Zizzle— Here's The Real Reason Why Celiac Diagnoses Are Up

[tex]

In a recent thread you pointed out that celiac diagnoses are significantly higher these days compared with several decades ago. Putting a little thought to that reveals the reason why that appears to be the case. Do you remember how so many of us have posted about one or more of our parents and/or grandparents having D and/or other digestive system issues, but never receiving a diagnosis, and in most cases, never even mentioning it to their doctor.

Most of them grew up under different rules than we did. When they were growing up, people didn't talk about D, bowel habits, or any of that stuff. To them, it was strictly a private matter, and discussing it with anyone, including their doctor, was unthinkable. Consequently they always tried to hide their problems.

It wouldn't have done them any good to ask their doctor about it anyway, because in those days, none of that stuff was on their doctor's radar. Hell, doctors are barely getting up to speed now, and still have a long way to go — imagine what it was like 40 or 50 or so years ago.

And that's why diagnostic rates for celiac disease and other food sensitivities are increasing so rapidly — people are talking about it, asking their doctors about it, and a few doctors are actually trying to diagnose it for a change (instead of continuing to try to ignore it).

And allergies . . . when I was a kid, if you had an allergy, you didn't run to the doctor. If you had an itch, you scratched it and/or tried to ignore it, or maybe put some Calamine lotion on it. If you know what caused it, you might even have tried to avoid it, if that was practical.

If you had asthma, you only saw a doctor if you had asthma symptoms so serious that you couldn't breathe on your own. I had serious asthma when I was growing up, but the only time I ever saw a doctor about it was the night that I had an attack that was much worse than usual, and I eventually began to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

If you developed the symptoms of anaphylaxis from bee stings, you just stayed away from bees as best you could — you didn't carry an EpiPen. And most importantly, your allergy issues were never recorded, so they never became a part of the medical database.

These days, if someone has an allergy, they run to the doctor. And that's why allergies are so prominent now, compared with 40 or 50 years ago. A lot of things have changed in that period of time, but most of the changes have been in the ways that we and the medical profession report these issues, and in how we perceive them. The issues themselves haven't actually changed much, IMO, and the reason why I can say that is because I was there.

Tex

[mzh]

That's true, Tex. My mother had GI issues too but to her it was just a part of life. My parents were loathe to talk about their health problems. Heck, I just found out my mother had thyroid cancer 40 years ago. I found out after she died when I was going through some notes she made that I happened to find *last spring*. Yikes!

[gluten]

Hi, Talking about any type of pain the takes place in the entire G.I tract and its deposits are considered a "Taboo" subject. Not only in the past but in the present except for the people that share their experiences in this support group. Jon

[DJ]

My poor father suffered terribly with bleeding ulcers since I was old enough to remember. Bleeding ulcers are often caused by H. Pylori and that is successfully treated with antibiotics now. My grandmother had the same coughing and burping that I have* but never mentioned it to a doctor. As Tex said, it wouldn't have made sense to share that with a doctor back then.

Now, with modern medicine, it took the MANY doctors I visited only 30 years to figure out my problem.
Ok, so that doesn't sound much better than what my dad and my grandma experienced. What's different? A late diagnosis is better than no diagnosis, at least in the case of MC.

* I like to take every chance I get to mention that my coughing/gagging/burping improved greatly after going GF, DF, DF, NF, and even further after adding daily Claritin.

[Zizzle]

Sorry Tex, I'm not buying it. There was a very clear study done a few years ago on the saved blood samples of GIs in the 1950's compared to today. There was a clear increase in the prevalence of celiac disease in the modern-day soldiers. I imagine similar studies can be found from Italy and Scandinavia. After all, Sweden recently went through a celiac epidemic, apparently caused by their infant feeding practices. Anaphylactic food allergies in kids are up something like 250% in the past 10 years. I suppose that would mean all those kids just dropped dead in the olden days? How many kids did you know who died of peanut/egg/wheat/soy allergies?

One in 88 American kids are now diagnosed with autism. Surely there is more recognition nowadays, but did you notice autistic-like behaviors in lots of kids you met growing up? Where are all those autistic grown ups today?

Something is not right, and it's not just over-diagnosis and breaking down taboos.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/ ... /?page=all

I, for one, am the first person in my extended family to be diagnosed with any appreciable medical condition before the age of 65. I thought I had won the genetic lottery.

Each generation inherits the damaged microbiome and DNA/gene mutations of the generation that came before. My mother's generation smoked and drank while pregnant, didn't breastfeed, starting eating processed convenience foods, and overused antibiotics as they became more widely prescribed. The sins of my youth - diet, chemical exposures, birth control pills, infections, etc. surely resulted in something passed on to my kids.

