Let me begin with this statement by Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly:
As a Roman Catholic, one of my biggest contentions with my religion is the use of modern wheat to make the hosts used as the Eucharist. My issue isn't with the transubstantiation itself, it's very simply with the use of modern wheat, which isn't even the same type of wheat that was in the bread that Jesus broke at the Last Supper. I think the Vatican needs to hire a nutritionist to compare the type of wheat the Jews ate in 32 AD to the new strain of wheat we're served today. (If you read Wheat Belly by Dr. Davis, you'll learn that the wheat in Jesus's time only had something like 24 chromosomes while wheat today, which is an intentionally dwarfed modified version, has 48 chromosomes - lots of differences - but I have not verified these numbers to make sure they're correct, so don't quote me.) Since the theology of the wheat is so paramount to the Mass, shouldn't the church explore what the correct wheat to use is?
The reason for my theological thoughts are due to my choice last night (though this is an issue I've been struggling with since my doctor had me go grain-free.) Since going grain-free over a year ago, I have rarely taken the Eucharist, knowing any wheat at all would mess with my body's ability to heal. Every time I ate the Eucharist, I did notice a reaction of mild heart palpitations. Last night I took the Eucharist again, hoping a mild allergic reaction (because I am actually allergic to wheat) would be the worst of it. This time, the effect was much worse.
Let me back up a bit first. I was already feeling a bit ill when I went up to receive the Eucharist. As you know, I'm intolerant of perfumes and other chemicals. A heavily perfumed woman sat next to me at Mass. I was very frustrated, because I waited right before Mass started to take a seat so that I could carefully choose a seat away from people wearing perfume at the end of the pew. I found a great spot, and then about 5 minutes into the Mass this woman, without asking, suddenly stood next to me and gave me the "make room for me" look. She assumed I would slide over so she could sit next to me at the end of the pew. The problem is that it's normal to slide over to make room for people, so her expectation that I would move over for her was normal. I didn't know what to do - I slid over and let her in. I didn't want to be rude, it was difficult to talk to her because the Mass had started, and I didn't realize at first that she was heavily scented. A few minutes later I started to notice the smell of bananas (yes - she smelled like banana ice cream, of all weird scents) radiating from her, and about 15 minutes later I was feeling pretty ill. There were several points where I wanted to get up and find a new seat, but looking around, I didn't see any better options. The sanctuary was packed. It's also very difficult to walk around discreetly in that church - everyone would notice if I got up and walked around. So I decided, for the sake of an experiment, I would sit next to this lady all of Mass and see just how bad my reaction to her perfume would get. My eyes were burning, my brain shut down, I was really fatigued, my eye was twitching, and I had mild heart palpitations. I made it through Mass, though, and I didn't get to the point where I "couldn't take it anymore." I wasn't feeling well, but I was functioning well enough to make it through Mass (though I had zero focus for the homily.) I think this means that my chemical sensitives may be improving - I am, after all, on a remedy that should help lessen the reactions. (Have I ever mentioned how helpful my doctor is? :) )
Keeping the fact that I was already reacting in mind, the Eucharist made me feel more ill. I quickly had worsened heart palpitations. After getting home from Mass, I noticed my gut was starting to ache. I soon had painful, sharp gut cramps and started to bloat. My bowel was irritated in several ways, and I couldn't seem to reduce the pain. I drank plenty of lemon ginger tea, took some enzymes, took some anti-inflammatory supplements, and even took extra probiotics. Nothing helped. I went to bed hoping I would feel better in the morning. I did sleep fairly well for 9 hours, thankfully. My gut, however, wasn't feeling much better this morning. Several trips to the bathroom revealed just how irritated my gut actually was. I also have been in a horrible mood all morning. I've been angry, aggressive, frustrated, unhappy, and cynical. My skin has been itchy, and my muscles are aching and pulsing. This post is partly the result of trying to get my agitation out - I needed a venue to complain.
I don't doubt that the MCS perfume reaction made the wheat reaction worse. MCS reactions have triggered digestive issues, such as heartburn, for me before. I do know, however, that many people report having similar reactions to any grain, especially wheat, after being grain-free for a year or more (like I have.) Wheat is known to be very harsh on the gut, causing IBS, leaky gut, small bacterial overgrowth, candida, and more gut problems. I had many of these issues before going grain-free, so it's no surprise to me that consuming wheat can make this problems return.
As for the problem of receiving the Eucharist, I have already spoken about this with priests and friends who have a solid theological understanding of the Eucharist. If you are reading this and want to discuss this dilemma with me, please contact me and I'll let you know what I learned. As much as I love to discuss theology (it is, after all, what my degree is in,) this blog isn't meant to be about theology.
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