There’s no denying that celiac disease (CD) is more prevalent now than ever. In the US, rates of CD have increased at least 5-fold over the past few decades, and prevalence in Finland has doubled. (1, 2, 3) The incidence of CD has also increased four-fold in the UK and three-fold in the Netherlands in the past 20 years, and the incidence of pediatric CD in Scotland has increased 6.4-fold. (4, 5, 6)
So naturally, everyone is wondering – why? We know that there’s a strong genetic component to celiac disease (and our ability to detect the disease has vastly improved), but the rising rates have occurred too quickly to be explained by a genetic shift in the population.
Besides, the genes that predispose an individual to CD are actually relatively common in the population, but only a very small percentage of those people actually develop the disease. In other words, genetics appear to be necessary – but not sufficient – for someone to develop CD.
Can the overuse of #antibiotics trigger celiac disease?
Antibiotics Can Cause Intestinal Dysbiosis and Infection
Clearly, something has changed in the environment to trigger celiac disease in a higher proportion of genetically susceptible people. Multiple factors probably play a role, but evidence indicates that one big factor is the intestinal microbiota. And a major contributor to disordered intestinal microbiota is antibiotic overuse.
In my previous article on the effects of antibiotics, I reviewed several studies that demonstrate how drastically antibiotics can alter the gut microbiome. Just a single course of antibiotics can reduce the richness and diversity of the intestinal microbiota, and in many cases, people never completely regain the diversity they lost.
Even if a person doesn’t develop an overt, clinically-diagnosable infection such as C. difficile, imbalances in the types of bacteria that colonize the gut can still cause serious problems. But to understand how antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis could trigger celiac disease in genetically-susceptible individuals, it helps to first understand some of the basic mechanisms behind celiac disease.
Celiac Disease Involves an Immune Reaction to Both Gliadin and Tissue Transglutaminase
The biological mechanisms behind celiac disease are complicated and still not fully understood, but the general idea is that gluten – a group of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley – triggers an autoimmune response that results in severe damage to the epithelial lining of the intestine.
Gliadins and glutenins are the two main components of gluten, with gliadins being the primary trigger for celiac disease. These proteins are very difficult for the body to digest fully, but in most people, this isn’t a problem. However, in people with celiac disease, certain cells (known as “antigen-presenting cells”) get a hold of these large, undigested fragments of protein and present them to T-cells, triggering an immune response. (7, 8)
An enzyme called tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is also important in the development of CD. This is because antigen-presenting cells only bind certain types of proteins, and they don’t usually bind normal gliadin fragments. (9) On the other hand, TG2 readily binds gliadin, and actually modifies it to make the gliadin much more attractive to antigen-presenting cells. This vastly increases the likelihood of an immune response.
Once this happens, the body starts creating antibodies against gliadin. But because the gliadin is usually bound to TG2, the body also creates antibodies against TG2, its own enzyme. This attack of “self” is what earns CD the classification of “autoimmune.”
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Intestinal Dysbiosis and Infection Can Lead to Up-Regulation of Tissue Transglutaminase
In healthy individuals, TG2 plays a role in tissue repair, as well as in other processes such as regulation of cell death; it’s not an enzyme that’s “supposed” to interact with gluten. (Interestingly, TG2 also plays a role in other diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s, by modifying proteins that it isn’t supposed to modify.) (10)
Most TG2 appears to be either stored safely inside cells or inactive under normal conditions, and is only activated in the event of tissue injury, bacterial or viral infection, or another source of inflammation. (11, 12) This indicates that tissue damage or inflammation in the intestine (and subsequent TG2 up-regulation) might actually be necessary for the development of CD.
Without substantial TG2 activity, it’s unlikely that the antigen-presenting cells would bind and present enough gluten fragments to provoke a major immune response. But a bacterial or viral infection could create inflammation and tissue damage that would activate TG2, and thus trigger the cascade of events eventually leading to celiac disease.
