Going for Optimal Health? Following a GF Diet is Not Enough

I Have a Pet Peeve

When it comes to the area of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, there's a pet peeve that I’ve had for a long time. And that is the recommendations associated with a celiac disease or gluten sensitivity diagnosis.

What are those recommendations? A gluten free diet. And that’s it.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with the recommendation of a gluten-free diet, but when that is all that is recommended, that is where I have a problem—a big problem.

Why? Solely instituting a gluten-free diet is never (at least 95% of the time) enough to cause a person to completely regain their health.

It’s hard enough to eliminate gluten from your diet without at least reaping the benefits of feeling great as a result. After all, the goal is to vastly improve a patient’s health.

It is for this reason we created the term “secondary effects of gluten”. It is what we use, after a diagnosis, to address everything else that needs to be taken care of after one has begun a gluten-free diet.

We have seen the value of addressing the secondary effects of gluten for the past two decades. Yet I continue to be surprised at the lack of awareness associated with only implementing a gluten-free diet with this group of individuals.

The Results of an Ongoing Study Reveals…

I was happy and vindicated to see the results of an ongoing clinical trial for celiac patients. The study followed 117 adults in the United States with a diagnosis of celiac disease. These individuals were adhering to a gluten-free diet as “best they could”.

On average, these were individuals who had received their diagnosis over six years prior. In other words, they were not new to following a gluten-free diet.

Despite their “veteran” status and their efforts at following a gluten-free diet, the researchers discovered the following:

• 95% (111 of the 117 participants) showed evidence of ongoing inflammation of the lining of their small intestine

• In 65% of those individuals, the inflammation was so extensive that is was consistent with patients whose celiac disease was untreated—meaning it looked as if the person wasn’t following a gluten-free diet at all, even though they were.

• Even in those whose blood tests were negative for antibodies (meaning their blood test for active celiac disease was negative), they still demonstrated significant inflammation of their small intestine similar to the damage seen before adopting a gluten-free diet.

What does this all mean? Exactly what I and my fellow clinicians here at HealthNOW have been stating for almost two decades: instituting a gluten-free diet cannot be the only action that a person diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity takes.

More must be done—and that “more” is the implementation of the secondary effects of gluten, as follows:

1. Testing for the presence of infections in the intestinal tract

2. Isolating if other food sensitivities exist—common are dairy, corn, soy

3. Testing to see if there are any cross-reactive food reactions occurring

4. Ensuring that the probiotic population in the small intestine is healthy and robust

5. Ruling out any enzyme or nutritional deficiencies

6. Normalizing any adrenal or hormonal imbalance

7. Ruling out any other sources of toxins such as Lyme’s disease or heavy metal toxicity

8. Ensuring that the individual is on a healthy diet, not just a gluten-free diet. That’s saying a lot in our era of gluten-free junk food. You can be gluten-free and still not eat your 9 servings of fruits and veggies every day, as an example.

That’s the list. As you can see, it’s not terribly long, nor does it involve the use of any scary drugs or surgery. But if you don’t address the factors that are pertinent to the individual in front of you, you’ll end up like the participants of this study—with an inflamed gut and therefore at an increased risk of lymphoma (cancer), not to mention other serious health complications.

It’s Just Not Fair!

Recommending solely a gluten-free diet to these individuals is unacceptable. I realize that the reason for this problem lies squarely in the arena of pharmaceuticals. Doctors in this country really don’t know what to do for a disease that doesn’t have a drug to control it.

Because celiac disease has no medication to treat it, and is known to respond to a gluten-free diet, that’s what they recommend. And that’s all they recommend.

The secondary effects (as delineated above) are not typical actions in traditional medical environments—and I think that’s why we don’t see them occurring. But it is to the detriment of the patient and this research supports my view.

What Can You Do?

If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, and ALL you do is follow a gluten-free diet, I recommend that you find a clinician who can assist you in determining what secondary effects should be identified to help ensure the FULL HEALING of your intestine and optimized health.

If you need assistance finding such a doctor, we’ll be happy to help you. And if you want our assistance, consider contacting us for a FREE Health Analysis. 

Visit us at www.RootCauseMedicalClinic.com. If you have questions or need any help, I’m here for you! Call 408-733-0400.

