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Seborrheic Dermatitis – Natural Honey Treatment

Chloe Orford — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:41:17 +0000

Research has demonstrated that an application of honey to Seborrheic Dermatitis can help relieve itching and scaling in as little as one week and even heal it completely!

I know it sounds too good to be true, but raw honey (unprocessed) has naturally occurring antibacterial and antifungal properties. So it makes sense that it helps reduce the itching of Seborrheic Dermatitis as this is exacerbated by the yeast Malassezia furfur (Pityrosporum Ovale).

This yeast has infinity for the sebaceous glands as it requires the oil to survive, grow and replicate. So you can commonly find Seborrheic Dermatitis where the sebaceous glands are most prominent.

Where Is Seborrheic Dermatitis Located?

The face and scalp are the most common areas to see Seborrheic Dermatitis, especially around the nose, on the nasal creases, eye lids, eyebrows, and also behind the ears.

When affecting the scalp it is commonly called ‘dandruff’, when it occurs in babies it is called ‘cradle cap’.

When the yeast grows rapidly, the cell renewal of the skin is disturbed and can result in Seborrheic Dermatitis which is characterised by itchy, red, flaking, scaly skin.

It also has been hypothesized that there may be an abnormal immune response to this naturally occurring yeast on the skin resulting in inflammation producing the skin problem.

None the less, it would be very beneficial for you with Seborrheic Dermatitis to use natural antifungal treatments to help manage the growth of yeast on the skin in turn reducing the itchiness and the redness.

Step By Step Treatment

I am recommending here what was demonstrated in the clinical trial of thirty patients with the topical honey treatment on Seborrheic Dermatitis lesions.

Step 1. Apply a diluted raw honey mixture (90% honey diluted in warm water) directly to the Seborrheic Dermatitis lesions, of the scalp, face, chest or wherever it is located. Do so every two, to three days for 4 weeks. (Apply after cleansed skin)
Step 2. Gently rub the diluted honey into the lesions for 2-3 minutes
Step 3. Leave the honey on for 3 hours
Step 4. Rinse the honey off with warm water

When to Expect Results

According to the trial, within one week the itching and scaling had disappeared.

In the second week, the skin lesions were healing and some had disappeared completely by the end of the second week.
Those who had the skin lesions on their scalp with associated hair loss received a marked improvement in the rate of their hair loss, decreasing dramatically.

The patients who were treated once weekly for the following 6 months (15 patients) after the initial 4 week treatment did not show any relapse of the skin condition. The other 15 patients who stopped treatment had relapse of the lesions within 2-4 months.

What Else Contributes to Seborrheic Dermatitis?

Applying the honey treatment will greatly provide you with fast relief of the skin condition. Whilst you do the external treatment it may also be beneficial for you to look into the deeper underlying causes to your skin condition.

Other factors that have been associated in causing Seborrheic Dermatitis are:

Candida Overgrowth – Candida is another type of fungal infection found in the digestive system tract and is commonly found in Seborrheic Dermatitis sufferers.
Food Allergies/Sensitivities – Getting tested for food sensitivities may be a good idea to determine what foods trigger your skin condition.
High Fat Diet – The use of a lot of bad fats in the diet can create a worsening of the skin condition
Poor Immune System Function – Low immunity can make you more prone to fungal infections, viruses and bacteria.
Nutrient Deficiencies – Deficiencies of Zinc and B vitamins can lower you immune system but also increase sebum production that could contribute to Seborrheic Dermatitis
High Refined Sugar Intake – Sugar can trigger Seborrheic Dermatitis by suppressing the immune system and being a source of food for the yeast.

There you go, a natural skin care treatment for Seborrheic Dermatitis – but please don’t forget to look at your body holistically and what you can change in your lifestyle or diet that will give you a healthier body and healthier skin!

Also, just a warning – please do not use honey on open wounds like ulcerations or cuts as it can actually make it worse. When using honey on open wounds and cuts only use the medicated wound care and not just the straight raw honey as it has been treated in such a way that it is safe to use.

References

1. Al-Waili NS. Therapeutic and Prophylatic Effects of Crude Honey on Chronic Seborrheic Dermatitis and Dandruff. Eur J Med Res, 2001 July 30:6(7) 306-308.

Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis) – Natural Treatment Guide

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome Part Two – Underlying Causes and Treatment

Chloe Orford — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:43:06 +0000

There are many underlying causative factors that could have initiated your sensitivity to low amounts of chemicals in your environment.

You may genetically have a poor capacity to detoxify certain chemicals – 50% of the population have this genetic tendency towards slow detoxification of chemicals. If you do not have a family history, it is still very possible to develop MCS in our modern environment.

Over exposure to large amounts of chemicals could have triggered your MCS, even viruses or severe stress can leave your immune system hypersensitive to its environment.

Often nutritional deficiencies caused from a poor diet, gastrointestinal inflammation and excess alcohol intake can greatly deplete the body of specific nutrients essential for adequate detoxification – causing more and more chemical/food sensitivities.

If your body does not have the tools it needs to detoxify chemicals properly then you are definitely going to know about it.

Symptoms such as headache, irritability, fatigue, restlessness, muscle pain and poor thinking to name a few may occur as you come in contact with chemicals your body can’t cope with.

So what can you do? You can give your body the tools it needs to function optimally and to detoxify chemicals properly.

Supporting Your Body to Heal

Avoiding chemicals that you know can affect you is of the upmost importance whilst you work on your body through dietary and lifestyle changes.

By doing so it will alleviate the symptoms that you experience so that you can at least function a lot better.

How to Avoid Chemicals in Your Environment

Avoiding chemicals completely is of course impossible and out of your control.

But what you do have control of are the chemicals used in your home – by doing the following you can greatly reduce your overall exposure to chemicals.

Eat Organic – This will help you avoid pesticides and agricultural chemicals used on spraying crops, fruits and vegetables that you could potentially ingest.
Drink Filtered water – Chlorinated water through the tap can cause problems in susceptible individuals
Avoid wearing perfumes/colognes – These often create headaches in MCS
Use unscented natural skin care and cleaning products – If you use chemical laden skin care products such as body lotions and face creams that you put on every day, you are adding to your overall toxic load as it can be absorbed through the skin. Cleaning products are full of harsh chemicals that can be inhaled as can skin care products that are highly fragranced. Look for all natural alternatives. Yes that does include makeup, shampoo/conditioner, mouthwash, toothpaste and laundry detergent.
Avoid artificial colours and flavours that are added to processed foods – Eat closest to nature as possible by organising your own meals
Avoid toxic paints – The fumes from paint can be extremely toxic to your body and can linger long after the room has been painted. Avoid this at all costs.

Optimise your diet

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables are very important to ensure that your body receives the nutrients it needs for proper detoxification. Antioxidants are also very important to protect your cells and tissues from the damage that can occur from toxic chemicals.

If you are confused on how to eat healthy, then visiting a nutritionist or a naturopath can put you on the right path to help modify your diet to suit you.

Optimise your Gastrointestinal Tract

A sluggish and unclean digestive system can cause your body to become very toxic – giving your body more work than it can handle! A healthy digestive system will help support your body to detoxify chemicals a lot better.

Think of your digestive system like a waste disposal bin. Every day you top it up with food regularly throughout the day, but before it gets really stinky and fly infested you must empty it out!

With your digestive system, it must be emptied everyday – 2-3 times is optimal but once a day is the absolute minimum. Anything less than this and you will start having problems; problems with your immune system and problems with your liver which is the main organ that detoxifies chemicals!

So to ensure you are emptying out the trash regularly you need:

Adequate fibre – Food sources such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains like oats, brown rice, whole wheat (unless you have a gluten problem) and barley, legumes, nuts and seeds. If you still have a problem getting enough fibre you can use 2 tablespoons of linseed/flaxseed meal separately or psyllium husks (but make sure you follow with a lot of water)
Healthy Bacteria – Good bacteria also known as probiotics are very important for the proper functioning of your digestive system. They prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria/candida; they assist with the absorption of nutrients and support a healthy immune system
1.5-2 Litres of Filtered Water Daily - Drinking filtered water is important so you can avoid chlorine and bacteria that may be present in normal tap water. Drinking enough water is important to soften your bowel movements so you do not become constipated

Nutritional Supplements

Though you may be eating as healthy as you can be, the foods you may be eating may not be as jam packed with nutrients as you would like to think.

