As a doctor who has written a book on the subject of gluten, I am writing about this very important, although often overlooked consequence of celiac and gluten intolerance - hidden infections.
The mechanism revolves around the inflammation that is created in the small intestine with the ingestion of gluten for many years. This inflammatory response weakens the immune system of the intestine thereby allowing pathogenic (disease causing) organisms to gain a foothold. Every 10 minutes our small intestines are exposed to pathogenic organisms. A healthy immune system destroys them but a compromised immune system can't defend itself adequately.
These organism can cause a myriad of health problems including gastrointestinal symptoms, arthritis and joint inflammation, obesity, hormone imbalance - just to name a few.
Anyone with celiac or gluten intolerance is at risk for these infections which can be bacterial, parasitic, amoeba or yeast. I find a stool test to be the most accurate way to detect them but there are some labs I prefer over others due to their sensitivity and accuracy.
To find out more information and to schedule a free consultation, call 408-733-0400.
Hope this helps anyone curious.
Best,
Dr Vikki Petersen
www.rootcausemedicalclinic.com
www.glutendoctors.blogspot.com
Also, if an infection is found it is critical to retest to ensure that it's been eradicated. And lastly, since the immune system of a celiac or gluten intolerant individual can take a few years to reestablish once gluten and any offending organisms have been removed, annual testing is probably a good idea for a couple of years.
Showing posts with label infections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label infections. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Friday, April 16, 2010
How Long Does it Take to Heal After Removing Gluten?
While we tend to think of the small intestine as a long smooth tube or pipe, I’d like to paint a more accurate picture for you. The small intestine is about 23 feet long but because it is folded into many finger-like projections it is anything but smooth (imagine shag carpeting), and its surface area is that of a tennis court. That’s a tremendously large area that is responsible for converting one’s food into available fuel that is then delivered to the trillion cells that you own.
In order the answer the above question completely accurately it would require knowing how much damage the small intestine had sustained. If this individual has celiac disease and was only just diagnosed in her 50s, the likelihood is that it could take several years to heal the intestine. If the individual is gluten sensitive then the healing time is less, maybe 1 ½ to 2 years, as less damage was sustained. While this may sound like a long time, do realize that most people start feeling better in a matter of weeks. And considering how many years the intestine was likely under attack from gluten, it’s only a fraction of that time that is needed to heal it. And when you recall that we’re talking about something the size of a “tennis court”, it makes sense that it takes some time.
What further plays into this equation, is what the person is doing to ensure that healing occurs. Obviously completely removing gluten is most important. But supplementing any nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin D, B12, iron, calcium, etc are also needed to give the body the raw materials it needs to heal itself. Further, identifying and removing any inhospitable organisms such as parasites, amoeba, bacteria or yeast is also necessary to regain health and proper healing of the small intestine. You can’t re-grow the grass on your lawn if every night an animal is digging it up!
In fact, the above paragraph addresses the largest hole we see in addressing gluten intolerance. The prescribed treatment is to remove gluten, but not much else. Neglecting to similarly remove any infectious organism can prevent regaining one’s health. Adding nutrients in which one has become deficient or those specifically designed to assist healing plus probiotics that help restore strength to the intestine’s immune system, are all factors that need to be employed for a truly successful program.
I hope you find this helpful and please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Visit us at www.RootCauseMedicalClinic.com. If you have questions or need any help, I’m here for you! Call 408-733-0400.
I look forward to hearing from you.
To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN, CFMP
IFM Certified Practitioner
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”
Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”
Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Is Removing Gluten Enough to Create Health?
When patients initially come into the clinic they are invariably put on a hypoallergenic diet for about 10 days. Much discussion occurs regarding what is and is not allowed for this period of time and it follows with a scientific reintroduction of the not allowed foods with one being reintroduced approximately every 3 days.
Often it is during this initial 10 days that we get a glimmer of a gluten and or dairy reaction that is corroborated by laboratory testing and/or a negative response when the food is reintroduced. But other times another reaction occurs. The patient feels great on the diet but reintroduction doesn’t recreate any of the negative symptoms with which they arrived. Often it comes down to the fact that the modified elimination diet, as we refer to it, simply removed all the “junk” from the diet and the person’s body had a positive response to that. It wasn’t a single food reaction that was resulting in their symptoms but rather the combination of items making up their less than healthy diet.
My reason for bringing this up on my gluten-related blog is this: simply removing gluten from your diet may not be enough to ensure good health. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t it ENOUGH to have to give up gluten without adding other restrictions? I do sympathize but read on a bit.
A healthy diet encourages consumption of complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, beans, whole grains. It encourages healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, raw nuts and seeds. It encourages clean, lean sources of protein, be they animal or plant. It encourages 8 or more glasses of clean water and exercise.
A healthy diet does not include refined simple grains (flours), sugar, prepackaged foods, artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives, trans fats and the like.
So when I hear gluten intolerant groups discussing the best place to find pizza, cupcakes, cookie mixes and gluten-free candy I become concerned. Our goal is not simply to find a replacement for all the refined wheat products we can no longer consume. Our goal, upon diagnosing our gluten intolerance, is to regain our health. While eliminating gluten is a wonderful first step, it’s usually insufficient. And while the dietary advice given above is beneficial for everyone, it’s especially important to any body that has suffered malabsorption such as those with gluten intolerance.