I look forward to hearing from you.

To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN, CFMP


IFM Certified Practitioner

Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”

Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”

Saving Money on a Gluten-Free Diet

Is It Worth Spending More Money on Gluten-Free Food?

Yes, it is! And here is why: If you’ve been diagnosed with either celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, you’ve noticed the additional expense associated with gluten-free breads, pastas and baked goods. As a clinical nutritionist, I frequently hear the complaint that gluten-free products are so much more expensive than their gluten-laden relatives. This is true.

But let’s look at the big picture. If you had a choice of buying cheaper pizza but feeling sick as a result (not to mention the long term negative health ramifications), what would be the best decision? I know that seems to make it overly simplistic, but it’s the truth.

So let’s decide that you WILL stick to your gluten-free diet and I’ll give you some helpful hints to save some money.

6 Ways to Save Money on a Gluten-Free Diet

1. Buy in bulk. If you find something you like, see if the grocery store will let you buy a case of it (at a discount) to save some money. I know Whole Foods does this, but check with your grocery store.

2. Buy online. When I find a product I enjoy, I see if they’ll sell directly to me. It’s often much less expensive than buying at the grocery store. If the amounts they’ll sell to you seem too much for you to consume in a timely manner, consider sharing with a friend or family member who’s also eating gluten-free. (And hey, if you need someone to go in with you on a product, maybe we can help you here at the clinic. We can create a little buying co-op!)

3. Bake your own “goodies” instead of buying the pre-packaged ones. Pre-prepared baked goods are very pricey. Making your own is definitely healthier and less expensive because you are providing the labor. Please remember to keep these desserts and highly refined treats to a minimum.

4. This tip may sound strange, but… keep your receipt. I frequently hear patients complain that not only was the loaf of bread they tried super expensive, but they didn’t even like it and ended up throwing half of it away. Have you ever done that? Bought something that was gluten-free or dairy-free and then you didn’t like it? Did you throw it away?

Let me tell you a little secret. This is true at Whole Foods, it’s true at Safeway, and it’s likely true wherever you shop: Hold on to your receipt and you can return pretty much anything. Why? You actually don’t need a reason beyond, “I didn’t like it.”  

Honestly. I can only speak for Whole Foods from the level of personal experience, but I did a little research and Safeway has newly launched their “Gluten Free Eating Right” line where a 100% money back guarantee is guaranteed if you’re not happy with your purchase. Don’t be shy. I do this often. I’m frequently trying new products for my personal use as well as a way to let patients know about new things. I keep my receipt and have often made returns. The stores want you to do this so that you’ll continue to experiment until you find the brands you love.

5. Start a garden. No, you won’t be growing your own gluten-free grains, but the money you save from growing your own organic vegetables can be quite a help on your overall budget. It’s fun to have your own garden and, if you’ve got a nice relationship with nearby neighbors, consider getting together and growing different vegetables that can be shared. It’s often the case that you grow more than you can possibly eat (think zucchini!) and sharing with a neighbor who is growing different crops in abundance can really save on the grocery bill.

6. Consider eating less meat. What does this have to do with saving money? The types of animal products you should be eating are very expensive. Grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chickens and wild or healthfully-fed farm-raised fish are pricey. Beans, on the other hand, are quite cheap. I noticed that when I became a vegan, my grocery bill diminished dramatically. Yes, organic vegetables can be pricey too, but not compared to the salmon I used to buy for over $20 for two people.

I have found some patients lessening their animal protein ingestion and saving money with a few meals per week that contain protein in the form of beans, whole grains, nuts and greens. These meals can be fun to make, are quite delicious, and you may notice feeling less full and better overall after eating this way. If you need some recipes, let me know!

I hope this was helpful. We want to provide whatever help you need to attain your goal of optimal health. Sometimes practical suggestions can go a long way towards that.

If your health is not at the level you desire, or you are having trouble despite being on a gluten-free diet, consider contacting us for a FREE HEALTH ANALYSIS with a doctor. 

If you don’t live locally to us, that’s fine too! Our Destination Clinic treats patients from across the country and internationally. We are here to help!

