How to Subscribe to Dr. Powell’s Blog through Email Notifications

I would like to make it more convenient for you to see any new entries in a timely way.

If you would like to automatically receive my next blog entry, I suggest you subscribe to my blog by email.

You can subscribe by these two easy steps:

1.   Go to www.celiacbrain.blogspot.ca

2. Type in your email where it says ‘Follow by Email’ (on the right of the page).

You should receive a new blog entry in your email automatically.

I hope you choose this method to take charge of your health and get informed about pertinent, up-to-date information regarding gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

Yours in health,

Dr. Barbara Powell

Trying to Lose Weight- Try This Blog Whole30

Here is a very interesting blog which is also GAPS. It encourages healthy eating and it’s called Whole30.

A thirty day plan!!

I like it.

No coffee! Help! I Need a Morning Pick Me Up!

caffeine crystal

I love the taste of a good cup of coffee. And when I don't get to drink it or if I smell it, I crave coffee.

But I am resigned to the fact that I can't drink coffee without suffering some serious effect : inflammation, rebound exhaustion, stimulation of the gluten cross reactivity and possibly making new autoimmune diseases or at least making any existing autoimmune disorder worse.

A recent report showed cross reactivity of coffee and gluten in those persons who are sensitive to gluten (people with celiac or non- celiac gluten sensitivity). I recommend trying to eliminate coffee and coffee products if one has any symptoms or signs of inflammation, no matter how small.

And then there is the problem of caffeine....This is a picture of caffeine. Caffeine is made by plants to protect themselves from predators. Hmmmm? It's a natural pesticide.  Find out more at A Visual View of Caffeine.

What is one to do without coffee? Here are some pointers from The Healthy Home Economist:

Help! I Need a Morning Pick Me UP!

What if you really need a morning or afternoon pick me up and are truly concerned about the effect of coffee or tea on your adrenal and overall hormone health?

You can go the decaf route, but decaf coffee and tea still have caffeine in them and so will not eliminate the stress on the adrenals completely.

16oz of Starbucks Decaf, for example, contains about 25 mg of caffeine which is about the same amount as 8 oz of regular green tea.

Even decaf black tea has up to 12 mg of caffeine per 8 oz.

One option for a completely caffeine free morning brew is Dandy Blend, made of dandelion root.   I know plenty of folks who just love Dandy Blend and swear it tastes just like coffee, but if you choose to give it a try – go slow and build up gradually.   I’ve had some people report that the detoxifying effect of the dandelion can result in a close relationship with the bathroom until your digestive tract adjusts!

Another option is to make a coffee substitute yourself: The following recipe is suggested by Sally Fallon Morell, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation who recommends it as a good pick me up:

Coffee Substitute
1 Tbl Molasses

1 Tbl Coconut oil

1/4 tsp organic powdered ginger

Place ingredients in a mug and pour in boiling water and stir. Let coook until still hot but drinkable and enjoy!

I have survived not drinking coffee, and I have even thrived. I have some wonderful, stimulating non-caffeinated teas like Rooibos, cherry and raspberry tea.

 And water Kefir!!!

Enjoy exploring the world of teas.

“The 7 Day Back Pain Cure”.

Many healthcare practitioners recognize that food sensitivities, but especially gluten sensitivity trigger inflammation and inflammation can sometimes present as pain.  The connection is clear. And so many healthcare practitioners recommend eliminating wheat from the diet with great results.

Today I was asked if a person could cure celiac/gluten sensitivity with a gluten-free diet. Maybe once, but I don’t think it is possible in our environment. The problem is that once the body makes anti-bodies to gliadin, or one’s own tissues, the body doesn’t forget. It’s always ready and watching for a “triggering protein poly peptide”. Candida is very common trigger but so is coffee which can cross react. And, as noted below, 5% of modern wheat polypeptides are completely unique and not like any ancient wheat, and they are responsible for triggering reactions. And the body doesn’t forget, probably from multiple reasons such as toxic overload, chemical exposure, Electromagnetic field exposure, chronic infections, and nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin A deficiencies. One would have a reaction from eating wheat even if you can get a hold of heritage wheat flour (not the hybrid wheat strains).

If you have pain, try a Gut and Psychology syndrome diet with the supplements listed in the book and see if you don’t feel better. And add a supplement called GLA at 600 mg a day .

