NIH.gov: Antacids and Dietary Supplements Can Increase Risk of Food Sensitivity

Another article indicating that the use of antacids is not always a good thing, and that it contributes to the development of food allergies. (Elevating the pH means decreasing the amount of acidity.)

Excerpts from PubMed.gov:

BACKGROUND

Elevation of the gastric pH increases the risk for sensitization against food allergens by hindering protein breakdown. This can be caused by acid-suppressing medication like sucralphate, H2-receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors, as shown in recent murine experimental and human observational studies.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to assess the sensitization capacity of the dietary supplement base powder and of over-the-counter antacids.

METHODS

Changes of the pH as well as of protein digestion due to base powder or antacids were measured in vitro. To examine the in vivo influence, BALB/c mice were fed codfish extract with one of the acid-suppressing substances. Read-out of antibody levels in the sera, of cytokine levels of stimulated splenocytes and of intradermal skin tests was performed.

Studies Show IgG Diet Restrictions Can Be Effective in Reducing Migraines

Two recently published studies from National Institutes of Health highlight the role that IgG foods can have on migraines.

While the researchers didn't give the elimination of food allergens enough time to work, (only 2 weeks), they still saw nearly a 30% reduction in migraines.

If the individuals had been able avoid the relevant foods for 2 months, I have no doubt that the results would have been much better.

While we are only going to highlight one of the studies, both are available by following the links at the end of the post.

From NIH.gov:

Diet restriction in migraine, based on IgG against foods: a clinical double-blind, randomised, cross-over trial.

INTRODUCTION

It is well-known that specific foods trigger migraine attacks in some patients. We aimed to investigate the effect of diet restriction, based on IgG antibodies against food antigens on the course of migraine attacks in this randomised, double blind, cross-over, headache-diary based trial on 30 patients diagnosed with migraine without aura.

METHODS

Antibiotics and Surgery May Not Cure Sinusitis

Many people with sinus infections complain that after having taken multiple courses of antibiotics or even following surgery, that in the end they feel the same as they did before their treatment. Their sinusitis problem returns with a vengeance.

What is the problem?
Aren’t they getting the right antibiotic?

The answer is that in these people, the antibiotics are only treating the bacterial infection that is secondary to the inflammation clogging their sinuses. Therefore antibiotics don’t get at the real cause of the problem.

The same can be said for surgery. Surgery may scrape out the sinuses or open up a bigger hole for them to drain, but these treatments only address secondary problems resulting from the inflammation. Therefore the original sinus problem remains.

The inflammation that is causing the sinus pain requires a trigger. The real question is, “What is causing the inflammation?” Anything that triggers the immune system can be that trigger, because the immune system is what causes inflammation and mucous production. Bacteria, which are treated with antibiotics, are only one cause of inflammation.

One of the most likely causes of chronic sinus infection or nasal congestion is a food allergy.

Food allergies constantly trigger the immune system, therefore the inflammation never permanently goes away. This can result in a persistent runny nose, or recurrent sinus infections due to the moist and poorly draining/inflamed environment that is maintained in the sinuses.

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Do You Really Need a Biopsy to Diagnose Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is traditionally diagnosed with a positive biopsy of the small intestine. The biopsy will demonstrate damage to the intestine known as villous atrophy. Villi are small finger-like extensions of the lining of the intestine that are visible only under the microscope.

People with celiac disease and other conditions will show a marked reduction in their villi, almost as if the villi have been worn off. Damage to the villi causes a dramatic reduction in the surface area of the small intestine, resulting in both the poor digestion and absorption of many nutrients.

Biopsies are done in a hospital on an outpatient basis, but require strong medication due to the invasiveness of the procedure. An endoscopy is performed, which involves a tube being placed into the mouth, down the esophagus, and past the stomach. A tissue sample can then be taken from the small intestine.

Friday's Recipe: Gluten Free Chai Tea Muffins

Recipe thanks to Jules Gluten Free:

Chai Tea Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup granulated cane sugar
• 4 Tbs. butter or non-dairy alternative (I used Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
• 2 eggs
• 3Tbs. agave nectar or 4 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 cup "natural" applesauce (e.g. no sugar added), pumpkin butter or apple butter
• 1 cup Jules Gluten Free™ All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal or brown rice flour
• 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal (optional)
• 2 Tbs. mesquite flour or unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup certified gluten-free oats (I've used Lara's CreamHill Estates™ or Gluten-Free Oats®)
• 2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup chai tea latte concentrate (I used CalNaturale™ Spiced Chai Svelte™) or steep 3 chai tea bags in 1/2 cup very warm milk (dairy or non-dairy) then set aside to cool
• 1/2 cup raisins or diced apples

Directions:

Coat 15 muffin tins or 24 mini muffin tins with cooking oil or line with muffin papers. Preheat oven to 325 F Convection or 350 static.

Whip sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and stir. Mix in agave nectar and applesauce until combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mix while slowly pouring in the chai tea. Mix until smooth.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake until they are light brown: approximately 11-12 minutes for mini muffins or 20 minutes for regular muffins.

Yield: Approximately 15 muffins or 24 mini-muffins.

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Recipe and image thanks to JulesGlutenFree.com

GIG: Gluten Ingestion and Celiac Disease

From the Gluten Intolerance Group of North Texas:

CD develops after a genetically-susceptible individual ingests gluten, which causes an immune-mediated inflammatory reaction in the mucosa of the small intestine.

