Be careful what you are eating

digitalbeachbum's picture

In Feb of 2014 I went out to eat with my wife for Valentine Day. I was in a lot of pain and while my wife knew of my physical issues, she didn't know just how much pain I was experiencing. My joints and muscles had almost completely seized up. The pain was so intense that when I got out of bed in the morning I had to sit on the side of the bed and wait for several minutes while I adjusted. I then had to use the nightstand and the bedpost to help me up. I had actually thought about getting a walker, the kind you see old people using, just to help me get up in the morning.

When I walked I could only shuffle my feet. It impossible to walk down the stairs normally. I had to step down with my left foot. Stop. The bring my right foot down next. When I sat down on the couch I would plop down because it was too painful to actually lower myself down. When I got up you needed a crane to lift me up. The pain in my hips was so intense that I winced and my knees buckled. When I finally did stand I wobbled and it took me a few seconds to be able to move.

That evening I had dinner with my wife was the last straw. As I slowly got in to the car I felt 125 years old. For years I had thought the abuse of my body playing sports had taken its toll on my body. I was a true athlete. I did every thing. Softball, baseball, football, field hockey, wrestling, swimming, tennis, racquetball, cross country, etc. You could find me running 5k, 10k or half marathons practically every weekend. I was super fit, but now I had gained weight and was fading.

I told my wife, "I can't go on like this, the pain is too much." and when I told her every thing I was experiencing she mentioned that I should look at Fibromyalgia. Some one she knew had it and the symptoms I had were very similar. So when I got home that evening I went out and looked up every thing I could on fibromyalgia. However as I searched I was taken to a section on Celiac disease.

Almost all the symptoms of Celiac's disease fit my problems. It had to be it. So with out being tested I decided to go cold turkey on breads and other grain related products. I stopped every thing and only ate fruit and veggies for a whole week. By the fourth day I had started to feel a change. By the fifth day I was a new man. By the following weekend I felt like Superman. The pain had nearly completely gone and my joints felt better, no really good.

It was as if a mask had been pulled off of me. I could actually feel parts of my body again. I know this will be hard to understand but my old injuries were there again. I could feel my shoulder ache (old baseball/football injury). I could feel my feet jolt (pes cavus neuromas) or painful high arches. I could feel my lower back ache (Marine Corps injury). It was all there as if those pains had been masked by other pains or symptoms.

I stayed off grain products and felt better but every once in a while I would eat something with gluten in it and I would take note of what it was and remove it from the list of edible things to eat. My wife started to research other options for cooking and we found that there were other forms of flour which people with gluten sensitivity could eat. Flour which was called "ancient grains". Grains which were not modified in anyway.

I could eat these products and didn't have a problem and research we found showed that gluten sensitivity was higher in the USA than any other county in the world. "Wow!" I thought. How could this be? What was completely different with our wheat that caused people to get sick?

Then my wife found the following article on how farmers spray their wheat fields with Round-Up right before harvesting. The Round-up kills the plant but it increases the yield. The plant, in its last dying breath, pushes all its resources to flourishing the number of seeds.

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/

So with this being a possible answer to some of my aliments I'm going to do an experiment and see what happens to my body when I take things a step further. Right now I'm still over weight but I've been walking more now that the joint and muscle pains have diminished. I'm still 150lbs over weight. I was 170-200lbs in the USMC and now I'm hovering at 345-350lbs.

To take this a step further I'm going to need to change the intake of meats, eggs and dairy to eliminate the possibility of eating products which came from a farm using "infected grain feed". I'll need to find farmers or suppliers who do not use grains which have come in to contact with Round-Up. This will be the most difficult task to accomplish.

I'll use an online tracking service with a phone app so I can post reports. I'll give it one year for this experiment to see how I do and if the changes I make in the products I intake make a difference.

