Month: November 2017

A comprehensive video explaining why and demonstrating how to prepare your grains and legumes prior to cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX3RcU5Hhqg

You can also read Dr. Kelly Brogan’s article “This Is Your Body (and Brain) on Gluten” to get greater perspective on the topic.
Considering these factors, it is not surprising that gluten removal from the diet could result in what the title of the published case report described as a “Dramatic improvement of parkinsonian symptoms after gluten-free diet introduction in a patient with silent celiac disease.” We’ve seen similar remarkable recoveries with brain-metabolism optimizing fats like coconut oil in cases of debilitating dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In this new case study, the 75-year-old man presented with a 1-year history of “difficulty walking, instability, and fatigability.” His neurological examination revealed:
Facial hypomimia (reduced facial expressions)
Bradykinesia (extreme slowness of movements and reflexes)
Rigidity
Postural instability
A brain scan was performed using Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), revealing abnormalities consistent with low dopamine production and which in combination with the clinical data lead to a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Additional laboratory blood work revealed lower than normal level of serum folate, elevated homocysteine, with normal vitamin B12 levels. To assess the possibility of asymptomatic malabsorption due to a silent celiac disease further blood screening was explored. Anti-gliadin antibodies, markedly elevated IgA, anti-transglutaminase antibodies, and positive anti-endomysial antibodies – all signs of gluten associated autoimmunity. Finally, a duodenal biopsy was performed revealing intestinal characteristics (flattened villi; crypt hyperplasia) consistent with celiac disease. As a result, the gastroenterologist prescribed a gluten-free diet.
Remarkably, after only 3 months of abstinence from gluten, the patient reported an almost complete remission of symptoms, subsequently confirmed by a neurological evaluation. 18 months later he was reexamined and was found to have improved further.
Notably, the patient did not see measurable improvements in the dopaminergic abnormalities discovered in his brain scan, which would be expected in classical Parkinson’s disease, which is marked by the degeneration of the dopamine producing cells in the substantia nigra of the brain. The authors therefore did not posit that the celiac disease “caused” Parkinson’s disease in the patient, but rather that celiac disease exacerbated parkinsonism in this case. The case, however, does illustrate the possibility that a number of patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are suffering from previously unidentified and unreported gluten-associated Parkinsonism, which from the outside clinical presentation can look identical. Those folks, who would benefit greatly from removing the cause of the neurological problems – namely, gluten/wheat removal – are often overdiagnosed and overtreated with drugs aimed at alleviating Parkinson’s disease, but which ultimately can lead to accelerated degeneration of endogenous dopamine production in the brain, enhanced neurotoxicity due to drug metabolites (e.g. 6-hydroxydopamine), and the production of dyskinesias (movement disorders) that are far worse than, or were never present within, the pre-treatment condition.
From: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/dramatic-recovery-parkinson-s-patient-gluten-free-diet

Some more data on the harmful effects that wheat has on ouyr health.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/your-body-and-brain-gluten

An interesting indictment of wheat as a causative agent in adverse health issues. It is up there at the top of the list with drugs!
One reason I use no wheat in my entire range.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/display/toxic-ingredient

Cinnamon – from a Dr Al Sears newsletter
Cinnamon can help balance your blood sugar.
That’s especially important today. Our modern diet causes your pancreas to produce too much insulin.
And too much insulin overwhelms the insulin receptors in your cells and makes them insulin-resistant. This leads to high glucose levels, which in turn causes prediabetes and ultimately full-blown type 2 diabetes.
Big Pharma has hundreds of drugs to try to treat diabetes. But studies show they do nothing to save lives. And they have terrible side effects.
I help my patients balance their blood sugar with natural alternatives, including cinnamon.
A USDA study found that cinnamon significantly increases insulin production and balances blood sugar.1
And in a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people ate about a cup of rice pudding with or without a teaspoon of cinnamon. Adding the cinnamon slowed the rate the stomach emptied by up to 37%. That significantly slowed the rise in blood sugar levels. It also increased levels of a peptide that helps prevent overeating which can lead to spikes in blood sugar.2
Cinnamon is also a powerful antioxidant. It reduces inflammation and promotes heart health.3 And it can help you lose weight. Studies show that cinnamon actually mimics insulin to clear glucose from your blood so your body stops storing excess sugar as fat.4
Other research shows that cinnamon helps:
Reduce blood pressure
Relieve arthritis
Alleviate menstrual cramps
Support healthy blood clotting
Boost memory
Improve digestion
I recommend using a teaspoon of cinnamon powder a day. But make sure you get the right kind of cinnamon…
You see, that jar of “cinnamon” in your cupboard is probably not true cinnamon at all, but a very similar spice known as “cassia” (Cinnamomum cassia).
True cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) is usually labeled “Ceylon cinnamon.” It is sweeter, lighter and more refined than cassia. It’s most suitable to flavoring desserts. Cassia is heavier and more suited to robust, savory dishes.
Ceylon cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean. It’s more expensive and harder to find. But it’s what I recommend for my patients. You see, cassia has higher levels of coumarin, a natural blood thinner. In fact, cassia has about 250 times more coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon does. Too much coumarin can cause liver toxicity and cancer.
And patients on blood thinners like warfarin (brand name Coumadin) are often advised to limit their intake of cinnamon. But that applies to cassia more so than to real cinnamon.