[sfem]

Dargona, I think this is the first time I have seen your avatar. I presume it's a photo of yourself? If so, then I just wanted to say, you look awesome! Fantastic development!

[dargona]

Thank you sfem, I just actually uploaded that ~15 minutes ago. After a year of lurking and several months posting through my developmental changes that you've all helped me with; I figured it was about time to put up an avatar.

[chrishoney]

Ceolic diseare destroys the vilaie, the tendrils, in the gut, that increae our ability, to absorb nurients. The cause is gluten, a protein, found on wheat, rye and barley; humans were never meant to eat grass The symptoms are wide ranging and wierd, from the runs to constipation; from excesive sneezng. to anaeimia, to osteo-perrosis, to rheumatod athreitis. etc etc etc! Oh happy days!

This is the traditional western medical view on celiac disease, but the long and short of it is that we DON'T really know what causes it. We do know that in the absence of any other treatment, a gluten free diet helps tremendously, but in adults full healing of the damaged villi can take up to three years. The human body has an amazing ability to self-correct/heal and if gluten was really the cause of celiac disease, why does it take such and inordinately long time to heal after ceasing to ingest gluten?

Interestingly, the manual therapy (called Myofascial Release or MFR, as developed by John F. Barnes) I use in my practice has a hugely beneficial effect on IBS, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, constipation and many of digestive system disorders in addition to many disorders of the pelvic region, especially in women. Explanation of how this works is way beyond the scope of a post like this, not to mention somewhat off topic. However, my mentor's site (www.myofascialrelease.com) contains info and a database of MFR practitioners (though the UK listings are very incomplete as several therapists I have met are not listed there. I know one therapist based in Scotland teaches MFR seminars in the UK and she probably has a better idea of who is practicing there.)

Just something to consider.

[bryony]

Thanks for the link. I started to go low-carb last night after reading your post: it was a long time coming anyways but I needed to be more mindful of it. I don't consider myself terribly unhealthy as is: I'm 5'10" @ 180lbs so I see myself as overweight. I'm hoping to drop ~20lbs and maintain NBE progress with attention to the amount of carbs I cut from my diet.

Hi,

That's great!

I was 182lbs at the beginning of 2009 when I started my current lo-carb regimen. I quickly got down to 168, then, more slowly, to 157 - that was the summer of 2010. However, the incipient depression always lurking behing my "condition" meant that I would always break my diet if I had any kind of special occasion, e.g. birthdays, holidays Christmas - so I have oscillated around 160 since then. However, the first effect that I experienced when I started PM was a relief of the mild depression that was always hanging around me, and I have been able to persevere so that over the last month I have dropped down to 155lbs. My goal is 147, at which point I finally expect to have the flat stomach that I last had 33 years ago!

When that happens, I will have sufficient leeway to eat some carb-rich food at the weekends, without gaining enough weight to matter before I lose it during the week.

Might not happen by Christmas, but I hope so.... ;-)

TTFN

B.

PS - Great photo!

[chrissie]

Chriss-hoey,
I will explore MFR, but if you knew the true horror, of ceoliac disesre, on me and my grandfather, you wourd appreciate any reluctance, I have, to deviate, from an orhodoxy, that works for me.

The effects of ceoliac disease, are incredibly complex and diverese, varying from individual, to individual. At times, I have seen weight loss, at times, when very consipated, weight gain. One constant, is a pot belly. Even at 9 1/2 stone, I had a pot belly, despite loking emaciated, by any other criterea. Even at my fittest, I never had anything, but a flabby belly.