My Gluten-Free Journey: How I Reclaimed My Health Without Medication

It all started with a routine health checkup when I was 35. My results showed low thyroid function, elevated bad cholesterol and abnormal potassium levels. Since I had taken the test about six months after giving birth to my second child and was still breastfeeding, my doctor assured me about the thyroid readings saying that hormonal fluctuations were normal and would likely stabilize over time. She also said that the potassium and cholesterol readings seemed strange but told me to just watch my diet, by reducing the consumption of red meat, and to increase my intake of whole grains. I took the advice in stride and continued with life as usual.

Like many working mothers, I was constantly exhausted. Between taking care of young children and managing a full-time job without a helper, I assumed my persistent fatigue and sleepiness were just part of the package. For the next two to three years, I powered through with full days of work-in-office, raising two toddlers and managing household chores. I just blamed the lack of sleep and exercise for my constant exhaustion and lethargy.

Start of Migraines, Body Pains and Gastric Issues

But then came the migraines - debilitating, frequent, and unexplained. The pain will start as shoulder and neck aches, like how one would feel if you slept on a bad pillow the night before. The pain will shoot up from the shoulder to the top of the head if I made certain movements with my arm or turned my head in a certain direction. Then the headaches will come on, usually triggered by sun glare. My sensitivity to sun glare was so extreme that I had to constantly wear sunglasses if I was driving or sitting near a window. As I could not be wearing sunglasses at work, I had no choice but to rely on pain medication. On some days the headaches would get so bad that I would have to lie down in bed, motionless, as even an inch of movement would cause severe throbbing and nausea.

Then came the vertigo.

At first, I thought it was related to an old head injury from a work event years ago. While there were mild symptoms after the incident, they became worse nearly five years later, making the connection seem unlikely. By my late 30s, the vertigo was so bad that I could not sit near the windows on board planes, as I would end up dizzy and nauseous. Once, I was in an aisle seat and looked out of the window thinking that the distance would be a buffer for my symptoms. I was mistaken; by the end of the flight, I had to be wheeled out of the airplane as I could not stand up and was throwing up.

My discomfort didn’t stop there. I experienced relentless backaches where the pain was so severe that I frequently sought chiropractic treatment and went through multiple mattress replacements. Despite these efforts, I would wake up feeling as if I had never rested. I thought the back pains were due to the epidurals for my two pregnancies, and so I started an exercise routine to strengthen my core muscles. However, the pain got worse! Once, it was so bad that I could not get up from a chair during a gathering with friends. I really could not understand why I was not getting better although I listened to everything the doctor told me to do.

Because the core muscles exercise routine was not working out, I decided to embark on brisk walking instead. For the first few times, I felt good. But soon came the knee pain, which I thought was due to walking too much. I reduced the frequency and distance, but it came to a point where I struggled to get up from a sitting position. I also suffered severe pain in both knees as if I had sprained or twisted them. My mother pointed out that this wasn’t normal for someone barely 40, and it added to my list of "I-don't-know-what-is-happening-to-me-anymore" symptoms.

To make things worse, I was also suffering from gastric reflux and IBS-like symptoms. I would have extreme acid reflux that could only be calmed down by consuming carbohydrates. The symptoms would subside for two hours, then it would start again. I also felt hungry easily, and craved for pasta, grilled cheese sandwiches and mee kia (egg noodles) in vinegar and chili oil. I had to be very careful when consuming black coffee and black tea, as it would cause me to throw up. I was also gaining weight at all the wrong places and felt lethargic and sluggish after meals.

A Rude Awakening

By now, my body was in a turmoil and my health was deteriorating day by day.

My skin also reflected my declining health - I had poor skin color, puffiness, and deep dark eye circles. Concerned, I scheduled another health checkup. This time, my thyroid condition had worsened to the point of requiring long-term medication. My cholesterol levels had also reached borderline levels, putting me at risk of needing medication.

Then came the biggest red flag - my blood pressure. The readings were at 140/110, sometimes even hitting 150+/110 while I was fully at rest. It was alarming, considering that even during my pregnancies, after walking up a slope to my gynecologist’s clinic, my BP had always been an impressive 110/90 and below. It was clear to me that something was wrong, and I could not ignore the signs anymore.

The Start Of Understanding Gluten

I consulted an endocrinologist for my thyroid issue, who promptly suggested lifelong hormone medication. That didn't sit right with me. I refused and turned to research, determined to find an alternative solution.

