Substance Abuse has Many Forms

How gluten and casein addiction in childhood leads to alcohol and drug addiction in later life

With the passing in the last week of Matthew Perry and Tyler Christopher, many people are talking about addiction. Both of these brilliant, creative individuals were open about their histories of addiction to drugs and alcohol. As I wrote in my article about Matthew Perry’s death, his history of addiction has become the focal point of mainstream media articles, which are basically blaming him for his own death, without any evidence to support that conclusion. We, as humans, tend to be quite judgmental when it comes to addiction and mental illness, and the press certainly uses our biases against us. I personally know a great many people who have no qualms whatsoever about passing judgment on others’ addictions, while being completely blind when it comes to recognizing addiction in themselves.

This post was originally a Facebook post, written in October of 2019. It resonated with thousands of readers then, so I thought I would share it here, and now seems like a good time…

Okay... I have to... I saw this meme on someone else’s timeline, and I just have to respond.

Gluten and casein intolerance/allergy in childhood is often the root of substance abuse and addiction later in life.

How many of our children appear to be addicted to pizza? Macaroni and cheese? Chicken nuggets? Cereal and milk? Ice cream? French fries and milk shakes? Apples? Grapes? Ketchup? Pickles and pickle juice?

The common factors here are: grains/gluten, milk/casein, sugar, and yeast.

How many of our children who crave these things also have problems (occasionally or chronically) with constipation?

Grains/gluten, sugar, and yeast make alcohol. Especially in places where they sit for a while in warm darkness, which encourages the fermentation process.

Yeast is always present in the human body. However, when the internal ecosystem (the micro flora of the gut) is disrupted by overuse of antibiotics and steroids, or when the gut is damaged by exposure to environmental toxins, and especially when the gut is damaged by exposure to environmental toxins AND antibiotics... what often happens is an overgrowth of pathogenic yeast. Because all the good guys (beneficial bacteria) have been wiped out, the bad guys take over. The result is candidiasis-induced gut damage. Leaky gut syndrome. Intestinal hyperpermeability.

Yeasts are like plants. They have “roots” that burrow through the lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A healthy GI tract is impermeable. It’s tight. It doesn’t leak. A gut that is overrun with pathogenic yeast is like a colander. It’s a “leaky gut.”

Once the lining of the GI tract is damaged, and pathogenic yeast takes over, and the gut becomes leaky, that’s when the factors are perfect for the initiation of what will later become known as “substance abuse.”

Let’s go back to gluten and casein.
Gluten is the protein in wheat. It is also found in many other grains.
Casein is the protein in milk. And cheese, yogurt, cream, half and half, and yes... ice cream.

Gluten and casein are food proteins. They are the two food proteins that are the most difficult for the body to digest. In the presence of an injured gut, and particularly in the presence of a leaky gut, gluten and casein are more likely to break through the lining of the gastrointestinal system, undigested, and from there, they gain entrance into the blood stream. The bloodstream is where undigested food proteins absolutely should not be.

Undigested food proteins in the blood stream can cause (yes! I said CAUSE) very serious health conditions like anaphylaxis. Which can be deadly. Anaphylaxis is an extreme, acute reaction. Undigested food proteins can also cause or contribute to reactions which are less immediately severe, but which can lead to chronic health issues such as allergies and inflammatory conditions affecting the gut, joints, brain, skin, and immune system.

In some people, when undigested gluten and casein break through the lining of the gut, those proteins are misidentified by the body as endogenous opiates. “Endogenous” means produced within the body, and not taken in from an outside source. Endogenous opiates have very similar effects on the body... similar to other opiates from other sources... like OxyContin. Or heroin. Or other drugs that play a major role in the excitation of the dopaminergic (reward) system.

So... your six-year-old has had multiple ear infections which were treated with antibiotics. Your baby may or may not have had some weird skin rashes that come and go. And some issues with constipation and/or diarrhea. And yeah... he’s a picky eater. Craves bread. And cheese. And wants ketchup on everything. And drinks pickle juice.

What’s with the ketchup and pickle juice??? And why does she only eat apples and grapes?
Answer: Fermentation.
There’s a reason apples and grapes are used to make wine. They ferment quickly and easily. And that means they “feed” yeast. Children with pathogenic yeast overgrowth crave fermented things and things high in sugar.

Are you getting the picture yet?

Our six-year-old has an injured gut and pathogenic yeast overgrowth. The reason we can’t get him to eat anything other than macaroni and cheese or pizza is because our baby is not eating for nutrition, she’s eating for her fix.

The leaky gut allows the undigested gluten and casein to get into the blood stream, where it is misidentified by the body as an opiate.

One of the symptoms of opiate intake/dependence/addiction is constipation.

Constipation causes fermentation in the gut. If your child has a leaky gut due to yeast overgrowth, he will crave grains and sugars. Those grains and sugars then sit in that warm, constipated environment. And guess what? Your six year old is no longer a child. She’s a still. She’s producing her own alcohol. She may be overly silly and display inappropriate laughter or other emotional responses that seem out of place. Just like a drunk.

Think about this... the typical American child eats cereal and milk for breakfast (or some other combination of grains and milk). Our darling goes to school and is spaced out for the first couple of hours and then starts to jiggle his leg and pester his classmates, looking like a junky jonesing for his next fix. Then... lunch time.

Pizza or macaroni and cheese for lunch. (Or gluten-coated chicken nuggets and chocolate milk.) Back to class where he’s either the class clown or sleeping on the desk for the next two hours, and then it’s back to twitching and bitching until it’s time to go home.

Afternoon snack? Cookies and milk? Leftover pizza? It doesn’t matter as long as it’s got gluten and casein. And maybe some sugar, caffeine, yeast, good ol’ red dye 40.

In a child with a leaky gut, this kind of daily food intake is like a roller-coaster for their biochemistry. And for their behavior. They look like rapid-cycling bipolar kids. And many of them are diagnosed and medicated with pharmaceutical drugs, which can have dangerous side effects.

Off the soapbox...

So, what does this have to do with substance abuse in adults?

Let’s say our six-year-old is now fourteen. He’s at his first teenage party. Someone hands him a beer (or pill). For the first time. It’s the first time he - or she - has tried alcohol. but your child’s body recognizes the response. It’s the same high he or she has been getting for years. It’s a dopamine response. The same one that makes opioids so addictive.

Your child didn’t suddenly become an addict when he or she was handed that first beer or swallowed that first pill. That child was addicted at the age of six (or three...). When they are handed that first beer, they just switch to a new route of delivery.

Those who follow me may wonder what any of this has to do with vaccines, since that’s what I usually post about.
Here’s the answer to that question:
There is an enzyme called DPPIV, which is produced in the body. The purpose of DPPIV is to break down gluten and casein.
DPPIV is deactivated by mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde in vaccines (these enzymes are also deactivated by exposure to other environmental toxins).

Vaccines skew the immune system and in at least some children, lead to increased administration of antibiotics, which leads to the damaged gut, which invites yeast overgrowth.

If you think this is bunk, you probably haven’t gotten this far.
If you’re still with me, let me know in the comments if this makes sense to you, or if your family may have experienced this kind of domino effect.

And if you haven’t done it yet, do the #MedicalTimeline. A medical timeline involves gathering your child’s (or your) medical records (from birth through current age, in the case of a child), including vaccination records. Doing a timeline and looking at the dates of onset of infections, fevers, rashes, seizures, and dates of new onset chronic conditions can help you determine if vaccinations may have triggered acute or chronic illness in you or in your child.

Please also check out VaxXed II, The People’s Truth to see the stories of families who may be just like yours.