> Subject:       Re: Scotland and Celiac Disease
> To:            [log in to unmask]

> The interesting thing
> >was that the site (yes, I forgot to copy the URL) said that Scotland has an
> >unusually high incidence of celiac disease.

> >Anyone have an idea of what the incidence of celiac is in Scotland or
> >Ireland is, compared with, say, the Mediterranean?

Hi, From Ireland,
I attended the General Meeting of the Eastern Branch of the
Coeliac Society of Ireland on  Sat. 17th. May 97
Prof. Donald Weir (gastro-enterologist) was speaking at it
He said " It is now believed that here in Ireland:
One in every 200 people are possibly Celiac or at least
have some immune-type reaction to wheat and its proteins".
He said " The Irish have the highest numbers of Schizophrenia
and Celiac in the world."

I've been lurking on your listserve for several weeks now.
So, by way of introduction:
My name is Helen.
I am a 42 year old Celtic-Irish- Female, with a family history of :
Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis,  Diabetes, Autism,
Schizophrenia, and Dyslexia.

In 1995, my two sons, now age 16 and 13 and my self, were
diagnosed with an Immune/Complex/Disease:  IgA Nephropathy.

We were told it was a Kidney Disease. Which in reality, it is not.
The kidney problem is only a symptom of the disease.

The disease is in the blood,  with raised IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE
immunoglobulin antibodies and fluctuating levels of
Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-2. The body is in a chronic state
of inflammation.

The progress of the disease can be broken down into three phases:
An initial phase, characterized by a Type IV immune response:
Cell-Mediated Immunity, delayed-hypersensitivity response.
A second phase,  a Type III response: Immune Complex.
A third phase, where substantial tissue damage occurs to
the Kidneys..

Our big problem is Vascular and GIT permeability.
This is a feature of all Immune/Complex/Diseases.
Intestinal permeability  is all that is required to allow
the passage of grain protein into the bloodstream.

We have been on a Low-Carb/Grain/Dairy/Soya/Free/Diet
for 18 months now, and have seen a great improvement in
our health in that time

We did suffer from:  flank pain, fatigue, diarrhea,
steatorrhea, flank pain, fatigue, dermatitis herpetiformis
headache, joint pain, blood and protein in our urine, irritable
bowel syndrome, migraine, panic disorder, and chronic fatigue,
and lots of other little complaints.
While, one at a time, these caused no worry.
Lumped together they caused a lot of distress.
The kidney Specialists could not help us with these symptoms.
They were not caused by toxins from the kidneys.
They are  in-fact caused by  raised IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE
immunoglobulin antibodies and fluctuating levels of Interleukin-6.

If you have ever read about serum sickness, that is exactly how I
felt for years,  as though my body was poisoning itself.
I now know that certain diseases including Glomerulonephritis.
(one of which is IgAN )
Are thought to represent the same type of pathological reactions.

All the health problems I had, were a type of serum sickness.
Immune Complexes - Type III Reactions
Von Pirquet first described serum sickness.
The prototype of Immune Complex disease in 1925.

Any food protein entering the circulation in sufficient quantity
can produce symptom patterns resembling serum sickness.
( Vascular and GITpermeability is a feature of immune complex diseases)
If antigens make it into the blood stream, they combine with circulating
antibodies to produce circulating immune complexes (CICs).
BIN cells interact with CICs, triggering immune reactions with the
release of symptom-producing mediators.

Serum sickness manifests as a systemic illness.
Manifestations include general malaise, fever, flushing,
sweating, hives, swelling, bruising, aching in joints and muscles,
progressing in the worst case to inflammatory disease in target
organs with protein in the urine from kidney damage.

I am happy to report that after 18 months on a
Hunter/Gatherer/Type/Diet along with 12 grams of Omega-3
oils a day. We no longer suffer from any of the above symptoms.
And have in fact slowed down the destruction of our kidneys.

I believe,We Irish are just NOT GRAIN Eaters.

Have enjoyed reading all your letters.
Helen.

        "The best doctors in the world are
Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman."
- Jonathan Swift (1738), Polite Conversation


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