It's not just about gluten

Something motivates people to purse a career...my pursuit began when I was 8 years old. After spending 1-1/2 years in the hospital, I knew I wanted to be in the field of healing. I spent several years working in the hospital as a Respiratory Therapist and then I decided to study nutrition. I found myself drawn to the healing power of " the right " foods. I joined an Endocrinologist and we created a weight loss clinic. I talked to the patients about good food, cooking and shopping tips and saw great results, but there was something missing. I did not just want to focus on weight loss because so many of these patients had multiple issues. I was still dealing with my own personal health issues that were getting progressively worse. I started to realize that food was the culprit. In fact, I remember the day I told my doctor that "Food was killing me". I did not know how true that statement was until I went to school to study holistic nutrition.I have a grandson that has some mental disabilities and while I was writing papers I decided to look for a diet that would help with his "melt downs". I discovered a way to find what foods might be causing inflammation of his brain and one of those foods was gluten along with many others. I then realized that gluten was one of the foods that had been destroying my gut since I was a child. It was just the beginning. I soon found that a variety of foods were the root to all of my health issues.

Gluten seems to be today's BUZZ word. Today I have become a certified nutrition consultant and owner of Essentials for Health (www.essentialsforhealth.info) and have many clients who see me to work on their health issues by improving their diet. I am often told that they have "tried" a gluten free diet. Some have felt an improvement in their health and some little, if any, improvement. The reason, because it is often more than just a gluten intolerance. I have worked with a variety of clients having diabetes, several autoimmune conditions, high cholesterol, asthma, high blood pressure, ADD and ADHD, fertility issues, neurological symptoms, GI problems, and menopause and andropause symptoms. The common bottom line to all these diseases and illnesses is inflammation. Inflammation can be caused by a variety of issues such as; overindulgence of coffee and alcohol, stress, medications,imbalance in gut bacteria, sensitivities to molds, chemicals and food additives and the big culprit, proteins in foods that cause an immune response in the body. Gluten can be one of these foods, but I find it is a lot more complex than just eliminating gluten containing foods. The improvements my clients have experienced in their health when we looked "beyond gluten" have been remarkable. In my blog "It's more than just gluten" I will share these stories with you, how we successfully helped these clients and the results they have incurred. You may find one that relates to your personal health issues and we may possibly journey together to improve your health.