When some people hear the phrase “gluten free,” they think of a fad diet adopted by many because they think it will help them lose weight. But for Denise Walsh, the owner of the Lexington business Gluten Free Miracles, the phrase not only drives her day-to-day work, it is also the key to a healthy existence, for her and, especially, for her 14-year-old son, Connor.

Eight years earlier, he had started consistently experiencing symptoms of Celiac disease, ranging from anxiety to bloating to ongoing, daily stomach pain.

“It got to point where when he was 6 years old that he didn’t want to leave the house because he would be sick while he was out,” said his mother. Eventually, she took him to see Dr. Jim Roach at the Midway Center for Integrative Health for some extensive blood testing. The results showed a gluten allergy so severe that the doctor was taken aback. She eliminated gluten from his diet directly following that visit, and though he showed immediate signs of improvement, years of damage to his system continued to take their toll.

“What I didn’t really realize was the damage that had been done,” she said. “His immune system just shut down.”

Read the full article here: Miracle on Burt Road