If you’ve heard about this subject on The View and other television shows in the past, you probably thought it didn’t apply to you. Well, it may. If you’re eating just a small amount of any of a group of familiar foods they could be contributing to serious health problems.

Experts believe that 97% of people can’t digest them adequately. People whose ancestors come from central Europe are predisposed to having this problem. And it can cause inflammation along with a wide variety of symptoms. So please read this article thoroughly and share it with your doctor. It could explain why your health is being compromised and why you haven’t gotten better.

Foods we’ve thought of as being safe — even healthy — are making us sick. And most people don’t know it. The most common symptoms are digestive problems, including chronic diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) and Crohn’s disease. These foods also can trigger autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis, and some forms of cancer.

Recently, studies have shown that eating these foods can cause atypical neurological problems, including changes in memory, difficulty concentrating, neuropathy, and movement disorders. Even good medical doctors miss this diagnosis. And a missed diagnosis means the wrong treatment.

So what is it that’s keeping you sick? If you’re not getting better no matter what you do, you may have either an intolerance or a genetic sensitivity to gluten. Gluten is a protein in some grains. And we’re finding that many people can’t digest this protein. No matter what they do to improve their digestion — including taking enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and probiotics — some folks can never eat even a tiny amount of these grains without consequences.

In many instances, this intolerance triggers an inflammatory response in the small intestines where nutrients are absorbed. The inflammation causes the destruction of the hair-like villi in the small intestines. The villi transport nutrients from your food into your bloodstream. This means that you could be eating foods packed with nutrients and taking good-quality supplements and still be deficient in various vitamins and minerals. Over time, this inflammation gets worse. And it can contribute to a variety of serious health problems, including osteoporosis, anemia, and other nutrient deficiencies.

While there is no cure for gluten intolerance, you can control it and stop the inflammation and its consequences by eating a gluten-free diet. Symptoms are often reversed over time.

Where can you find gluten?

You’ll find gluten in the grains wheat, rye, and barley — and anything made from these grains. This includes not only bread, cookies, cereals and pasta, but also brewer’s yeast, soy sauce, seitan, and barley malt.

When gluten intolerance causes inflammation in the small intestines and damage to the villi, we call it celiac disease. Doctors traditionally diagnose this disease through a blood test and a biopsy of the tissues in the small intestines — not by a blood test alone. If your doctor doesn’t think you have a serious inflammation in your intestines, he won’t do a biopsy and he’ll likely miss your diagnosis.

However, not everyone with gluten intolerance has celiac disease. Nor do their ancestors necessarily come from Europe. You could have no overt signs of inflammation in your small intestines, and no digestive symptoms, but still be unable to adequately digest gluten. This is another reason why so many people are walking around with undiagnosed gluten intolerance — and suffering from conditions that fail to improve. These include chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, and depression.

But perhaps the most overlooked symptoms caused by gluten intolerance are those that affect the brain.

Neurological problems and gluten

Although neurologists rarely mention it to their patients with movement disorders and unexplained neuropathy, eating foods containing gluten may be causing their symptoms. If you’ve been diagnosed with atypical Parkinson’s disease, you may not have Parkinson’s at all. You may have gluten intolerance.
The good news is that many times you can reverse these symptoms. The bad news is it can take as long as one year of completely avoiding all traces of gluten to see improvement. You may see improvement in other areas much more quickly.

Many people with neurological symptoms have normal tissues in their small intestines and either few or no digestive problems. Dr. Marios Hadjivassillou, one of the world’s experts on gluten intolerance and neurological disease, has found that neurological dysfunction can be the only manifestation. And he has seen it reversed by avoiding all gluten. If you have atypical neurological problems, I strongly suggest you eliminate gluten completely and see what happens. A gluten-free diet is not as difficult as it may seem at first. I know. I’m on one.

There are other reasons for chronic inflammation in the gut including parasites, laxatives, or other irritants. Testing for other causes — and treating them — is important to restore digestive integrity.

Gluten sensitivity isn’t always an all-or-nothing condition. Some people may be able to tolerate small amounts of gluten occasionally, while others need to avoid it completely. Here’s the problem: There’s no test that can tell you what you can tolerate. So in the majority of cases, it’s necessary to avoid all gluten permanently. But before you decide to avoid all gluten, there is a test that can determine whether you are sensitive to it or not.

