immune system

V Is For Villous Atrophy

November 3, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

OK, I admit it – I live in a bubble of sorts.

The bubble I speak of revolves around Functional Medicine, which is always focused on learning the root cause of your illness – versus a conventional approach, which only looks at symptoms.

Looking at your body as a whole makes perfect sense to me.

After all, it’s made up of closely interconnected parts – including your immune system, your neuroendocrine system and so forth.

First and foremost is your Digestive System.

This last one, alone, is typically at the root of whatever ails you – with the usual dietary culprits being Dairy, Sugar, and Gluten.

It’s what I focus on throughout A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z – although I also share plenty about your immune system, leaky gut and lots, lots more.

But why gluten – specifically?

Do You Have A Shag Carpet?

October 27, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Warning: while it’s true that I’ve been known to dabble in interior design, this is NOT a post about choosing the best carpet for your home.

Just saying.

Rather, it’s about those little soldiers that line the entire surface of your small intestine – that have the appearance of little shags because they literally look like shag carpeting!

The medical term for those little soldiers is “villi”, a key part of the immune system in your gut.

Their job is to be super vigilant about any intruders that might enter your digestive tract, and dispose of them immediately.

When they’re doing their job properly, they’re readily visible – waving about in the breeze.

However, as most anyone with Celiac Disease can tell you, what’s happened is that those villi have completely worn down – and totally atrophied.

So now you have Berber.

Berber carpeting is flat – when this happens, the villi are no longer able to do their job.

How to Look 20, When You’re Well Past 50 (60, Even)

October 13, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

A while back, a friend whom I hadn’t seen in awhile exclaimed that I looked about 20.

Of course, I didn’t believe her. (When I look in the mirror, I’m as critical as the next person).

But I was pleasantly surprised and secretly quite pleased to hear this.

Who wouldn’t be, right?

After all, it isn’t exactly easy to pass for 40 years younger than your actual age!

“What about my gray hair?” I asked her, thinking that was a dead give-away.

She brushed that aside, saying it didn’t mean a whole lot.

Well, OK then.

The thing is, this wasn’t an isolated incident – which, to be perfectly honest, leaves me a bit baffled..

People want to know “What’s your secret?” – and while I might not be sure initially, when I think about the work I’m doing, and how I live my life, I realize – that’s the secret right there!

What I teach, after all – is a lifestyle.

S Is For Symptoms

September 22, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Got symptoms? If so, I’m really happy for you!

I don’t mean to sound snarky. But the fact is, if you’re dealing with various bodily symptoms – it really IS a good thing!

Why?

Because, it means your body is talking to you.

It’s trying to tell you something – along the lines of “I don’t like what you’re doing to me, so knock it off.”

The thing about gluten-sensitivity – and the reason I’m teaching all about it in A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z – is that it’s known to be the trigger behind upwards of 300 different symptoms and illnesses!

This includes autoimmune disease, inflammation, intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut), and lots more.

Even neurological disorders, as referenced in this study.

If it surprise you to learn that sensitivity to gluten is NOT limited to the gut, here’s another interesting fact: up to 50% of people with celiac disease have NO digestive symptoms whatsoever! (Because it’s manifested elsewhere in your body.)

For this very reason we say it is ‘Systemic’. It’s also why S is for Symptoms and Systemic inflammation.

Cause it literally feels like your body’s been hacked.

To learn more, & receive the most up-to-date, in-depth information regarding all things related to Gluten Sensitivity, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation & more – be sure to watch my educational video series “A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A – Z“. It’s available FREE on my bi-weekly newsletter, but you can have immediate access to all 26 videos – plus a full, 2-hour Tutorial here.

Filed Under: EAT, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & WELLNESS, HEALTHY AGING Tagged With: autoimmune disease. Gluten Primer A-Z, Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, gluten-free, health, immune system, inflammation, neurological, symptoms, systemic

Is Removing Gluten Always The Answer?

September 15, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Should you remove gluten from your diet? (I get asked this question a lot).

The short answer is “It depends”.

What do I mean by this? In a nutshell, it depends on what’s going on in your body.

It depends on the signs and symptoms you’re experiencing.

And it also depends on your test results!

Of course, if your tests come back negative, then you’re in the clear – at least for the time being – more on that later.

