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Nutrition

Is Your Food Making You Sick…How Would You Know?

Published: 25 August 2015
Written by Dr. Shel
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Categories: Nutrition

Is Your Food Making You Sick?

Most people are aware of food allergies. Everyone knows someone who has an allergy to peanuts, strawberries, shellfish, or some other food. However, what most people are not aware of are Food Sensitivities.

True food allergies are based on exposure to a specific protein component of a food. The immune system incorrectly perceives the protein as a threat and produces antibodies in response. The reaction to a food allergy is usually immediate and severe, and can even be fatal. True food allergies are estimated to affect less than 2 percent of adults and 4 to 8 percent of young children and infants.

Other common indications of food sensitivities include:

  • Bloating or Irregular Digestion
  • Irritable Bowels & Reflux
  • Skin Rashes of any kind
  • Runny Rose or Excess Mucus
  • Muscle/Joint Aches and Pains
  • Depression and Mood Swings

What Exactly are Food Sensitivities?

Food sensitivity on the other-hand is extremely common. In fact, in over 9 years of testing patients we have observed that virtually everyone has at least some degree of sensitivity to one or more foods. The most common sensitivities we observe are to Gluten, Corn, Diary, Soy, and Eggs, which is no surprise since our diets have become bombarded with these foods. These 5 foods make up nearly 75% of all food sensitivities.

Food sensitivities may arise for various reasons and cause a wide variety of symptoms, making it complex and oftentimes confusing. In general, food sensitivities are the result of toxic responses to food. Identifying food sensitivity without laboratory testing can be extremely difficult because symptoms may be delayed for up to two days after a food has been consumed.

Signs That You May Have Food Sensitivity

A very common symptom of food allergies is dark circles underneath the eyes, which indicates a negative liver response to a food. Another common symptom is feeling tired or mentally foggy after eating. Have you heard of the term “food coma”? Somehow it’s become a commonly accepted term and side effect of eating. If you are eating food that nourishes and supports you, you should feel clear and energized after eating it…not foggy and drained.

How Can You Accurately Detect Your Food Sensitivities?

Laboratory testing is the easiest and most accurate way to identify your specific food sensitivities. The test I use in my practice is a 96IGG food sensitivity test, which tests for 96 different foods. The results are usually returned within 3 weeks. Once results are received, the results are reviewed and interpreted by a physician and a personalized eating plan is prepared.

Your eating plan should include a rotation diet, shopping lists, foods to avoid, and food substitutions you can make. For example, substituting cashew butter for peanut butter, or substituting coconut flour for wheat flour. Most patients are on a rotation diet for 6 months and then can slowly re-introduce certain foods back into their diet one at a time to determine if the sensitivity has resolved itself. We recommend re-testing every 6-12 months.

Find Out Which Foods Are Making YOU Sick!

Knowledge is power. To discover your specific food sensitivities and get on a customized eating plan for optimal health, request a Free Consultation today. Call (218) 313-7435 or Request a Consultation Online. We would love to discuss this service with you in more detail and answer any questions you have!

Could Your Heartburn Actually be Caused by Too Little (Not Too Much) Stomach Acid?

Published: 5 June 2014
Written by Dr. Shel
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Categories: Nutrition

Common “knowledge” is that heartburn and GERD are caused from having too much stomach acid. However, today I want to challenge you to see the flaws in that theory and consider that it may be from having too LITTLE stomach acid.

Stomach Acid & Your Age

It is statistically a fact that the incidence of heartburn and GERD increases with age, while stomach acid levels generally decline with age. How does this make sense? If heartburn was caused by too much stomach acid, wouldn’t your chances of having heartburn go down as you age? In fact, according to Jonathan Wright, MD of the Tahoma Clinic in Washington State, when stomach acid is measured in people suffering from heartburn and GERD it is almost always low, not high.

What Happens When You Have Low Stomach Acid?

When you have low levels of stomach acid (Hypochlorhydria), food will sit in your stomach longer than it should and not digest properly. When this happens, the partially digested food along with stomach acid is forced back up into your esophageal sphincter, creating the burning sensation.

If that’s true, then why does taking antacids help the pain?

low-stomach-acidThe symptoms of heartburn and GERD are actually caused by stomach acid, but only because it is backing up into your esophagus. Any amount of acid in the esophagus is going to cause problems. So, when you take antacids it will give you relief from the acid that has backed up.

Also, throwing antacids at the symptoms does not treat underlying causes of the problem and in fact it makes things worse. Americans spend more than $13 billion on acid stopping drugs each year. This expense might be justified if antacid drugs were actually curing heartburn and GERD, but just the opposite is true. Not only do these drugs fail to treat GERD, they will make the underlying condition (not enough stomach acid) worse. This virtually necessitates the lifelong use of these medications for anyone who takes them (what most drug manufacturing companies want).