Beyond Saving's picture

digitalbeachbum wrote:In Feb

digitalbeachbum wrote:
In Feb of 2014 I went out to eat with my wife for Valentine Day. I was in a lot of pain and while my wife knew of my physical issues, she didn't know just how much pain I was experiencing. My joints and muscles had almost completely seized up. The pain was so intense that when I got out of bed in the morning I had to sit on the side of the bed and wait for several minutes while I adjusted. I then had to use the nightstand and the bedpost to help me up. I had actually thought about getting a walker, the kind you see old people using, just to help me get up in the morning. When I walked I could only shuffle my feet. It impossible to walk down the stairs normally. I had to step down with my left foot. Stop. The bring my right foot down next. When I sat down on the couch I would plop down because it was too painful to actually lower myself down. When I got up you needed a crane to lift me up. The pain in my hips was so intense that I winced and my knees buckled. When I finally did stand I wobbled and it took me a few seconds to be able to move. That evening I had dinner with my wife was the last straw. As I slowly got in to the car I felt 125 years old. For years I had thought the abuse of my body playing sports had taken its toll on my body. I was a true athlete. I did every thing. Softball, baseball, football, field hockey, wrestling, swimming, tennis, racquetball, cross country, etc. You could find me running 5k, 10k or half marathons practically every weekend. I was super fit, but now I had gained weight and was fading. I told my wife, "I can't go on like this, the pain is too much." and when I told her every thing I was experiencing she mentioned that I should look at Fibromyalgia. Some one she knew had it and the symptoms I had were very similar. So when I got home that evening I went out and looked up every thing I could on fibromyalgia. However as I searched I was taken to a section on Celiac disease. Almost all the symptoms of Celiac's disease fit my problems. It had to be it. So with out being tested I decided to go cold turkey on breads and other grain related products. I stopped every thing and only ate fruit and veggies for a whole week. By the fourth day I had started to feel a change. By the fifth day I was a new man. By the following weekend I felt like Superman. The pain had nearly completely gone and my joints felt better, no really good. It was as if a mask had been pulled off of me. I could actually feel parts of my body again. I know this will be hard to understand but my old injuries were there again. I could feel my shoulder ache (old baseball/football injury). I could feel my feet jolt (pes cavus neuromas) or painful high arches. I could feel my lower back ache (Marine Corps injury). It was all there as if those pains had been masked by other pains or symptoms. I stayed off grain products and felt better but every once in a while I would eat something with gluten in it and I would take note of what it was and remove it from the list of edible things to eat. My wife started to research other options for cooking and we found that there were other forms of flour which people with gluten sensitivity could eat.

I'd go to a doctor rather than than Internet blogs. Even if your symptoms are no longer noticeable, that doesn't mean the problem disappeared or that your change in diet is what caused it. Being unable to walk means something is bad wrong. If it is Celiac, it can be tested for and I believe that the tests we have are near 100% effective so you will at least know if that is the problem or not.  

 

Quote:

Flour which was called "ancient grains". Grains which were not modified in anyway. I could eat these products and didn't have a problem and research we found showed that gluten sensitivity was higher in the USA than any other county in the world. "Wow!" I thought. How could this be? What was completely different with our wheat that caused people to get sick? Then my wife found the following article on how farmers spray their wheat fields with Round-Up right before harvesting. The Round-up kills the plant but it increases the yield. The plant, in its last dying breath, pushes all its resources to flourishing the number of seeds. http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/ So with this being a possible answer to some of my aliments I'm going to do an experiment and see what happens to my body when I take things a step further.

Well I wouldn't go there for answers because it is obvious that blogger knows absolutely nothing about farming. And here "sources" have been thoroughly debunked by people who actually write for peer reviewed magazines in the actual field. (The author of the article has her PHD in Computer Science and works in MIT's computer science department specializing in artificial inteligence) In her tortured paper (published in "Entropy" a physics magazine which has nothing to do with biology, farming, chemistry, diet or health- she goes on a pretty obvious rant against glyphosate (the active chemical in Roundup). Among her references are a retracted paper on the toxicity of glyphosate, which later proved to be just a coincidence in high tumor rates among mice when the experiment was attempted to be recreated. And  a few reference to "Alternative Medicine".  

www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416 (had to use this link because my regular science journal sites ignore all of her work outside of one paper that is computer related)

 Anyway, this link ultimateglutenfree.com/2014/02/does-glyphosate-cause-celiac-disease-actually-no/ does a pretty good job debunking Seneff for the fraud she is. 

 

For starters, farmers DON'T spray their crop "right" before harvesting. And pre-harvesting is NOT standard practice for most wheat grown in the US. It is only common in cold and wet climates like ND and parts of Canada. Even then, farmers try to avoid it because it is expensive and it is typically applied 1.5 to 2 weeks before harvesting. It is one of the reasons that wheat farming is less profitable up north than it is in say Kansas or California. It is never used on seed or malt barley because it would prevent germination.   

Nor do they "saturate" their fields in it. Roundup is fucking expensive and the maximum legal amount is 22 oz per acre, which is diluted by 10-20 gallons of water. In reality, most farmers use less than the maximum legal amount because once you reach a point, adding more doesn't improve effectiveness. How much is used will vary by area, but will always be under 22 oz/acre and is often much less. 

All of this is a pointless exercise anyway because of the hundreds of actual scientific studies that have been done show that glyphosate is less toxic to you than salt or vinegar. 

 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X

Brian37's picture

 Nope, instead of

 Nope, instead of pretending to care, just say what you want to say "your fault, not the free market".

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog

Beyond Saving's picture

Brian37 wrote: Nope,

Brian37 wrote:

 Nope, instead of pretending to care, just say what you want to say "your fault, not the free market".