Intestinal Dysbiosis and Infection Can Contribute to Leaky Gut
Another factor to consider is the location of tissue transglutaminase. Nearly all TG2 is found in the sub-epithelial region of the intestine, a place that gluten shouldn’t have access to. This means the intestinal barrier would need to be compromised in some way for gluten proteins to significantly interact with TG2. (13)
This fits with previous work done by researchers such as Alessio Fasano, who have hypothesized that a person cannot develop an autoimmune condition such as CD if they don’t have leaky gut. If the intestinal barrier is intact, the immune system will never “see” the antigens, so it won’t mount an immune response.
But one big risk factor for developing leaky gut is intestinal dysbiosis or infection. Bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharides can induce inflammation and increase intestinal permeability, which would allow gluten into the sub-epithelial region of the intestine where it could be modified by TG2 and trigger CD. (14)
Candida Infection May Trigger Celiac Disease through Cross-Reactivity
So far, we’ve been talking about dysbiosis in a general sense, but there’s evidence that specific microbes could trigger celiac disease as well. A recent study (hat tip to Questioning Answers for the find) found that an overabundance of the yeast Candida albicans could contribute to the development of CD, and unfortunately, antibiotic use is a big risk factor for developing a candida infection. (15)
Candida is a normal part of the intestinal microbiome of healthy individuals, but problems can arise when it overgrows relative to other inhabitants of the intestine. Remember how tissue transglutaminase (TG2) readily binds gliadin? Well, it turns out that candida expresses a protein named Hwp1 that also binds TG2, potentially leading to immune activation and cross-reactivity with gluten.
The study found that people without CD who had candida infections produced anti-gliadin antibodies, as well as the expected anti-Hwp1 antibodies. People with CD produced antibodies to both proteins as well. This means that in theory, a person who is genetically susceptible to CD but who doesn’t have the disease could develop the disease in response to a candida infection.
So, What Does This Mean for You?
As you can see, there are several ways in which antibiotic overuse and subsequent intestinal dysbiosis or infection could lead to the development of celiac disease. As I’ve said before, antibiotics can be lifesaving and are necessary in some situations, but that doesn’t mean they’re free of consequences.
It’s becoming more and more clear how vitally important it is to use antibiotics responsibly, whether that’s not using them at all, or properly rehabilitating the gut during and after a course when they’re deemed necessary.
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Look no futher than Fluoroquinolone antibiotics! I know my cd was triggered by them!
Agreed! Also common triggers are strong anti-inflammatory meds.
Thank you so much for this article! I have thought for some time that there must be a link between celiac and antibiotics! My daughter has been on antibiotics so many times for chronic ear infections that she is immune to several antibiotics. She has also had chronic stomach pains and headaches for several years. Last year, at age 12, she was diagnosed with celiac. She has now been GF for almost 1 whole year now (except for a few times she accidentally ingested gluten) and feels good most days. She still does get stomach aches occasionally but we are thankful they are rare these days!
People who get this problem usually don’t have a clue about what’s happening initially. It’s only after their gut is ruined by the recommended antibiotic regimen, that our own personal research finds the real problem; because these conventional GI doctors have No Idea how to treat anything without using abx. I put this on the doctor, not the patient.
Live and Learn, hopefully.
Our story is not Celiac related but “antibiotic overuse” caught my attention as my son has been on daily prophylactic antibiotics since the age of 8, he is now 12. He has PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) occurs when strep triggers a misdirected immune response that results in inflammation on a child’s brain. In turn, the child quickly begins to exhibit life changing symptoms such as OCD, anxiety, tics, personality changes, decline in math and handwriting abilities, sensory sensitivities, restrictive eating, and more. The treatment is simply daily prophylactic antibiotics along with a gluten free diet and pre/probiotics that will continue until sometime after puberty. We don’t have a choice, without antibiotics he can’t function. But we wonder what long term effects this treatment may have. Today he is very happy and healthy, and at this point, no signs of Celiac.
I had celiac symptoms my entire life, but wasn’t diagnosed until age 42, when I finally figured it out for myself and insisted on the biopsy. For whatever reason my doctors never tested me, whether they were unaware of celiac, or just didn’t think of it; despite years and years of stomach and digestive issues, diagnoses of “migraine stomach”, and later IBS, migraine diagnosis at age one, severe menstrual symptoms starting at age 10, eventual infertility diagnosed at age 21, etc etc etc…all classic symptoms and effects of celiac! I don’t know if I had a lot of antibiotics when I was a kid, likely, but since my symptoms started so early, even before I can remember, I don’t know if there is a connection. Perhaps my mother took a lot when she was pregnant? Which is also likely. Or perhaps I just got the short end of the stick with the gene lotto.
