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What Goes On, Goes In (Gluten in Skin Care Products)
an excerpt from my article for Celiac.com
I did notice that gluten-containing shampoos and conditioners tended to cause breakouts around my hairline, but still I thought that for gluten to adversely affect me, it probably had to be eaten and pass through my digestive tract. In the many gluten-free books I read, I found mention of gluten in the diet causing acne, rosacea, rashes, eczema, dermatitis herpetiformis.
So I consulted the renowned Dr. Fine, creator of EnteroLab.com, whose site has helped scores of patients in accurately diagnosing food sensitivities such as gluten, cow’s milk, eggs and dietary yeast intolerances. Here is what he had to say:
Gluten sensitivity is a systemic immune reaction to gluten anywhere in the body, not just that entering the body via the gut. Therefore, topically applied lotions, creams, shampoos, etc. containing gluten would indeed provide a source of gluten to the body, and we therefore recommend all such products be discontinued for optimal health.
Prevent Food Sensitivities from Sabotaging Your Skin
What is gluten and how can it affect your skin?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. If you are intolerant to gluten or any other foods, namely any of the Big Eight (shown left), chances are, it is affecting your skin. Eczema, Acne, Acne Rosacea, Hives, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, Psoriasis, any of these skin care woes can be caused by something amiss internally, such as a food intolerance.
What is the difference between an allergy vs. an intolerance?
A food allergy occurs when your body's immune system reacts to a specific food. An allergic reaction can occur within just few minutes or up to one hour of exposure. The reaction can, however, be counteracted by an antihistamine. Examples of food allergy symptoms include tingling or itching of the mouth, stomach cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, skin rash or hives. A food intolerance may not show symptoms for hours or days. Symptoms may not even be apparent until years' worth of damage is done to the body. A food intolerance occurs when the body produces antibodies which attack the food as well as the intestines, which in turn also causes chronic inflammation. Examples of food intolerance symptoms include all of the aforementioned allergy symptoms, as well as various gastrointestinal and stomach problems. Food intolerances can even cause long term damage to the body.
Who is affected?
Approximately 2% of adults in the US and 5% of children are affected by food allergies. While it is suspected that up to 30% of Americans are gluten intolerant, with one in 133 affected by Celiac Disease. Food allergies may disappear over time. Food intolerances may not be manifest in the body for years. So while I, for instance am gluten intolerant today, this was not always so.
What can you do if you suspect that you have a food intolerance?
Food allergy testing can be done by an allergy doctor via skin prick or blood testing, with blood testing being more accurate. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to receive an accurate diagnosis of a food intolerance, this usually requires visits to multiple doctors, as it is a relatively new medical concept. On average it can take 11 years for someone with the most severe of gluten intolerances, Celiac Disease, to be diagnosed. I began my search with a Food Allergy Elimination Diet and follow-up my suspicions with testing by EnteroLab.
What is a Food Allergy Elimination Diet?
A Food Allergy Elimination Diet is achieved by eliminating the eight most common food allergens/offenders from the diet. It is one of the simplest and still most accurate methods to begin with. After eliminating The Big Eight for two to four weeks, foods are reintroduced one by one at each new week. The idea is to eliminate all of The Big Eight for long enough to heal the body and get everything working at peak performance. Once this is achieved, foods brought in one by one are watched for reactions. If there is a bad reaction, the food should be avoided. If there is no reaction, the food is most likely a safe food for you. I still recommend medical testing, but because it can be costly, narrowing it down can be a great start. I was amazed with how much improvement my body showed after just two weeks of the Elimination Diet.
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