There was a recent research article from Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry May 20, 2009 titled “Immunomodulation by food: promising concept for mitigating allergic disease?”. The research team from The Netherlands noted the well documented shift from infectious disease to degenerative or immune-related diseases that has occurred roughly since World War II. They further noted the while increased hygienic practices likely account for less infections, our high chemical diet and overuse of antibacterial products likely accounts for the abundance of allergies from which we see today’s population suffering.
They reviewed such products as pre- and probiotics, beta-glucans (found in such places as the cellulose in plants, the bran of cereal grains and certain mushrooms) and found such products beneficial in mitigating allergic reactions via their ability to strengthen and restore the part of the immune system that creates allergic responses.
Prebiotics are found in such foods as fruits, legumes, and whole grains. They come from carbohydrate fibers called oligosaccharides. The body doesn’t digest them, so the oligosaccharides remain in the digestive tract and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria.
I quoted this particular study for a couple of reasons. Firstly it pointed out the dramatic change from infectious to degenerative disease which is something that we’re still coming to grips with as a population. We continue to be imbedded with the concept that if we feel sick we just need to “take something”. That is the infectious model. It doesn’t work with the degenerative disease model which exposes that food is information and each and every time you ingest something you are giving your body information, good or bad. Hopefully if you cogitate on that concept for a few moments it will give you some pause before eating any junk food.
The second reason I wanted to review this study was that the substances they isolated that acted as “good information” all came from the foods that we don’t consume in adequate quantities in this country: fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains (gluten-free if you please).
We encourage our patients to ingest the majority of their calories from very high quality complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables), proteins (beans, nuts and lean animal protein) and fats. And while it’s always nice to have a treat, try to keep it to a minimum.
I hope this was helpful. If your health is not to the level you'd like it to be, consider giving us a call for a free health analysis - call 408-733-0400. Our destination clinic treats people from across the country and internationally. We are here to help!
To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”
Often it is during this initial 10 days that we get a glimmer of a gluten and or dairy reaction that is corroborated by laboratory testing and/or a negative response when the food is reintroduced. But other times another reaction occurs. The patient feels great on the diet but reintroduction doesn’t recreate any of the negative symptoms with which they arrived. Often it comes down to the fact that the modified elimination diet, as we refer to it, simply removed all the “junk” from the diet and the person’s body had a positive response to that. It wasn’t a single food reaction that was resulting in their symptoms but rather the combination of items making up their less than healthy diet.
My reason for bringing this up on my gluten-related blog is this: simply removing gluten from your diet may not be enough to ensure good health. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t it ENOUGH to have to give up gluten without adding other restrictions? I do sympathize but read on a bit.
A healthy diet encourages consumption of complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables, legumes, beans, whole grains. It encourages healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, raw nuts and seeds. It encourages clean, lean sources of protein, be they animal or plant. It encourages 8 or more glasses of clean water and exercise.
A healthy diet does not include refined simple grains (flours), sugar, prepackaged foods, artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives, trans fats and the like.
So when I hear gluten intolerant groups discussing the best place to find pizza, cupcakes, cookie mixes and gluten-free candy I become concerned. Our goal is not simply to find a replacement for all the refined wheat products we can no longer consume. Our goal, upon diagnosing our gluten intolerance, is to regain our health. While eliminating gluten is a wonderful first step, it’s usually insufficient. And while the dietary advice given above is beneficial for everyone, it’s especially important to any body that has suffered malabsorption such as those with gluten intolerance.
There was a recent research article from Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry May 20, 2009 titled “Immunomodulation by food: promising concept for mitigating allergic disease?”. The research team from The Netherlands noted the well documented shift from infectious disease to degenerative or immune-related diseases that has occurred roughly since World War II. They further noted the while increased hygienic practices likely account for less infections, our high chemical diet and overuse of antibacterial products likely accounts for the abundance of allergies from which we see today’s population suffering.
They reviewed such products as pre- and probiotics, beta-glucans (found in such places as the cellulose in plants, the bran of cereal grains and certain mushrooms) and found such products beneficial in mitigating allergic reactions via their ability to strengthen and restore the part of the immune system that creates allergic responses.
Prebiotics are found in such foods as fruits, legumes, and whole grains. They come from carbohydrate fibers called oligosaccharides. The body doesn’t digest them, so the oligosaccharides remain in the digestive tract and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria.
I quoted this particular study for a couple of reasons. Firstly it pointed out the dramatic change from infectious to degenerative disease which is something that we’re still coming to grips with as a population. We continue to be imbedded with the concept that if we feel sick we just need to “take something”. That is the infectious model. It doesn’t work with the degenerative disease model which exposes that food is information and each and every time you ingest something you are giving your body information, good or bad. Hopefully if you cogitate on that concept for a few moments it will give you some pause before eating any junk food.
The second reason I wanted to review this study was that the substances they isolated that acted as “good information” all came from the foods that we don’t consume in adequate quantities in this country: fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains (gluten-free if you please).
We encourage our patients to ingest the majority of their calories from very high quality complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables), proteins (beans, nuts and lean animal protein) and fats. And while it’s always nice to have a treat, try to keep it to a minimum.
I hope this was helpful. If your health is not to the level you'd like it to be, consider giving us a call for a free health analysis - call 408-733-0400. Our destination clinic treats people from across the country and internationally. We are here to help!
To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”
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