The topic of the conversation isn't economics dumbass. You can at least wait a day or two before trying to derail yet another blog. If you want to talk economics, there are several of my detailed posts you haven't responded to yet. 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X

ProzacDeathWish's picture

digital, what caused such a

digital, what caused such a significant weight gain ?   Do you have any thyroid / endocrine imbalances or any other conditions that have perhaps thrown your metabolism out of whack ?  My girlfriend suffered from  hyperthyroidism when we met ( weight 117 lbs ) to later having a complete thyroidectomy which transformed her condition to hypothyroidism ( weight 170 + lbs ).  She now has to take synthroid. 

 

 

iwbiek's picture

Brian37 wrote: Nope,

Brian37 wrote:

 Nope, instead of pretending to care, just say what you want to say "your fault, not the free market".




god, you're such a worthless little cunt.

"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson

digitalbeachbum's picture

Beyond Saving wrote: I'd go

Beyond Saving wrote:

I'd go to a doctor rather than than Internet blogs. Even if your symptoms are no longer noticeable, that doesn't mean the problem disappeared or that your change in diet is what caused it. Being unable to walk means something is bad wrong. If it is Celiac, it can be tested for and I believe that the tests we have are near 100% effective so you will at least know if that is the problem or not.  

Well I wouldn't go there for answers because it is obvious that blogger knows absolutely nothing about farming. And here "sources" have been thoroughly debunked by people who actually write for peer reviewed magazines in the actual field. (The author of the article has her PHD in Computer Science and works in MIT's computer science department specializing in artificial inteligence) In her tortured paper (published in "Entropy" a physics magazine which has nothing to do with biology, farming, chemistry, diet or health- she goes on a pretty obvious rant against glyphosate (the active chemical in Roundup). Among her references are a retracted paper on the toxicity of glyphosate, which later proved to be just a coincidence in high tumor rates among mice when the experiment was attempted to be recreated. And  a few reference to "Alternative Medicine".  

www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416 (had to use this link because my regular science journal sites ignore all of her work outside of one paper that is computer related)

Anyway, this link ultimateglutenfree.com/2014/02/does-glyphosate-cause-celiac-disease-actually-no/ does a pretty good job debunking Seneff for the fraud she is. 

For starters, farmers DON'T spray their crop "right" before harvesting. And pre-harvesting is NOT standard practice for most wheat grown in the US. It is only common in cold and wet climates like ND and parts of Canada. Even then, farmers try to avoid it because it is expensive and it is typically applied 1.5 to 2 weeks before harvesting. It is one of the reasons that wheat farming is less profitable up north than it is in say Kansas or California. It is never used on seed or malt barley because it would prevent germination.   

Nor do they "saturate" their fields in it. Roundup is fucking expensive and the maximum legal amount is 22 oz per acre, which is diluted by 10-20 gallons of water. In reality, most farmers use less than the maximum legal amount because once you reach a point, adding more doesn't improve effectiveness. How much is used will vary by area, but will always be under 22 oz/acre and is often much less. 

All of this is a pointless exercise anyway because of the hundreds of actual scientific studies that have been done show that glyphosate is less toxic to you than salt or vinegar. 

I was right to post here as I expected a thorough review from my peers.

I too reviewed the claims that glyphosate wasn't as toxic. I however take any thing connected to Monsanto with a grain of salt. Glyphosate can cause problems and it depend on how much you have in your system and your genetics.

The one question which stumps me is when did the pain, I'm assuming from gluten, start. To the best of my knowledge, the pain started to come on around 2001-2003. During the 90's I did not have this pain and I was still extremely active with sports.

Roundup is expensive but there are much cheaper brands out on the market. In Home Depot you can find after market brands which are $20 while the Roundup version sells for over $140. This is one item I dispute on their claim, that it is Roundup. I would say "Roundup clone".

digitalbeachbum's picture

ProzacDeathWish

ProzacDeathWish wrote:

digital, what caused such a significant weight gain ?   Do you have any thyroid / endocrine imbalances or any other conditions that have perhaps thrown your metabolism out of whack ?  My girlfriend suffered from  hyperthyroidism when we met ( weight 117 lbs ) to later having a complete thyroidectomy which transformed her condition to hypothyroidism ( weight 170 + lbs ).  She now has to take synthroid. 

I was 170-220 when I was in the Marines, that's up until 1990.

I was 250 in 1993-1995.  290 in 2004-2005.  310 in 2010.  330 in 2012.  350 in 2014. I've never gone beyond 350.

No problems that I've ever known. I have been tested. My hormones have always been normal for my ages.

The weight gain in 1993-1995 would be typical after leaving the Marines. I went from a highly structured physical routine to civilian life.

However, after the 90's is when I saw the weight go on even though I was still exercising.

digitalbeachbum's picture

Brian37 wrote: Nope,

Brian37 wrote:

 Nope, instead of pretending to care, just say what you want to say "your fault, not the free market".

