Gluten Intolerance?

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website

Gluten Intolerance

Starting a Gluten-Free Diet

A strict gluten-free diet is the first one step in treatment of gluten intolerance and celiac disease.  It is critically necessary to treat the disease, as symptoms of these disorders will only resolve when gluten is removed from the diet. Even minuscule amounts of gluten can reactivate the disease-causing immune reaction mechanism. As little as 20 parts per million (ppm; a standard measure of concentration) can cause symptoms in a person who is gluten intolerant. The very good news is that gluten intolerance and celiac disease are receiving a much higher media profile. The Media are now focusing on these disorders, with featured content appearing frequently in the national press. The result is that gluten-free foods and household products are becoming much more widely available.  It has never been easier to avoid gluten.  Most health food stores and quality grocery stores have created a gluten-free section and continue to expand their offerings.  Many gluten-free foods can also be ordered online. Tinkyada is a brand that offers gluten-free pastas, made from rice, that are a great substitute for wheat pasta. You can even enjoy fresh made pizza at local restaurants, such as Pane e Vino and Mellow Mushroom, which provide the option of choosing gluten-free crusts.

About 40% of Americans are genetically predisposed to become intolerant to gluten. At least 1% of Americans (about 315,000 Americans) have the very severe form of gluten sensitivity, called celiac disease.  It is possible that the percentage of Americans suffering from celiac disease may actually be much higher reports the NCHS the National Conference on Health Statistics, because most physicians simply do not recognize the signs and symptoms of celiac disease when presented. Celiac disease has been nicknamed the "great masquerader" as the disease often presents with a variety of signs and symptoms.  A person who is gluten intolerant may develop celiac disease after repeated exposure to gluten.

So what exactly is gluten?  It's a complex of proteins that are found in wheat, rye, and barley. When eaten, the human digestive tract is unable break down the gluten proteins into its component amino acids, so the gluten proteins remain  undigested in the gastrointestinal tract until they are excreted. 

The body tags proteins as "self: or "Foreign." In those persons who develop celiac disease, the gluten proteins are identified as "foreign" and their immune systems launch a reaction against these proteins trying to kill them. Infants, children, teenagers, and adults, may have this reaction, and continued exposure to gluten may cause development of celiac disease.^1-2

The Western Diet is made up of significant amounts of Wheat, rye, and barley. Think about the last time you went to a restaurant. They served bread. Almost all breads are made from one or more of these three grains. Then think of our daily consumption of Cerials, cookies, cakes, pizza, bagels, muffins, and don't forget all pasta are just a few of the foods that contain gluten. Additionally, gluten is found in nearly everything we consume from vitamins,  to shampoo, to toothpaste, household cleansers, and even prescription drugs. Wheat-based binders are often used in the manufacturing process of many food and non food items. 

A susceptible person's initial immune reaction to gluten will often worsen with continued exposure. Eventually the immune reaction may damage the lining of the person's small intestine, leading to the classic symptoms of Irritable Bowel - abdominal pain, constipation and/or diarrhea, and abdominal bloating.  Intestinal damage causes these very unpleasant and debilitating symptoms to get worse and leads to Celiac Disease and other serious diseases. One of the major consequences of celiac disease can be malnutrition because the damaged intestinal lining is unable to properly absorb needed nutrients.

Gluten intolerance may be related to a variety of serious disorders. Perhaps surprisingly, research has pointed to neuropsychiatric conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and schizophrenia may be associated with underlying gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Evidence suggests that arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), and psoriatic arthritis may also be related to gluten intolerance. Endocrine conditions, which are so prevalent today, including diabetes, hyper- and hypothryroidism, and Addison's disease are often related to gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Infertility and frequent miscarriages may also be related to an underlying condition of gluten intolerance. What did the Greeks say, "So goes the gut so goes the body."

It is important to realize that gluten intolerance and celiac disease may be an underlying cause of many of these serious medical conditions that have not been treated successfully. It may be critical to consider gluten intolerance as an underlying cause of these various disorders and to take appropriate action. Patient knowledge and increased physician knowledge and awareness are crucial to correctly identifying a hidden problem.³

Your Millar Chiropractor is an expert in nutrition and is trained to identify underlying causes of health problems. Additionally, chiropractic treatment may help restore more normal and more effective immune system functioning. In cases requiring a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, chiropractic treatment is a crucial component.

