Let's Clear this Whole Glutard Thing Up

It's interesting how many people are unreceptive to the concept of food intolerance. Because it isn't well understood (even by the medical community, although more research is being done on it than ever before), people assume that people who claim they have an intolerance are just making things up, or that it's all in their heads. I've had family members who don't believe that I am gluten intolerant. I know other "glutards" (a term coined by my best friend, Lillian) who have had similar problems. One woman's parents even asked her when she was going to grow out of her gluten-free "phase." I've also had people inform me that there's no way I'm allergic to gluten.

To adress that last comment, it's true. I am definitely not allergic to gluten. Food allergies are not the same thing as food intolerance. An allergy is when your immune system essentially overreacts to a foreign (but normally benign) substance. Your basophils (a type of white blood cell) release histamines, which cause any number of reactions, including hives, sneezing, runny nose, red, watery eyes, and in the worst cases, anaphylactic shock. A food allergy isn't all that different from a pollin allergy. I know people who sneeze when they eat bread because of a wheat allergy, or who get rashes on their arms when they eat gluten. Of course, we all know about the people who swell up and die when they eat peanuts. Allergies can be tested somewhat reliably, so people are far more receptive to the existence of allergies than intolerances.

Food intolerance is a tricky beast. A food intolerance is when the body reacts poorly to a certain food, or when they body can't properly process a certain food. The symptoms of food intolerance may seem completely unrelated to the digestive system, but they can be determined by eliminating a certain food or group of foods from the diet. If the symptoms go away when you stop eating the food for an extended period, and they come back when you reintroduce it, then it's a good sign that you have a food intolerance. Some common symptoms of food intolerance are gas, bloating, migraines and other head aches, fatigue, weakness, and systemic (meaning system-wide, or body-wide) inflammation, which can cause muscle pain, and nerve problems. Some people even have emotional reactions to foods, including sadness, irritability, and anger. People can be intolerant to just about any food, although gluten and dairy are the most common. People can be intolerant to nightshades (including tomatos, peppers, potatoes and eggplant), soy, and corn, among others.

The first time I ate gluten after I'd been gluten free for a while, I had a strange stomach ache (it was neither indigestion nor nausea), a headache, mental fogginess (i.e. the inability to think clearly), and extreme fatigue. My ulnar neuropathy, which hadn't caused me problems in years, came back in full force, my low back pain flared up, and my symptoms of gastritis came back after being gone for months. When I'm gluten free, my ulnar neuropathy doesn't flare, my low back pain is almost nil, and my gastritis is a thing of the past. Although I definitely miss some of the wonderful gluten-full foods out there, my desire to feel good far outweighs my desire to eat a donut.

I also want to clear up the confusion that people have about Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder which causes the cilia of the small intestine to be damaged when gluten is ingested. If these are damaged, it makes it difficult for the body to absorb vital nutrients. It is a very serious condition which may be asymptomatic, or it may have any number of symptoms, including gas, bloating, fatigue, mineral and vitamin deficiencies (such as calcium, iron, and B12), a large appetite with no weight gain, or unexplained weight gain, to name a few. It is common for people with Celiac to be extremely sensitive to gluten, to the point where they may not be able to tolerate food prepared in a kitchen where foods containing gluten have been prepared. It is also common for them to have a reaction to gluten that lasts for 3 days (the amount of time it takes for gluten to leave the body). People who are gluten intolerant may have Celiac disease, but they may not. The only way to know for sure is to be tested after eating gluten for 4 weeks (something I'm not too keen on doing, given how gluten makes me feel. I can't think of any time in my life when being fatigued, brain dead, and in pain for a month will be convenient). If someone tests negative for Celiac disease, it does not mean that they don't have a gluten intolerance; it just means that they don't have Celiac.