[tex]

Dang Zizzle, you're almost as hard-headed as I am.

Yes, I remember that study done at the Mayo, using blood from Air Force recruits. But that study was flawed for the reasons I cited in that other thread. Namely that on the average, GIs today have eaten much more gluten over their lifetimes than the GIs of 50 years ago. In fact, they have eaten an average of almost 50 % more gluten, every year, so their disease has progressed much faster then their counterparts of 50 years earlier, and that has made celiac disease four times as diagnosable. Nothing mysterious there. Per capita wheat consumption increased greatly between the early 1960s and 2000, and it has been declining, since then. Eventually, society will see health benefits down the road, because of the decline (if it continues).

The Swedish study that you're referring to was based on infant formulas during the 1980s, as I recall. That epidemic was iatrogenic, and can hardly be blamed on GMOs (which was the point of your original post), since GMOs were only a twinkle in the eye of Monsanto scientists back then, and didn't even exist.

I can recall news reports of people dying from allergic reactions back then, so I don't see how that's a novel problem. And honestly, I don't recall anyone in my close circle of acquaintances who actually died from food allergy reactions back then (nor do I recall any that occurred during the past 10 years, for that matter). And now that you bring it up, I know of several people today who are allergic to wasp or bee stings (just as back then), but I don't know anyone personally who has a child who has a genuinely life-threatening food allergy, nor do I personally know of any who have died from a food allergy reaction (just as back then). I'm certainly aware of some food allergy cases, but I wouldn't classify them as life-threatening, at least not at this point.

But you have a huge advantage over me on that issue, because you only have to remember the statistics from the past 10 years. That's much easier than remembering such details from 50 years prior to that. So how many people do you actually know in your circle of acquaintances who have a child who has died from a food allergy reaction?

The point is, news is virtually instantaneous today, and if someone has a serious food reaction, it's in the news and that news spreads half-way around the word in a matter of a few minutes. That didn't happen 50 years ago (or even 20 years ago), and news reporters didn't dwell on such happenings outside of our own relatively small community. Twitter and Facebook didn't exist (that's probably why some of us think of it as the good old days ), so we virtually never heard of such events. Today, it's a hot news item, and hot news items sell ads, so we hear about it no matter where it happens.

And yep, I knew of quite a few people (not just kids) who showed autistic-like characteristics 50 years ago. But most of them seldom went out into society the way they do today. So we didn't see as many of them. Many of the more severe cases stayed at home, or went to an institution. You ask, "Where are those adults today?" Most of the ones who didn't die early, are still kicking. Just look around.

I will agree with you that food allergy problems (not necessarily food allergies) are on the increase today, but not because of GMOs. The problem is because most processed food products now have an ingredient list that's half as long as your arm, including numerous chemicals that we can't even pronounce, let alone understand. And just as that is the reason why those of us who have MC can't tolerate such products, they're also a mine-field for people who have life-threatening food allergies. IOW, most mainstream food manufacturers seem to feel obligated to make sure that every product they sell contains as many of the potential food allergies as possible. That wasn't the case 50 years ago.

I, for one, am the first person in my extended family to be diagnosed with any appreciable medical condition before the age of 65.

That's primarily because you have health care opportunities that your parents and grandparents didn't have. And also because you spend a lot of time taking advantage of those opportunities. Your parents and grandparents would never have considered doing that when they were your age.

Tex

[JFR]

Sorry Tex,
One in 88 American kids are now diagnosed with autism. Surely there is more recognition nowadays, but did you notice autistic-like behaviors in lots of kids you met growing up? Where are all those autistic grown ups today?

If my 67 year old brother were a child now he would be diagnosed as having Aspergers. He was just considered weird instead. I know exactly where he is today and even speak with him regularly. In the early 70's I worked at a school for disabled children. At the time there was a boy who was classically autitistic. I know of one other member on this forum who also had a brother with Aspergers. In the early 90's I worked with a man whose son had Aspergers. Then there was Bruno Bettleheim's book "The Empty Fortress" in which he blamed autism on cold parenting,a theory widely believed to be true. I can't imagine that people were anxious to get a diagnosis for their children that implicated their parenting skills.

It is easy to theorize about why something seems more prevalent today than it did in the past but much harder to prove. It is a complicated issue whether you are talking about autism or allergies or celiac disease. Confirmation bias plays into a lot of the theorizing today, the tendency to emphasize the research that support a theory and ignore other information that contradicts it.