Please stick with the conversation.

danatemporary's picture

What-else haven't you considered for incomplete pain relief

 (?)  Whatelse haven't you considered FOR incomplete pain relief ??? Are you getting support for all this, while being in such pain ???

 

 Hi DigitalBeachBum

 

      If  you  don't  mind  me asking  of you BeachBum. .   Are you looking for a cure or more pain management, at the moment ? You mentioned once before about your body being racked with pain. What created this situation ? It sounds like it may take a good long time to get a proper diagnosis, what can you do in the meantime ???

 

digitalbeachbum's picture

danatemporary wrote:  (?) 

danatemporary wrote:

 (?)  Whatelse haven't you considered FOR incomplete pain relief ??? Are you getting support for all this, while being in such pain ???

 

 Hi DigitalBeachBum

      If  you  don't  mind  me asking  of you BeachBum. .   Are you looking for a cure or more pain management, at the moment ? You mentioned once before about your body being racked with pain. What created this situation ? It sounds like it may take a good long time to get a proper diagnosis, what can you do in the meantime ???

Dana,

Not sure about your first question, but my support is through my wife. With out her inquisitive mind I'd still be in the same mess. Understand that while I'm not eating that stuff I'm a lot better. I feel young again. While I have it in my system, I feel really old and tired. The pain is in every joint and every muscle.

I believe in finding out what is causing the pain rather than knowing a name for it, so is testing needed? Beyond does make an interesting point, but I have already tested it and I know that grain products cause me tremendous pain. So I don't eat them and I feel better.

I am not looking for pain management, but in the past I've used yoga or meditation to help control day to day things. My goal now is to raise my level of performance. I want to get rid of more of the pains I have, I'd like to get below a (10 being the worst, 1 being the best) 2 or 3 on pain. Right now I'm at a 4. I was at a 11 or 14 range depending on my day.

As I said, Beyond thinks it would be good for to go to the doctor for a proper checkup. It isn't a bad idea and I'm mulling it over.

ProzacDeathWish's picture

digitalbeachbum wrote: As I

digitalbeachbum wrote:
As I said, Beyond thinks it would be good for to go to the doctor for a proper checkup. It isn't a bad idea and I'm mulling it over.

 

   First of all, if you have insurance use it. Hopefully your copay isn't ridiculous.

   Secondly, best case scenario the medical testing would be able to correctly diagnose your condition(s) and quickly provide the relief that you need; next best scenario the testing could still be useful in the sense that it could determine what diseases / contributing factors you don't have and thereby narrow the list of possibilities so that you don't waste time going down blind alleys.

 Thirdly, if your current approach has greatly reduced your pain, who can argue with results ? 

 

  Edit:  I did a little more reading after posting this.  I went to the Mayo Clinic website which hopefully even Beyond would consider to be a source of legitimate medical info.  I will link to it momentarily but the article advises to not go on the grain free diet before being tested because doing so will corrupt the test results and render the procedure useless.     http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20030410

 

 

 

 

digitalbeachbum's picture

ProzacDeathWish

ProzacDeathWish wrote:

digitalbeachbum wrote:
As I said, Beyond thinks it would be good for to go to the doctor for a proper checkup. It isn't a bad idea and I'm mulling it over.

   First of all, if you have insurance use it. Hopefully your copay isn't ridiculous.

   Secondly, best case scenario the medical testing would be able to correctly diagnose your condition(s) and quickly provide the relief that you need; next best scenario the testing could still be useful in the sense that it could determine what diseases / contributing factors you don't have and thereby narrow the list of possibilities so that you don't waste time going down blind alleys.

 Thirdly, if your current approach has greatly reduced your pain, who can argue with results ? 

 

  Edit:  I did a little more reading after posting this.  I went to the Mayo Clinic website which hopefully even Beyond would consider to be a source of legitimate medical info.  I will link to it momentarily but the article advises to not go on the grain free diet before being tested because doing so will corrupt the test results and render the procedure useless.     http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20030410

Well that sucks. . I'd have to eat gluten for several days or even weeks to get an accurate test result? I don't like that idea.

Vastet's picture

I'm not qualified to suggest

I'm not qualified to suggest anything beyond seeing a doctor, though it would be best to find one willing to listen to you and take your thoughts into account, and who is willing/able to utilise specialists to assist in diagnosis. Which might not be easy.

Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.

digitalbeachbum's picture

 I've been doing really

 I've been doing really well lately. I had a fall last week when I ate some shrimp. Ouch. I was out of it until Monday. Really fucked me over good.

Made some dark chocolate crinkle cookies for a holiday party and did it with no egg, no gluten and low glycemic sugar. Really awesome stuff.

I was down six pounds on my last weigh in.

ProzacDeathWish's picture

    Well, hopefully you

 

   Well, hopefully you can achieve relief from your symptoms through simple diet change.  Good luck.