I Think I Found The Problem :shock:

[tex]

Hi All,

This is a biggie. I believe I finally figured out why all the "experts", including the most famous celiac researcher in the world, continue to mistakenly claim that skin products that contain gluten, cannot cause a reaction, (unless we ingest them), even for those who suffer from dermatitis herpetiformis, when real life experiences of people with DH, show that those experts are wrong.

Consider this often used quote, from a blog about the subject, and especially note the part that I have highlighted in red:

There aren’t too many individuals on the planet who know more about celiac disease than Dr. Fasano, so please, do not let anyone, including medical professionals convince you that gluten protein can be absorbed through the skin and cause a celiac disease reaction. It simply isn’t true.

If you still need more convincing, check out what Cynthia Kupper RD, Executive Director of The Gluten Intolerance Group, has to say.

"While investigating the possible absorption of gluten through the skin, I have talked with many regulatory organizations, and research and development people in the cosmetic industry. They all agree that gluten and all proteins are too large to be absorbed through the skin. Therefore, topical care products that contain gluten do not need to be avoided by persons with CD and DH.

http://www.diet.com/dietblogs/read_blog ... blid=16557

They all agree that gluten and all proteins are too large to be absorbed through the skin.

Well doh! Anyone knows that's correct, but look at what they're saying. They're saying that the entire gluten molecule is the problem, IOW, they're saying that caliacs react to the gluten molecule. Well guess what? No one reacts to the gluten molecule - celiacs react to certain small sections of the gluten molecule, (certain amino acid chains, known as peptides), such as the alpha gliadin peptide, for example. And yes, if the alpha gliadin peptide is small enough to pass through the tight junctions in the epithelia of the gut, then they are certainly small enough to pass through the tight junctons of the epithelia that we call skin. What a stupid mistake. I'm embarrassed that I never noticed it earlier, but absolutely appalled that such authorities as Dr. Fasano would make such an obviously dumb mistake. In effect, they are all assuming that the entire gluten molecule would have to be absorbed through the skin, and somehow transported to the digestive system, I suppose, where it could be digested and broken into the peptides necessary to cause a reaction.

Apparently, what actually happens, is that with certain skin products that contain gluten, some of the chemical ingredients in that long list of mysterious ingredients that virtually all skin products contain, combine to partially "digest" the gluten molecule, and release enough reactive peptides to cause a DH response in some susceptible individuals. So, clearly, not every skin product that contains gluten would have the correct combination of ingredients to allow this chemical decomposition of the gluten molecule to occur, but obviously some of them do, because some products cause skin reactions, including DH.

So the question is, why would all these so-called experts think that celiacs react to the gluten molecule, when they know damn well that it's peptide fractions that cause the problem, not the intact gluten molecule. IMO, the answer is because they have forgotten how to think, so they never bother to think. I don't know how else to explain such a stupid mistake by so many "experts". Shame on them.

Tex

[Gloria]

Does this mean that you've changed your previous opinion that we don't need to worry about using skin products containing soy and gluten?

Gloria

[tex]

Hmmmmm. Good question. I suppose it does change my opinion. In my work, (storing and cleaning grain), I often make skin contact with wheat seed, starch, dust, etc., and other than having to be careful not to inhale significant amounts of dust, (which can cause breathing problems), I have never noticed any internal or external reactions to such contact, and that was the basis of my acknowledgement that skin contact with wheat, (or soy, for that matter), was inconsequential. That wheat is raw, however, and there is no involvement of any chemicals, or enzymes, or any other means by which the gluten molecules might be broken down into peptides.

In view of my discovery that all the experts have been making such a dumb mistake all these years, obviously, we meed to reexamine all the previous claims about skin care products that contain various chemicals, because chemicals can alter protein molecules, which means that certain combinations of chemicals, (or certain enzymes), can break down the gluten molecule. Virtually all skin care products also contain chemicals that are specifically designed to enhance the absorption of the other additives into the skin. So obviously, certain combinations of chemicals that would have the capacity to break down the gluten molecule, could present the same peptide challenge to the skin, that the digestive system presents to the intestines, and in the presence of the absorptivity-enhancing chemicals, I see no reason why these peptides, (if present), would not be absorbed into the skin, and if they're absorbed into the skin of someone subject to DH, eczema, etc., a reaction is likely to occur. Whether or not this could lead to a GI system response, I'm skeptical, (though I would need to study it a lot more before I completely write off the possibility), but IMO, it can certainly lead to the development of DH, eczema, and other skin problems.

We know by experience that these reactions occur, despite claims by the "experts", (based on an irrelevant observation) that this mode of reaction is impossible, so I'm proposing that this is the mechanism by which such reactions can occur.

Tex

[sarkin]

I gotta believe that what they "know" about the skin is as likely to be riddled with errors, superstition, and out-of-date-notions as what they "know" about the digestive tract.

Their certain knowledge, IMO, is leakier than my gut.

Oops, far too much cooking and cleaning to go off on a rant today!