This chronic inflammation eventually leads to the blunting or flattening of the intestinal villi (villous atrophy) and increased mucosal permeability that can interfere with normal absorption — allowing nutrients to pass through the digestive system without being absorbed. CD can lead to serious malabsorption and can affect other organ systems in the body if it remains undiagnosed and untreated.

How could a harmless piece of bread be pathogenic to a person with CD?

Unlike most autoimmune disorders, the environmental trigger for CD is known: it is gluten in bread, which activates an autoimmune response be- cause it is perceived as harmful in susceptible individuals. Gluten, which gives bread its chewy texture, is a composite of storage proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and related grains within the tribe of the grass family Triticeae. Even a trace amount of gluten can trigger a response in some patients with celiac disease and have an injurious effect absent any symptoms.

No Symptoms...No Problems..?

Last week, Reuters Health posted an article titled, "Painful 'Gluten Rashes' Might Not Be Forever" in which they spoke with Dr. Stephen Katz of National Institutes of Health.

Essentially, Katz is arguing that some people with celiac can go back to eating gluten because their dermititis herpetiformis went away. Because well, you know, no obvious symptoms, no health problems...right?

I believe that this is a big mistake, but it shouldn't surprise us. The medical community has already set a precedent for this. Classic allergies are defined by symptoms (hives, anaphylaxis, etc) that are obvious to the both the patient and the doctor, not by lab results. This view of dermatitis herpetiformis fits that paradigm - if you can't see it, then it doesn't matter. However, there is still an antibody reaction to gluten happening, and thus still an inflammatory pathway being triggered. And we know that there are literally hundreds of conditions that can be associated with the ingestion of gluten.

Because some people can eat gluten and no longer experience dermatitis herpetiformis does not mean that they should be eating gluten. It just demonstrates that signs and symptoms do not necessarily remain constant, and that they can and do change. In fact, there have been studies that have shown the same thing for villous atrophy in celiac disease. Does that mean that some celiacs should go ahead and eat gluten if they don't have villous atrophy? No, it means that villous atrophy is just one sign or symptom of a gluten reaction. This is a point that I've been making about celiac disease (and dermatitis herpetiformis) for several years. They are just small aspects of the larger world of gluten intolerance.

How Doctors Deal with Recurrent Abdominal Pain

A recent article in the NY Times (A Prescription for Abdominal Pain: Due Diligence) highlights some of the many challenges of traditional medicine when dealing with stomach-related issues.

I love the opening of this article. It never occurred to me before to compare a stomach ache with a head ache. But it's the same idea.

Unfortunately, the general medical community isn't any better at understanding the cause of most stomach aches than they are at understanding the cause of most head aches. And ironically, the can both be caused by the same things!

The problem seems to be that the doctors have a limited list of tests and they don't include those we find so helpful here at the IBS Treatment Center.

From NYTimes.com:

The stomachache people look with some envy at the headache people.

“For some reason people respect headaches,” said Dr. Carlo Di Lorenzo, a leading pediatric gastroenterologist and a professor of clinical pediatrics at Ohio State. “I’ve never seen a parent or a pediatrician tell a child complaining of a headache, ‘You don’t have a headache — it’s not real.’ Bellyache is just as real as headache.”

Indeed it is. And recurrent abdominal pain in children is common, frustrating and often hard to explain.

Consider a girl who came to the clinic for her 10-year physical exam. She gets these bellyaches, she told me. Had a bad one that week, but her stomach wasn’t hurting right at the moment.

5 Reasons Why It's Hard to Detect Your Own Food Allergy

Reason 1

One major obstacle to figuring out which foods are problematic is that, even on an elimination diet, you may not have truly eliminated all of your allergenic foods. Assumptions are often made about which foods are allergenic and which foods are not. These assumptions are often wrong. Even on an elimination diet you may still be eating something that will trigger your IBS, even if you are eating foods that you normally don't eat.

In order to solve your IBS you may need to stay away from entire food groups, not just one or two foods.

Food groups are much more difficult to avoid than you might think. One food group that commonly causes problems for IBS sufferers is dairy. Dairy is not just milk. Dairy includes cheese, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, ice cream, and yogurt. It's found in many baked goods such as muffins, breads, and cookies, as well as in many cream soups, some salad dressings, and milk chocolate. Coffee and lattes are another common source of dairy. Even margarine contains dairy. The list goes on and on.

Two key components of dairy are whey and casein, which many people cannot tolerate. These are used as additives in a great variety of foods, even those you wouldn't consider to be dairy foods. Look at the labels on the packaged or processed foods you buy. Even non-dairy coffee creamer contains casein, for instance.

Food Allergy and Intolerance in Childhood

Our second study today also comes from PubMed.gov and the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Food intolerance is a reproducible adverse reaction to a specific food ingredient that is not psychologically based. Food allergy is a form of food intolerance in which there is evidence that the response is caused by an immunological reaction to food.

Other mechanisms of food intolerance include enzyme defects (e.g. lactase deficiency), pharmacological effects (e.g. histamine), toxic properties (e.g. haemagglutinating lectins) and irritants (e.g. spices). Food allergy in children is a highly contentious subject and there is often a striking lack of published evidence from which to base clinical decisions. The true prevalence of food allergy in children is unknown, although there is evidence of an increasing incidence of allergic reactions to some foods, especially peanuts. Our understanding of why some children are unable to tolerate certain foods (e.g. cow's milk, egg), or how they grow out of this intolerance, is very poor.

Symptoms of food allergy in children are diverse and include vomiting, poor weight gain, abdominal pain, malabsorption, cough, wheeze, rhinitis, atopic eczema, urticaria and angioedema. Despite the lack of objective data to support the notion that food intolerance contributes to behaviour in children, this is a belief firmly held by many parents and some professionals.