What can I take instead of antibiotics for a recurring staph infection? I think it’s gone systemic, but I don’t want to take antibiotics unless it gets way worse.
Right now I have a couple of new lesions pop up every week as soon as the older ones are on the wane. This has been going on for about 45 days.
So far I’m taking probiotics, washing entire body with Hibiclens (chlorhexidine gluconate) daily, eating lots of gelatin and bone broth. What else should I be doing?
Allimax Pro 450 mg. you can find it on amazon. It’s not cheap, but it works! I used it to get rid of my chronic, late stage Lyme disease.
Lynda….how long for lymE disease?
Thanks Lynda! I read up on it and ordered something similar.
Lynda thanks for this information! But how do you know your Lyme was “gone”? I thought antibiotics only make the Lyme “hide” once you’ve had it for a long time.
Did you mean the symptoms or did you actually do an accurate test??
Good luck on getting a mainstream GI doctor to do that. Mine gleefully said that since I don’t have C-diff, I don’t need a fecal transplant. It seemed like he was actually pleased with himself to deliver this news. Meanwhile, I discovered the mega-probiotic VSL#3, which inundates your gut with a combo of 8 probiotics, leaving no space for the bad guys to live in their “takeover volume”. I recommend it as an interim measure until the right “help” is found. It has helped me a lot, but I don’t have the slightest idea how long this will keep working.
sorry, this was meant as a word about the subject by Dr. Jeff, but I placed it wrong. Best Wishes.
Where did you buy this?
I have a friend who has had MRSA ..presenting itself as reoccurring lesions…as she worked in a medical facility they made her cover all lesions with band aides ..a doctor told her the minute she sees one lesion try putting bacitracin ointment in her nose…and this does stop the lesions in their tracts..she was so grateful for this suggestion ..made her life much easier…Hope this is helpful and does work for you..
Thanks Pat, I’ve read about staph living in the nose and seen where some docs prescribe killing it there. I do sometimes get a sore in my nose too, which I guess is the staph also. I recently had one recur and did use Neosporin on it and it went away pretty quickly. Maybe I should put it in my nose more often. Thanks for the tip.
I already went through what you went through, with MRSA, which is what I’m gambling you are dealing with. Doctors were utterly worthless, ignorant and sneering with “helping” with any of this. So, I decided to come at this from every direction full force. Firstly, I picked up Stephen Buhner’s book Herbal Antibiotics and read all the pertinent parts and bought the herbals I thought were what I needed. Then I bought every natural product ever listed for antibiotic properties. I ended up really liking Meleleuca Q. (which I found at Young Living, but whatever, wherever you buy it I think it will help) and used that on any “spots” that would crop up. The herbals seemed to help and I took those long-term, for about a 6-8 months. I also took/take iodine, vitamin A, D3, vitamin C, a good multi, garlic, oregano, yada, yada, yada. I took a few bleach baths (which you can Google) and think that that helped initially, and also bought Hibicleanse (sp) but ultimately quit with baths and threw the Hibicleanse away as I decided that that would ultimately do nothing but perpetuate the problem. I had also been extremely stressed- physically, mentally, emotionally- before all this happened so I attempted to rectifiy that as much as I could. Ultimately I knew it was that my “microbiome” was extremely compromise so I went out and bought every, single probiotic supplement at our local Swanson’s. If it said to take 1, I took 15 (as I wrote somewhere else). And I did that with each of them several times a day. I never have any ill-effects from doing this and I truly believe that this is what pushed me over the hump to better health again. My thought process was to overwhelm the staph bacteria with the bacteria that promote life and health in the human body. We never will get rid of staph and probably shouldn’t- I have read that certain kinds promote health in humans also- but we need to get into balance again. My bought with MRSA was my red-flag to slow down and take note of life, my life and being healthy. I hope this helps, I know how frustrating and terrible this can be. Sorry, for any grammar mistakes, etc, I haven’t had my two cups of coffee yet for the morning!
