Why Did I Go Gluten Free

So, why did I go gluten free?

Well, about 20 years ago, I started to see a chiropractor for a severe neck issue.  I did this because I went to my regular Dr. for years with this problem and all they would do is give me muscle relaxers.  On a suggestion, I went to a chiropractor.  She fixed it, and I've gone back for adjustments when I have felt out of alignment ever since.  Everything was wonderful until six years ago.  I woke up one morning, everthing was ok, and then my back started to spasm in what I guess you would call the right flank.  I went to my chiropractor, who didn't seem to understand why I was in so much pain.  "Mike, it doesn't make sense to me, you aren't that far out of alignment."  Eventually, the pain went away.

Two years later I had horrific pain in my kidney area.  Again, I went to my chiropractor and again, I was not that far out of alignment.  My chiropractor had gotten into Nutritional Therapy a year earlier, and suggested I do some tests with her.  "No thanks..."

And then it happened again the following month.  The pain was so bad, I missed work.  I NEVER miss work.  So, feeling desperate and not quite ready to trust doctors again, I agreed.

She did some tests called Nutritional Response Testing, or NRT.  Rather than me trying to describe it, you can see a You Tube video for it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha_YHRaEphg

Yeah...I know.

Anyway, at the end of the NRT, my chiropractor felt I had a gluten issue.  She did not know if I was celiac.  All she was able to surmise was, I had a gluten issue.  She felt gluten was clogging up my kidneys.  She said the pain should happen two to three days or so after I had a large amount of gluten.  Oddly enough, both attacks came on a Tuesday, after going out to breakfast with my wife on Saturday and having a large carb filled meal.

Quite frankly, I felt this was a lot of hocus pocus, but I was in so much pain, I figured, "What have I got to lose?"

I have been essentially gluten free for a little over four years now.  No back pain, except for the time I had what I thought was gluten free pasta and it turned out it wasn't.  That's another story.

As I mentioned in my first blog, I occasionally have gluten with no problem.  I also mentioned what I have to do isn't exactly pleasant.  It isn't a cure, it isn't a supplement really.  It's something that I drink in order to clear my kidneys.  But I'll save that for my next blog.