PubMed.gov: Respiratory diseases and food allergy

From PubMed.gov:

Both upper and lower respiratory tracts can be affected by food allergy. Manifestations in either may be exclusively due to food allergy (common in infants) or may result from the combined effects of food allergy plus another defect such as gastroesophageal reflux, a congenital defect of the heart or tracheo-bronchial tree, an immunodeficiency syndrome such as isolated IgA or IgG4 deficiency, or a concomitant inhalant allergy.

Chronic rhinitis is the most common respiratory tract manifestation of food allergy. When it occurs in conjunction with lung disease, it may be a helpful indicator of activity of the allergic lung disease and of the patient's compliance in following a specific diet.

Recurrent serous otitis media may be solely or partially due to food allergy. Large tonsillar and adenoid tissues, sometimes with upper airway obstruction, may be caused, or aggravated by, food allergies. Lower respiratory tract disease manifested by chronic coughing, wheezing, pulmonary infiltrates, or alveolar bleeding may also occur.

Treating Brain Fog

Although the phrase “brain fog” is not a medical term, it resonates with many people. Those who experience brain fog know exactly what this means.

It is the feeling that you can’t put your thoughts together with any kind of efficiency or expediency. The ideas and concepts are there, but you just can’t seem to reach them without extraordinary effort.

This lack of clarity of thought is not due to a neurological disease. It isn’t dementia or a low IQ. It is a subjective experience that only the sufferer can understand. But all too often patients express exactly this concern.

They generally describe it as if the mind is caught up in a cloud or a fog.

“Brain fog” is a frequent complaint of patients. As an example, people with a gluten intolerance often report this as one the consequences of ingesting gluten. Sometimes people describe it as feeling drunk or hung-over, but without the alcohol consumption. People with brain fog don’t generally lose their balance, have blurry vision, or other physical problems. However, sometimes physical manifestations do occur.

When the brain fog goes away, patients describe it as if a cloud has lifted from their head, or as if a veil has been pulled away, and everything comes into focus. It is a very obvious and wonderful feeling for those who suffer from this malady. Ideas and thoughts flow like a smooth stream rather than a glacier. And once again everything seems normal.

Today's Dietitian: Research Connects Celiac and Thyroid Diseases and Suggests a Gluten-Free Diet Benefits Both

The following excerpts of from an article in Today's Dietitian. Follow the link after this excerpt to read the article in its entirety.

From TodaysDietitian.com:

Nature doesn’t always play fairly. Anyone with an autoimmune condition is predisposed to developing other autoimmune conditions, and there is a particularly strong connection between celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD), which includes Hashimoto’s and Graves’ diseases. Despite this connection, routine cross-screening is rare.

Since these conditions frequently lead to significant changes in weight, RDs (Registered Dietitian) are in a prime position to spot common symptoms and provide clients with potentially lifesaving referrals for further testing and diagnosis.

This article will review the overlapping symptoms, examine the current research on the relationship between these diseases, explore how a gluten-free diet affects both conditions, and describe the ways in which RDs can most effectively support their clients and patients. Understanding the connection between celiac disease and thyroid disease can help dietitians design strategies for appropriate dietary management and support.

Friday's Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Okay, so you don't really need a chocolate pumpkin for this recipe. But the picture was too cute not to use..:)

Thanks to GlutenFreeMama for this wonderful recipe!

Ingredients:

1 pkg Mama's Pie Crust Mix or 1 single gluten free pie crust
2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. cinammon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar (Mama's uses Organic Evaporated Cane Juice)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare pie crust as directed. (Do not prebake crust)

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, cocoa, cinammon, salt, sugar, vanilla, eggs, cream and milk. Whisk together until well blended. Spread evenly into prepared pie crust. Sprinkle generously with mini chocolate chips, covering the top evenly. Baste the edge of pie with egg white if desired.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool. Then top with a dollop of whip cream and serve.

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Click HERE for tons of great information on gluten free life from GlutenFreeMama
Image thanks to cakeonthebrain

The Importance of Ruling out Cancer

This article reinforces the need to rule out cancer and not to just diagnose IBS and let the person suffer.

But, of course, if they didn't accept illness and call it health, they would keep looking for a solution and probably find the cancer....

Excerpt from SFGate.com:

Some 70,000 Americans between the ages of 20 and 40 are being diagnosed with cancer every year. Even this number does not include those diagnosed in their 40s, who could have been diagnosed and treated in their 30s with higher chances of success. In fact, three-quarters of adults under age 40 who are diagnosed with cancer are diagnosed with late-stage cancers, giving them drastically reduced survival chances.

Younger people suffer from an intense "cancer burden." Often they have few savings to draw on during long treatments, have young children to support, face job discrimination and - if they survive - have a chronic condition that may cost thousands of dollars a year to treat, even with insurance.

Furthermore, the stereotypes about cancer lead to the intense alienation of young adults, who are often the youngest people in the chemotherapy room and who need to cope with the inexperience and misinformation from their friends, family, communities and physicians.

Probiotics Help with Stress Reduction

From WorldHealth.net:

Previous studies have shown that gastrointestinal flora have a role in stress, anxiety, and depression. A French team has found that specific strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, two probiotic compounds, yield beneficial psychological effects.

Michael Messaoudi and colleagues investigated the effects of probiotics on anxiety-type symptoms in rats, and also on anxiety, depression, and stress in healthy human volunteers. In the rat study, animals were given daily supplements of probiotics for two weeks and then subjected to a test challenge.