But it’s super important that you get the RIGHT tests!

You don’t want to stop there, either.

R Is For Reintroduction

September 8, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Let’s say you’ve been gluten-free awhile – and you’re feeling great.

But you’ve been hearing from friends, as well as online, that European wheat is somehow ‘safer’ – even though it still contains gluten.

Is there any truth to this?

In R Is For Reintroduction I explore this popular myth – that it’s OK to bring gluten-containing foods back into your diet, regardless of the circumstances.

I call this a myth because it’s so misleading.

The reason WHY, is because your immune system has a Memory – especially for gluten. It doesn’t forget!

Once you start eating wheat again (and by default gluten) odds are high that ALL your symptoms will come back.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise – since you’d be reintroducing the very food that’s making you sick. (Especially true for autoimmune disease).

In other words – you can’t be just “a little bit pregnant”.

You’re either sensitive or you’re not. Period. And your immune system will ALWAYS have the final say.

If you’re eager to learn more & don’t want to wait a full year to receive the most up-to-date, in-depth information regarding all things related to Gluten Sensitivity, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation & more – click here for immediate access. You get ALL 26 videos of A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z, including a jam-packed tutorial!

Filed Under: EAT, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & WELLNESS, HEALTHY AGING Tagged With: A Gluten Primer A-Z, Alzheimer's, dementia, digestion, European wheat, gluten-free, immune system, inflammation, memory

Pros & Cons of the Paleo Diet

August 18, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Seems hardly a day goes by, that I don’t hear of someone else who’s embarked on the Whole 30 diet, or ‘gone Paleo’.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Paleo trend, it’s based on the concept that you’re going back to an ancestral diet – the way Nature intended you to be eating all along.

In other words, you’re eating the way your long-ago ancestors ate prior to the introduction of agriculture.

What this translates to – is that you’re foregoing many modern foods you’ve become accustomed to eating, in particular grains, legumes, and – depending on the plan you choose to follow – an absence of potatoes, alcohol and sugar.

If that seems overwhelming to you, I’ve been hearing over and over of the positive experiences people are having.

More energy. Less inflammation. Fewer aches and pains.

O Is For Osteoporosis

July 28, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

You’ve heard of a Bucket List, right?

But there’s another Bucket analogy that’s also worth exploring – an overflowing bucket, if you will.

What does that image conjure for you? Does it mean you’ve gone too far? Perhaps you’ve filled the metaphorical bucket too full?

Whatever it is that you’re doing, your body can’t tolerate it anymore.

It’s communicating this to you via the only language it knows: your symptoms – and that includes autoimmune disease, osteoporosis and lots more.

Sure enough, O is for Osteoporosis!

While it might be a lesser-known aspect of gluten sensitivity, it can be just as debilitating as digestive or neurological issues. (and has nothing to do with increasing your intake of calcium!)

What’s On Your Bucket List?

July 21, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

You’ve heard of a Bucket List, right?

It’s a list of things you’ve always wanted to do, but never quite got around to – so in a nutshell, a Bucket List is a way of setting some goals for yourself, as far as what you’d like to accomplish in this life, before moving on.

No question, it’s an awesome idea!

(Perhaps you’ve even seen the movie by that name?)

Today I’d like to share with you a different sort of Bucket List.

It’s an analogy, if you will, a way of looking at the hand you’ve been dealt – your medical history, along with your entire life trajectory and challenges along the way.

In other words, everything that’s you led to where you are today.

So, here’s the thing.

Picture a bucket of water – with the water level stopping about two inches from the top.

Gluten & the 80/20 Rule

June 25, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Have you heard of the 80/20 Rule?

Also known as the Pareto principle – it’s the understanding that, in the grand scheme of things, roughly 80% of results come from just 20% of your efforts.

You can think of it in terms of economics, but it also plays out in other areas of your life. For example:

At home or the office – it’s usually 20% of the people, who are typically doing 80% of the work

It’s likely that you wear only 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time

If you analyze a day in your life, it’s possible that only 20% of your achievements really matter

In your home, you might spend the majority of your time in just 20% of the available space

At mealtime in Japan, a popular rule of thumb, is to stop eating when you’re 80% full

More recently, I’ve noticed a disturbing new trend – which appears to be the “80/20 Rule with a Twist”, in regard to food and nutrition.