As we wrote in our last Blog 3 weeks ago, gluten intolerance affects up to 1 in approximately 130 people in the United States, especially (but not limited to) those whose ancestors came from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy, or some parts of India. When an individual has gluten intolerance, he or she actually has an autoimmune-like reaction from eating foods containing wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and often oats. This reaction can affect the gastrointestinal tract, the skeletal system (joints, connective tissues, and bone density), the immune system, the muscular system (including the heart), and even the brain and central nervous system. Therefore, the symptoms can be quite varied.

Since gluten intolerance can play a part in other autoimmune diseases, it would be helpful to know what causes it. Although identifying all the causes can be a bit of a mystery, researchers have studied the following:

1) Genetics is believed to be at the root of gluten intolerance.

2) Injuries to the gastrointestinal tract from pathogens like viruses or yeast, can sometimes cause hidden or latent gluten intolerance to fully develop. Until approximately the last 20 years, this phenomenon was not recognized and it was presumed that gluten intolerance would always be identified in the first years of a child’s life soon after introducing cereal grains. Consequently, many adolescents and adults with symptoms of gluten intolerance had a great deal of difficulty getting diagnosed.

3) Undiagnosed gluten intolerance can cause more and spreading reactions as the person keeps consuming gluten, which can cause other types of autoimmune disease to develop as well. Gluten intolerance is NOT the cause of all other autoimmune disease, but it’s recognized that there can be an overlap between the two. When gluten is removed from the diet of individuals with gluten intolerance, other autoimmune symptoms have been noted to improve, sometimes dramatically. This connection is being studied not only by researchers but also by clinicians who are working to help individuals with autoimmune disease.

For more information about how to test and find if you have gluten intolerance, see our previous Blog or the excellent website www.celiac.org. Although the classic symptoms of celiac disease are those affecting the GI tract, keep in mind that gluten intolerance affects many other body systems. If you have chronic symptoms that have been diagnosed as autoimmune illness, consider asking your doctor to help determine if you have gluten intolerance. If you are truly gluten intolerant, you might find so many unexpected health improvements from this simple change of removing all sources of gluten from your diet.

With the New Year upon us everyone is taking a fresh new look at their health and cholesterol.

Lowering your cholesterol naturally isn’t really that hard, and the benefits will not only be lowering your cholesterol, but improving other areas of your life such as lowering blood pressure. Your lifestyle change doesn’t necessarily mean a drastic change. Gradually introduce healthy foods and nutritional supplements into your diet.

I know that sometimes I personally feel like I am in a rut by having the same dinner choices over and over. I am looking forward to the changes my family is making in our menus. For example, fish cooked in tin foil pockets with vegetables and a salad or chicken shish kabobs over wild rice are new options that you have once you reprogram yourself to think outside the box. These low-fat dinners take no longer to prepare than your conventional dinners and the benefits outweigh the extra effort.

Some cholesterol is made in your body by your liver and some comes from what you eat. For example, all meat has cholesterol whereas plants do not. Some cholesterol is necessary for good health but too much can cause high blood pressure, raise stroke risk and cause arteries to become narrow and clogged.

Some things that may help to lower cholesterol are Garlic, B Vitamins, Soy, Fiber, Chromium, Grape Seed Extract, and Vitamin C.

I’ve been learning a new job skill. Actually, I’ve been relearning a skill. We use thermology as a part of our diagnostic protocols, and I was involved in the program a while back, but we have added new technology to make the process more accurate. To me the program is a lot more complicated, so the task of relearning is a little daunting to me.

I grew up before computers were a part of everyone’s daily existence, so learning to use computer technology has always had a fear factor attached to it—fear of failure, I suppose. Once I put the fear aside and try to think of the learning experience as an adventure, things seem to go a little easier. God willing, I will conquer this new threshold of the computer world.

