Posts Tagged ‘autoimmune diseases’

Inflammation – redness, swelling and pain

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

inflammationWhat is inflammation?  By definition it is …Pathology. Redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of an area of the body, esp. as a reaction of tissues to injurious agents.

Typically one thinks of inflammation as a cut or a sprain that may become red and swollen and this is the extent of what one thinks of when it comes to inflammation.  I am here to tell you that inflammation is more than just a cut or a sprain.  Just as the definition above states it is a disturbed function of an area of the body do to injurious agents.  For the purpose of this blog entry I will be discussing areas of the body that are susceptible to inflammation and explain what the injurious agents are.

First of all, any part of the human body can become inflamed.  That means that muscles, joints, nerves, organs and skin are all vulnerable to inflammation.  Becoming inflamed does not just happen from being injured from an accident.  Becoming inflamed as stated above in the definition comes from injurious agents.  What I need all of you to understand is  that an injurious agent can come from the food you eat, the beverages you drink, lack of sleep, emotional and physical stress, etc.  Each of these agents can affect your body in different ways but all can end up causing inflammation.

We see so many people that come into our offices not feeling well, feeling tired, knowing that something is wrong with them but yet nothing is found during a doctor’s visit.  More times than not these individuals bodies are trying to fight inflammation and our job is to find the source of the inflammation.  Typically what is given to treat inflammation are anti-inflammatory drugs and at times this is necessary but what I want all of you to know and understand is that if the injurious agent is not removed then you are only treating the symptoms and not the problem.

If you would like more information about how food, beverages, lack of sleep, emotional and physical stress become injurious agents sign up for our Wellness 101 lecture.  Visit www.replenishingsoul.com/our-events for more information or write us your questions, we would love to hear from you.

 

Lori Metroka,PT

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

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Posted in Prevention information | 3 Comments »

The gut connection

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Typically people think that stress is about meeting deadlines, being stuck in traffic and having a high stress job.  Did you know though that stress is also placed on your body by eating the wrong foods, eating foods that you have intolerance to and not getting enough sleep?  When these hidden stressors are placed on the body over and over again they can cause hormonal imbalances as well as digestive issues that may lead to more complex illnesses such as autoimmune diseases.  Let us explain.gi-system3

First of all, 80% of your immune system lies within your gut.  Therefore, if you are eating foods that your body cannot handle this places stress on the GI system (gastrointestinal system).  When prolong stress is placed on the GI system good bacteria and flora begin to diminish and over time your protective mucosal lining will also begin to break down.  When your protective mucosal lining (Sig A) breaks down your immune defense breaks down and leads to leaky gut syndrome (visit our blog for articles written about leaky gut).  Leaky gut is when the GI system breaks down and gets porous holes in the intestines. Toxins, rather than be eliminated through the stool can leak out into the blood stream (which is not normal) causing the body to react against itself thus causing an autoimmune disease.  Let us say however, that this is not always how autoimmune diseases happen but if you do suffer from one we do recommend you perform gut testing to rule out food allergies/intolerances.

Going a bit further into the gut connection when the gut is stressed over time the hormonal system will begin to kick in.  Cortisol which is an anti-inflammatory hormone will be released to try to calm down the inflammation that is taking place in the gut.  The hormonal system will continue to release cortisol until the inflammation is gone but if you continue to eat foods that continue to irritate the gut the hormonal system will continue to try to release cortisol.  But guess what?  Your hormonal system will eventually get stressed and eventually your body will run out of cortisol and now not only do you have gut inflammation you now have a stressed out hormonal system and the inflammation continues and can become systemic.  What can be seen when the gut and hormonal system gets stressed are not only autoimmune diseases but one can suffer from skin reactions/rashes, end up with hormonal imbalances leading to low libido, PMS and night sweats as well as difficulty sleeping.

What we would like for all of you to understand from this blog article is that the digestive system, the hormonal system and the detoxification system (the liver) are all linked together.  Anyone of these systems can get stressed at anytime in any particular order and lead to being diagnosed with a disease.  We have helped many people who have come into our offices with an illness.  We run digestive and hormonal testing on all of our clients and each and every time we have found each of these systems stressed.  Each client goes on an individual healing protocol that is specific to their test results.  We help them to eliminate the hidden stressors found through the test results, get them on healing foods that reduce inflammation, we support the hormonal system through supplementation and teach our clients how to listen to their bodies so that the illnesses do not come back.  Gut testing and hormonal testing give many answers and are a great tool for knowing what is going on in the body.  For example a high morning cortisol is a clue that your body is trying to fight an infection. 