Visit us at www.RootCauseMedicalClinic.com. If you have questions or need any help, I’m here for you! Call 408-733-0400.

I look forward to hearing from you.

To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN, CFMP


IFM Certified Practitioner

Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”

Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”

What's Your Celiac and Gluten IQ?

Are You a Well Educated Celiac?

The hazards to health created by celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are well understood. From nutritional deficiencies to osteoporosis, from depression to autoimmune disease, and from psoriasis to thyroid disease, there are few areas of the human body that gluten doesn’t impact in a negative way. 

There is so much emphasis on our inadequate abilities to diagnose celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, that when we do finally make the diagnosis I believe we are guilty of another problem – Lack of adequate education to those affected patients.

Removing Gluten Is NOT Enough to Heal the Gut

A research study released by the American Journal of Gastroenterology, (2010) . The article was entitled “Mucosal recovery and mortality in adults with celiac disease after treatment with a gluten-free diet”. The research team hailed from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

They stated that while most adults with celiac disease feel better after treatment with a gluten-free diet, the rate of small intestine recovery is less certain. Their aims were to estimate the rate of intestinal recovery after a gluten free diet in a cohort [a group of people with statistical similarities] of adults with celiac disease, and to assess the implications upon health of persistent intestinal damage after a gluten-free diet.

There was a pool of 381 adults with biopsy-proven celiac disease, 241 had both a diagnostic and follow-up biopsy. Among these 241, the confirmed mucosal recovery at 2 years following diagnosis was 34% and at 5 years was 66%. Most patients (82%) had some positive clinical response (they felt better) to the gluten-free diet, but it did not prove a reliable marker of intestinal recovery. 

Poor compliance to the gluten-free diet, severe celiac disease as defined by diarrhea and weight loss, and total villous atrophy at diagnosis were strongly associated with persistent intestinal damage. 

More Healing = Less Future Risk of Disease

There was a trend toward an association between mucosal recovery and a reduced rate of all-causes of death, adjusted for gender and age. 

The conclusions were that intestinal recovery was absent in a substantial portion of adults with celiac disease despite treatment with a gluten-free diet, and that there was an association between confirmed intestinal recovery (vs. persistent damage) and reduced mortality independent of age and gender. 

So what can we learn from this?

1.      Eating gluten-free when you are sensitive will cause you to feel better.

2.      Going on a gluten-free diet is not enough to ensure that your intestines will heal.

3.      Failing to heal your intestines puts you at increased risk for disease and death.

4.      Successfully healing your intestines reduces your incidence of death from disease.

While you likely knew the first point, 2 through 4 are perhaps less well known. 

Where I see that we are failing the gluten intolerant population is in the narrow focus of  eliminating gluten as the only needed treatment.  What the above research proves is that, unfortunately, for over 30% of those diagnosed, simply eliminating gluten is insufficient to ensure intestinal healing and thereby prevention of future disease states.

If patients were educated that healing their intestine would make the difference between contracting serious disease or not, and extending their life expectancy or not, I think they’d be more interested in ensuring that it occurs.

I am not a researcher but my clinic sees hundreds of patients who conform with the results of this study completely.  Patients come to see us who have been told that they shouldn’t consume gluten and for the most part they follow that recommendation.  They know that they feel better when they are gluten-free so that is an impetus to not cheat.  When they do cheat they know that they’ll “pay” for it but they still do so with some regularity.

Cheaters Beware!

Why do they cheat?  Because they believe that the diarrhea, headache, bloating, etc is temporary and that when it goes away they are “fine” again.  Their thought process is not unreasonable, it’s just wrong!

If each patient was educated that cheating created intestinal destruction that in turn put them on a fast track towards disease and early death, I believe that cheating would take on a whole new perspective.

Patients need this education and they need it often. Our book “The Gluten Effect” was written with this intention – our patients actually requested it.   They asked for a written reminder of why they should maintain their gluten-free lifestyle. Later I began taping Youtube videos because other patients preferred a reminder in a video form.

I personally am attempting to educate in a few different because it is terribly upsetting to meet individuals, as I so often do, who have been diagnosed celiac or gluten sensitive and do not follow their diet solely due to ignorance.

