The Hidden Food Allergy That Causes Unexplained Infertility
The Hidden Food Allergy That Causes Unexplained Infertility
The problem is Celiac’s disease – an allergy to wheat, rye and barley that some experts say is responsible for up to half of all cases of unexplained infertility and may even cause recurrent miscarriage.. Here’s what you need to know . . .
If you and your partner are one of millions of couples worldwide grappling with a diagnosis of “unexplained Infertility” then you already know how frustrating this condition can be. While doctors are quick to pinpoint that “something ” is wrong - they seldom can tell you what, or what can specifically help you to get pregnant.
Now, however, a growing body of evidence has begun to shed light on a new diagnosis of unexplained infertility – and one that just might put you on the fast track to conception.
The problem is Celiac disease – otherwise known as a “gluten ” allergy. While once thought to be a rare, inherited genetic condition, it is now been believed to affect over 2 million people in the United State alone – and many more may be undiagnosed.
“Approximately 3 million suffer needlessly, undiagnosed with this condition – most never realizing that a change in diet could change their life “, said Alice Bast, Executive Director of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
in a recent interview.
Of those couples affected by unexplained infertility, experts say that for almost half, gluten allergy may be the cause or a significant contributing factor.
And while for some the symptoms are easy to recognize (including a history of
gastrointestinal upsets, diarrhea, gas and bloating) for many others signs are
much more vague making the condition much harder to recognize. Indeed, problems can be as diverse as headaches, joint pain, “brain fog”, fatigue, loss of
energy, irregular menstrual cycles, anemia, and in many instances, unexplained infertility.
Indeed, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness reports that on average it can take 10 years -or sometimes more – for people to get the correct diagnosis.
Understanding The Link Between Celiac disease & Infertility
In order to absorb nutrients from food, your intestines come equipped with tiny hair-like projections called villi. Think of these as tiny pond-fronds moving back and forth, helping to pull the nutrients from foods and send them into your blood stream.
In those who have Celiac disease, eating products rich in gluten (a type of protein commonly found in rye, wheat and barley) ignites an immunologic firestorm that causes the body to produce toxins. It is these toxins that damage the villi, causing them to lie flat. When this happens nutrients are not properly absorbed – including those from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals and in some cases even water and bile salts.
But that’s not the only problem that occurs. Increasingly research suggests these same toxins create body-wide inflammation capable of affecting your health from head to toe – including your fertility.
* Currently, researchers at Molinette Hospital in Turin Italy report that early findings of a study of women with Celiac disease indicate the rate of “unexplained infertility could be as much as 3.5% higher than in the general population. They also suggest Celiac disease increases the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies.
* In another study doctors from Tampere University Hospital and Medical School at the University of Tampere, in Finland found that the rate of celiac disease among women reporting infertility was 4.1%.
* In a study conducted by physicians at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia doctors found that the rate of recurring pregnancy loss is four times higher in women with Celiac disease.
Moreover, in a meta- analysis study conducted jointly by doctors at the Technion School of Medicine in Haifa, Israel and St. Luke’s Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City, doctors concluded that not only is there a strong association between Celiac disease and infertility, it also remains a condition continually overlooked by many obstetricians and even fertility doctors.
How Gluten Allergy Affects Fertility
Baby Eczema Natural Treatment – Say No To Steroids!
Every parent will agree that watching their baby suffer from eczema is the most heart breaking and distressing experience. Especially, if they have been told by their baby’s doctor that there is nothing they could do to make it go away. Itching that does not respond to scratching is agonizing to say at least, however it is also emotionally draining since prescribed medicine often does not work or the results are only temporary.
So what can a parent do to reduce the persistent itching and help their baby get rid of eczema for good if creams are not the answer? In answering that question, it is vital to understand the true cause of eczema.
Eczema, being an allergic reaction, is mainly triggered by eating specific foods or getting in touch with external allergens that penetrate and damage the skin barrier.
If some food is not tolerated well by your baby, it will act as an internal allergen that will in turn penetrate and damage their gut lining – also called “the inner skin”. Because of everyone’s individual make-up, it is possible to be allergic / intolerant to just about any food. This is because every food is composed of natural chemicals that our immune system may react to (e.g. salicylates, amines, tannins, caffeine, etc).You will find that some babies are sensitive to certain foods because their digestive and immune systems are still immature. Their skin is also much more sensitive because it is quite thin. This means that it is easier for toxins to penetrate through their skin barrier.
