In the year 2003, my son was ten years old. Each night, he would curl up on
the bathroom floor, crying. During the day, we would go out, only to have to
stop the car because he felt ill or because he would have to go to the bathroom,
frequently and unexpectedly. His stomach hurt and hurt and hurt. He began losing
weight and was unable to eat much at any time without feeling ill. We tried
elimination diets and took him for ultrasounds and blood tests. Visits to
doctors and medical specialists brought no solution. And we worried and wondered
what to do, in a haze of exhaustion brought on by endless nights of broken
sleep.
It was purely by accident that we found the answer. Our naturopath
had recommended a wheat-free diet and, on that diet, we found our son
felt slightly better. One day, I stood exhausted in a health food store,
perusing a wheat-free cookbook. I was searching for a recipe that would
make tolerable wheat-free bread, after many experiments that ended with
loaves heavy enough to use as door stoppers. I came across something in
that book that would change our lives. It was a small paragraph with one
short description that could have described my son. I rushed home to do
more research on the web, and found information that immediately helped
me decide to put my son on a very specific diet. Within days, he was a
different child. Though it would take time for full recovery, we had
found the cause of our son’s pain, later confirmed by our doctor. The
villain was a protein called gluten. His illness is celiac disease.
So what is celiac disease? In a few words, when people with celiac
disease eat foods containing a protein called gluten, their immune
systems react and cause damage to the part of the small intestine that
helps them absorb the nutrients in their food. Imagine that the small
intestine is lined with finger-like projections. These projections are
called villi, and the surface of the villi capture and absorb the
nutrients our bodies need to grow and thrive. But for some people, when
gluten is consumed, the villi are damaged and can no longer absorb
adequate nutrients. For a child, the body is trying to grow but adequate
nutrients just aren’t available.
When our son was diagnosed, celiac disease was considered a pretty
rare disease. In fact, when we first took him to the doctor and later
the gastrointestinal specialist, I directly asked if he could be celiac.
They both insisted he was not. Today, estimates suggest that one in
every 133 persons in North America and one in every 150 to 200 persons
in Europe is affected by celiac disease. The only way to stop the damage
and heal the intestine is to follow a strict gluten-free diet for life.
Gluten is specifically found in certain grains: wheat, barley, triticale
and rye. It is the miracle that makes bread chewy. When these grains are
removed from the diet, the intestines begin to heal.
So remove those grains and problem solved. Right? If only it were so
simple!