Here at COEM we offer many of our patients a whole new world of treatment options. I’m sure some of them feel like they are taking a great leap of faith when they try the things that Dr. Lieberman recommends. He doesn’t tell them to abandon traditional treatments if they are working, but he does offer alternatives which often produce successful results where conventional medicine has failed.

We look for the cause of the illness in order to develop the treatment, and sometimes the treatment involves major changes in a person’s habits and perceptions. The prospect of making these changes can often be a little frightening, but if the fear can be mastered, and the patient accepts the responsibility for their own care with Dr. Lieberman’s guidance and the help of the COEM staff, the results are usually very positive.

This is the catchy heading on an excellent article found on the Celiac Disease Foundation website (www.celiac.org)

It’s a worthwhile question to ask, especially here in the U.S. where the incidence of gluten intolerance may be much higher than is currently diagnosed. Ireland is the country believed to have the highest incidence with 1 in every 100 people having this disorder, Italy 1 in every 250, the United Kingdom 1 in every 300, and the U.S. 1 in 133 to 1 in 500 (depending upon a person’s original ethnic background). Even in the Punjab region of India, as well as Pakistan, the Middle East, and North Africa, there are high numbers of people who are affected. [Source: www.foodreactions.org/gluten/]

Misconceptions about gluten intolerance still persist, so most individuals rarely think of gluten intolerance as a possible cause of problems for them if they don’t have chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, and weight loss. Actually the symptoms of gluten intolerance can be quite subtle and diverse, such as poor iron absorption and resulting anemia, poor calcium metabolism and resulting early-onset osteopenia and osteoporosis, Vitamin K deficiency and chronic menstrual hemorrhaging, sometimes chronic edema and weight gain, persistent fatigue, and the more common intestinal bloating and IBS. Since gluten intolerance damages the villi of the small intestine where nutrients must be absorbed, we can see why the symptoms can be so varied, depending upon the nutrients most affected and the extent of injury to the intestines.

Unfortunately many people think that a trial or two off all gluten (found in wheat, oats, rye, barley, spelt, and kamut) is enough to self-diagnose this problem. They think of it as a “gluten allergy” which should be easy to identify, like other allergies, with 4 to 7 days of avoidance. Actually avoidance of all gluten for at least one month and preferably 3 months is the better way to begin to see how much healing is possible with a gluten-free diet. Gluten is a hidden ingredient in common foods like soy sauce, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, sauces of all kinds, bottled salad dressings, all cereals or breads or pastas unless clearly labeled “gluten-free,” and many other foods, so a strict gluten-free diet for diagnostic purposes takes some planning, knowledge, and vigilance.

Another common obstacle to identifying gluten intolerance occurs when individuals suspect this problem and begin to limit how often or how much gluten they eat in order to see if they feel better. If they improve, they decide to take the next step of going to the doctor and having a Celiac Disease lab test performed, which is based on blood antibody levels such as anti-gliadin antibody, anti-endomysial antibody, and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody. If the results come back negative, they begin to eat gluten again and are totally confused when they start feeling worse. The difficulty is that blood antibodies can begin to die down within 7 days after avoiding gluten (although it takes much longer for healing of all the villi occur), so the antibody test may yield a falsely negative result unless gluten has been eaten daily optimally for 4 weeks prior to the test. In addition, some individuals don’t seem to produce positive levels of those particular antibodies that can currently be tested, yet they still are symptomatic when eating gluten-containing foods. With gluten intolerance, perhaps there’s a place for a scientifically conducted test of strict avoidance for three months, if it seems to help. However, this approach would need to be discussed with one’s doctor.

Despite these obstacles in identifying gluten intolerance, if individuals do find gluten is a source of their diverse and subtle problems and avoid gluten, they may be rewarded in equally diverse and subtle ways. Not only are the problems caused by nutrient deficiencies listed above usually able, in 6 to 24 months, to be reversed, but other autoimmune processes related to gluten intolerance may be prevented or more successfully treated. Depending upon the individual and how important gluten intolerance is in his or her own case, these can include hyperthyroidism (Graves’ disease), Crohn’s disease, neurological disorders with Parkinson’s-like symptoms, intractable migraine headaches, Lupus, and even multiple sclerosis.