For those of you who may still be skeptical, I'll leave you with this. Even if an intolerance is "all in someone's head" (which, odds are, it's not), if they feel better when they don't eat something, then their choice not to eat it should be respected. Most people who have special dietary needs are pretty understanding that their food requirements can be a giant pain in the ass to those who can eat anything. I am always prepared to bring my own food to parties or dinners (and if you ask nicely, I'll even bring enough to share), and I never expect people to accomodate my diet, though it's always a pleasant surprise when they do. If I ask what's on the menu, or if I read a label, it's not because I'm picky or trying to be disrespectful; I just want to make sure I'm not going to be miserable (and in the case of dairy, I get so gassy that really, it's more disrespectful of me not to read labels!). I don't bitch and whine when I can't eat something (well, usually), and I don't begrudge others their right to eat whatever they hell they want. A little empathy can go a long way. After all, it sucks to not be able to partake in a freshly baked loaf of bread or the pizza that everyone else is eating. And by the way, if I could choose to make my gluten problem go away, you can bet everything you have that I would do it in a heartbeat.

http://www.celiac.org/

Lately, my diet has gone down the toilet. I was doing really well for a while there making sure to keep processed foods to a minimum and eating as much local, sustainably raised food as possible. My last quarter of school was the most challenging I've ever experienced, and it became more and more difficult to find the energy to grocery shop and cook. I found a handful of places where I could get decent gluten free, dairy free foods that were pre-made, and I went to town. Even though this quarter has been much less stressful, I haven't gotten back into the habit of cooking regularly. Plus, I've been eating a lot more sugar and fried foods than is healthy for anyone.

It's getting to be summer, which means that it's the time of year for delicious, local fruits and vegetables. My summer quarter is going to be quite light with only one class and 4 clinic shifts (by the way, if you are interested in seeing me at clinic, let me know! I can give you the days and times I'll be there and instructions on how to make the appointment). This means that I will have a lot of time to devote to cooking.

Because I'm heading into finals next week, I'm not going to make any major changes immediately, but I will try to keep sugar to a minimum. Once finals are over, I'm going to be going back to the diet that makes me feel healthy, energetic, and happy.

The Distant Past

For some reason, today I felt like looking at my old Livejournal account. The last time I logged on was in February of 2009. I've been reading through my old posts. It's amazing how different my life was back then.

The following is a tidbit from 08/08/08 that I liked a great deal. If anyone knows who the quote came from, I'd love to know! The image is from Brian Froud's "The Faeries' Oracle"


In honor of what now feels like a quest instead of an insane, misguided, and most certainly challenging mistake, I leave you with the following image and some words of wisdom sent to me by a friend, "Night is always darkest while you still have the blindfold on."

Covered in Bees!

I love bees. I love that they make honey and beeswax and pollinate our food. When I see fuzzy bees buzzing around flowers, I am happy. I am concerned about the decline in the bee population. I someday want to have a hive or two. Today, however, I had a bee encounter that wasn't very happy.

I was gardening on my tiny balcony, happy as a clam that the weather was finally nice enough for me to want to garden. There was a bag of things that needed to be composted sitting on top of a pot filled with dirt (but with no plants). The bag had been there for most of the winter because I had been too lazy to bring it to the compost bin in the parking lot. I gathered up a newer bag of stuff to be composted and the old bag and walked into my apartment.

I felt something sharp and stabby over my shoulder blade, and then I immediately saw a bee flying around. Then I felt something stabby in the back of my neck, and my arm, and OH MY GOD! There were bees flying all around me, stinging me. I realized they were coming from the old bag of stuff that had to be composted. I had the presence of mind to fling the compost bags back out onto the balcony (screaming all the while - turns out, I scream like a girl). Then I did a crazy run/dance into the kitchen trying to rid myself of bees. They eventually left me alone and went to the windows. Just then, my friend called to confirm our plans for the evening. I answered the phone sobbing and in a bit of shock. She suggested putting out bowls of sugar water to attract the bees, and she also suggested vacuuming the bees with a long hose. The bees were still quite agitated, flying around my apartment, trying desperately to get back to their hive.