Get tested, or …

In the February issue, I told you about a parasite test from Diagnos-Techs that you can order through Uni Key Health Systems, Inc. (800-888-4353). It is called the GI-02 test and includes testing for gluten intolerance. But if you don't think you have parasites and just want a test to screen you for gluten sensitivity, you can order their gluten-saliva test, called the Gluten/SIGA Test through Uni-Key for $125. The more complete saliva and stool parasite test costs around $300.

If you don’t want to get this saliva test, or if you can’t afford it, just stay off gluten 100% and watch for any signs of improved health. Eat something with gluten after being gluten-free for three weeks and watch for any signs of intestinal discomfort or foggy brain.

Warning: Your doctor may say he or she can order a blood test for gluten intolerance. These are not accurate. They’re most likely to say you’re fine even if you’re not. Either get this saliva test or avoid gluten. I’ll give you tips on how to avoid gluten next month. Today, I’ll help you get started.

Here’s how to begin

First, become more aware by reading the labels of all foods in your refrigerator, cupboards, and freezer. Replace foods that contain gluten with those that are gluten-free. If you’re not sure whether or not an ingredient is gluten-free, look it up on the Internet or in a good book.

Look for simple foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, such as gluten-free cereals, rice, and breads. You can refine your diet over time as you find more safe foods.

Gluten intolerance may be a new concept to you, but thousands of people across the country avoid all gluten. Literally thousands of packaged and frozen foods are now marked “Gluten Free.” In fact, your neighborhood supermarket or health food store may already have a gluten-free section.

For more information

Next month, I’ll give you more specific information on how to adapt to a gluten-free diet. Meanwhile, if you need more immediate help, pick up a copy of Living Gluten-Free for Dummies by Danna Korn (Wiley Publishing, 2006). It explains what you can and can’t eat and gives tips for eating out. It also has dozens of recipes to get you started.

Kasarda, D.D. In press. “Gluten and gliadin: precipitating factors in coeliac disease.” Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Coeliac Disease, September 5-7, 1996, Tampere, Finland.

Hadjivassillou, M., et al. “Gluten sensitivity: a many headed hydra”, BMJ, June 26, 1999.

Hadjivassillou, M., et al. “Gluten sensitivity: time to move from gut to brain,” ACNP, January/February 2003.

This Antioxidant Reduces Your Risk for Heart Disease and Other Inflammatory Problems

If you are at risk for heart disease or other inflammatory problems, there’s an unusual nutrient you need to know about. Unlike most nutrients, this one isn’t known by the name of the plant it comes from. Instead, it’s known by the trade name of its standardized extract, which is made in a Swiss lab. Still, it’s classified as a nutritional supplement and not a drug. Thank goodness! Because we’re now finding more uses for it.

Like all plant-derived supplements, this one has multiple actions. You probably know it as an antioxidant, but now we know that it does much more.

In recent studies, this extract decreased an established marker for inflammation. It lowers C-reactive protein (CRP), a major risk factor for heart disease. I predict you’ll see it included more in formulas to stop the spread of inflammation from osteoarthritis, heart disease, and other conditions.

This supplement is Pycnogenol®, an extract made from the French maritime pine bark (Pinus pinaster). This is not just any pine tree bark. The French maritime pine grows along the coast of southwest France. Its bark contains an unusual combination of nutrients that have been the subject of more than 200 scientific studies over the past 35 years. We know from these studies that its extract, Pycnogenol, is both safe and effective.

Past studies have found that Pycnogenol reduces osteoarthritis, eliminating the need for taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — drugs that often have side effects like liver toxicity and intestinal bleeding.

But this most recent study, conducted by researchers in Italy and Germany, found it is particularly effective in reducing inflammation. They gave half the study participants, all of whom had significantly high CRP levels, 50 mg of Pycnogenol twice a day for three months. The other half received a placebo (sugar pill). Pycnogenol lowered the CRP to healthy levels. The placebo did nothing.

But that’s not all.

I’ve talked before about fibrinogen, a protein made in the liver that is a strong predictor of heart attacks and stroke. Well, in this Italian/German study, Pycnogenol not only reduced CRP, it lowered fibrinogen levels by more than 37%!

