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Hi All, 
I received 31 responses to my post. Many were very positive and some reiterated the need for physicians to continue to become better versed in the symptoms of celiac disease. Most responses reflected that their own experience “fits” with the information I posted. 

One poster suggested that many factors, including chemical additives, were likely a factor in the brain fog. (I agree. I am particularly suspicious that iron deficiency would contribute to brain fog, as there is some compelling research that shows increased IQ test performance after iron supplementation for high school students with low iron levels.)  

Another poster said: “Opioid peptides aren't claimed to exist in all grains or in apples and citrus.  I think the brain fog, at least in part, is a *generalized* food intolerance reaction.” (I agree. Perhaps the intestinal damage caused by many food allergies results in increased intestinal permeability, which might well result in the presence of a wide range of proteins and peptides in the bloodstream, with an unpredictable impact.) 

Steven Holland posted stating that I had blamed brain fog exclusively and 
totally on gluten-derived opioids. This is inaccurate. (I said: “Celiacs, 
because of a gluten-induced leaky gut, absorb those opioid peptides into their blood. This is likely a factor in why gluten has repeatedly been shown to impact on brain function, behaviour, and on the immune system.”)

Steven also estimated a 10% absorption rate for these opioids, assuming their molecular size to be similar to that of morphine. He went on to assert that a developed tolerance to this drug would result in a dosage level would be unlikely to cause brain fog. (While his estimates of daily gluten consumption may be accurate, they do not account for dairy proteins, which also have opioid sequences, and the absorption estimate appears very conservative.)       

My own experience, prior to diagnosis, was a general sense of listlessness, 
confusion, and a poor sense of time. I struggled to get to sleep, then slept very soundly, and I often became very sleepy shortly after a meal. My brain fogs have changed since diagnosis. I experience a mild, comfortable sense of drowsiness and my stomach feels bloated, but my intellectual capacities are no more limited than usual. ☺

Steven and I may both be correct. 

In the months prior to diagnosis, I was anemic, had lost considerable weight, experienced erratic blood pressure, and was generally quite ill. In that condition, what dosage of opioids, in combination with the many other converging health concerns, would be necessary to induce a brain fog? I’m guessing that is very difficult to estimate. Steven’s perspective might well explain why I felt reasonably healthy and aware most of the time despite being a celiac who consumed gluten throughout most of my days. It might also explain why my brain fog, as the result of gluten ingestions since  diagnosis, are quite different from those I experienced prior to diagnosis. 
    
Thank you to everyone who responded. 
Best Wishes, 
Ron Hoggan
co-author of Dangerous Grains

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