It’s always worthwhile to ask, “Are You the One?” when it comes to gluten intolerance. For more information, please see the websites listed at the beginning of this blog.

With vacation season right around the corner and spring fever soon to be in the air, a lot of families are now starting to plan their time off during the spring break. I was speaking with the mother of an autistic child, whom she recently took to Disney World. She said that upon arrival, she went to the Visitor’s Center and told them that her son was autistic. She said that right away she was given a pass that allowed her and her son to bypass any lines for any rides, even the people holding the “fast passes”. She said that she and her family were not stressed by having to wait in long lines while they tried to find numerous ways to entertain her son, and that he did not “miss a beat” of the experience by being distracted or losing focus. She said that it was almost as if they were the only ones in the park, and it was one of the best vacations they ever had.

It seems that more and more vacation getaways and attractions are starting to offer special options for children with special needs and their families. It would be more than worthwhile to check into these benefits if someone in your family has special needs. After all, a vacation should be an exciting adventure for everyone involved.

An Ei Christmas is quite demanding
Requiring creative beforehand planning
No longer in toxic malls do I roam
I catalog shop straight from home

Gift-wrapping takes very little toil
With a simple tag and aluminum foil
My Christmas cards for days at a time
Continue to air on the outside line

My Christmas stocking can’t be forgotten
Specially made and totally cotton
Christmas cookies are gluten free
In the corner stands my ceramic tree

My holiday meal is as pure as can be
Organically grown and pesticide free
A range fed turkey my oven cooks
No pumped in poison improving its looks

Normal festivities are out of range
Home decorations look a bit strange
My Christmas – though different – isn’t so odd
Spirit and focus still center on God

It matters little if the trees aren’t real
Or we can’t enjoy a traditional meal
Remember the greatest gift ever given
Didn’t come wrapped in a box with a ribbon

We celebrate Christmas to never lose sight
Of the birth of Christ and eternal life

S. Sharp
Observations From the Sidelines of Life

It’s sort of a cliché to talk about New Year’s Resolutions about this time of year, but it’s a nice thought that as the old year comes to an end, we should be looking forward to the next with any emotion other than tired cynicism, much less a desire to reflect on what we could do to improve ourselves.

New Year’s Resolutions rely on the notion that when a new year begins, we get an opportunity to start over with a clean slate, and somehow improve on our less-than-perfect outgoing year. Since we are human beings, it’s a given that our years are always less-than-perfect so there is always room for improvement.

If you’re feeling realistic about your sticking to your resolutions (or if you’re simply feeling a bit lazy after too much eggnog), you’re likely to choose some easily achieved goals that you’ll get around to by February. After all, how many of us even remember what our resolutions were past February?

You are your own best judge of what you can realistically change in your life. I can resolve to give away millions to charity, but since I don’t have that kind of money, that resolution is more of a wish fantasy than a real resolution. A more realistic resolution is to stop writing the year as 2011 by March of 2012, but this isn’t the kind of meaningful improvement that we usually want from a real resolution.

If you have specific health goals, this is generally the time of year to once again resolve to eat less, exercise more, drink more water and fewer sodas, etc., etc. Just saying to yourself that you ought to eat less and exercise more isn’t likely to be sufficient motivation for change. If you really want to make meaningful changes, it will take more than just saying, “Oh, I ought to do such-and-such”.

Now is a good time to plan ahead and come up with strategies for making changes. Stating your goals out loud and/or writing them down is a good start. Finding someone who you can trust to support you as you make changes is even better. There’s something about telling someone what you aim to accomplish that puts you in a more active role than spending a few minutes thinking about your resolution(s) to yourself. Going public with your goal(s) means that you want some accountability.

If you’re serious about keeping your resolutions, consider making a pact with a friend who also has changes to make. You can be mutually supportive as you try to reach your specific goals, step by step.

