Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Eat Good Fats and Get Healthy-Sally Fallon Video


Yes, eat good fats and get healthy. People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity need even more good fats because of the common problem of not having enough cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood to support healthy cells and cell function. Read about cholesterol in a previous blog post.


But what is a good fat? What is a saturated fat, an unsaturated fat?
What is the difference between margarine and butter?
Is cholesterol something to be worried about?

Here is an excellent video of Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Pottinger Foundation, explaining the history of one change in our diets from a traditional diet. The video is called "The Oiling of America" and based on Dr. Enig's work in research in fats.

The DVD is 2 hours long. I hope you find the time to watch all of it. Enjoy. 



To your health.
Dr. B


Friday, January 4, 2013

Heal Your Gut To Make More Serotonin, and Feel Better


Yes, your bowel makes more serotonin than your brain does and some people call the bowel your second brain because it has more serotonin receptors too, than your brain. I have helped to resolve many peoples symptoms of anxiety, depression, learning disability, irritability and paranoia with focusing on healing the bowel, first. If you have been reading my blog, you know I mean the GAPS diet. The science that shows there is an association with improper growth of organisms (called dysbiosis) in the bowel and illness is very strong. There are many causes of dysbiosis: vitamin D deficiency, mother's use of birth control, birth by C/S, use of antibiotics without enough probiotics, stress, refined carbohydrates in the diet especially wheat, toxins in our food and drinking water, and foods that are devoid of healthy bacteria (diets without naturally fermented foods). So you see normal life in a western society can easily lead to dysbiosis.

And the consequences of the damaged bowel, and there are many: poor absorption of nutrients, mental health issues from mild to severe, autoimmune disorders, inflammation and more. A short list  and the remedies are listed here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/18/mcbride-and-barringer-interview.aspx


Here is a quote from the same article:


Your gut serves as your second brain, and even produces more serotonin—known to have a beneficial influence on your mood—than your brain does. It is also home to countless bacteria, both good and bad. These bacteria outnumber the cells in your body by at least 10 to one, and maintaining the ideal balance of good and bad bacteria forms the foundation for good health—physical, mental and emotional.
Most disease originates in your digestive system. This includes both physical and mental disease. Once you heal and seal your gut lining, and make your digestive system work properly again, disease symptoms will typically resolve
The GAPS protocol is designed to restore the integrity of your gut lining by providing your body with the necessary building blocks needed for health enterocyte reproduction, and restoring balance to your gut flora. Basic dietary details are included.
But the good news is that the bowel can be healed, in your own home, without toxic chemicals or expensive therapeutic medical expenses.

One of the super healing foods is Sauerkraut and here is one of my articles on Sauerkraut and a super easy recipe for it:

To your health,
Dr. B

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Dr. Russell Blaylock on Dangers of Aspartame MSG - YouTube



THIS SHOULD BE REQUIRED VIEWING FOR EVERYBODY !!

Many people with or without gluten induced diseases may be purposefully avoiding sugar and ingesting foods with "no added sugar" only to be exposed to Aspartame. Or just chose foods not knowing what it is made of or where it came from.

Aspartame and MSG are neurotoxins and should be avoided.

Dr. Russell Blaylock MD, is a respected doctor who writes the Blaylockreport where you can find health and nutrition information that can save your life.

In this lecture Dr Blaylock explains one of the most common and important connections between nutrition and our health, how nutrition affects our behaviour, and the detrimental effects of excitotoxins Aspartame and MSG, Citing a series of important studies, he shows that good nutrition can powerfully enhance our memory, mood and behaviour in a socially desirable way. Like wise he shows us that poor nutrition can lead our youth into a world of violence, crime, depression and suicide.

Here is a must see video on YouTube by Dr. Blaylock.

If the link doesn't work you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEq3SzHI1Mw

To your health

Dr. B

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Your Prescribed Meds Are Depleting You of Vitamins and minerals




Drug Induced Nutritional Deficiencies and Gluten Sensitivity


Often times, persons with gluten sensitivity are chronically ill and are prescribed medications for their symptoms.
People with gluten sensitivity are already nutrient deficient (see Hallert et al http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12144584) and without knowing it can get into more nutrient deficiencies when they go on most medications. Drug induced nutrient loss is rarely discussed when a prescription is ordered except for perhaps when diuretics are ordered, some potassium may be ordered to counter act potassium loss. But many drugs are metabolized by using up various nutrients and that leaves a person short for their day to day metabolism. The nutrient deficiencies themselves cause symptoms or delay healing. By knowing what nutrients are depleted a person can make up the difference with food and supplements.