Thanks for your input Jane. I’ve been using tea tree oil on cold sores, at the first sign, and it really works – along with about 3000mg of l-lysine. I always get a cold sore when even a little bit of stress is upon me. I did try it on these staph bumps/cysts during the painful growing stage but it didn’t help. I’m going to try taking a garlic/allicin pill next since it seems to be systemic. I also tried a mixture of manuka honey and activated charcoal but you can imagine how messy that was, LOL.
check out histamine intolerance on line
Laurel, I struggled with this 8 years ago as a 22 year old healthy person, I had MRSA colonization in nares and after three months of Bactrim and twelve infections, the solution recommended by an infectious disease doctor was Mupirocin ointment in nose (prescription required, not the regular Neosporin ointment) twice a day and soak in bath with 1/4 cup of Clorox bleach, sounds crazy but it worked and I didn’t need to keep treating recurrent infection with systemic antibiotics, never had another infection and get swabbed in my nose every year to make sure I am still MRSA negative. Now just trying to repair damage done by three months of needless antibiotics!
At the risk of sounding gross what about the following for a natural solution.
We all know children who pick their noses and eat the snot. As a society we stop this behaviour, but what if the children are unconsciously following a natural behaviour and challenging their immune system on a regular basis.
Following on from this would adults benefit from eating their own MRSA laden snot and naturally stimulating their own immunity to Staph bacteria?
Anyone have the “guts” to try FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplant) for celiac? Makes sense as it would restore normal gut flora.
re: Anyone have the “guts” to try FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplant) for celiac?
Anyone contemplating FMT needs to consider first trying a probiotic enema. Perlmutter describes a protocol in his new Brain Maker book. The point of PBE is to enhance [re]colonisation, which oral probiotics often don’t do reliably.
The big challenges with FMT are the donor and doctors. Consensus MDs are utterly incompetent at nutrition, metabolism and generally ignorant on gut biome. They are consequently dangerous. They’ve already managed to transplant obesity via FMT.
A company called Open Biome that is non-profit and costs are reasonable seems like a good alternative but you actually have to be participating in a clinical trial to get a hold of the “stuff”. Doctors do move very slowly (glacially in fact) when changing medical practice but many are now so frustrated with the non-performance of pharmaceuticals, I feel a rebellion very soon.
re: … you actually have to be participating in a clinical trial to get a hold of the “stuff”.
That brings up a 3rd challenge with FMT. In the U.S., it’s presently only FDA-approved for C.Diff. For anything else, like post-CD gut remediation, you either get into trial or leave the country.
PBE can be done at home, without having to ask the FDA if any of their Big Pharma cronies object.
The problem with fecal transplants is that, for most problems, it is needed repeatedly. With C. Diff it seems that once is enough, but not so much with others.
re: The problem with fecal transplants is that, for most problems, it is needed repeatedly.
It seems like one could reduce the risk of needing repeat treatments by identifying and eliminating all gut biome antagonists. I wonder if FMT clinicians are clued into all this.
This would obviously include prescription antibiotics, but also ABs in oral care and topical products – these latter, alas are both numerous and not always obvious.
Many food-like substances are also gut antagonists. I would mark all of the artificial sweeteners as suspects. I consider the gluten-bearing grains to be antagonists, and probably the other grains with iffy lectins. A full-time glycemic diet is also likely a problem.
Pesticide uptake in crops is another obvious problem. Crops with Bt genetics, of course, ARE pesticides. Organic non-GMO is helpful here.
Finally, the daily diet needs to include prebiotic fiber to maintain the population of desired bugs.
It seems to be needed repeatedly for things like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. For some reason C. Diff has only been requiring one treatment.
As well as the above, a surprising number of prescribed medicines also have an antibiotic effect in the gut e.g. metformin. Prof. Ayers on his “Cooling Inflammation” blog has raised and covers this topic extensively.
http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/metformin
Honora, thanks for the reference to that superb article by Ayers.
