats. For many, our bodies are unable to digest these proteins properly. That headache you experience after a meal of pasta may be an indicator that you are gluten intolerant. If you feel sleepy and lethargic after a French toast breakfast, your body may be having too hard a time trying to break down the food you are consuming.

New evidence suggests that as many as 1 in 7 are gluten sensitive, or gluten intolerant. Many chronic illnesses are associated with gluten intolerance: Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disorder, and diabetes. It is also thought to be the cause of infertility in some women. Gluten intolerance should not be confused with the less common and more severe auto-immune disorder, Celiac Disease.

If you suspect you may have sensitivity to gluten, consider eliminating it from your diet. All gluten intolerances are easily identified by an elimination diet. Start for a period of two weeks and remove all wheat, barley and rye based foods. It is helpful to keep a fibromyalgia food mood journal during this time, and log what you eat along with any symptoms you experience. If you have intolerance, improvements may be felt in just a few days. For myself, eliminating gluten from my diet quickly lead to massive improvements in the many symptoms I experience living with Fibromyalgia.

The first thing I noticed was an increase in energy. I began feeling less fatigued and sluggish. Then I noticed my head was feeling clearer, less foggy. Eventually I also noticed my back muscles were no longer on fire with pain, and my shoulder muscles seemed less tense. The thing that cinched it for me though was the improvement with my hands. The joints in my hands had become so painful I was certain I was developing arthritis. I had a hard time gripping and opening things, my coordination was off – I dropped things often, and my hands frequently woke me up throughout the night with throbbing and aching pains. After just ten days on a gluten-free diet there was a noticeable improvement. I needed no further proof that I am gluten intolerant.

Blood tests are available to test for gluten intolerance, but it is possible to test negative and still have sensitivity to gluten. The easiest way to test if you are intolerant is to simply eliminate it from your diet. It takes a commitment, and careful food preparation, but the benefits of improved health and wellbeing far outweigh the disadvantages. And if you are worried you may miss your favorite gluten based foods too much, don’t. With growing recognition of gluten intolerance comes a growing variety of substitutes and options. Eat well, be well.

Note: This is a reprint of an article I wrote for Optimal Nutrition’s monthly newsletter.

First my sis made it for my husband and I to congratulate us on how disciplined we were being with our new GF life. A perfect little 8 x 8 pan of sin! We cut into the cake and were amazed at how super moist it was. I looked at the little square of chocolate cake on my plate, and couldn’t believe that it would taste as good as it looked, and I was right. It tasted even better! We were in chocolate cake heaven. The cake was super moist and rich, but not too sweet. The frosting was very sweet and creamy good. Mmmmm. It was so yummy! Then at a meeting before we left for our trip to Bodega Bay, one of my support group members gave me a box of the same delicious cake mix.

Sof’ella Gluten Free Chocolate Cake & Frosting Mix

CAKE MIX Ingredients: Sugar, White Rice Flour, Natural Cocoa Powder, Navy Bean Flour, Tapioca Starch, Cornstarch, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cornstarch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Sea Salt, Guar Gum. FROSTING MIX Ingredients: Powdered Sugar, Natural Cocoa Powder, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt

The box contains the ingredients to make TWO perfect little 8 x 8 pans of sin! So we took the box with us on our trip and made both cakes to celebrate the hubby’s 40th birthday. Of the eight of us on the trip, three of us eat gluten free, but all eight of us LOVED the cake. Rob’s brother Chris (the amazing photographer) is a chocolate connoisseur, and he said if we had not told him it was GF, he never would have suspected it. Rob’s other brother Rich was able to eat his first piece of cake in a long time. He has celiac and is severely allergic to gluten. It was nice to see him enjoying something so completely indulgent. Personally, cake was one of the few things I never would have missed now that I am GF, but the sof’ella chocolate cake has made me a bigger fan of cake than I ever was. It is truly delicious!