The probiotic-supplemented animals had lower stress and anxiety scores, as compared with control animals. In the human study, subjects either randomly received a probiotic supplement (containing Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) or placebo for 30 days, and then tested using a battery of stress and anxiety assessments.

PubMed.gov: Ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel patients exhibit distinct abnormalities of the gut microbiota

The study essentially states that the mix of bacteria in the gut is important. It's also important to note that very few labs provide testing that can identify the mix of bacteria living in your gut.

Lots of physicians order stool tests, but these tests almost never include identification of the array of bacteria.

From PubMed.gov:

Abstract:

Previous studies suggest a link between gut microbiota and the development of ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Our aim was to investigate any quantitative differences in faecal bacterial compositions in UC and IBS patients compared to healthy controls, and to identify individual bacterial species that contribute to these differences.

Lab Testing for IBS Triggers

Because IBS has been conventionally defined not by what it is, but by what it is not, successfully discovering its cause has been impossible, because the cause was thought to be unknown. It's really been nothing more than a guessing game, and you get to be the guinea pig.

Fortunately that has now all changed.

Now we can define the cause of your IBS, and therefore treat it. IBS symptoms are almost always caused by either food allergies, bacterial imbalances, yeast, or parasites. If you want to learn more about these topics and how they relate to IBS, then this website is for you. You may also refer to the book, The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution.

Two kinds of tests are recommended – food allergy testing, which is a blood test; and testing for bacteria, yeast, and parasites, which is done by stool testing. Problems in any of these areas can alone cause IBS, but most people who suffer from IBS have a combination of both a food allergy and a bacterial imbalance.

Blood and stool tests provide an easy way to sort this out. These tests are available, reasonably straightforward, and affordable, especially when you consider the benefit of having better health for the rest of your life. There is no need to continue wondering, guessing what is wrong and blindly spending money trying to find something that will help you.
You can know. And then you can do something that will end your IBS for good.

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Image thanks to stock.xchng.com

The Innate Health Foundation's Wiki page

A Wiki is a website that anyone can edit, add to, correct, and improve, just by clicking on the ‘edit’ links. Sounds pretty simple, huh?

It is a great way for you and others to share what you know, in an organized way. It beats asking questions on forums where you may or may not even get an answer, or going to websites maintained only by the operator that may be out of date.

This is a significant step up from our earlier webpage list of restaurants and food producers that serve the food allergy and intolerance community. That list was simply a static page of information. If we hadn’t heard of it, it wasn’t there.

The wiki allows you, the reader, to comment on and edit every aspect of the information so you and the rest of the community can keep things up-to-date. And the restaurants, food producers, and others can provide/update their own information so you hear from the horse’s mouth.

Understanding and Treating Abdominal Pain

Chronic abdominal pain is one of the top 5 reasons that people to go to the doctor.

Unfortunately, for many it is also very poorly treated. The typical approach is to rule out ulcers, appendicitis, gallstones, uterine problems, or cancers. This may be done with blood work, scopes, scans, ultrasound or other imaging, depending on the problem.

If you have one of the aforementioned problems and it’s found, then your problem should be solved. But many people with abdominal pain do not have an ulceration, appendicitis, gallstones, uterine problems or cancer.

For them, all of the tests come back negative. They are told that nothing is wrong and left with the impression that it’s all in their head.

Of course, something is very wrong. There is always a logical reason for a problem such as abdominal pain, and it’s rarely just a mental or stress issue. But it’s not something that is structural or that you can see with the kinds of tests mentioned above. Unfortunately, those are the only tests most doctors have to offer.

Washington Post: Clearer nutrient labels coming soon

This is exciting news! It will be interesting to see what actual changes result in this effort...

This excerpt is provided by WashingtonPost.com:

JACKSON, Miss. -- Making healthy choices at the supermarket may get a little easier next year when food makers and retailers start putting easier-to-read nutrition labels on the front of packages, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday during an obesity summit in Mississippi.

Obama's health secretary said several food makers and retailers had agreed to voluntarily put the labels on the front, and consumers could start seeing the new labels in the next six months.

"It's difficult to read those tiny nutrition backs on the back of packages, which by the way haven't been updated in 20 years," Sebelius said.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute said a $50 million education campaign would begin in 2011 to raise consumer awareness about the new labels, which will include information on calories and nutrients.

Sebelius also questioned some of the self-labeling food makers are currently using and said the Food and Drug Administration had warned manufacturers.

"I don't know how many of you have shopped lately and seen things like big green checks saying 'healthy choice' on everything from mayonnaise to Fritos," she said. "I think it might be healthier than something, but we're not quite sure what determines that as a healthy choice."

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Click HERE to read the full article on WashingtonPost.com
Image thanks to stock.xchng.com

Challenges of the Holiday Season

Patients and support group attendees have been talking about the emotional challenges they face during the holidays. It is common knowledge that the holidays can be a stressful time.

Even if your health is perfect, the financial stresses, family issues, social obligations, etc. can really mess with your ability to cope.

But if you have IBS or food allergies, you face some special challenges.

IBS and/or food allergies can make the social activities and group meals during the holidays especially difficult, adding to an already emotionally charged environment. It can be difficult to plan and participate as one would like. Naturally, it is best to identify, recognize and deal with the issues that you will come up against.

Hopefully you already know what foods to avoid in order to stay healthy, but even if you haven’t been able to figure that out, there are a few things you can do to cope with holiday challenges.

