symptoms

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

Are You Losing Your Mind?

November 11, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

Do you ever have days where you’re feeling super forgetful?

Like not remembering the name of your favorite book, or movie, or that ‘thingy’ you’ve been meaning to buy for weeks – what was that called again?

Maybe you’ve realized that the lines have blurred over the sequence leading up to an event that – even though it happened years ago, used to be so clear in your mind.

A ‘Brian Williams’ moment, if you will.

Then again, maybe you’re thinking one thing, but the words don’t come out quite right.

What the heck is that all about?

Are you losing your mind?

Is Removing Gluten Always The Answer?

September 30, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

Should you remove gluten from your diet?

I get asked this question a lot.

And the short answer is “It depends”.

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!

And you don’t want to stop there, either.

The Book Of You

June 24, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

A few years back, I wrote this.

The idea behind it was that all the bits and pieces of your life get woven not only into your memories, but also the very fabric of your home – using color, shape, furnishings and mementos to paint a picture – instead of words.

What I’ve come to realize, is that those same bits and pieces – indeed, the entire story of your life in all its shame and glory – has a huge impact on your health.

No matter how much you might try to deny it, these various threads of your life nonetheless parallel and influence each other – starting at birth, and continuing undiminished, until you take your last breath.

In short, everything matters!

Every bite you choose to eat, every action you take, every significant person who’s crossed your path – to the soup of environmental chemicals you might be exposed to along the way or how you manage stress.

Why Your Aches & Pains Are A Good Thing

October 2, 2015 By Karen

Do you sometimes feel like a human guinea pig?

Perhaps you’ve even experimented with different foods, in an effort to figure out what might be a trigger for you.

Let me preface this first by saying – if you have Celiac disease, or an Autoimmune condition, this is in NO WAY a license to re-introduce gluten!

Got that?

However, your dietary triggers could also be dairy, eggs, or nuts – or any number of different foods.

Let’s take a closer look at eggs for a moment.

Are eggs a regular part of your diet?

They use to be for me, too.

I often enjoyed scrambled eggs, or an omelet for breakfast.

And I absolutely LOVED making soufflé! (As fancy as that sounds, it’s not that hard. Seriously!)

At this point, however, it’s literally been years since I last ate eggs.

In recent weeks, however, I decided to re-introduce them – as a human experiment, if you will.

Using me as the guinea pig.

A Sugar-Free Christmas? Bah Humbug!

November 28, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

A couple of years ago, I decided to cut back on my intake of refined sugar.

And I’ve shared my various successes baking with alternate sweeteners here and here.

Of course, there are lots of reasons why you might want to consume less sugar than the Standard American Diet (aka SAD).

However, if you’re experiencing any kind of digestive distress, or chronic illness, then sugar is one of the first things I’d recommend you eliminate.

After gluten, of course!

(Both gluten and sugar, along with dairy, are considered the top three most inflammatory foods).

So, that’s reason #1.

Here’s another reason to eliminate sugar: a yeast or bacterial overgrowth, such as Candida or SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth).

What’s Going On In There?

June 20, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

I was deep in conversation recently with a young woman, as she explained to me in earnest, how she was struggling with an over-production of stomach acid.

This had been causing her all kinds of problems.

(Since we were at a party, I’m actually not sure how we go off onto that tangent, but we did.)

After listening intently, I gently explained to her that high levels of stomach acid are actually exceedingly rare.

And I went on to explain that the likely culprit was more likely low stomach acid.

She was confused.

It’s a common myth, one you’ve likely heard yourself.

After all, the media bombards you all the time with messages of what you should do for heartburn.

And they always recommend an over-the-counter medication, to ease your symptoms.

The key word here is “symptoms”.

Because in the end, all that medication actually does is ease your symptoms – without addressing why you have this problem in the first place!

In order to find the problem, you need to first back things up – and look for the cause.

After all, there’s a reason you’re experiencing heartburn.

Inflammation 101

March 7, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a doctor tell you that you had inflammation?

The first few times I heard that word bandied about, I didn’t know what the doctor was talking about.

Inflammation?

What exactly did that mean?

Well, it turns out that inflammation inside your body is not much different from an inflamed wound on the outside of your body.

(Except for the fact you can’t see it).

You know how – if you cut yourself – the area around the wound becomes red and sore?

We recognize this as a sign that our body is trying to fight infection.

What’s surprising, though, is that you can have a similar kind of ‘injury’ inside your body – the equivalent of a bruise, or sore that has gone unchecked.

And just like anywhere else, your immune system kicks in and sends a bunch of fighter cells to the injured spot, to do their hard work.

Even more surprising, it turns out that 70% of your immune system is in your gut!

S Is For Symptoms

Are You Losing Your Mind?

Is Removing Gluten Always The Answer?

The Book Of You

Why Your Aches & Pains Are A Good Thing

A Sugar-Free Christmas? Bah Humbug!

What’s Going On In There?

Inflammation 101

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