The soils may have been depleted with nutrients where the foods were harvested; storing vegetables/fruits for long periods of time before being eaten can have little nutrition once they reach your mouth. Cooking your foods at high temperatures for long periods of time can also destroy the vitamins, and enzymes naturally present.

Supplementing with nutrients alongside a healthy diet may be beneficial for you to really ensure your body receives the nutrients it needs everyday for adequate detoxification.

Any of the following may be beneficial to you – but before supplementing please ensure you talk to a Naturopath or qualified health professional to ensure it is right for you.

Multivitamin

A multivitamin will give your body the minimum requirements of vitamins and mineral it needs every day. Multivitamins can be made very differently so do your research before you buy one. What you want to aim for is one that has reasonably high doses of the following:

Vitamin B1 – 20% of those of you with MCS are commonly deficient in B1. It is necessary for aldehyde detoxification that’s found in many artificial scents and fragrances
Vitamin B6 – 60% of chemical sensitive individuals have been found to be deficient in B6. It is necessary to support an amino acid Taurine with the removal of toxic chemicals
Folic Acid and B12 – A deficiency of these two nutrients are increase your sensitivity to chlorine and xenobiotics (estrogen mimicking chemicals that can have a negative impact on your hormones)

Magnesium

A deficiency in Magnesium can greatly affect your detoxifying capacity, as it is essential in 500 enzyme systems of the body. To learn more about Magnesium and deficiency symptoms, I have covered it in more detail here.

Protein

Protein is made up of twenty amino acids that all have specific roles to play in the body. Many of them such as methionine, taurine and the branch chain amino acids are extremely important to support your liver to detoxify toxic chemicals.

If you are a vegetarian and find it difficult to receive enough protein for your body every day, then it could be a good idea to look into a vegetarian protein supplement such as pea protein or rice protein that is going to ensure you receive the amino acids needed for proper liver detoxification support.

Those of you with poor digestion may not be digesting the protein component of food adequately which can result in a deficiency in a number of amino acids needed for chemical detoxification.

To find out if your digestive system needs help please go here for more information so that you can learn how to treat your poor digestion so you can absorb these essential amino acids properly.

Liver Detoxification Supplements

Impaired liver function is often found in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity individuals as many of you have had over exposure to chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, formaldehydes and heavy metals to name a few. This exposure has increased the toxic load of your body to a point where your liver is unable to keep up.

Liver supplements supply your body with herbs and nutrients needed to support the detoxification pathways of the liver and to protect it against toxic insult from chemicals.

Using a liver formula can be very beneficial in MCS but should be cautioned – when liver detoxifying is not done properly it can have a negative impact on your health as opposed to a positive one. So if you are interested in this please seek a natural health practitioner that can assist you through the right process.

Keep Fighting

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome can be an extremely frustrating condition that can greatly reduce your quality of life. I hope that this two part series has given you a better understanding of how to support your body to heal – even though this may be a long process it is possible! So what ever you do, don’t stop trying.

Remember, your body has an amazing ability to heal but you must supply it with the right tools to do so.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome Part One – Symptoms and Triggers

Chloe Orford — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:52:01 +0000

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is also known as Environmental Sensitivity and is a condition that is exactly that – a hypersensitivity to low levels of chemicals found in your environment.

This condition is relatively new and is a direct result of the toxic world we live in. We are surrounded by all sorts of chemicals from the polluted air we breathe, the pesticide rich vegetable and fruits we eat, to the cleaning products we use in our homes.

Everyday we are all in contact with hundreds of different chemicals usually without even realising it. This is because our bodies have in place certain detoxifying capabilities that are able to detoxify these toxic substances adequately before producing negative effects.

Unfortunately for those of you with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, contact with the slightest amount of chemicals can negatively impact your day to day life.

For many reasons, your body has reached its detoxifying threshold and is struggling to deal with further exposure to toxic chemicals. As a result you will experience a broad range of symptoms that is communicating to you that it is struggling.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Symptoms

Those with MCS will experience a wide range of symptoms that can often occur every day.