¹Selimolu MA, Karabiber H: Celiac disease. Prevention and treatment. J Clin Gastroenterol 44(1):4-8, 2010
²Setty M, et al: Celiac disease: risk assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring. Mol Diagn Ther 12(5):289-298, 2008
³Schuppan D, et al: Celiac disease: from pathogenesis to novel therapies. Gastroenterology 137(6):1912-1933, 2009

                               

It's Your Life...Live it Well

This is a repost from Millar Chiropractic Clinic website

 

Envision Your Future

Chiropractic Care and Your Next Ten Years

Can you have a rewarding, fulfilling life when one's health is not good? Sure, but most people would agree that good health, or at least improving health, helps to make life much easier and enjoyable. With good health one has more energy, and with more energy one can do more things.  Chiropractic care addresses several  components of good health and encourages a person achieve good health from a more holistic perspective. Chiropractic care primarily focuses on the spinal column and nerve system. By improving a person's spinal biomechanics and optimizing their nerve system function, chiropractic improves energy levels throughout the body. Chiropractic care also helps reduce pain, so you can be more active in your everyday life, and get more out of whatever forms of activities and exercise you do. Chiropractic care also helps makes rest more efficient, maximizing your body's restorative powers, so you can get more benefit from your time spent resting and sleeping. The many benefits of chiropractic care assist you in achieving increased levels of health and well-being. Chiropractic care also helps support all your other activities and endeavors as you strive for optimal wellness.

What does your future hold in store for you? None of us can know for certain how long we are going to live, but some predictions are possible. Stock market indexes and hemlines will invariably fall. Then everyone will hope that they will rise again. Then in a couple of years they rise once again.  We've all heard that change, death and taxes are the only sure things you can count on in life.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  The French even have a saying for all this - "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."  Many would agree that in the last ten years, we've collectively experienced more change than ever. It is difficult to even remember life before the computer, internet or cell phones. In the United States an African-American man was elected president. Longstanding dictatorships were toppled in the Middle East. The world map changing almost daily. 

We know that things don't remain the same for long. But the pace of change is growing ever faster. The next ten years have the possibility of being even more gloriously impactful.^1,2,3 The great news is that 70 is the new 55. That's right. Since we're living longer we can do more in life. Just think, actress Betty White has reinvigorated her career at age 89. Jeff Bridges won a Best Actor Academy Award at age 61, highlighting a 40-year career. The 2010 Best Original Screenplay Academy Award went to the 73-year-old first-time winner David Seidler.  Now, it's never too late to follow your dreams.

In the next 10 years, anything is possible. But in order to create a healthier, more satisfying life, we need to change our thinking and lifestyle and move beyond the "same old, same old". Simple changes such as giving up drinking sodas, walking and getting more exercise and limiting fast food can pay big dividends in your health over the years. So can getting regular chiropractic care. As a Chiropractor we have many older patients that get adjusted to maintain their health and wellness.

It is also important to pay attention to your thoughts and notice if you have any that are habitual and negative.  Ask yourself, what underlying beliefs support these negative thought patterns?  Our thoughts and beliefs create who we are and what we experience, and can have a profound effect on our physical bodies.  If you think your "old" and are expecting to "fall apart" at a particular age, your subconscious mind and your body will almost certainly fulfill that expectation. On the other hand the opposite is true.

As a Chiropractor we teach our patienrs to follow the acronym "DREAM." Diet is anything you eat. Rest is not only quality sleeping at night but getting enough rest to continue your activity. "E" stands for exercise. We all must have exercise. "A" is for activity and adjustments. We want our patients to be active. Do something, dance, golf, tennis it really doesn't matter just do it. Then get adjusted on a regular basis to keep you body aligned and ready for the future. And finally "M" is for that mental state that we talked earlier about. If you think your old you are. Get a check up from the neck up and quit that "stinkin thinkin."

There are many people in the public eye who set a great example for remaining youthful and active late in life.  They can be a great source of inspiration as we envision what we want in the rest of our own lives. The old saying, "if it's going to be, it's up to me", remains true today. It's important to make an effort on our own behalf, making choices that will further our growth and development and the growth and development of our loved ones. In doing so, we can create a wonderful next ten years.

¹Fosha D: Positive affects and the transformation of suffering into flourishing. Ann NY Acad Sci 1172:252-262, 20093

²Bunkers SS: A focus on human flourishing. Nurs Sci Q 23(4):290-295, 2010

³Culbertson SS, et al: Feeling good and doing great: the relationship between psychological capital and well-being. J Occup Health Psychol 15(4):412-433, 2010