After almost 25 years of clinical experience I also know that some people “hear what they want to hear” and doctors with the best of intentions cannot get through to everyone.  But I strongly believe that we could be doing a much better job of education and enlightenment.

Further, we need to educate patients of the secondary effects associated with gluten. When the immune system of the intestine is suppressed, as is the case of a gluten intolerant patient, inhospitable and pathogenic organisms can gain entry into the intestine and remain there.  These organisms may be in the form of bacteria, parasites, amoebas or worms, and if they are not identified and eradicated, complete healing of the intestines is all but impossible. 

The good bacteria that are housed in the gut, known as the microbiome or probiotics, make-up  much of the intestinal immune system. In gluten intolerant patients this important population of organisms is often insufficient due to the onslaught from gluten and pathogenic organisms that have weakened it.  If the population of these probiotics is not restored to a healthy, robust balance, any attempt to achieve a healthy intestine will too be unsuccessful.

Diagnosing any cross-reactive foods, other food sensitivities or allergies, any other sources of toxins, and hormonal imbalance should also be on the checklist to rule out.

Lastly, it is an interesting catch-22 that in order to digest our food we need enzymes and enzymes are made from the nutrients we digest.  This circular pattern is dramatically interrupted in the gluten intolerant patient.  Celiacs in particular suffer from very poor absorption.  It shouldn’t then come as a surprise that augmenting with proper enzymes may be critical for “priming the pump” until proper digestion of nutrients is restored.

Unfortunately I find that few, if any, of these points are made clear to patients who are gluten intolerant.  Most feel that they are doing all that they need to simply by maintaining a mostly gluten-free diet.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Find a Clinician Who Treats the Secondary Effects of Gluten

To review we need to do the following, something we call the Secondary Effects of Gluten:

-          Maintain a “perfect” avoidance of gluten

-          Test for the presence of pathogenic organisms

-          Test for any imbalance of the probiotic organisms

-          Evaluate the need for enzymes

-          Evaluate for the presence of any other food sensitivities or allergies, e.g. dairy

-     Evaluate for any toxins or hormonal imblance

-          Educate the patient until they have a full understanding of the above

-          Test to ensure that the intestine is healed

Need Help? We're Here for You! 

If you felt as if I was describing you above, you are not alone. As I mentioned earlier, adrenal fatigue/exhaustion is almost epidemic. If you would like assistance and don’t have a clinician whom you feel can assist you, consider contacting us for a FREE Health Analysis. We are a Destination Clinic and treat patients from across the country and internationally. We would be delighted to help you as we have been doing so for over two decades.

Visit us at www.RootCauseMedicalClinic.com. If you have questions or need any help, I’m here for you! Call 408-733-0400.

I look forward to hearing from you.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN, CFMP


IFM Certified Practitioner

Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”

Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”

Gluten Sensitive – When is an Egg NOT Gluten-Free?

Eggs Are Totally Safe, Right?

Eggs are a nice source of protein, they are available pretty much everywhere and can be prepared a number of different ways, making them a pretty safe go-to when traveling. I always believed that if one wasn’t allergic to them, eggs were a very safe option for those on a gluten-free or dairy-free diet.

I don’t tend to eat many when I’m at home, but when traveling, some form of egg has been a common breakfast solution. After all, we’re not going to order the cereal, waffles or pancakes! Does this sound like you? Have you ever eaten eggs in a restaurant and felt like you had a reaction? If so, you’re not alone.

Just the Eggs, No Pancake Batter

Let’s review why eggs might ‘get you in trouble’.

       1.   It’s all in the preparation. If you’ve ever been to a breakfast buffet where they offered ‘made to order’ omelettes, you may have noticed that the individual making the omelette isn’t breaking eggs for you. Instead he or she is pouring from a pre-mixed contained of ‘eggs’ that may or may not contain dairy and gluten. 

You may be wondering where the gluten might come from. I too was surprised when I learned this. When it comes to ‘secret’ egg ingredients, I’ll have to admit that before becoming dairy-free the ‘secret’ ingredient in my scrambled eggs was some milk or, better yet, cream. (I’m sure a non-dairy milk, especially coconut milk would yield as good a result.) But what about gluten? Where does that come into the picutre?