Headaches
Disorientation
Dizziness and Faintness
Nausea
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Breathing Difficulties
Gastrointestinal problems
Muscle and Joint Pain

Long term symptoms that are the most debilitating for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferers are;

Long Term Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Muscle aches
Memory difficulties
Mood Disturbances – Depression/Anxiety/Irritability

How is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Triggered?

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity can often begin after certain situations that exposed you to abnormally large amounts of chemicals such as the installation of new carpeting, painting the house or excessive use of drugs/medications.

The excessive exposure of these toxic chemicals has caused your body to reach its saturation point where it can no longer detoxify the huge burden of toxic chemicals placed upon it.

Following this, when you come in contact with anything that requires your body to detoxify a synthetic chemical a wide range of symptoms will result.

You may begin to find that you are overly sensitive to perfumes, fragrances and odours – even the smell of a new car may make you feel nauseous and headachy.

Common MCS triggers

Knowing common triggers of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity symptoms are important to be aware of.

Though you cannot control all of these triggers, by being able to reduce the overall exposure to chemicals you will be able to reduce the amount of unpleasant symptoms that you experience.

Pesticides
Car fumes
Fragrances
Preservatives
Artificial Flavourings
Sodium Nitrate found in processed meats to preserve colour – bacon, ham, sausages, burger patties
Cleaning agents
Drugs
Alcohol
Caffeine
Air Fresheners
News Print

Reducing your exposure to chemicals is the first step you can take as a Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferer to become more in control of your symptoms.

In Part Two I will talk about how to support the body to detoxify better so that you can better cope with exposure to chemicals.

References

1. Claudia S Miller. Chemical sensitivity: symptom, syndrome or mechanism for disease? Toxicology 1996. Volume 111, Issues 1-3, pages 69-86

2. Gibson, P R et al. Sickness-related dysfunction in persons with self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity at four levels of severity. Journal of Clinical Nursing 2008, Volume 18 Issue 1, Pages 72 – 81

Asthma – Causes and Triggers Part Two

Chloe Orford — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:52:00 +0000

Hopefully you have read Part One of Asthma – Causes and Triggers and are a little more aware of underlying causative factors that may be maintaining your chronic asthma.

Addressing these causative factors is really important because the last thing you want is for your asthma to get even worse over the next few years. So getting to the cause of it now will allow you to control it a lot better later down the track.

Prevention is the best medicine!

Here you can learn about one of the most prevalent mineral deficiencies that have been extensively researched to benefiting asthmatics. I’ve also included a few extra tips to help relieve your asthma at the end of the article.

Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in your body which means it’s extremely vital for your well being.

Unfortunately many of you will be deficient in Magnesium – and yes that included me a few years ago, restless legs, muscle twitches and lower back pain I sure don’t miss that.

A deficiency may occur purely because you’re not eating enough sources of Magnesium.

Or it could be based on the scary fact that our food is growing in mineral depleted soil and is lacking this vital mineral that our bodies need in abundance – which sure makes it difficult for asthmatics like you to receive your daily amount of Magnesium.

Low dietary intakes of Magnesium can cause impaired lung function, bronchial hyper reactivity and increased bronchial smooth muscle contractility that leads to wheezing.

Magnesium is very important for the adequate relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle. If there is a deficiency present, the contraction of smooth muscle will be greater prolonging shortness of breath.

The recommended daily allowance of Magnesium is 300-400 mg over 15 years of age. Approximately 49% of the population is deficient in Magnesium and can be due to several other factors not previously mentioned such as the depletion of Magnesium from the body due to excess sweating, stress, gastrointestinal disorders such as celiac disease that reduces the absorption, alcoholism and poor digestion.

Food sources of Magnesium include almonds, molasses, parsnips, soy beans, wholegrain cereals, eggs, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, brewer’s yeast, cashews and cacao.

Magnesium Supplementation

Supplementing with a Magnesium supplement may be something you may want to consider as it will ensure that you are reaching your Magnesium quota for the day. A therapeutic dose will be reached daily so that you have a higher chance of Magnesium benefiting your asthma.