The following is a quote from Isabel De Los Rios at Beyond Diet, who recommends the book “The 7 Day Back Pain Cure”.

A lot of what I’ve learned about tackling inflammation and pain I learned from Jesse Cannone’s free book, "The 7 Day Back Pain Cure." Particularly, be sure to read Chapter 8: The Diet: How Dietary Imbalances Cause Pain.

"If I had to choose just 1 thing to do right now to help reduce your inflammation it would be to greatly reduce your wheat and gluten intake." Eliminating wheat from your diet can have an astounding impact on how you look and feel.

Wheat wasn’t always so harmful like it is today. In the past, we had many different strains of wheat, but in modern times, in order to increase production, agricultural scientists created two hybrid strains. Right now more than 99% of the wheat grown worldwide comes from those two hybrid crops. Genetically modified foods in any form can have an extremely negative impact on our health and weight.  Dr. William Davis, a Wisconsin based cardiologist, points out that the hybrid wheat strain shows only 95% of the same proteins as its parent wheat strains: the other 5% are completely unique. This unique 5% of proteins is responsible for so many people’s wheat sensitivities.  It’s becoming a huge epidemic and most everyone is allergic or sensitive to wheat in some form. Is that a scary thought or what?

In tomorrow’s newsletter, I will be addressing the easiest ways to eliminate wheat from your eating plan and the easy and delicious substitutions you have to choose from. Until then, make sure to get your free copy of "The 7 Day Back Pain Cure." It is a wonderful book to have on your bookshelf and I use it almost every week as one of my favorite reference books.
Your personal copy of "The 7 Day Back Pain Cure"

Isabel De Los Rios

Certified Nutritionist

Certified Exercise Specialist

* Check out what's happening right now on Beyond Diet

CENTER FOR CELIAC RESEARCH AND DR. FASANO ON DOMINO’S PIZZA

There has been a lot of press lately about Domino's Gluten free pizza. According to the company's statement, Domino's found that while the crust is certified as gluten free, current store operations at Domino's

can not guarantee that each hand crafted pizza is gluten free.

The Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland, lead by Dr. Fasano MD, has issued a paper on this subject on May 11, 2012. Read below or click here. 

CENTER FOR CELIAC RESEARCH STATEMENT ON DOMINO’S PIZZA


Friday, May 11, 2012
On May 7th, Domino’s Pizza began selling a new product the company describes as: “Domino’s pizza made with a gluten-free crust.” The launch of this new product into the U.S. market has generated some confusion, particularly in the celiac disease community, about the safety of this product for people with gluten-related disorders. According to the company’s statement, Domino’s found that while the crust is certified as gluten-free, current store operations at Domino’s cannot guarantee that each handcrafted pizza will be completely free from gluten. The Center for Celiac Research has been asked its position on the matter, and hopes to alleviate some confusion with this statement.

While the development of safe gluten-free products and safe dining establishments is always a welcome advance, we do not have the confidence that this product meets the safety standards we recommend for our patients. The introduction of cross contamination from a large chain like Domino’s represents a threat to our patients affected by gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, dermatitis herpetiformis (a skin condition), wheat allergy and gluten ataxia. As an international celiac research center with expertise in gluten-related disorders, we believe that individuals who have been diagnosed with a gluten-related disorder should NOT consume this product.
In many restaurant and dining establishments with a high risk of cross-contamination, it simply becomes too risky for patients with gluten-related disorders to remain gluten-free. Cross-contamination occurs when gluten-free foods come into contact with utensils, surfaces or foods that contain gluten. It’s a very real concern for many of our patients, including some who suffer from gluten sensitivity.

Additionally, we are still waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to resolve the issue of safe threshold levels of gluten to be used in food labeling. Based on this threshold definition, we will be able to classify products as either safe or not safe, and, therefore, not suitable for consumption by people affected by gluten-related disorders. Based on Domino's statement, we can assume that their pizza is not safe and, therefore, should not be consumed by patients affected by gluten-related disorders. For more information please visit our websitewww.celiaccenter.org.


Alessio Fasano, M.D.
Director
Center for Celiac Research
University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD

Why Was My Biopsy Negative, When I Know Gluten Makes Me Sick? AGA Guidelines Increases Celiac Diagnosis By Two!