It turns out that some restaurants (IHOP for one) add pancake batter to their eggs - that’s their ‘secret’ ingredient. That one I never would have guessed!

Rule #1 –make sure the eggs are broken fresh for you when you order any kind of egg dish. Don’t accept any pre-made egg ‘batters’.

     2. Where was the egg cooked? Much like anyone who is gluten-free knows to ask that pasta be prepared in its own water, rather than sharing water with previously cooked wheat-based pasta, so too one must be careful of where one’s eggs are prepared. While you may prepare your own eggs in a fry pan, many restaurants prepare scrambled eggs, fried eggs and omelettes on their griddle. That same griddle that they just cooked pancakes or French toast on.

Rule #2 – ensure that you ask for a clean pan for your eggs to be cooked in to prevent any cross-contamination. And remember that holds true for pasta water and French fry oil.

     3.  Have you ever been to a salad bar and noticed that the contents of one container had migrated to another adjacent one. In other words, there were pieces of red cabbage mixed with the lettuce? Well, the same thing can happen in a kitchen that is preparing egg dishes that contain a variety of ingredients. If the cook that just was grabbing some croutons next grabs some mushrooms to put in your omelette, cross-contamination is likely to occur.

Rule #3 – If you are ordering breakfast in a restaurant, consider getting an egg dish that just contains eggs. Ensure the waitperson appreciates your ‘allergies’ (you don’t actually have an allergy if you’re celiac or gluten sensitive, but it’s a word that people can readily understand) and the need for a clean pan, designated clean utensils and freshly broken eggs.

       4.  Eggs themselves are, as mentioned earlier, a common allergy. If you suspect that you are reacting to eggs, consider getting tested for a blood IgE  or delayed IgG test. Either, if positive would show that you are reacting to them. Scratch tests are not particularly accurate for food, therefore no need to put yourself through that procedure.

5. Eggs are a potential cross-reactive food. This means that the compromised immune system of a celiacor gluten sensitive person mistakes the protein of the egg for gluten and therefore reacts as if it WAS gluten. There is a blood test to determine if such a reaction is occurring in your case. Fortunately this is a temporary situation and once the eggs are removed for a period of time while building the immune system and healing the gut, these individuals can typically return to eggs safely.

What Did You Feed That Chicken? 

        6/  Finally, there was an interesting study in Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry (2001)  entitled, “Transfer of soy isoflavone into the egg yolk of chickens” where the researchers proved that feeding chickens a great deal of soy was transferred into their egg yolks. This study has been seen as foundational research that may explain why certain highly reactive celiac and gluten sensitive patients can be found to react to eggs, despite having no egg allergy.

 The particular eggs that these individuals react to are those from hens whose diets are very high in glutinous grains. In the past we wouldn’t have ever thought that the feed of an animal would affect eating said animal, but these are eggs, not the animal’s flesh, and as mentioned above, the soy study gave credence to the fact that such a transference is very possible.

Now, I must caution you that the quantity of gluten that could be found in such a case is likely so small as to make the egg still pass a ‘gluten-free’ test – meaning it’s well below the 20 parts per million that would designate a level of gluten warranting a gluten label. We are only mentioning this in the case of those rare individuals we are so sensitive that literally ANY gluten is enough to cause their immune systems to react.

Don't Be Shy, Speak Up and You Won't Get Sick.... hopefully

I hope you found this helpful. I think some diligence when eating out should allow most of us to safely enjoy eggs without too much trouble. But if you don’t speak up and let the restaurant know what you need, you very well might have an exposure that really sets your healing and health status back. Not necessary, I assure you.

Need Help? We're Here for You! 

If you felt as if I was describing you above, you are not alone. As I mentioned earlier, adrenal fatigue/exhaustion is almost epidemic. If you would like assistance and don’t have a clinician whom you feel can assist you, consider contacting us for a FREE Health Analysis. We are a Destination Clinic and treat patients from across the country and internationally. We would be delighted to help you as we have been doing so for over two decades.

Visit us at www.RootCauseMedicalClinic.com. If you have questions or need any help, I’m here for you! Call 408-733-0400.

I look forward to hearing from you.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN, CFMP


IFM Certified Practitioner

Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”

Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”