I take nutrient loss from drugs very seriously. For example, one year of using a PPI drug for heart burn, like Prepulsid, can increase a persons risk of heart attack by 30%. This is due to the massive calcium and magnesium losses.

For many years now, as a resource, I've used a handbook written by Ross Pelton and James Lavalle called "The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs" published by Morton Publishing Co., 2nd
Ed., 2004.

The authors make many helpful observations and recommendations. Here is a quote from the book-

Symptoms of folic acid deficiency include elevated homocysteine, anemia, headaches, fatigue, depression, hair loss, insomnia and increased susceptibility to infection.

Again, there are medical ironies here. Folic acid is helpful in relieving arthritic pain, but the drugs commonly prescribed for arthritis deplete folic acid. The cells of the intestinal lining have a special need for folic acid because of their high rate of replication; sulfasalazine, a drug commonly prescribed for colitis, can cause a deficiency of folic acid, ultimately delaying healing.

It is likely that thousands of premature deaths of heart disease and stroke could be prevented through adequate supplementation with folic acid. Some multivitamins and B-complex vitamins include only 100 mcg of folic acid; 400 mcg is a better level, and there is much to be said for using even more than that. It is a tragedy that this very inexpensive and non-toxic vitamin is not more widely used-especially by those who need it the most, including millions of users of anti-inflammatory drugs and oral contraceptives.

If you are on any medication and would like to know what nutrients are depleted, there are charts on the internet. I would not rely only on these charts or the one I have a link to here:
http://www.northlandak.com/Drug-Induced_Nutrient_Depletions_TM-1.pdf.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Dr. B

Saturday, December 8, 2012

100% Gluten Free Bakery in Ottawa, Canada: Joy of Gluten Free

Last April, I had the pleasure of meeting Susan Phipps at the "Living Well with Gluten Sensitivity Workshop" hosted by Dr. Gerry Heyman, where I was the keynote speaker. I had some of her samples of grain free products and they were excellent.

Susan opened up her shop called The Joy of Gluten Free, February 18th 2012, in Ottawa.The bakery is 100% dedicated to gluten-free which means no cross-contamination. She caters to other food sensitivities too.
The Joy of Gluten Free Bakery and Gourmet Food Shop is located at 250 Greenbank Road, Ottawa. 
She can be reached  at  www.thejoyofglutenfree.blogspot.ca or on Facebook or at 613-907-1252.

With Christmas and the holidays fast approaching, it's time to prepare or buy your favourite baked goods.

To your health.
Dr. B Powell

Monday, November 12, 2012

Create a safe kitchen in a non gluten-free home to avoid getting sick

You may be experiencing some symptoms of gluten exposure when you have taken every precaution to buy gluten free foods, and preparing them correctly. The kitchen may be contaminated if you live with a person that is not gluten free too.It is important to avoid gluten exposure at all costs so educate the people you live with by sharing this post with them.

Here are some suggestions for avoiding gluten contamination when you have no choice to convert the kitchen totally gluten free.

Rule number one: contain gluten in the kitchen!
Rule number two: have duplicate kitchen utensils that are impossible to clean of gluten!
Rule number three: Label, label, and label!
Rule number four: have duplicate items of shared food, like condiments such as mayonnaise and peanut butter!

Read Sarka-Jonae Miller's practical article from Natural News for more tips on how to be safe in the kitchen.


Contain gluten in the kitchen

Most people who share kitchens with family or roommates are not going to be able to convince others to go gluten-free too. Since banning gluten from the kitchen is not feasible in these situations, the next best thing is to contain gluten foods as much as possible.

Step one is to declare certain areas of the kitchen as gluten territory and a gluten-free area. Gluten-free fans should stake out their own cupboard and, if possible, counter space. Items with gluten should be in their own area. It is also helpful to put grains containing gluten in their own airtight container. Since many people order gluten-free foods in bulk from websites, find extra storage space for these foods in an area other than the kitchen.

A separate area in a freezer or refrigerator for gluten-free foods is also helpful. An extra freezer, ice box or small fridge in another room, garage or basement is the perfect place to put gluten-free foods, especially homemade items.

Post it notes or a label maker are helpful in labeling gluten-free foods so no mistakes are made.