Diagnosing celiac disease can be very difficult. One of the difficulties lies in the significant failure rate of small bowel biopsy ( the gold standard for diagnosing celiac disease). To improve this accuracy, of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute recommended in 2006 that at least 4 specimens be taken for examination. A recent study by Benjamin Lebwohl at the Columbia University Celiac Disease Center concludes that most physicians are not following the guidelines, but they should be.

Why? Because his team was able to show, by doing four or more specimens doubles the diagnosis of celiac disease. Hmmmmmm!

If you are going for a small bowel biopsy, ask if your doctor takes four specimens or more routinely. If you have had a biopsy, and a negative diagnosis maybe you should get a copy of your pathology report and see how many specimens were taken.

Here Diana Gitig Ph.D reports:
Dr. Lebwohl and colleagues collated the specimens sent to Caris Life Sciences, a specialized GI pathology laboratory that receives samples from endoscopy centers in forty-three states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. They looked at 132, 352 patients who had endoscopies for various indications between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2009. From these endoscopies, only 35% followed the recommendation of submitting at least four specimens. There was a slight increase once the guidelines were proposed, in 2006; but by the end of 2009 adherence to the guidelines was still a low 37%. Interestingly, the number of specimens submitted could be directly correlated with the probability of a positive diagnosis of celiac disease.

Adherence varied by indication, with the highest rates (43.9%) among patients undergoing endoscopies for diarrhea and the lowest rates (30.0%) among those having endoscopies because of heartburn. Among patients having endoscopies for malabsorption or suspected celiac disease adherence was only 38.5%. Adherence to the guidelines also decreased with the age of the patient. The researchers did not have access to socioeconomic or racial data regarding the patients, so could not determine if that factored into adhering to the guidelines.

The proportion of patients diagnosed with celiac doubled when at least four biopsy specimens were submitted. This increase varied by indication; it was most apparent in those undergoing endoscopy because of malabsorption and suspected celiac disease, but was present for the other indications as well. This study validates those recommendations; hopefully the slight increase in adherence since they have been proposed will continue to grow.

Read Diana Gitig Ph.D.'s report at Celiac.com 06/15/2011

Mucous Producing Cells Provide Intestinal Immunity

Goblet cells that line the intestine and secrete mucous are emerging as part of a tag team to protect us from harmful bacteria, viruses and large undigested food particles that can trigger food allergies. And they allow for vitamins and other nutrients to pass to the circulatory system.

A recent report from a research team at Washington University School of medicine in St. Louis shows that goblet cells work with dendritic cells.

Dr. Miller says the results are important because they help scientists understand that intestinal immune responses may depend as much on the ability of goblet cells to transport antigens to dendritic cells as much as on what the dendritic cells then do with those antigens. 

Vitamin A and D are important in maintaining healthy mucosal lining, and it is imperative to have ones vitamin A and D blood levels done to make sure the blood level is above 120 (Canadian) and 48 (USA) . You can only tell if you have absorbed the vitamin D that you have taken (or the effects of sun tanning) with a blood level. There are many ways that the absorption of vitamin D and A can go wrong.

The more we know about the workings of our intestinal system the more we can understand how to stop abnormal reactions to normal, not disease producing proteins that may be found in the bowel, like gluten or casein. 

Jefferson Adams writes more about this in Goblet Cells Emerge asUnexpected Player in Intestinal Immunity


Celiac.com 05/16/2012 - Goblet cells that line the intestine and secrete mucous are emerging as a possible target for treating inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease and food allergies. With every meal, immune cells in the intestine stand guard against harmful bacteria but permit vitamins and nutrients to pass. The small intestine is protected from harmful pathogens by a layer of mucus secreted from goblet cells.

A research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified the cells that protect the intestine against food antigens, or proteins so that the immune system does not begin an attack…… …….. and observed antigens as they were passed by goblet cells to dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells play a key role in the immune system. But until now, scientists thought that intestinal goblet cells were only responsible for secreting mucus.

Miller and Newberry also studied healthy human intestinal tissue from patients undergoing weight-loss surgery. Those results showed that goblet cells perform the same function in people as in mice. This indicates that the cells may be solid drug targets for treating inflammatory bowel disease and other intestinal problems.



Source:

• Nature. 2012 Mar 14;483(7389):345-9. doi: 10.1038/nature10863.