Metformin also harms mitochondria. Anything that harms the mitochondria can’t be good for the gut lining, which is only one cell thick…
I havent used antibiotics for the past two years even though ive had the cold and flu. lol this is not medical advice but truly i spoke to the bacteria…i asked ‘why destroy me when we can live together forever, just tell me whats your flavor:-)’ im sure they responded to my em fied. I also told em to deal with the virus! and poof flu only lasted 3 days-i was raised on antibiotics btw. Seriously i think stress and ill mental health are the only health problems that exist.
Chris, Thank you for this article. I went to an infectious disease doctor last winter to see if I could pin point where my issues with autoimmunity, candida, gluten intolerance and food sensitivities began. The information he provided was helpful but not conclusive regarding the starting point. I remember having signs of candida as a child. I am wondering if my mother did not pass a candida infection on to me and younger my sister, who also has an autoimmune condition. Is that possible? My mother had intestinal issues and autoimmunity. Outside of me having pneumonia at age 7, that would be the only antibiotics I can think of having taken until I was a teenager when I took long term courses of it for cystic acne, which I now know was caused by a reaction to gluten and other food sensitivities. So the damage was done by the time I was in junior high. Any thoughts?
Hello,
I grew up in the 1950’s and had pneumonia at ages 4 and 8. By age 10 I was chubby while my siblings were slender. I could not stay away from wheat based junk food. I was told I needed to exercise self control and tried to do that for the next 50 years.
Four years ago I began to read on the Internet about the problems with wheat–especially today’s hybridized franken-wheat–GMO’s, pesticides, etc. I stopped eating wheat and the cravings disappeared three days later and never returned except when I cheated. Over the next few months I lost 20 pounds then plateaued. It was suggested to me that those sensitive to wheat are often sensitive to dairy, so I stopped the dairy. My last 10 pounds fell off over the next several months, and minor sinus conjestion, morning backache and finger stiffness stopped. I lost all desire for chocolate.
I am convinced antibiotics in childhood caused my gut problems with wheat and dairy. BTW, I tried eating Einkorn wheat and the cravings came right back. No digestion problems, ever.
Dr. Chris, do the wheat and dairy proteins enter the blood and attach to opiate receptors in the brain?
Today, through many trials and experimentation, I can now enjoy Goat dairy (raw when I can get it) and real sourdough bread once in a while as long as it’s processed at least 18 hours. Thanks for all the information and help you provide. XOXO
As a young kid I had many food allergies and hayfever which prompted coughing, sore throat and bronchits frequently. My mother gave me arithromycin and decadron (steroid) like candy. At 18 I developed ITP (an autoimmune disease) which is now in remission after a splenectomy. Fast forwarding through my life of frequent infections (use of antibiotics) , brain fog, heart palpitations, fatigue after eating (not knowing about gluten) I was diagnosed with celiac disease at 44 years old and have been gluten free since. I’m now 49. Since celiac diagnosis, I have active EBV flare ups and reoccurring SIBO (tested positive and tr4eated 3X) Also found to be very low in the amino acid carnitine (now affecting my mitochondria) which caused weakness with my fatigue. So I believe its all a vicious cycle…. the infections need antibiotics and cortisone which destroy your gut, turn on your autoimmunity, including celiac gene and then SIBO keeps your gut from healing; causing vitamin deficiencies, etc and a life of downward spiral illnesses/autoimmune dis-function. Oh, and I have been told by doctors not to take probiotics because I may have a negative affected because I do not have a spleen. Anyone else out there with ITP/no spleen?