Jean

[Zizzle]

Ok, ok, I suppose climate change isn't happening either?

I have quizzed every family member I have on the health status and random complaints of those who came before us. Other than ulcer symptoms from drinking and probable h. Pylori, there were no health complaints, and certainly no full body skin rashes!! These people didn't just tough it out...they were actually healthy, even despite occasional abusive situations, betrayals, and other stressors.

Regarding food allergies, of the 30 or so kids I know born in the last 7 years, at least 25% have a life-threatening food allergy, and they all developed before these kids had a chance to enjoy junk food. My kids' school of 600 kids has 50 with a life-threatening food allergy, and most county schools can match those rates (I co-chair the school health advisory board...scary huh?). Peanuts, nuts, eggs, soy and milk are the most common. Statistics show very few kids die of those allergies, but that's because they have neurotic parents and Epi-pens, so they do not make the news. The fact that our federal government just passed a law requiring Epipens in all schools must just be the result of Pharma lobbying, right??

I definitely agree that the insane ingredients in today's processed foods are much to blame, and guess what nearly all of them have in common? Why GMO soy and corn ingredients!!

But these frankenfoods are not acting alone. Have you followed the various longitudinal studies of infant cord blood? Today's moms and babies are so chock full of chemical estrogens, fire retardants, endocrine disruptors, pthalates, mercury, and other goodies that have accumulated in our environment since the 1950's, its a wonder they survive at all. I question if my children's generation will enjoy the fertility rates of mine.

Yup, I'm a stubborn gal. Keep trying! I'm all ears.

[dfpowell]

During the past 20 years that I worked as a school nurse, I saw an increase in food allergies, asthma, obesity, and emotional behavioral disorders. It made me think it was a combination of improved diagnosis and medical care, so they are going to the doctor more, and perhaps the driving force is genetic/environmental factors.

Regarding GMOs, can you look at countries that don't allow them and see if the incidence of food allergies is changing?

[tex]

Ok, ok, I suppose climate change isn't happening either?

Yes it is, as a matter of fact. It's getting colder. We've been setting records here in Texas for average low temps for some time now (and so have a lot of areas of the world), and I notice that the arctic ice coverage has increased by approximately a million square miles this year, over last year — that's an increase of about 60 %. Gosh . . . do you suppose that the brilliant prediction that all the ice would be gone from the arctic by 2013 might actually turn out to be wrong? Of course all the "experts" are insisting that the change is just a fluke, and they're all working like mad to come up with reasonable-sounding explanations for how this could possibly happen, because we all know that we're in a period of global warming, doncha know. Everyone except me, that is. I'm confident that they will come up with some sort of half-truths that will make it sound sorta plausible (in order to try to save face and hang on to their jobs).

Arctic sea ice up 60 percent in 2013

You joined this board over 4 years too late to witness the friendly debate that Polly and I had when Al Gore figured out how to make a fortune by selling lies and half-truths to a gullible world, when he released his movie based on a totally incorrect theory about the cause of global warming. Needless to say, I haven't changed my opinion in all these years, even though that "debate" took place over 7 years ago.

Movie Recommendation (and a Great Debate on Global Warming)


And now the data prove that this statement from my first post in that thread is right on target (even though it might be regarded as an "inconvenient truth" by Al Gore, et al).

The bottom line is, global warming is not significantly affected by human practices

The research data discussed in the article at the following link provide indisputable proof that Al Gore's hoax about global warming being caused by carbon dioxide excursions as a result of human activity are nothing more than pure BS, since humans obviously weren't capable of affecting carbon dioxide levels for any but the last teeny-tiny fraction of one percent of that million-year database. It appears that he made a heck of a lot of money, by deceiving the world. As Mr. Rogers would have said, "Can you say "fraud"?"

Two Modes of Change in Southern Ocean Productivity Over the Past Million Years

Regarding all the allergies in your school district — I suggest you move your family out of the beltway, and into a healthy area way, way, west of there, while you all still have at least a little health left that's worth preserving. The stuff you describe isn't happening here. It's no wonder that our government has become dysfunctional and unable to govern — you've just pinpointed the reason — it's the environment there.

I don't dispute the possibility that a lot of folks out there on the East Coast (and presumably elsewhere, as well) may well be living with blood that's loaded with all the chemical hazards that you mentioned, but I will point out that none of that can be blamed on GMOs. Instead, that sounds a lot like the after effects of pollution. Doesn't it?