I lit some incense (also suggested by the aforementioned friend) to try to calm the bees down (if beekeepers use smoke, why not try it?). My cat thought that the bees were great fun and was doing her best to catch one, which freaked me out. I didn't want her to get stung too. Eventually the bees settled down. There were 5 or 6 total. I sucked 4 of them up with my vacuum (crying all the while. I wanted to let the poor bees go home, but I didn't want to let any of the ones that were outside into my apartment, and I certainly didn't want to get stung again. I hated killing the poor bees that hadn't done anything to me). I trapped one of the bees between the screen and the window in my kitchen (I also feel dreadful about that). Because I'm not entirely sure if there were 5 or 6, there could be a bee in the belly of my cat, there could be one hiding somewhere in my apartment, or they could all be accounted for.

Looking on my balcony, it appears that the beehive is somewhere in the vicinity of the big pot that the compost had been resting on. It could be in the pot or somewhere nearby. I'm certainly not going onto my balcony today to try to figure it out (though I might check it out tonight when the bees are in the hive). Now I need to find someone to remove the bees, which I'm sure will be another adventure. Hopefully, they will make a beekeeper somewhere very happy.

I also have to mention the irony... I'm on a dating website, and my user name is a variation on Covered in Bees! (from an Eddie Izzard bit). It turns out that being covered in bees isn't very fun.

:Edit:
I just found the 6th bee. It has been vacuumed up with the rest of its cohorts, and my apartment is once again free of bees.

No Regrets

This post is a little personal. It has all been percolating in my mind for a while, and I've only now been able to put it to words.

I've noticed something since I started grad school: people getting advanced degrees are insane. Sure they're intelligent and are (hopefully) going to do something wonderful with their degrees, but at what cost? I'm not talking about the actual cost in dollars (although it's usually significant); I'm talking about the emotional and physical cost of spending so much time studying. I know about this all too well both from my own experience and that of my peers.

You would think that at a school for natural medicine, people would make an effort to have balance in their lives. In classes, we emphasize the importance of balance, and we encourage our patients to reduce their stress levels and have fun. But how many of us can say that we are walking our talk? Not very many. I find it fascinating how many of my peers look down upon the lifestyle of workaholics but spend all of their free time studying.

I recently made the decision to drop the herbs portion of my program. I may choose to pick it back up next year, but I may not. I decided that I needed to make space in my life for me. Although I am certain that I could have done well in the program, it would have required an insane amount of studying on my part, and quite frankly, I don't want my life to be all about school. My schedule is still imperfect, and I don't always have as much time to see my friends as I would like, but I at least have time to breathe and not be stressed all the time. It was the best decision I've made since starting grad school.

Part of me wants to scream at my classmates (some of them, anyway) that it isn't worth it, that it's more important to live your life than to get perfect grades. If I were to die tomorrow (and who's to say I won't?), would I look back at my life and think, "Boy am I glad I studied so hard! That 4.0 was totally worth all the sacrifices I made," or would I say, "I am so grateful for the amazing relationships I forged with people and the experiences I had."? I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't be thrilled with myself if all I had to show for my life was a great GPA and a lot of knowledge.

Of course, this applies to people who are not in school as well. If you devote your life to work instead of to living, you may have a long list of accolades, or a great deal of money to show for it (if you're lucky), but if you fail to forge quality relationships with people, what is the point of it all?

(Warning: Here's where it gets a little personal) My sister was a workaholic. She devoted her life to medicine, and she rose to the top of her field pretty quickly. She lead a very lonely life with only a cat for company. She didn't make a lot of friends, and she didn't date, always putting things off for later. When she was in her mid 30s, she became extremely ill and was no longer able to work. The only people she was able to turn to for help were her family members, and some of them did so only with great reluctance. My relationship with her had always been good, but I wasn't in a position to help her. Only near the end of her life did she make any effort to establish new friendships, but because she was always in and out of the hospital, it was difficult to create anything meaningful. I can tell you now that she looked back at her life with regret, confessing to me that she wished she had made more time for people. In 2007, she died at the age of 40 with only a handful who mourned her passing.

Mahatma Ghandi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” I would also add: Love as if we were all to live forever. My goal is to live my life with as few regrets as possible.

::Edit::
One of my facebook friends posted a link to this website about the top 5 regrets people have when they die. It seemed like an excellent addendum to my post.