If you are one who is suffering from an illness and feel as if you are not getting better we recommend running gut and hormonal testing. These tests can be done in the comforts of your own home.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to visit us on our contact us page of our website and remember you become what you eat!

 

Lori Metroka-Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

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Posted in Digestive Health | No Comments »

The Dangers of Gluten

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

-Do you ever experience gas, bloating, loose or oily stools or constipation?

-Do you ever experience abdominal pain, nausea, abdominal distention or flatulence?

-Do you ever experience joint or muscle pain that does not appear to be caused by activity or exercise?

-Do you ever experience an enlarged or inflamed tongue, gastric and duodenal ulcers or esophageal reflux?

-Women, have you experienced difficulty getting or miscarriages?

-Do you experience fatigue, mood changes, depression or anxiety?

-Have you ever been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease such as thyroid malfunctions, Diabetes   Mellitus, Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Childhood asthma or Polymyalgia rheumatic?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be suffering from gluten sensitivity.

 

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is found in grains, grains such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, kamut and possible oat.   It is a protein that is hard to digest and therefore can irritate not only your digestive tract but also your organs.  You can experience symptoms that have been listed above but not always.  You can have gluten sensitivity yet be asymptomatic.  Research shows that as many as 90 million Americans may be negatively affected by gluten and as many as 10 million may have an illness due to the root cause of gluten sensitivity.

How gluten causes disease

When ones digestive system is healthy undigested or partially digested proteins will be eliminated as fecal matter.  However, if ones digestive system becomes weakened due to poor food choices, food intolerances, alcohol consumption, eating processed foods and sugars as well as from the normal day to day stresses of life the ability of the body  to digest  gluten proteins can become difficult.  As a result any of the symptoms listed above will be seen because of the undigested proteins floating through the bloodstream thus causing an autoimmune reaction.  In addition the protective mucus lining of the intestinal track gets attacked as well.  Like the skin on your body, this protective mucus lining is a first line of defense in protecting the body from illness and disease.  When this lining breaks down it leads to leaky gut syndrome (scroll down to read what is leaky gut syndrome and solutions for leaky gut) therefore, making one’s immune system vulnerable and weak.

How to find out if you’re gluten intolerance

To find out if you have intolerance to gluten you can undergo a small intestinal biopsy, stool sample testing or blood testing.  If you would like a less invasive test or a cheaper test for that matter you can take the gluten challenge.  The gluten challenge is to eliminate gluten from your diet for 2-4 weeks.  Then on the last day of your challenge eat nothing but gluten.  For example Breakfast could consist of muffins, cereal or toast.  Snack will be cookies or crackers.  Lunch and dinner may be pasta and see how you feel immediately after and/ or the next day.  Do you suffer from abdominal discomfort (cramping, bloating, and gas), achy muscles/joints, fatigue, irritability or difficulty concentrating?  If so, you are gluten sensitive and should eliminate gluten as soon as possible from your diet!

Acronyms that might spell “hidden” Gluten

Fu- dried wheat gluten

HPP- hydrolyzed plant protein

HVP-hydrolyzed vegetable protein

MSG-monosodium glutamate

TPP- textured plant protein

TVP-textured vegetable protein

Begin to read labels!  For example many condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup and BBQ sauce, just to name a few contain wheat based ingredients.  Instead, I encourage you to begin to either make your own sauces at home or cook with herbs and spices.

If you would like more information about gluten we recommend you purchase the book Dangerous Grains by James Braly, M.D. and Ron Hoggan, M.A.

In addition, if you would like specific lab testing for gluten intolerance you can purchase stool test kits through Replenishing Soul that can be done in the privacy of your own home.  To place your order or to ask us questions you can  us contact through our website at www.replenishingsoul.com.

 

Resources:

Dangerous Grains- James Braly

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Posted in Nutrition Tips | 1 Comment »