First, try to plan ahead as much as possible. If you can invite people over to your house rather than go to theirs, that might make things easier. When that isn’t possible, try to bring a dish that everyone will love and that you can eat too. This is doable, but it might take some practice to create. If you don’t have such a dish yet or don’t have time to make one, then don’t stress out about it. But plan on creating one or more options like this for the future.

NPR: Allergy Expert Says Peanut Bans are an Overreaction to Food Allergies

NPR's recent article "Allergy Expert Says Peanut Bans Are An Overreaction To Food Allergies" caught our attention and we wanted to address a couple of points.

An excerpt from the NPR article in question:

While the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease says food allergies occur in 6 to 8 percent of kids, and about 4 percent of adults, there's a lot of self-diagnosis, overdiagnosis, and just plain misdiagnosis Bahna says.

"Many patients claim food allergy without having them," says Bahna, who helped develop the guidelines. This has people unnecessarily steering clear of shellfish and peanuts and milk.

Eating peanuts or shellfish can trigger physical reactions in some people, but those reactions are not necessarily food allergies.

For example, sometimes people suspect they are allergic when they are really intolerant. This happens a lot in the case of milk, he says, and requires different treatment.

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To begin with, the definition of allergy in this article is perhaps a part of the problem.

The quoted physician (Bahna) is limiting his allergy definition to those immune system reactions that produce asthma, anaphylaxis, hives, and eczema.

Gluten-Free Life: Top 10 Ways to Eat Safe for the Holidays

Some great tips from Gluten-Free Life with Jen on how to eat safe this holiday season:

1) Never assume. Just because your host knows you're on a special diet doesn't mean they understand the nuances of your lifestyle. Ask to see packages of foods before you eat them.

2) Bring a protein-based dish to your next gathering. That way, you know there will be something safe to eat, and you won't be hungry. Click here for a Holiday Quinoa Salad.

3) Make sure you have your favorite dishes and desserts available in a Gluten Free version. That way, you won't feel deprived and eat gluten-full foods that will make you sick.

4) Have a few tricks up your sleeve. Pre-made foods that you can purchase and not cook are not only convenient, but will allow you to have more time to spend with your guests. The Whole Foods Market Gluten Free Bakehouse has an extensive line of gluten free baked goods. Some tasty gluten free crackers can be served with dips, cheese, and/or a deli tray.

Headaches: Causes, Treatments and More

The Traditional Approach to Headaches

Headaches are considered by conventional medicine to be an inflammatory condition of unknown cause, or simply stress is blamed. This belief ignores a large volume of scientific evidence pointing to food allergies as a major cause of headaches.

The medical community has focused almost solely on treating headaches with pain medication and anti-inflammatory medications, either prescription or over-the-counter.

These medications offer temporary relief of the pain and inflammation, but they don’t prevent the headaches from recurring. Over the long term this type of treatment also comes with a host of side-effects.

Is It Possible to Eliminate the Pain and Inflammation without Drugs?

Very often it is actually possible to eliminate the cause of the pain and inflammation without resorting to drugs to suppress it. Inflammation is actually caused by the immune system, which then leads to pain. The important question is, “Why is the immune system creating inflammation?”

Everyday Painkillers Cause High Blood Pressure and Stomach Damage

Americans consume an estimated $2 billion per year in over-the-counter painkillers like Tylenol, Advil and Motrin. The most common reason for taking them is for arthritis.

However, these drugs are not without side-effects. It also doesn’t take as much as you might think to cause damage. And the variety of side effects includes high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and other problems.

A study of more than 80,000 women found that women who used acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, for 22 days or more a month had the greatest risk of high blood pressure, estimated at twice that of non-users. And even those who used the drug as little as one to four days a month had a 22% greater risk of having high blood pressure than non-users.

The risk for those taking NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), including ibuprofen products such as Advil and Motrin and naproxen drugs such as Aleve, was similar. Heavy users had a risk of high blood pressure 86% higher than those who didn't use the drug. Light users carried a 17% higher risk. (Journal Hypertension November 2002 20(11):2301-2307)

Friday's Gluten-Free Recipe: Pizza!

This week's recipe comes from Carol Fenster at 1000GlutenFreeRecipes.com:

Pizza Sauce

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
Toppings of your choice

Sauce

Combine all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, while Pizza Crust is being assembled. Makes about 1 cup.

Crust

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in milk. In medium mixer bowl, beat flours, xanthan gum, salt, and seasoning on low speed. Add yeast-mixture, 1 teaspoon of the oil, and vinegar and beat until blended, about 30 seconds. Dough will be soft.

Understanding the Cause (Etiology) of IBS

This recent article from The Journal of the Academy of Physician Assistants is a great example of the ongoing confusion over the etiology (cause) of IBS.

Of course there is no single cause (etiology). When the mindset is that we will find a single cause for a problem that has hundreds of causes, then we will never be able to find that one cause because it doesn't exist.

If you have that perspective or understanding of IBS, then you'll never be able to help anyone. And your research studies will always have very limited findings. That is why we have so much more success treating IBS than the conventional medical community - because we don't view it as a disease, and we don't just treat the symptoms. We evaluate for and treat hundreds of different causes for IBS and digestive symptoms.

Gluten Free Holidays Made Easy

The holidays are both a joyful and stressful time to most people when they don't have food allergies.

But for those of us who must avoid gluten or dairy, the stress can be overwhelming. But this year, Savory Moment is looking to change that with their "chef prepared" meals.

Everything for Holiday Meals

This holiday season, Savory Moment is offering roasted turkey, stuffing, jalapeno cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy and triple berry cranberry sauce - all gluten and dairy free! And if that didn't get your attention, they also have prime rib and maple glazed pork loin..!