Your article is very enlightening! I had chronic strep as a child and (unfortunately) many rounds of antibiotics. I also had a very strong reaction to poison oak after eating blackberries covered in the oil (picked from a bush infested with it) when I was 18! I had an all-over body reaction to the poison oak and to areas of my skin never exposed to the oil, so I know that the oil was in fact ingested, and would have come in direct contact with my digestive system. I am thinking that this event is what triggered my immune system in a major way! I do have heterozygous genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance, but it was not until my early thirties that I started getting the IgA rashes, that looked, and felt, exactly like poison oak! I also do not respond well to mangoes which are botanically related to poison oak. Unfortunately, having many problems with methylation and other biochemical processes, obtaining two health degrees, and then working in a field of chronic high stress long working hours, for two decades…. I am now on a strict paleo diet, and trying to pick up the pieces of chronic fatigue, adrenal insufficiency etc. Sadly, this has cut my beloved career short, however on the positive side, I am learning so much about epigenetics! I am absolutely certain that being aware of your specific genetics and practicing health promotion in accordance with this knowledge from pre-conception on is the ONLY WAY that our people can truly be healthy! I have always known that drugs, pesticides, and food abominations are the worst enemies to a healthy body, now the scientific links are being made and the whole picture is becoming clear. Thank you for your work Chris! I am an avid reader seeking health and sharing all that I learn with those around me! Be Well
Thanks Chris for starting a great discussion. It’s always hard to determine if life started with a chicken or an egg, so too what increases the likelihood someone will have celiac. I keep hearing it all starts in the gut. I wonder how much actually starts in the oral cavity. There are a lot of great information that can show that mercury, root canals etc. can lead to a bad environment in the gut which then allows so many autoimmune related reactions. I wonder if we were to compare the number of root canals, amalgams etc. that are grandparents had in their youth versus those that are now in their 50’s or 60’s. I would suspect there is a huge increase with it just beginning to decrease the past 10 years. Don’t forget if you have amalgams in your mouth and are pregnant with poor methylation, you are poisoning your child via umbilical cord. Dr. Weston Price, Dr. Meinig and Dr. Shade have some great information out there.
Chris, do you think there is any connection?
I think you’re right – it does start in the mouth- and I believe there are many societies that would agree with you! Many people believe the “oral cavitiy” is the beginning of the gut. Thanks for pointing this out and adding it to the discussion. I have seen the name Hal Huggins twice recently and I just, exactly now, ordered his book, Its All In Your Head about Mercury fillings. I don’t have many fillings but I have some suspicious symptoms going on that don’t respond to all of the slow but steady improvements I’ve made. Its sur is too bad that we have the amount of people just writing here, that have to seemingly flounder around experimenting on themselves in order to feel normal, due to the medical establishment as it is today.
I think you’re “right-on” with all points in this article, Chris.
On the subject of minimizing antibiotic use, infections is one area where classical homeopathy done right in the classical manner excels, especially in acute infections.
Carol – What form of homeopathy can help with infections? I’ve got a recurring (systemic?) staph infection but my homeopath has not mentioned any specific remedy. Thanks
I just changed my mind set, i said to myself ”im getting this flu to help me cope with seasonal changes ,its mother nature rebooting my gut-with that lovely yellow/green sputum’ o and i really believe, like really believe this. So my colds and flu only last 3-4 days. Tips; reduce stress believe in the will of life. I feel beyond this; there are poor people i know who eat more gmo’s,margarine,sunflower oil and less high quality meats than me and they seem happier and healthier.This is just mental.
Laurel, classical homeopathy involves use of the correct remedy for the person at that time, in no higher potency than needed or that their vital force can handle, and as few repetitions as absolutely necessary (dictated by symptoms and progression of healing, not a robotic schedule). Homeopathy is a lifelong study in elegance and working directly with the vital force. Many homeopaths today use too-high potencies and unnecessary and/or robotic repetitions, so it’s important to review all that with a homeopath before working with them, and I do suggest working with a homeopath in alignment with your own philosophy.
Be proactive, don’t hesitate to interview a practitioner with your concerns before working with them, and while working with them. Heavy handed practitioners and communication breakdowns guarantee lose-lose.
Low thyroid, even marginally low thyroid, can predispose to all manner of infections bacterial, viral, and/or fungal, recurrent infections, and difficulty in resolving infections, so optimize the thyroid to the tightest standards, beyond what is typically indicated by conventional labs.
Further ideas and approach to staph would be beyond the scope of these blog comments, so see your own practitioner(s).
I had ear infections from birth to age 14. I had respiratory infections like bronchitis and sinus infections, (anytime I got a cold, it always turned to a sinus infection) 1-2 times a year until age 34 when I moved to the desert. I had to have antibiotics to get rid of them. I was diagnosed with CD at age 41, RA at 43 and fibromyalgia at 44.
My older daughter had ear infections constantly as a baby and a toddler. She has not been diagnosed but she noticed not feeling well after eating gluten a couple of years ago (she was 20) and she went gluten free too and feels much better. I think she has CD also.