Avoid cross-contamination from shared items
Shared kitchen items lead to contamination. A toaster, for example, is too risky to use for both gluten foods and gluten-free items. Getting two toasters and labeling one gluten-free is the only way to ensure that crumbs do not get onto gluten-free toast or waffles.

Another item to duplicate is a colander. Pasta with gluten when drained in a colander can leave traces of gluten. Use separate colanders.

The stove is another place where traces of gluten can get onto gluten-free items. Since buying two stoves is not possible in most circumstances, people should place aluminum foil on any area of the stove that gluten-free food is placed on.

Separate cooking utensils is also a must for protecting gluten-free dieters from cross-contamination. Separate bowls, pans, knives, stirrers, and measuring cups are just some of the items that could have traces of gluten. Porous items such as wooden cutting boards and spoons are most likely to absorb gluten.


Avoid cross-contamination from shared foods
Some foods are gluten traps, condiments particularly. Mayonnaise, butter, jelly, jams, and nut butters collect crumbs when knives or spoons are doubled dipped. It is safest to get two of these items, one for the person who eats gluten-free and one for gluten eaters. Squeeze bottles are also safer. Ketchup and mustard usually come in squeeze bottles.


Protect against cross-contamination on surfaces
For a safe kitchen, people need to keep surfaces such as counter tops and shelves free of gluten. Frequently cleaning helps. Before preparing gluten-free dishes, people should wipe off counters and other areas each time to eliminate the possibility of crumbs or small amounts of gluten items getting into the gluten-free dishes.

Another concern is that wheat flour could get onto surfaces. Every time someone uses wheat flour, it gets into the air and onto most everything, including separate cooking utensils left out. Ideally, wheat flour should not be used in a home with gluten-free residents because it is not possible to fully prevent wheat flour from settling all over the kitchen.

Following these tips for a safe kitchen can help keep people healthy.

Sources for this article include:

http://glutenfreehomemaker.com
http://www.childrenshospital.org
http://www.celiaccentral.org


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037849_gluten-free_kitchen_tips.html#ixzz2C2iOLSiL

To your health
Dr. Barbara

Monday, November 5, 2012

Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," Dr. Davis says

Many of you have heard of a recent book called Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist.
In it he describes how the modern "wheat" has proteins (toxic gliadin epitomes not present in wheat from before 1960's) that are more toxic by far than the rarely commercially grown wheat like Red Fife. He is not arguing that gliadin is new, but that modern wheat has unprecedented amounts of gliadin in it and that is new. And the extra amount of gliadin does have never-seen-before gliadin variations, which have been shown to be very toxic. "The perfect, chronic poison" as Dr. Davis would say.

Researchers from the Netherlands have even proposed that wheat breeding in the 60's may have contributed to increased prevalence of celiac disease. Read from Theor Appl Genet. 2010 Jul 28:

Other researcher are look at ways to reduce the antigenic (reactive) properties of the offending proteins in the alpha gliadin portions. And to develop strategies
"to modify gluten genes in wheat so that it becomes safe for celiac disease patients. It also provides the information to design and introduce safe gluten genes in other cereals, which would exhibit improved quality while remaining safe for consumption by celiac disease patients."

This follows from the question, how can commercial wheat be made so that it is safer?
It hasn't been done yet and it is not likely to be done any time soon. Watch the video below as part of the CBS segment and see how Dr. Davis answers that question.

Once you become sensitive to wheat and gliadin, you are sensitive even to the grains with less gliadin, even Red Fife or spelt, so they can't be ingested without consequences.

In September of this year, CBS interviewed Dr. Davis and here is an excerpt: Go to the link to see the video of the interview in its whole.


(CBS News) Modern wheat is a "perfect, chronic poison," according to Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who has published a book all about the world's most popular grain.

Davis said that the wheat we eat these days isn't the wheat your grandma had: "It's an 18-inch tall plant created by genetic research in the '60s and '70s," he said on "CBS This Morning." "This thing has many new features nobody told you about, such as there's a new protein in this thing called gliadin. It's not gluten. I'm not addressing people with gluten sensitivities and celiac disease. I'm talking about everybody else because everybody else is susceptible to the gliadin protein that is an opiate. This thing binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year."

Asked if the farming industry could change back to the grain it formerly produced, Davis said it could, but it would not be economically feasible because it yields less per acre. However, Davis said a movement has begun with people turning away from wheat - and dropping substantial weight.