My sister found the sof’ella cake mix at Costco, and my group member found it at Whole Foods. I think you can also order it online if you click on the link above. Even if you are not gluten free, I think you will really enjoy it.

8/30

Bread, crackers, cereal, soy sauce, gravy, beer – just a few of the things I have eliminated completely from my diet since Dr Shores told me I am gluten intolerant. I look at that list and inherently I know they are all “bad” for me foods, but I did not exactly realize why. It is not a “fat” thing or a “carb” thing with my body, it’s a gluten thing. So how have I been feeling since eliminating glutens from my diet? Well – better!

The first thing I noticed was an increase in energy. I began feeling less fatigued and sluggish. Then I noticed that my head was feeling clearer, less foggy. If that is all eliminating gluten ever did for me I would be happy with the results, but eventually I also noticed that my back muscles were no longer on fire with pain and my shoulder muscles seemed less tense. Now I should note here that I began yoga at the same time I went off glutens, so it could be a combination of the two, but I am certain eliminating the gluten has been a major factor in my feeling better.

The thing that cinched it for me is my hands. The joints in my hands had been so painful for the better part of a year. So much so that I was certain I was developing arthritis in them. I had a hard time gripping and opening things; my coordination was off – I dropped things often; and my hands frequently woke me up throughout the night with throbbing and aching pains. Well my hands are feeling much better. It was a gradual improvement, probably the last thing I really noticed. I still have some pain and stiffness in them, but there is a noticeable improvement.

So all that after only ten days. I’m sold and so is my husband. He has been doing it with me and he is feeling better too – more energy, better brain function. This began as a two to three week trial to see how my body responded. After ten days I am firmly committed to it as a new way of eating – not for now – for life. Don’t let me kid you, it is not easy! I think what I miss more than the taste of gluten foods is the convenience of them. There will be much less grab-and-go eating and much more careful preparation of food. I am fortunate to have several excellent markets to chose from to help me with my shopping – Trader Joes, Jimbos and Henry’s Markets all offer extensive selection of gluten free foods.

And if feeling better was not enough (which it is), I have also lost 3 lbs in the ten days, but it feels like I have lost more. Dr Shores suspected I was gluten intolerant because I carry my weight around my face and midsection – two common indicators. These are the areas I am feeling the most difference in because I am no longer bloated or puffy. Now that is what I call a BONUS!

I don’t know if eliminating gluten can help everyone with Fibromyalgia; I doubt it given the multiplicity of people who suffer with it, but if you suspect it may help you, I recommend you ask your doctor to test you. If you would like to research it further here is a link to WebMD. I am so new to this I cannot offer any great advice or resources, but I am open to anyone who has some for me!

On Wednesday my support group had our laughter meditation (referred to as laughter yoga in my previous post) session with Sarito Sun, Laughter Healer and Coach, Hypnotherapist and Meditation Instructor. Now I have to admit I was a little skeptical about the evening. I watched the videos on laughter yoga and I wondered if I would be too self-conscious to let myself go enough and enjoy the experience. Turns out I had no problem at all letting go. If only I had a video of the evening to share with you how fun and freeing it was. Fifteen group members were in attendance, and for about a half hour, all fifteen of us were laughing, and moving, and smiling in a state of pure joy. And it all started off with a few simple laughter exercises which forced us to “fake” laugh. It did not take long until the laughter and joy became real.

It was such a treat to look around the room and see the happy expressions on everyone’s face. Some members literally had to drag themselves to the meeting that evening they were in such a bad way, but everyone was able to participate and we all left feeling a little lighter, and little happier. The half hour of laughter did not cure any of us, and it truthfully may have only distracted us from our pain and fatigue, but it was a beautiful gift none the less. Sarito brought a guest with her who shared his experience of recovery through the use of laughter meditation. In his experience, 30 minutes of laughter a day – fake or  not – can reduce pain symptoms and improve sleep and fatigue. After my half hour experience I can only say it is the most fun I have had in my quest to improve my health, and it is definitely worth trying. I am smiling right now as I relive the evening to share with you!