My question is how many times is considered a lot to have taken antibiotics… Compared to my husband I’ve been on them quite a bit but when I mention it to other people they say I haven’t been on them much at all compared to others… How often do you need to have taken them to have it adversely affect you?. I’m sure everyone’s different, but do you have a general idea?
Chris, you’re forgetting to mention the fact that you don’t even have to take antibiotics anymore to over use them. The animals we consume are regularly fed antibiotics to counter their deplorable, disease ridden living conditions We are a suicidal species, all in the name of the almighty dollar. We poison our food, animal and plant, our air, our water, and wonder why we’re consumed by disease.
That aside, I have found that Greek Yogurt is your best defense against candida. I will not take a course of antibiotics without it. Regular yogurt will help, but only Greek Yogurt seems to see it back to normal.
God Bless.
Anne
Wheat today contains Roundup herbicide and Roundup contains glyphosate which is an antibiotic. Organic grain only contains half as much glyphosate and organic seeds are only 2% GMO. One more reason to go organic and one more reason labeling GMOs is not enough. We need a world wide ban on Roundup and GMOs.
I’ve noticed that my stomach doesn’t gurgle as much after eating organic breads but it can really hurt when eating conventional breads. Could this be why?
My family is nothing but farmers and I am one as well. I mean I go out and buy the seed, work on equipment, seed the crop, spray it, market it and harvest it. I know the industry inside and out, in the this part of the world. I do not eat GMO, if it can be helped and buy as organic and support organic growers and stores. I read incessantly about how to turn my land over to organic in the healthiest, fastest most feasible way without going broke, and am starting the process in one field this year.
All this said, not all wheat is sprayed with glyphosate. Even my dad, who grew up in the era better farming with chemicals, thinks this is disgusting. The problem with store bought bread is that our wheat gets blended from all over the place. When we bring it to the elevator, we get nickled and dimed to death if the wheat isn’t high protein, or has too much moisture, or this or that. Some of this is understandable but mostly its a load of BS. When you bring in absolutely choice wheat, the cost benefit is barely there. Then the elevator promptly blends off ALL the wheat they have and sells it down the road to the next buyer. So the wheat you’re ultimately eating may have all kinds of quality issues but has been blended to bring it up to a better or acceptable quality. I’m sure some bread companies are better and some companies only buy certain qualities of wheat (or barley for beer, etc). But trust me, everyone is looking out for their bottom line, over your health.
The other thing I think many people seem to be confused about is spraying wheat with glyphosate. We do not buy GMO wheat- there is not *supposed* to be such a thing. (although I’ve heard tale that it is out there, farmers are completely against it) I’m pretty sure if I went out here and sprayed my wheat crop with glyphosate I would be in big trouble. The only time farmers spray with Roundup is before harvest to help with the combining, so they have a uniform field of dry stalks and aren’t pluggin up their combines, which let me tell you is an awful thing to have happen. In my opinon they would get the same effect waiting a few days.
Ultimately, I think the best option is to bet with our dollars by buying organic every time we get a chance and can afford it. Farming got to be in this position because this is what was paying and this is what was rammed down farmer’s throats as being “progressive”. To this day yet, when you see an advertisement of a farmer, you get a hick wearing bibs with a stem of wild oats hanging out of his mouth. Farm kids used to have to go to school ready to fight the city kids as they would be ridiculed for being dirty, smelly, and manure covered. Trust me when I say that technology came along and made farming “cleaner” and more “advanced” many farmers were thrilled to accept it. Most farmers around my area run a very tight ship, are very careful when spraying chemicals (and don’t overspray anything simply due to the high cost) and have immaculate, successful, family operations. Their farms should be on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that we’re not just fighting against GMO and chemicals, you’re fighting a mindset of “you want us to do what? Go back to weeds and cowsh*t? You want us to stand out in the middle of a sweltering field again when its a 100 above and fight biting flies and hoe weeds? Go to hell…” But if the farmer sees the economic benefit, he will find the ways (that are out there!) to do it.
I’m not really religious but I hope and pray every day that I can make this organic ideal work and make it work beyond just getting by. Its the only way to get this profession to change- efficiency and money.
