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[The rest is from M.]
It is well established that one cause of the excessive absorption of dietary
oxalates is fat malabsorption. It is also well-known by researchers and
gastroenterologists that untreated celiacs and those with incomplete healing
of the gut (this may include most adult celiacs who went undiagnosed and
untreated for decades) absorb excessive amounts of oxalates. There appears
to be a compartmentalization of knowledge, however, between GI docs and
nutritionists in the celiac field. Most of the gf alternative grains are
very high oxalate--like poison in the system of someone absorbing too much!
The nutritionists know the oxalate content of foods including grains but
don't seem aware that oxalates are a problem for celiacs. GI's know about
the oxalate problem
in celiacs but don't seem to know that the alternative gf grains are sky
high in oxalates.
This, of course, explains the controversy of a few years ago where some
celiacs associated with CSA felt they had a gluten type reaction when eating
amaranth and quinoa. No, these two grains do not contain gluten. Yes, they
are incredibly high in oxalates which incompletely healed celiacs will
absorb. There is no if's, and's or but's about this. Oxalates are a very
powerful acid, and it has been observed in postmortems of people with
primary hyperoxaluria (produce way too much
oxalate endogenously and ultimately die from this) that oxalates go anywhere
in the body where there is already damage and make it worse through
inflaming the already damaged tissue. So if you have damage in your body
from gluten and then eat high oxalate foods, the oxalates will worsen the
damage initially caused by the gluten. There are no degrees of freedom
about this. Oxalates will also worsen damage caused by anything else.
I attended the professional conference of the XII International Celiac
Disease Symposium in Novermber 2006, and not a single presenter mentioned
oxalates! Isn't that astounding? The GI doctors are not to blame.
Basically, research on problems with oxalates focuses on damage to the
kidneys and ignores everything else with the exception of the small number
of people with the genetic primary hyperoxalurias mentioned above.
One exception to this is that there is a biologist, Susan Owens, who works
in the area of autism and is well-known in the community using biomedical
treatments for autism. She has been conducting a research project for
almost two years with autistic children using a very low oxalate diet.
(Autistic children tend to have major gut problems.) This is an
observational study at this point and parents self-select (not random) to
try their autistic children on this diet. The results for many of these
children have been astounding with many losing their core autistic symptoms.
I know about this because Susan opens up her lists to people with other
diagnoses, and I have been on her oxalate list from close to the beginning.
For about 1 1/2 years, I have kept my dietary oxalate intake to under 40 to
45 mg/day, basically eliminating all high and medium oxalate foods. So what
happened to my symptoms that did not clear up after 4 1/2 year strictly gf?
The changes are as follows:
ADD (attention deficit disorder) flavor, which I have had all my life and
which is characteristic of many celiacs (per Norman LatovMD, neurologist, as
presented at one of the Columbia Patient Education Days), disappeared.
Severe insomnia--totally cleared up. I now take nothing for insomnia, fall
asleep when my head hits the pillow, sleep soundly through the night and
wake up in the morning refreshed.
Balance problem (cerebellar) disappeared--internist of many years can no
longer find any evidence of cerebellar dysfunction on clinical exam. I no
longer am aware of any balance problem.
Painful, sensitive spot in large intestine cleared up. (Pain decreased in
intensity but persisted when I went gf.)
Skin, which had always been rough, now very soft.
Plenty of energy. Fatigue was my presenting symptom. This improved when I
went gf but did not disappear.
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