Most are fully cooked and ready to reheat to make your meals a bit easier and less stressful.

In addition, they also have pumpkin, pecan, berry, apple and peach pie for dessert.

Customers can order online for pick up in Redmond or have their order delivered anywhere in Washington for $25.00. Savory Moment also welcomes walk-in shoppers from 9am-8pm Monday - Friday and 9am-6pm Saturday.

If you are outside of Washington state, please let us know of similar resources in your city, state or country and we'd be happy to let our readers know!

More information at the Savory Meals website.

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Kosher (Pareve) Foods and Food Allergies

Aside from the FDA-required food labeling you may have noticed other marks and words on food labels. Some of these are related to kosher designations. These can be helpful indicators, but only if you understand the underlying reasons the label carries the designation.

Pareve is a designation indicating that a food contains neither milk nor meat products, by-products, or derivatives. It is critical to understand that the designation of pareve is given solely on the basis of halacha (Jewish Law).

When a product is marked pareve (excepting the rare case of mislabeling – a subject for another discussion) by a reputable Kashrus agency, the religious consumer knows that the product meets all halachic criteria and may be used with any meal. But relying on this certification as a 100% certainty for medical reasons is a decision that requires careful consideration on part of the consumer, along with an understanding of the realities of food processing.

Discussing Kosher Cooking and COFFEE-MATE

Thanks to reader "Liza" for her wonderful help and research on this piece!

Is COFFEE-MATE Kosher?

According to the company, COFFEE-MATE Liquid and Powder products are non-dairy and are Kosher according to the Orthodox Union (as indicated by the "O.U." symbol).

As a courtesy, they place a "D" next to the kosher symbol (O.U.) to alert those who adhere to strict religious practices.

COFFEE-MATE contains an ingredient called sodium caseinate, which is a milk derivative, though it's classified as a non-dairy product.

How is this so?

When sodium caseinate is processed, it is so materially altered that both dairy scientists and government regulators no longer regard it as a true dairy substance. This is why sodium caseinate can be an ingredient in non-dairy products, according to FDA, regulation 21 CFR 101.4 (d). Sodium caseinate is also not a source of lactose.

Proton Pump Inhibitors Associated with 80% Increase in Associated Diarrhea

Proton Pump inhibitors cause problems...

And altering the pH (acidity) of the stomach and the digestive tract well beyond it's normal limits has always had potential negative consequences that can and do affect digestion and overall health.

This should not be surprising. And now we're starting to see some good studies shedding some light on this. Thank you to the authors.

From Internal Medicine News:

SAN ANTONIO – Proton pump inhibitor use was associated with an 80% increase in the risk of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea, based on data from a meta-analysis of 21 studies.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are generally considered safe, resulting in some degree of indiscriminate use, said Dr. Sailajah Janarthanan of Wayne State University in Detroit. PPIs have faced scrutiny for a possible association with C. difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD), but results from previous studies have yielded mixed results, Dr. Janarthanan said.

Celiac-Friendly Hotel Established in Germany

We wanted to give a quick shout out to our friends Darren & Michelle in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. They just opened a small hotel that caters to celiacs and the gluten-free!

Having been diagnosed with celiac disease, Darren wants us all to know there is a place in Germany for to get away on holiday and eat safely!!

More information can be found on their website - GlutenFreeHotel.co.uk


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Food and Fatigue: When Eating Makes You Tired

Does eating cause you to feel sleepy afterwards? How about after lunch? Would you like to be able to avoid this?

This is a problem that I commonly hear from my patients. If it happens to you it might seem normal. You may think that your body is just spending a lot of energy digesting your food. But this doesn’t happen to everyone.

Food should give you energy, not make you tired. Eating a reasonably sized meal should not cause your body or your mind to shut down, making you feel like it is time for a siesta.

How can eating cause fatigue?

Sugar commonly causes fatigue. The energy boost from sugar only lasts for a short time, often followed by a “crash.” But there are many other causes of this problem, often referred to as hypoglycemia.

Common Questions at the IBS Treatment Center

Below are just a few of the questions that we often get asked at the IBS Treatment Center. If you have questions, please feel free to comment on this post or email/call our office.

Question:

If you have an obvious reaction to a food, such as swelling or hives, will it show up on a blood test? Additionally, does a negative blood test always indicate that you don't have a food allergy?

Answer:

People who know that they have a food allergy and avoid that food will cause their antibody production to drop. This is not a cure, but a natural result of avoiding the food. Therefore it usually won't show up on blood tests. Once it's reintroduced, then the antibody production increases again. You must always take this into account when interpreting food allergy tests.

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A Beginners Guide to Gluten-Free Cookbooks - Part II

In a follow up to this morning's article on gluten-free cookbooks (HERE), we forgot to mention the most comprehensive resource of all!

The IHFWiki cookbooks page is a part of the Innate Health Foundation's wiki site. It has a very comprehensive list of gluten-free cookbooks as well resources for gluten-free restaurants, grocery stores and much more. The entire wiki site is interactive - meaning that the content on the pages was supplied by users just like you!

The IHFWiki encourages users to add their favorites to the list, should they be cookbooks or any other related services!

In addition, the IHFWiki page is linked directly to Amazon to allow for the option to purchase cookbooks. For every book purchased through Amazon (via the IHFWiki), a small percentage of that sale goes towards helping the IHFWiki continue to operate.

So, please check out the site, get educated AND support a good cause!