I read through all of these comments so far, and was surprised to read only a few people mentioning Roundup/Glyphosate (on GMO crops and used on Wheat) as a cause for our microbial imbalance. Like RawMilkMike said Roundup’s active ingredient: Glyphosate is an antibiotic… it is actually patented as an antibiotic – so it make clear sense to me that Roundup sprayed on GMO crops and on WHEAT in the desiccation process is doing the bulk of the damage to our gut flora. I am very surprised to see that MANY experts in the fields of nutrition, health, medicine, research are not focusing on or sharing this piece of important information in their articles (including this article from CK). WHY? What are they afraid of? Or has Roundup been tested and proven very safe? Please tell me WHY we are not hearing more about Glyphosate’s role as it relates to digestive disease?
http://www.google.com/patents/US7771736
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/06/dr-huber-gmo-foods.aspx
Hi Chris, I found out that I have celiac and thinning of my stomach lining last summer. I had becoming violently sick and could not figure out what was wrong. Developed Graves’ disease in my 20s during a very stressful time in my life but the biggest issue I now understand is being bite by a tic in Wisconsin when I was about 12. I remeber the hotel floor because this tic made me really sick. When we got to Colorado doctors said it was tic fever with pneumonia. Over the years I always had strep, mono etc. Last summer I started seeing a hollistic doctor which helped me discover my leaky gut. I believe this happened with a traumatic incident in my life, the death of my father and my son brought home the stomach flu. After getting off gluten I was still sick. It was like I had the flu everyday. Going to the rumatologist they labeled me fibromyalgia and tried putting me on antimalaria drugs and other crazy sleeping stuff to shut down my immune system. Going back to the hollistic doctor she found I had high levels of mold. Once I went on a serious detox I was better. I continued testing and have the antibodies for numerous auto immune diseases. I show a little sign of them at times when I have too much activity. Now, I have gone organic, non gmo, grass fed along with drinking and eating fermented foods. I have high end supplements that have helped my immune system recover. I now understand that the tic that bite me gave me Lyme. Fortunately I was treated with heavy antibiotics back when I initially showed signs of Lyme. However Lyme disease I have been told causes inflammation. I never took care of myself correctly over the years. I hope that I fully recover soon. Thank u for helping so many people.
I was on 23 rounds of antibiotics about 12 years ago and have never been the same since. I have never been to a functional doctor and do not know if there is one in Arkansas. The GI will do a scope soon to follow up on the progression of Barrett’s Esophagus. Is there any other procedures/tests that can be done at the same time to diagnose gut problems? As you can imagine the only advice I have been given to date is PPI’s and cut out foods like alcohol, coffee and chocolate. No one is asking why the problems exist or testing for any kind of gut dysbiosis. Can root problems only be diagnosed through a functional medicine practicioner? I am terrified of getting esophageal cancer. Thank you
Conventional medicine is unfortunately primarily oriented around symptom suppression and disease management, not determining and addressing the underlying cause. That is the focus of functional medicine. In the future I hope that functional medicine will be the default, but for now, you still have to seek out a practitioner specifically.
As a fellow Arkansan, I would recommend looking into Dr. Mamie Burruss at Little Rock Natural Medicine. It is very frustrating trying to find holistic help in this state, but I believe it is improving. There are probably more options if you live in the NW corner of the state.
My mom has oral lichen planus with esophageal involvement – the GI docs have not been helpful. They will certainly scare you to death with dire predictions. Spend your time and money with a practitioner who will help you find the answers you are looking for and has a positive outlook. Your body wants to heal – you just have to discover the best way to assist in the process.
Thank you Erin L. for that information. I will check into that doctor. Also, thank you Chris. I’m hoping one day to be seen by someone in your practice.
What if it is not all antibiotics?
What if the modified grains are more problematic for lots more of us than the grains of around 1950 or so?
I haven’t stopped all wheat yet and HAVE reduced what I consume.
Wheat today contains Roundup herbicide and Roundup contains glyphosate which is an antibiotic.
I’m not suggesting that antibiotics are the single cause of CD. CD, like most diseases, is multifactorial and involves a combination of genetic predisposition + environmental factors, of which antibiotic use is only one.