Celiac disease among other illnesses that can be fairly easily treated without psych drugs is one physical illness that sometimes gets people diagnosed with mental illness including schizophrenia and bipolar. All sorts of mental health issues can arise from someone with Celiac who is still actively eating gluten. It’s worth ruling it out if you have any sort of mental health issues. You can do research on gluten free diets by googling “gluten free diet.” If you are a symptomatic person with Celiac disease it’s likely you’ll know within a couple of weeks of being gluten free. There are lab tests that can be done too, but they are not always reliable and an elimination diet is generally recommended.
I currently eat gluten free. I don’t believe I have celiac but I am sensitive to some gluten containing grains without question. Most specifically wheat which causes diarrhea within 24 hours. For now I’m just doing the gluten free thing until I’m well. Then I’ll experiment with whether or not I can eat any gluten or not. Some people do find they feel better without gluten whether or not they can establish they actually have celiac disease.
From the Boston Globe:
Celiac disease is one of the most common causes of chronic inflammation of the digestive system. It’s triggered by gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and myriad foods made with these grains. But because its classic symptoms of abdominal pain and weight loss resemble many other conditions, celiac disease is often unrecognized and untreated, although health specialists believe it is becoming more prevalent.
Dr. Alberto Rubio-Tapia and his colleagues from the Mayo Clinic looked back more than 50 years, hoping to determine whether celiac disease has become more common. To do that, they tested blood both old and new.
The researchers evaluated blood samples drawn from more than 9,000 healthy adults in Wyoming and stored since 1954. They wanted to know how those samples would compare with blood taken from 12,000 adults currently living in Minnesota.
By looking at the decades-old blood, they found undiagnosed celiac disease in 1 in 652 people. They also discovered that the people with undiagnosed celiac disease were substantially more likely to have died at a younger age.
But they found that the condition was strikingly more prevalent in people alive today, ranging from 1 in 121 among older people to 1 in 106 among younger study participants.
More info on celiac and gluten sensitivities here: Gluten: if you’re unconvinced see the collection of studies from medical journals here (with commentary)
The other interesting thing – aside from celiac – is that both gluten and casein (dairy protein) have a chemical structure similar to that or morphine or opium. Many people do not have enough of the enzymes necessary to break them down. This means that wheat and dairy can act as hallucinogens. Producing more mental effects like being on a bad drug trip.
The irony is most psych drugs contain either/both wheat and dairy as filler.
After decades of ‘mental illness’ most of my problems were cured when I gave up eating these. My mind cleared in days, and my body followed shortly after.
yes, it’s quite fascinating and your experience is not isolated…unfortunately, though, it is kept under wraps and traditional docs don’t believe us when we tell them.
Individuals with celiac disease tend to be easily fatigued, underweight or anemic, and may develop osteoporosis. Gluten sensitive/intolerant individuals are often overweight and may have cerebral allergies to (especially) wheat and other grains.
Many with diagnoses of depression are merely gluten intolerant.
thanks Sandy,
that’s great info to have.
I actually saw this on House. A patient presented with psychotic-like symptoms and it turned out she was just allergic to gluten. Amazing what diet can do.
yes and gluten just happens to be heavily documented and very clear…there are many other foods that effect our mental well-being and general health as well…
American Standard diet being one that generally makes us SICK…in all ways.