Curing a condition means eliminating its cause, but this of course is not the case with antacids. As soon as the patient stops taking them, the symptoms return. And often they’re worse than they were before the patient started the drug. This is due to the fact that antacids actually reduced acid levels to even lower levels…this was the problem to begin with!

Serious Health Risks Beyond Heartburn!

There are also some serious dangers associated with Hypochlorhydria. Especially if you are taking antacids and further reducing stomach acid to extreme low levels. Without proper stomach acid your body can not digest foods properly and absorb all the nutrients and trace elements from the food.

Here are Some of the Major Consequences From This:

  • Substantial increase in one’s risk of Osteoporosis.
  • Malabsorption of B12. It is a konw fact that proton pump inhibitors can reduce your absorption of B12 to less than 1%.
  • Increase susceptibility to gut infections and food poisoning.
  • Increased liklihood of Candida Yeast overgrowth.
  • Increased risk of stomach cancer.

Common Symptoms of Low Stomach Acid (Hypochlorhydria):

  • Extreme fullness after meals
  • Belching
  • Heartburn/burning sensation
  • Gas, flatulence after meals
  • Indigestion
  • Burning
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency
  • Aging due to malabsorption
  • Food allergies/sensitivities
  • Anemia
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Food allergies/sensitivities
  • Skin probles
  • Weak nails

If Low Stomach Acid is The Problem, Then How is it Treated?

By taking a high quality digestive enzyme, you will help the body to break down the food you eat and prevent it from backing up into the esophagus. There are a variety of digestive enzymes on the market, including single enzyme and multiple enzyme. Most people are going to benefit most from a multi-enzyme product, so you’ll want to see a number of enzymes listed, including proteases (which break down proteins), lipases (which break down fats), and carbohydrases (such as amylase, which break down carbohydrates).

You should also stay away from foods you are sensitive to, which can cause inflammation in your gut and make your symptoms worse. You can find out what those foods are by doing a simple

Some Other Things Thant Can Help:

  • Chew your food fully. This will help your stomach to more easily digest your food.
  • Eat sitting down and while in a relaxed state. The mere sight, smell, or thought of food triggers reflexes in the brain that result in increased stomach acid secretion, so you want to give eating your full attention.
  • To temporarily increase the acidity of the stomach, drink a small amount of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar added to room temperature water about 15-20 minutes prior to eating.

You Don’t Need to Suffer with Heartburn Any More!

I hope this information has been beneficial for you and has challenged you to rethink the way you approach treating your heartburn and GERD symptoms. Do you suffer from the symptoms of low stomach acid? Do you plan on making a change? Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments below.

What’s the Fuss about Gluten?

Published: 22 October 2012
Written by Dr. Shel
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Categories: Nutrition

caution-glutenI strongly believe that the food you eat should make you feel good. But what if it doesn’t?

It continues to be a hot ‘buzz’ word: ‘gluten’. It seems like every label you read claims it’s ‘gluten free’, but many people still aren’t even sure what gluten is-or why we should avoid it, for that matter.

What you need to know: Gluten is basically an ingredient found in wheat, rye and barley products. While it can be found in obvious things like bread, it can also show up in all different types of processed foods. Ever see ‘modified food starch’ on a label? That’s gluten. Many people have a sensitivity or allergy to it, creating various unpleasant symptoms.

The Telltale Signs of Gluten Intolerance – Ask Yourself:

  • Do you have gastrointestinal issues? You know all the usual suspects: gas, bloating, abdominal cramping, diarrhea (or constipation for that matter), acid reflux and heartburn.
  • Do you feel fatigued? Are you tired most (or all) of the time, especially after you eat?
  • Are you moody? Do you have frequent mood swings? Do you get irritated with situations and people easily? Or can you get depressed at the drop of a hat?
  • How’s your skin? Do you suffer from any skin irritations? Rashes? Eczema?
  • How’s your mental sharpness? Are you thinking clearly? Or do things sometime seem ‘foggy’? Are you forgetful and absent-minded?
  • Do you suffer from chronic pain? Do your joints hurt? Have you been diagnosed with fibromyalgia?

Any of these symptoms could be indicative of a gluten allergy or sensitivity. And yes, they could also be symptoms of something else. My goal is always to get to the root cause of symptoms and treat the condition itself, not give my patients a quick fix for a symptom.

This is why I recommend extensive food testing be done, testing for 96 different common food allergens, to determine if gluten is the issue. We can also do specific gene testing for gluten/ gliadin. Many people who are sensitive to gluten also end up having other food sensitivities that need to be addressed as well.

Why Food Sensitivity Testing is Worth It

  • Reduce your risk for cancer and many other diseases. If you have a sensitivity to something you ingest regularly, it is causing inflammation within your body. This constant inflammation can make you much more susceptible to cancer, as well as diseases like arthritis, diabetes and even heart disease.
  • You’ll just flat out feel better. You’ll have more energy-you’ll feel more ‘alive’. Who doesn’t want that?