Dr. Peter Rohdewald, a lead researcher, believes that Pycnogenol “may be potent enough to arrest the spread of inflammation from osteoarthritic joints to the whole organisms.” So if your fibrinogen is fine, and you don’t have osteoarthritis, Pycnogenol could lower inflammation in your gut from intestinal problems. Or it could reduce periodontal (gum) disease. Or diabetes.

As time goes on, Pycnogenol’s usefulness grows. A Scandinavian study published in 2007 gave 200 menopausal women 200 mg of Pycnogenol a day or a placebo. All of the women who took this extract had improvement in every one of their menopausal symptoms. In addition, their HDL/LDL cholesterol levels improved.
This extract may be just what you need to reduce inflammation throughout your body. This includes inflammation in your digestive tract caused by gluten sensitivity or parasites.

“Third osteoarthritis study this year reveals Pycnogenol lowers inflammatory marker CRP,” Medical News Today, 10 December 2008.

Yang, H.M., et al. “A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Pycnogenol on the climaceric syndrome in peri-menopausal women,” Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 2007.

Is This Natural Substance Increasing Your Risk for Diabetes and Cancer?

Diabetes is on the rise, and now we’ve found another risk factor. This is one you can’t avoid. It’s everywhere. Especially in the soil and water in many parts of the country. You can’t escape it, and it doesn’t take a great deal to be “too much.” But you can eliminate it from your body if you have too much of it.

I’m talking about a toxic heavy metal that’s found naturally in the earth’s crust. It occurs in rocks and soil, and makes its way into our waters. It’s also a by-product of industrial and agricultural pollution. We become exposed to it through drinking water — especially when it comes from some wells — and from foods grown in fields that are contaminated.

This natural-but-toxic substance is arsenic.

There are two kinds of arsenic: organic and inorganic. The organic kind is found in fish and seafood. It won’t hurt you. Inorganic arsenic, on the other hand, can. It is not only in our soil and water; it gets into our air from burning coal and from copper mining. And from some fertilizers and pesticides where manufacturers add it to kill pests.

Inorganic arsenic is the form that increases your risk for diabetes. In addition, researchers have linked it to many cancers, including lung, skin, bladder, liver, kidney, and prostate. The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that it’s carcinogenic.

In the past, we thought that just high amounts of arsenic were toxic. But recently, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that even low levels of exposure may increase a person’s risk for diabetes. We don’t know how much arsenic it takes to increase your risk for cancer. But like other toxic substances, it may very well turn out that no amount is truly safe.

Low levels of exposure can cause neurological problems, including numbness or tingling in your hands or feet, neuropathy, and muscle tenderness.

You can test for arsenic through a simple hair analysis. It will show your exposure to arsenic in the past 6-12 months. One lab I’ve used in the past is Doctor’s Data, Inc. Call them at 800-323-2784 for more information on their Hair Toxic Element Exposure Profile.

If you have arsenic in your body — and many people throughout the world do — you can pull it out of your body with the supplement Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP). I’ve talked about MCP before and even wrote a small book on the subject (Modified Citrus Pectin: MCP. To order the supplement or the book, please call 800-728-2288.

The Phytotherapy Research journal recently published a study where researchers found that MCP increased the urinary excretion of arsenic 130% in the first 24 hours! There are several forms of MCP on the market, but only one of them, PectaSol, has scientific studies supporting its effectiveness. So it’s the only one I recommend. Here’s the protocol I use on my patients and myself with good results:

Take two to three capsules of PectaSol Chelation Complex (PCC) twice a day on an empty stomach for two weeks. PCC is a combination of modified citrus pectin and sodium alginate — another powerful and safe chelating agent made from purified seaweed. This combination removes heavy metals, pharmaceutical drugs, and other contaminants better than anything else I’ve seen.

Next, add PectaSol Detox Complete (PDC). This formula combines pectin with detoxifying herbs and is able to bind to heavy metals buried deep within the tissues. Take one capsule three times a day with food. You can get more information on these products from articles on my website. Both products are available from Advanced Bionutritionals (800-728-2288).

After you’ve taken these two supplements for three to six months, get another hair analysis. Arsenic may be impossible to avoid, but you detect, measure, and remove it. Since exposure is constant for many of us, I take these two supplements daily. If you don’t want to take them daily, you can take them for three months every year as insurance.

ScienceDaily, April 7, 2007.

