Why Going Gluten Free Can Be Unhealthy

Gluten free has gone mainstream. The multibillion dollar gluten-free food industry has exploded over the last few years, to the point that you now can go to just about any restaurant or grocery store and find a gluten-free alternative for whatever food you seek. From gluten-free breads, pastas and pastries to gluten-free shampoos and lotions, "gluten free" has become ubiquitous in our culture.

A recent survey from market research firm the NPD Group finds that America is cutting gluten in a big way. The survey estimated that around one third of US adults wanted to decrease or eliminate gluten from their diets, a record high. It's undeniable that for a growing number of the population, gluten-free foods are the best thing since sliced bread — so to speak.

Gluten, the protein that is found in grains such as wheat, rye, spelt and barley, can be highly inflammatory for a lot of people. Gluten exposure triggers a 70% increase in intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome), and spikes inflammation in the body for as long as six months.

Gluten affects people in extremely different ways. From the horrible autoimmune attacks of celiac disease and the allergic responses from a wheat allergy, to the estimated 1 in 20 Americans who have a gluten sensitivity, gluten is the center of a lot of research when it comes to chronic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

With that said, "gluten free" is not synonymous with healthy. The major problem, in my opinion, is that the gluten-free alternatives that millions are eating with good intentions are highly inflammatory themselves. For example:

Gluten-free grains: Gluten-free foods typically contain corn, oats and rice. The problem is that these grains can all have potentially damaging inflammatory effects on the body

Pseudo-grains: Quinoa and amaranth are two other ingredients used in gluten-free foods. These foods are high in saponins, which act as a defense mechanism for plants, and can cause gut inflammation and contribute to leaky gut syndrome.

To read the entire article, go on over to MindBodyGreen!

Helping People Reverse Disease, Regain Energy, Lose Stubborn Weight And Restore Health, In Pittsburgh & Across The World Through Our Virtual Functional Medicine Practice. Dr. Will Cole: Your Source For The Future Of Natural Health. www.drwillcole.com

5 Reasons Thyroid Medications Aren't Working For You

 

 

Millions of Americans struggle with low thyroid symptoms and are told at their doctor's office to take medication and return in three months. Welcome to the standard model of care. 

The problem is that many people still have persistent low thyroid symptoms, even when taking the thyroid medication. People live with debilitating symptoms like fatigue, depression, anxiety, hair loss, weight gain and skin problems, and receive very little help from mainstream care.

Thyroid medication normally comes in the form of a synthetic T4 thyroid hormone. T4 is the main thyroid hormone that your body produces naturally, but it needs to be converted into T3 for it to be used actively in the body. I wrote an article for MindBodyGreen that explains in detail the many different causes of low thyroid symptoms that aren't tested for in the standard model of care. Since that article was first published, I've been able to talk to hundreds of people all over the world who are on thyroid replacement hormones and are told they're “normal,” even though they still have symptoms. These people know that how they're feeling is anything but normal.

Because thyroid physiology is so complex, there is rarely, if ever, a “magic pill” that cures the problem. The overwhelming majority of people struggling with low thyroid symptoms are having some sort of autoimmune response. This means that their immune system mistakes the thyroid as an enemy and attacks it. This immune dysregulation can cause systemic inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a normal response to an injury, but when the source of the inflammation, in this case an autoimmune response, isn't addressed, the vicious cycle of systemic inflammation is never broken.

The underlying issues of an autoimmune pattern and inflammation have to be addressed to restore the patient’s health. It's only when you deal with underlying issues like these that you can allow the thyroid hormone to be effectively used in the body. 

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With that in mind, let’s go over five reasons why your thyroid medication may not be working over at MindBodyGreen.

 

 

Helping People Reverse Disease, Regain Energy, Lose Stubborn Weight And Restore Health, In Pittsburgh & Across The World Through Our Virtual Functional Medicine Practice. Dr. Will Cole: Your Source For The Future Of Natural Health. www.drwillcole.com