6 Tips for Reducing Gluten Sensitivity
Gluten sensitivity .. gluten intolerance .. in my world it’s all the same. While some say we’re not meant to eat gluten; allow me to point out that there is gene known as DDP4 (dipeptidyl peptidase 4) which is, among other things, involved in the assimilation of both gluten and casein (both of which are proteins). This is important to know and also leads to questions like … well, if the body has a way to use these proteins, why isn’t it? I have one word for you … stress.
Now, if this is your first time ‘meeting’ me, allow me to say that by ‘stress’, I’m referring to our built in protection mechanism when the body senses a threat. This could be mental, emotional, physical, environmental or a little bit of each and given the current state of our world, it’s fair to say, the body is in constant survival mode. The way this occurs is through chemical signals i.e. estrogen or estrogen like chemicals from the environment which includes foods and personal care products to name a few. This hormonal shift opens the angiotensin II receptor in response to the ‘fight or flight’ activation in order to put us on high alert as it boosts blood pressure and other systemic functions. However, with the angiotensin II receptor opened up, the activity of the DDP4 is changed and it’s this change that disrupts the body’s ability to use such proteins as gluten. Keep in mind, these ‘switches’ as I like to call them activate and deactivate according to the stress response; therefore, to be living with chronic gluten sensitivity means ‘your’ body is chronically stressed.
So what do you do? Clearly meditation, deep breathing, relaxing, spending time outdoors or involved with a hobby aren’t helping .. if they were, you wouldn’t be here …
This level of stress must be addressed chemically and no, I don’t mean with medications.
One of the predominant chemicals involved, besides estrogen is acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is used throughout the body; yet, when the body is ‘threatened’, this chemical is used for fight or flight rather than for other functions like digestion. One of the rolls of acetylcholine is with digestion as it is used in the production of hydrochloric acid which is required for the breakdown of carbs, proteins and fats; something that is disrupted when the body is stressed. Therefore, addressing digestion at this level through helping the body not only break down carbs and protein but also use them is key to breaking the cycle of survival ….
However, I do not believe in specifically attempting to manipulate any chemical, including the ones that seem to be involved with systemic distress. What do I mean by this? Well, the conventional idea is to try and regulate chemicals. What’s more, there are essential oils that have this potential which means we must be careful with our choices. So, what do we do?
6 Tips for Reducing Gluten Sensitivity
reduce our consumption of phytoestrogens .. this includes soy, flax, rhodiola, red clover, motherwort, alfalfa, hops, licorice, verbena, lavender, geranium, clary sage, tea tree. A phytoestrogen has an estrogenic effect and we’re exposed everyday to chemicals that act like estrogen in the body
reduce our use of commercial personal care and / or processed foods because the potential that they contain endocrine disrupting chemicals is real … truthfully, personal care and household products are quite simple and inexpensive to make …
drink nettle tea … it’s an estrogen blocker
mix hibiscus sabdariffa with it as it has been proven in scientific studies to ease the angiotensin and other hormones related to the stress response .. adding holy basil tincture supports adrenal health
take a betaine supplement as it enhances the levels of hydrochloric acid until the you notice you’re able to eat certain foods without reacting
include a selection of the following oils as they enhance the use of acetylcholine as well as improve the assimilation of sugars and protein: palmarosa, marjoram sweet, cassia bark, bergamot, holy basil; however, please keep in mind that several of these do not mix well with certain medications plus depending on your system, other oils may be more beneficial.
Now, I realize eliminating gluten is the fastest way to eliminate symptoms; however, my mindset is just relieving symptoms does not protect the body from future health issues which are all the result of stress. Therefore, I present these ideas as a way of both relieving symptoms and helping the body to recover from the impact of stress which does nothing but strengthen its resilience.
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