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Alexander’s rashes were how we found out that our entire family is allergic to wheat and milk. Dozens of books later, I knew that we needed to make a lot of drastic changes, and that those changes could solve, or at least improve, all of the problems the people in my family have. I discovered that wheat and milk consumption is believed to be one of the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (including ADD/ADHD) and asthma, as well as IBS, fibromyalgia, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines and other headaches, arthritis, cancer, and the list goes on.

Experts estimate that up to 95% of all Americans have wheat and milk sensitivity. So why don’t we hear about it? Ninety-five percent - that’s a pandemic! Three big industries have a vested interest in people eating those things: the agricultural industry, the manufactured foods industry, and the medical industry. There are no drugs to treat the sensitivity, and they don’t make money if people stop eating them. The agricultural industry stands to lose billions of dollars each year. They lobbied to get their products on the food pyramids not because they are healthy, but so people would eat more of them. The FDA, Big Pharma, and most medical doctors have no interest in educating people about this, because illness leads to office visits, and there are many drugs on the market to treat the conditions caused by eating those things – arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, ADHD, cancer, etc. There’s big money in treating the conditions that arise from eating wheat and milk, so why would any of the people benefiting want to tell you what those thing really do to you? They don’t want you to stop eating those things.

We all started a gluten-free, casein-free diet www.gfcfdiet.com and through following it, we found out that those allergens appear to be the cause of our IBS, asthma, and ADHD (we've stopped many of the medications and the kids will most likely be taken off their ADHD medication at the next visit). Within days, we noticed a difference. By the one-month mark, the improvement was nearly incredible – I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself. The diet alone did more for the two older kids than even the best medications ever did. Some people don’t see results that fast – it can take as long as two years – but many people know if it’s going to help them before the first month is complete.

The kids can eat many, many things, but it is imperative that they don’t eat anything containing wheat or milk, or any derivatives of them (the derivatives list contains over 200 common ingredients in foods). That means no cupcakes at school parties (among other things). The school refuses to follow their diet and ensure that they are not served foods they can’t have. According to the school evaluation team, they “don’t qualify for an IEP” even though they have a medical diagnosis, and even though their disability severely impairs them. The school offered a 504 Plan, claiming it would be better for us (we know it would actually be better for the school). A 504 Plan will allow the school to say that the diet is “not a reasonable accommodation,” so they won’t have to follow the children’s diet even though it is medically prescribed and makes a world of difference for them. Because they are unwilling to ensure the safety of my children, or to do what will help them to succeed, I am now homeschooling them.

A stay-at-home, homeschooling dad, my desire is to equip other fathers to make a difference in the lives of their children, and to survive the pitfalls. Teaching others is what SAHDSurvival.com is all about.