On Friday I had my first appointment with Dr. Shores, the holistic chiropractor who spoke at a previous support group meeting and also contributed to my blog. It was an enlightening appointment. Through Bio-response testing he was able to determine I have several issues which are likely contributing to, our may be the cause of my Fibromyalgia.

Here is the breakdown of what Dr. Shores believes to be my greatest issues:

40% – Structural. Due most likely to the slip and fall which initially brought on my Fibromyalgia, and the car accident which gave my FM superpowers (post still coming – I promise!)

30% – Grain Intolerance & Dairy Allergy. Turns out I am gluten intolerant. This is the thing I most feared learning. I think I have suspected it for some time but did not want to face having to drastically change my diet - eliminating all wheat and grain based foods. Again through Bio-response Dr. Shores demonstrated how the gluten intolerance was partially responsible for my muscle pain. In my understanding my body treats the gluten as an infection, and it draws the “infection” away from my digestive tract and into my muscle to help my body eliminate it. This causes muscle pain, inflammation and spasms. YES, YES, & YES!!! He also believes my dairy allergy should clear up if I eliminate gluten from my diet. This is going to be a huge lifestyle change for me, and I am certain I will be writing about it. Anyone out there with suggestion or advice, I gladly welcome it.

30% – Toxin/Infection – Dr. Shores’ presentation on heavy metal toxins is one of the things that most intrigued me about his philosophy of wellness. After hearing him speak about how metal filings constantly release fumes and the fumes go straight to our brains, I suspected he was right in that this could be a cause/contributing factor to fibrofog. It turns out I tested positive for all of the following:

• Heavy Metals
• Arsenec
• Borrelia Burgdorferi – lyme
• Chloroform
• Formaldehyde
• H-pylori

Although this list looks overwhelming, Dr. Shores assured me not to panic. In his estimation the thing I should be most concerned with, and will get the most improvement from correcting is the gluten intolerance. As part of my treatment I will be taking a supplement to help my body detox, but I am beginning with eliminating the gluten.

He also used his special gentle adjusting instrument (which I can never remember the name of) to correct some of my structural issues. I have been walking around for as long as I can remember with my right leg slightly shorter than my left. With just a few adjustments it was corrected. I stood up and could tell instantly. It was a weird sensation! I will report back soon about how I am doing with his treatment and recommendations. I think I may finally be on to something.

And if the laughter and the holistic healing weren’t enough, Saturday brought me another great tool for my arsenal in my battle against Fibromyalgia. One of my newest group members is also a certified yoga instructor. She arranged to teach a special gentle yoga class for group members at the Wellness Center. Yoga helped relieve her Fibromyalgia symptoms so much that she became an instructor in order to share and encourage other FM sufferers to try it for themselves. Eight brave members attended and we were lead through gentle movements and also taught modifications of movements that we could take with us into most any yoga class.

I had taken yoga once before and it was an awful experience. The instructor was not gentle or nurturing and seemed put-out that a newbie was in her class. Saturday was a completely opposite experience and I am now a yoga convert. It was like my muscles were waking up from a long cryogenic freeze. I loved it so much that I took another class on Sunday with a different instructor. I was able to modify several of the movements and keep up for the most part. I was not the most graceful participant, but I continued to enjoy the awakening my muscles experienced the day before. I cannot think of a better way to describe it. I know my muscles thanked me, and after taking it easy for a couple of days I am heading back tomorrow. I have had no negative effects or a flare-up like I did from the H2O Cardio class.

So that happened! I don’t know if it was the laughter, or the adjustment, or the yoga, but I am feeling better – better than I have since taking the H2O Cardio class. My mind is finally clear enough to write a post, and my muscles are not burning with fire after sitting at my desk for a couple of hours to write it. Woo hoo!