Links:

Innate Health Foundation wiki
Innate Health Foundation website

Smoking and IBS

Excerpt from HealthGuide.org:

Nevertheless the method of intake, whether it is chewed or inhaled or smoked, tobacco will irritate the gastrointestinal path strongly. Smoking will lead to lung cancer, at the same time increase the symptom of Irritable Bowel Syndrome also, as the tobacco it contains is carcinogenic and stimulates the Syndrome.

The gut or gastro intestine of the people who are having Irritable Bowel Syndrome will be quite gentle and may affect easily when certain type of food that stimulates the intestine. Even the morning blues also lead to Irritable bowel Syndrome. Tobacco triggers the IBS and lead to several types of cancer.

Basically tobacco affects all portions of digestive system. Heart burn, reflux, certain types of ulcers are the after effects of tobacco which the patients of IBS may develop. As smoking causes the acidic food to go backward i.e. upward and down into the portion of oesophagus, they destroy the sphincter muscles.

Product Recall: Hyland's Teething Tablets

Los Angeles, October 23, 2010 – Standard Homeopathic Company, in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is voluntarily recalling its Hyland’s Teething Tablets.

The company is initiating this recall in an abundance of caution due to an FDA investigation of its manufacturing facility. Hyland’s Teething Tablets are manufactured in the United States and distributed throughout North America.

The Hyland’s Teething Tablets UPC codes included in the recall are:

1. Hyland’s Teething Tablets, 125 tablets, UPC # 3 54973 75041

2. Hyland’s Teething Tablets, 250 tablets, UPC # 3 54973 75042

3. Hyland’s Teething Tablets, 125 tablets, UPC # 3 54973 75066

4. Hyland’s Teething Tablets, 50 tablets, UPC # 3 54973 75044

5. Hyland’s Teething Tablets, 145 tablets, UPC # 3 54973 75121

6. Hyland’s Teething Tablets, Clip Strip 6x125 tablets, UPC # 3 54973 35109

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A Beginners Guide to Gluten-Free Cookbooks

We've been seeing a number of gluten-free cookbooks coming on the market recently and wanted to share a few that stand out.

This is by no means a comprehensive list and if you have any additional recommendations, please feel free to add a comment and let us know who to add!

The Books:

"Living Gluten and Dairy-Free with French Gourmet Food"
by Chef Alain Braux

Click this Amazon link to learn more about the book.

Chef Braux lists himself as executive chef and Nutritional Therapist. In Austin Texas at 512-327-8868 or alainbraux@gmail.com.

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"100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes"
by Carol Fenster
1000glutenfreerecipes.com

Carol is the grand dame of gluten-free cookbooks having published earlier and more than pretty much everyone else. This book is a distillation of her epic tome 1000 gluten free recipes and is the 100 best from that collection.

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Should People Who Don't Have Celiac Disease Eliminate Gluten?

BuffaloNews.com recently ran an article discussing the rise in gluten-free living. And while several statements in said article raised a few flags for us, this one in particular seems worth singling out:

"It is very trendy, and I think Elisabeth Hasselbeck on 'The View' has really promoted it, but she has celiac disease," said Dr. Jeanette Keith, a gastroenterologist with Kaleida Health. "Her preference is that everyone should be on a gluten-free diet because gluten causes inflammation. Again, there are no studies showing that people who don't have celiac disease should absolutely eliminate gluten."

Below are multiple studies published by doctors including Dr. Hadjivassiliou. Most of the research by Hadjivassiliou is about gluten sensitivity rather than celiac disease. Below are just a few of his more recent studies.

NY Times: While Warning About Fat, U.S. Pushes Cheese Sales

This article in the NY Times is a great, timely piece of info following our most recent blogs about dairy.

Dairy isn't evil. It is just a far too subsidized part of the American diet that should be a dessert, special occasion, and generally rare food.

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Excerpt from NYTimes.com:

Domino’s Pizza was hurting early last year. Domestic sales had fallen, and a survey of big pizza chain customers left the company tied for the worst tasting pies.

Then help arrived from an organization called Dairy Management. It teamed up with Domino’s to develop a new line of pizzas with 40 percent more cheese, and proceeded to devise and pay for a $12 million marketing campaign.

Consumers devoured the cheesier pizza, and sales soared by double digits. “This partnership is clearly working,” Brandon Solano, the Domino’s vice president for brand innovation, said in a statement to The New York Times.

But as healthy as this pizza has been for Domino’s, one slice contains as much as two-thirds of a day’s maximum recommended amount of saturated fat, which has been linked to heart disease and is high in calories.

Friday's Gluten-Free Recipe: Waffles!

Thanks to Gluten Free Mama for providing this wonderful recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups GFM’s Rice Almond Blend Flour
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
3 egg whites
1 cup milk (cow, goat, rice, soy, vance’s cf)
1/4 cup butter (or CF spread), melted
3 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla

Proof that IBS is Not in Your Head

Inflammation to me has always been an obvious part of the irritated bowel, but now we have a scientific researcher who has found that inflammation. Thank you Dr. Schemann.

Of course, our goal at the IBS Treatment Center is and has always been to find out what is triggering that inflammation and not just treat the symptoms.

From Eurekalert.org:

Identifying a specific cause offers hope for effective treatment.

Irritable bowel syndrome makes life miserable for those affected -- an estimated ten percent or more of the population. And what irritates many of them even more is that they often are labeled as hypochondriacs, since physical causes for irritable bowel syndrome have never been identified. Now, biologists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have shed new light on the matter: They have discovered mini-inflammations in the mucosa of the gut, which upset the sensitive balance of the bowel and are accompanied by sensitization of the enteric nervous system.