As I delved into online forums and medical literature, I stumbled upon numerous cases of people with hypothyroidism who had successfully reversed their condition by cutting out gluten. Initially, I barely understood what gluten was, apart from it being a common ingredient in Buddhist vegetarian cuisine in Singapore. However, as I continued reading, I learned about the gut-brain axis, the role of gluten in causing chronic inflammation, and how prolonged exposure could lead to metabolic disorders. The concept of leaky gut syndrome, where the gut lining becomes increasingly damaged from excessive gluten consumption, was eye-opening and explained the symptoms that I was experiencing.

I also found the research interesting as it reminded me of what some of the parents of special needs children I used to work with, told me about the link between gluten and autism. They observed that the consumption of gluten, dairy and processed foods, made their children more hyperactive, dysregulated, and have insomnia. Some parents went as far as to say that the autism 'disappeared' after placing their children on strictly gluten-free diets. I have personally not known of any person with autism who reversed their diagnosis by going gluten-free. But if the discomfort experienced is similar to what I went through - headaches, nausea, fatigue, body pains, gastric pains - I can fully understand why the child with autism, many of whom are non-verbal, would express his frustrations and suffering in the form of meltdowns and outbursts.

I also came across research and books talking about how modern wheat - having undergone extensive modification and hybridization, now contains higher gluten content which is the cause of digestive issues in humans. The rise of people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity like myself, is the unintended consequence of the modern wheat which was initially intended for countries to feed a hungry and growing population.

Ungluten Me

As I was dead set against taking long-term medication, I decided to experiment by removing gluten from my diet. I realized that Singaporeans in general, had low awareness of what gluten was. Most people whom I spoke to, thought that rice and soybeans had gluten. The people working in F&B were even more unaware. This made my unglutening journey a real challenge at the beginning. Another challenge I faced was the widespread use of soy sauce for many local dishes, especially in Chinese cuisine. Wheat is used as a thickener and fermenting agent in soy sauce, and it is almost impossible to avoid it if I want to have Chinese food. It was even worse trying to have Japanese food, as it has more gluten than Chinese food. Fast food restaurants were also out of the question for me. All the things I loved to eat were now off limits - croissants, muffins, bread, mee kia (egg noodles), you mian (flour hand-pulled noodles), prata, gyoza, tonkotsu ramen, unagi etc. I was not really a meat-lover, and preferred carbohydrates and vegetables - which made me question what the doctor said to me during my medical check up, which was to eat more whole grains and less red meat to bring down my cholesterol.

But the worst challenge was people telling me that my intolerance and symptoms were psychosomatic. I truly wished that it was all in my head, so that I could eat all the gluten I wanted without suffering the consequences.

Six months later, I returned to my endocrinologist for a follow-up checkup. The results were surprising. While my thyroid function improved slightly, the biggest shock was that my cholesterol levels had significantly improved - bringing them down from borderline chronic to normal levels. Even more astonishing, my blood pressure dropped to 130/100. Today, after nearly three years of living unglutened, my BP is consistently at 110/80 and I am almost 44. My endocrinologist was clearly surprised, and asked how I dropped my cholesterol levels so quickly. I told him about my migraines, fatigue and IBS symptoms, and how I found out about other people with thyroid imbalances cutting out gluten from their diets and who felt better. The moment he heard the word "gluten", he cut me off and said that I should not believe in 'Doctor Google'. He also said that while the BP and cholesterol looked better, my thyroid still required life-long medication that he assured, had no side effects.

I told him that I wanted more time to work on my thyroid, but he said, "How can you avoid gluten in Singapore? You cannot eat your you-char-kway (fried dough fritters) and hokkien mee you know?". My reply to him was, "Ok, then I will not eat them."

With that, I told him that I would continue to work on my health my way, and left his clinic.

3 Years On

It has been more than 3 years since I left the endocrinologist's clinic. Everyday, I learn something new about my body and its reaction to gluten and new cuisines especially when I travel. I also became increasingly curious about the history of Northern vs Southern Hemisphere Asian diets, and how the role of wheat has changed over time in this region of the world. This journey has also raised my awareness of chronic diseases - which is highly relevant to my work in a nonprofit organization for stroke.

Last but not least, by living free of pain and medication, I've been able to lead a fulfilling life at home and at work. Hence, I hope that what I share in this website, will help others who are going through similar health challenges, to reclaim your health, one unglutened meal at a time.