There’s a tendency for people to get invested in some specific notion of change, and then if they fall off of their chosen bandwagon, they give up and tell themselves that there’s always next year. There’s more to learn from our mistakes than quitting once we make them, but one crucial lesson is not to beat ourselves up when we eventually fail to become perfect. The goal is improvement, not perfection.

Three weeks ago in this Blog section, we discussed how to use and how much to use of Turmeric (Curcumin) and Ginger supplements to relieve pain. This week we’d like to take the culinary approach to the same topic. Though some people prefer to get their nutrients in nice little capsules, other people actually like to avoid pills when possible and embrace the healing foods approach. The nice thing is both approaches work!

The knobby-looking roots from the Curcuma longa (Turmeric) and Zingiber officinale (Ginger) plants are often available in Oriental (including Thai) and Eastern Indian grocery stores, food co-ops, and larger health food stores like Whole Foods and Earth Fare. Although we tend to think of foods as less concentrated in their effects than supplements, in the case of Turmeric and Ginger, we can get powerful pain relieving, anti-inflammatory, healing, and even blood-thinning results just using the fresh roots. They are also suitable for use by those with inflamed GI tracts.

The outside of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) roots can be orange to almost brown in color when fresh. The roots should feel firm and be free of mold. Wherever a cut portion of turmeric root is visible, the interior color should be a dark, inviting orange-red, indicating plentiful anti-oxidants. When cutting fresh turmeric at home, be aware that it will stain whatever it touches a beautiful yellow “curry” color, including your hands, your clothes, your cutting boards, and light colored counters. People who don’t want to advertise their serious use of Curcuma can wear plastic food preparation gloves and choose kitchen utensils and boards carefully. Thinly peel off the external skin of the Turmeric roots before cutting.

The taste of fresh Turmeric is more pleasing than dry (depending on a person’s tastes). It has been described as both pungent and bitter. It is usually mixed with other spices such as fresh Ginger root, and the flavors, as well as their actions, are very complimentary. Ethnic cooking usually calls for finely grating or chopping either peeled Turmeric or Ginger roots and sautéing them in the oil or fat that is used to sauté onions and/or garlic. Using this approach, the fresh spices mellow a little and the flavor becomes more subtle and pleasing. Grated Turmeric root is used sparingly, for instance in teaspoonful amounts in the recipe, about twice the volume you would use of dried Turmeric root.

The outside of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) roots are a silvery-gold tan color. Again, the roots should be firm and very fresh. Avoid any roots that are soft or moldy—they’ll taste awful and you’ll wonder how anyone could eat fresh Ginger. Inside, the cut surface of fresh Ginger should be a pale yellow and a little juicy when freshly cut. (Of course, in the store, any previously cut surfaces will appear dry.) Like Turmeric roots, you need to thinly peel off the skin before proceeding, and the delightful smell alone will make you want you to use way more of this root than you probably need! Finely grate or chop the Ginger root, or some people even like to cut Ginger in inch-long, thin match sticks for lots of spicy interest in a recipe. Be aware that Ginger is quite fibrous and hard to chew, though, which is why most ethnic dishes call for it finely grated. You can use up to 4 to 6 times more fresh ginger than you would normally use of dried Ginger. Thus a recipe that calls for ¼ teaspoon dried Ginger would probably need 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of finely grated fresh Ginger to have the same flavor. Since some fresh roots are more pungent than others, this may take a little experimentation to get the exact taste you like.

Many people like Ginger’s effects so much, they also drink it as a beverage tea: 1 teaspoon finely grated Ginger to a cup of boiling or very hot water, steeped to taste. There’s no need to strain the tea. Fresh grated Ginger Root and 3 fresh Mint leaves also make a nice combination to steep for tea. Hot Ginger tea with fresh lemon juice and honey stirred in after steeping make a great cold and sore throat remedy that will soothe a nauseated stomach, too.