Navas-Acien, A, “Arsenic exposure and diabetes mellitus in the United States,” JAMA, December 17, 2008.

Eliaz, I., et al. “The effect of modified citrus pectin on urinary excretion of toxic elements,” Phytotherapy Research, October 20, 2006.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

A New, Tasty Low-Sugar, Gluten-Free Snack

As soon as I decided to try a gluten-free diet, I began to see how difficult it is just to find healthy snacks. I used to pick up nutrition bars for emergencies, but most either contained wheat or around 30 grams of carbs – more sugar than I wanted.

I was looking for something small and tasty to tide me over between meals. Then I read that one of the nutrition bars from KIND won the top prize for a new product at Natural Products Expo East, a trade show for health food stores. I knew I had to taste test them for you.

KIND bars primarily contain nuts and bits of dried fruit. They do have very small amounts of honey and glucose, but their total carbs run low for this type of snack: from 11-20 grams. That means they won’t cause your blood sugar to spike.

There are two types of KIND bars — original and KIND Plus with added vitamins and minerals. The KIND Plus bars have very small amounts of nutrients added to them. They cost 30 cents more — $2.29 vs $1.99.

What sold me on these nutrition bars is their low glycemic index, good taste, small but adequate size, and no gluten. Plus, they’re available in many supermarkets and health food stores. Try them and let me know what you think. My taste testers all loved them — especially the Mango Macadamia.

Congratulations! You Won a Small Battle

Last month, I suggested you contact General Mills and tell them to stop using milk with the synthetic hormone rGBH to make their Yoplait yogurt. Well, thanks to your efforts and the non-profit organization, Breast Cancer Action (BCA), General Mills will no longer make Yoplait with milk containing rGBH. That is, not after this August.

BCA’s campaign explained that Yoplait’s donations to fight breast cancer came from the sale of yogurt made with this hormone, which has been linked to breast cancer. Congratulations to everyone at BCA — and those of you who took action. Your voice does count.

LETTERS

Q:: Is Integrative Digestive Formula safe for children? — J.K., e-mail

A: Most children have digestive problems that you can solve by limiting their intake of sugar and having them drink more water and eat high-fiber foods. If that isn’t enough, eliminate all foods with gluten. Sensitivity to wheat or other foods could be the culprit.

The basis for safety information and the effectiveness of nutrients comes from studies. Few supplement companies — even the large ones — can afford to conduct studies on people of all ages and health conditions.

That said, I spoke with the researcher at EcoNugenics, the company that formulated and manufactures Integrative Digestive Formula (IDF). Based on studies of the individual ingredients, he suggests you limit IDF to children over the age of two. And give them no more than one capsule twice a day for a week or two. I’d start with one capsule a day.

Here’s why I’d limit the amount and duration of IDF: You may have heard that soy contains plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) that can affect young children. Well, so does the pomegranate seed powder in this digestive formula. The difference is that the amount of phytoestrogens it contains is minimal. There are more phytoestrogens in soy milk or tofu.

So, use IDF only when all else fails, limit the amount to one or two capsules a day, and use it only for only a short period of time.

Q: I have hay fever and other seasonal allergies. Often, I feel worse the day after I’ve been exposed to allergens. Why is this, and what can I do about it? — H.M.F., e-mail

A: You’re experiencing a phenomenon that researchers just recently identified. Stress could be the reason for your worsening allergies, not exposure to allergens. Even very mild stress or anxiety can cause your allergic reactions to be worse the day after exposure.

Researchers at Ohio State University found this association. This is an important discovery, since many people take antihistamines to relieve their symptoms of itchy eyes, runny nose, and congestion. Antihistamines may make you feel better at first, but they won’t work the next day if stress is the culprit.

I have another suggestion. At the first sign of an allergy attack, treat your stress. One way would be to take an adaptogen, such as Rhodiola or Eleutherococcus. Adaptogens restore balance throughout the body and help reduce the effects of stress.

You can find tinctures of these and other adaptogenic herbs in most health food stores. Take 20 drops of either herb in a little water, and drink it three or four times a day. Support this with any stress-reduction technique you can from meditation to a warm bath or just taking time off to read or listen to music.

As surprising as it may seem, stress reduction may be the key to surviving allergy attacks. Especially on the day after you were exposed to allergens.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118318.php.