Friday's Question and Answer

Question:

A recent study showed that bifidobacterium lactis inhibit the inflammatory reaction of gliadin, therefore it would seem like a good choice to include this in your probiotic. Conversely, l. casei increased the inflammatory reaction in a mouse model of gluten sensitivity, therefore it would seem wise to avoid l.casei in your probiotic.

Yet most major brands contain l.casei. Am I over-reacting to these studies. The inflammatory reaction in the l.casei study was quite significant.

The National Dairy Council and Lactose Intolerance

We recently received an email from the National Dairy Council in which they were hoping to "debunk common myths and misperceptions associated with lactose intolerance and lactose-free milk and milk products..."

The National Dairy Council has one primary objective, and that is to promote dairy consumption. So it's only natural that they would try to convince you to eat dairy even if you have a lactose intolerance.

In this case, the NDC points out that some dairy products are low in lactose and should then be considered less harmful.

Regardless, they don't mention that dairy can be a significant food allergen and that in such cases it is not appropriate in any form or amount. And in my experience, it is the most common food allergen known and probably affects at least 25% population.

The purpose of this post is not to directly blast the NDC. But rather to remind our readers to always take into account who is writing any given article and what are their motivations for said article.

In this case, the NDC's "Lactose Intolerant Fact Page" reads like a sales pitch for milk.

If you'd like to know more about the difference between a dairy allergy and a lactose intolerance, then please visit the Center for Food Allergies website.

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Image thanks to stock.xchng.com

Gluten: The Secret ingredient

Excerpt from BuffaloNews.com:

Gluten appears in foods and products you would not expect, such as licorice, shampoo and lipstick. It is used as a thickener in salad dressing and a filler in processed meats. Soy sauce has gluten, and so does beer. People with gluten problems become label readers who become familiar with gluten's hiding places.

"Anything with wheat, barley or malt is automatically out," said Ross, "but it's the additives and preservatives and thickeners with the strange chemical sounding names that are so hard to figure out. Meanwhile, I discovered that dried mango isn't that bad."

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Baking

From our friend Jean Duane, the Alternative Cook:

Gluten is associated with numerous chronic illnesses, and for those who need or want to eat gluten-free, preparing one's favorite foods has been difficult, until now.

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Gluten-Free Cooking makes it easy to prepare delicious gluten-free meals and to make substitutions in one's favorite recipes. Also included are tips for baking gluten-free, arguably the most difficult part of going gluten-free. Most recipes contain five steps or fewer.

Coming to Seattle: Alive! Expo Natural Products & Green Living Consumer Event

This one weekend, two day event is packed with interactive demonstration, health lectures, workshops, and kids activities that the whole family can enjoy! Each year over 30,000 Atlanta & Seattle consumers attend the Alive! Expo to learn how to integrate health and wellness into environmentally responsible, GREEN living and to create a positive impact on the world as a whole.

Attendees get a chance to experience all the newest and best natural, organic, green and eco products for your home and their entire family, even the pets!

Each year Alive! Expo draws over 300 national and local companies representing industries such as:

Natural/Organic Foods, Natural & Organic Personal Care/Natural Beauty, Vitamins & Supplements, Alternative & Herbal Medicines, Natural & Eco Pet Products, Green Home & Eco Household Products, Eco Fashion & Accessories, Books/Videos, Sportswear, Health/Fitness/Gyms and Yoga/Pilates Studios, Natural Spa Products & Services, GREEN & Recycled Products, Environmentally Friendly Products and Hybrid & Electric Cars.

Among the exhibits, the show additionally features: Healthy Cooking Demos, Healthy Organic & Local Food and Wine Tasting, Interactive Pilates and Yoga Demos, Complimentary Health & Wellness Screenings, Live Lectures by Industry Experts, Fun Kid’s Corner with an On-Site Daycare, PLUS you can Buy & Sample Your Favorite Natural Products and Receive Free Product Samples.

With something fun and exciting for every member of the family - this is a weekend event you will NOT want to miss!!!

For show information, tickets and directions click below:

4th Annual Alive! Expo Seattle
November 13 & 14, 2010
Seattle Center, Exhibition Hall

Reuters: "'Infants' antibiotic use tied to bowel disease risk"

From Reuters Health:

Babies treated with antibiotics for middle-ear and other infections may have increased odds of developing inflammatory bowel disease later in childhood, a small study suggests.

...

The findings, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, do not prove that early antibiotic use causes IBD in some children. But they support the theory that factors affecting the early-life balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in the intestines may contribute to IBD.

Doctor's Guide: Gastro-Resistant Yeast Reduces Abdominal Pain and Discomfort in Patients With IBS

From DocGuide.com:

A gastro-resistant yeast strain known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3856 is well tolerated and significantly reduces abdominal pain and discomfort compared with placebo when administered daily in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to trial results presented at the 18th United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW).



S cerevisiae CNCM I-3856 has been shown to induce sustained dose-response analgesic effects in a mouse model of colorectal distension.

This yeast can also decrease macroscopic and histologic lesions and normalise colonic interleukin-1-beta messenger ribonucleic acid levels in mice.



Principal investigator, Pierre Desreumaux, MD, PhD, Hospital University INSERM, Lille, France, said in presenting this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study here on October 26 that the main objective was to see if CNCM I-3856 is effective to reduce abdominal pain and discomfort in subjects with IBS, 60% to 90% of whom show visceral hypersensitivity, and who have low-grade inflammation.