Tex

[Zizzle]

Hiya Tex,
Well I didn't say global warming, did I? I'm glad I found a fellow believer in climate change! I'm looking forward to lots of days off this winter as DC gets blasted again with unusual snowfall.

I had a lovely Thanksgiving (hope you did too), and managed to cheat on my AIP diet way too many times. Butter in the turkey and gravy, delicious GF breads from Nuflour bakery in Seattle, nut and nightshade cross-contamination, collards cooked in pork broth, bBq sauce made with nightshades, and a few alcoholic beverages. But I had no issues whatsoever until I took a bite of a GF/DF petit four pastry bought at our local celiac-safe GF bakery. My daughter told me it bothered her tummy, and I didn't want to waste it (dumb, I know). I had sharp tummy pain and rapid D, just like my daughter's (and she's IgE allergic). I think it took me being truly soy-free for 2 months to realize just how evil it is for me, like many if you. No more soy oil, lecithin, etc. Which further strengthens my belief that GMOs like soy are evil. I'm already off corn, even hidden corn starch, although who knows about my meds?!

There is interesting news in GMO propaganda-land today. Namely about scientific journal retractions. It seems the researchers attacking GMOs get smeared and discredited, when the GMO paid-for "scientists" are guilty of plenty of bad science themselves, often much more agregious. I don't believe there is any credible research proving GMOs are safe (beyond a 90-day feeding, you didn't die perspective). We know it takes longer for damage to accrue.

Anyway, China just rejected 60,000 tons of American corn delivered to its shores bc it contained unapproved GMOs. Who will pay for that snafu? Aren't American farmers concerned about the rest of the world turning on our farm products? It's embarrassing to not even meet China's standards!

There is lots to be discovered and proven, and in the meantime, Americans should have the right to know what's in our food.

http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/a ... ed-science

[tex]

Hi Zizzle,

Like fashions, health fads, and virtually everything else, the only thing that's constant about climate is that it's constantly in a state of change. It always has been, and it always will be.

Sorry that you got zapped by a food that should have been safe. It's kind of depressing that GF bakeries never seem to quite get all their ducks in a row, because it's not particularly difficult to bake great-tasting food that doesn't include soy. And the same goes for pharmaceuticals. All of it could do without gluten, dairy, soy, and corn. But they're too ignorant/lazy/inconsiderate/whatever to go to the trouble of producing products that would be safe for virtually everyone.

It seems the researchers attacking GMOs get smeared and discredited, when the GMO paid-for "scientists" are guilty of plenty of bad science themselves, often much more agregious.

I certainly wouldn't argue with that. Before the government decided to embrace the global-warming hoax, that was true for any scientist arguing the case for global warming, and now that global warming is the "official" trend, scientists who try to publish articles in opposition to that policy place their employment in jeopardy, because they can't get government funding for research.

Just look at Dr. Fine's situation. He holds world-wide patents on lab tests that the medical community desperately needs for diagnosing early stages of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, plus sensitivities to other foods — and yet he can't get his research published, because members of the "Good Ol' Boys Club" who oversee the material that's allowed to be published in the medical journals refuse to alter their long-held (incorrect) beliefs (and because they choose to blacklist any lab that dares to offer their services direct to patients, thereby cutting doctors out of the equation). It's not surprising that they would oppose labs that bypass doctors (so that doctors don't get a slice of the pie), but they're shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring the technology, and they're punishing their patients who are gluten-sensitive, and that's not only unnecessary, but it could probably be classified as an elite form of malpractice. Shame on them.

Aren't American farmers concerned about the rest of the world turning on our farm products? It's embarrassing to not even meet China's standards!

Sure they are, but there's not much they can do about it. They have to sell their grain — they can't just sit on it forever, because it will eventually become out of condition as bugs infest it and temperature cycles slowly deplete the nutritional levels. GMO grain is not illegal — remember? It might be illegal in China, but it's certainly not illegal in much of the world. And it's beginning to be clear that even Europe will soon lift their opposition to GMO. Did you see this article?

Chief EU scientist backs damning report urging GMO ‘rethink’

But the main point is that American farmers don't have any say-so over what happens to any grain after they sell it, and they didn't select the grain in that shipment bound for China. That's the domain of the international grain conglomerates — ADM, Bunge, Cargill, and Dryfus (sometimes known as "ABCD" in the grain trade). And they follow government guidelines, since they are regulated by various government agencies under USDA, so the government has a hand in this, also.

And I have always whole-heartedly agreed that labels should clearly state important information such as country of origin, and a GMO declaration.

Tex