As babies grow older, food allergies become less of an issue. This is mainly because their digestive and immune system have grown more mature. Having said that, any ongoing allergy that goes untreated or that gets suppressed by steroid creams or anti-histamine medication may contribute to a compromised and hypersensitive immune system later on in life. The same food allergies may also develop into other allergies or manifest as asthma or hayfever (medical practitioners often maintain that most babies grow out of eczema however those individuals quite often develop asthma or other allergic conditions a few years down the line. Sadly, nobody seems to make the connection).
Sometimes however the main culprit is not food related. In such cases detergents could be the cause. Detergent related allergies appear to be on the increase since detergents are lurking everywhere from skin care and household products to washing powders and washing-up liquids. Detergents disrupt the skin barrier by interfering with the skin membrane permeability thus allowing for foreign particles (e.g. dust) to penetrate causing inflammation whilst at the same time decreasing the skin hydration which leads to dry itchy skin. Later on you will learn how to find out if detergents trigger your baby’s eczema.
It is important to keep in mind that everyone’s genetic make-up is unique, so the underlying factors that trigger each baby’s eczema will also differ. Often the primary contributing factor can be traced to the toxic load the baby inherits from their parents. By the toxic load I mean how healthy the baby’s parents were at a cellular level at the time of the baby’s conception. A status of parents’ cells does indeed affect the baby’s constitution and vulnerability to specific health conditions.
Unfortunately, eczema is not a result of only one factor. Rather it is caused by a complex interplay of several factors acting as triggers that eventually undermine the baby’s immune system.
If the triggering factors remain unaddressed for a continuous period of time, the immune system will be subject to a lot of pressure. Eventually, it will get thrown out of balance at which point the eczema becomes chronic.
In order to find a permanent freedom from eczema, it is crucial to delve deeper to get to the root cause of the condition. Eczema is an immune system disorder so our aim will be to strengthen and optimize your baby’s immune function as well as identify and eliminate the unique major triggers that set your baby’s eczema off.
This is just a small excerpt from my book Heal Your Baby’s Eczema available from www.simplyeczemafree.com. If your little one suffers from eczema then following the key principles in this book could make tremendous difference when it comes to reversing their eczema for good. This in-depth guide has been dedicated to all parents who are willing to take matters into their hands and help their baby recover the natural way!
Lucie Nunez, DHNP
author of www.simplyeczemafree.com
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Baby Eczema Natural Treatment – Say No To Steroids!
10 Ways to tell if your baby has allergies, and not just a cold
Many of the symptoms of nasal allergies ( also known as allergic rhinitis ) are similar to those of cold symptoms—runny nose, watery eyes, cough, nasal congestion, sneezing. Many times parents are confused on whether their child has a long-term cold or allergies.
Allergies are different though. Here are ten things to look for:
- Is your baby sneezing a lot?
- Does he have a dry cough, not coughing anything up?
- Are his eyes, red, watery, and itchy?
- Is his skin breaking out, irritated, or have an itchy red rash?
- Is your baby’s nose always stuffy or running?
- Does it seem like your baby always has a cold? ( Colds usually wind themselves down in a week to ten days; allergies don’t. )
- Does your baby breathe through his mouth?
- Is your baby constantly rubbing, or touching her nose?
- Does your baby have thin and clear mucous draining from her nose ( or is it think and yellow or green ) ?
- Does it look like he or she has a black eye ( “allergic shiner” ) where the skin is dark or purple under her eyes.
If your baby has more than one of these symptoms, there is fairly good chance your baby is allergic to something in his or her environment. The most common culprit is dust mites, but there are many other allergies. Since common allergies are linked to ear infections and possibly asthma, it’s a good idea to discuss these symptoms with your doctor and eventually with an allergist who can easily test for more specific allergens.
Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. He writes articles on parenting styles, parenting, pregnancy and dads, parenting tips, baby names, pregnancy symptoms and many more topics related to dads.
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