When supplementing with Magnesium, I recommend avoiding the forms of Magnesium called Magnesium oxide which is cheap and nasty and causes stomach upsets. Instead opt for forms of Magnesium called amino acid chelate, aspartate and orotate.

Before supplementing with a Magnesium please talk to a qualified health professional so that you can be advised what would be most suitable for you, especially if you have any previous history of kidney disease.

Symptoms of Magnesium deficiency:

Restless leg syndrome
Muscle cramps
Anxiety
Poor sleep
Irregular heart beat
Startled easily
Cold hands and feet
Chronic Fatigue
Muscle Twitches
Fibromylagia

Some More Handy Tips

Here are a few tips that you can easily incorporate into your lifestyle which may help reduce the severity of your asthma.

Drink Gingko Biloba tea or take as a supplement – It reduces PAF (platelet activating factor) which initiates excess mucous production, and bronchospasms causing symptoms of asthma
Drink fenugreek tea – Fenugreek is a great herb for breaking down mucous which is associated with asthma.
Increase your fruit and vegetable intake – Ensure you are receiving plenty of antioxidants from fresh fruits and vegetables daily which naturally assist in reducing inflammation of the airways and protect against air pollutants.
Improve your immunity – Asthmatics are very prone to chest infections because of the excess mucous production that encourages a nice breeding ground for bacteria, in turn worsening your asthma. Reduce sugar and food sensitivity/allergy exposure that suppresses the immune system; take a herbal immune support formula such as Olive leaf, Echinacea root or Astragalus as a preventative.
Take Vitamin C to prevent exercise induced asthma Taking 2000 mg of Vitamin C about 1 hour prior to exercise has shown to reduce the airway hyper reactivity in some asthmatics
Make sure your digestive system is working at its absolute optimum – Ensure you have an abundance of good bacteria (probiotics) in your digestive system, ensure you have good digestion to break down your food and ensure you are having regular bowel movements. Having a strong digestive system will greatly reduce your allergies and the production of mucous that initiates asthma attacks.
Reduce your salt intake – Reducing your salt intake has been shown to reduce exercise induced asthma.

Note – If you are on any other medication please talk to your doctor before taking any of the herbs recommended or high doses of vitamin C. None of these recommendations should replace your asthma medication.

That’s It Folks

So we have come to the end of my part two series on Asthma – I hope I have given you a better understanding of your asthma so that you are now a little more empowered to get back in control of your health and asthma!

Please feel free to post any comments about your asthma or anything that you have done to help your asthmatic symptoms.
I look forward to hearing from you!

Chloe

References

1. A Emelyanov, G Fedoseev, and PJ Barnes. Reduced intracellular magnesium concentrations in asthmatic patients. Eur Respir J 1999; 13:38-40

2. Omer S. B Alamoudi. Electrolyte Disturbances in Patients with Chronic, Stable Asthma Effect of Therapy. Chest August 2001 vol. 120 no. 2 431-436

3. Ligia J. Dominguez et al. Bronchial reactivity and intracellular magnesium: a possible mechanism for the bronchodilating effects of magnesium in asthma. Clinical Science (1998) 95, (137–142) (Printed in Great Britain)

4. Ziment, Irwin. Alternative therapies for asthma. Current opinion in pulmonary medicine (1997) Volume 3, Issue 1

5. Herman A. Cohen., Itai Neuman, MD and Hermona Nahum. Blocking Effect of Vitamin C in Exercise-Induced Asthma. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151(4):367-370.

6. Gotshall, R W., Mickelborough, T and, Cordain, LOR. Dietary salt restriction improves pulmonary function in exercise-induced asthma. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, November 2000 – Volume 32 – Issue 11 – pp 1815-1819

Asthma – Causes and Triggers Part One

Chloe Orford — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:54:10 +0000

Breathing naturally on a day to day basis is something that many chronic asthmatics like you may dream of. With daily symptoms of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath – breathing is definitely not something that comes easy.

Usually more than one type of asthma medication is needed to help you control these symptoms, and quite often you are probably using them more than once daily.

Though medication works very well at managing your symptoms of asthma as they arise and worsen, but what if you could prevent the severity of your symptoms long term?

Learn about the underlying causes that trigger your asthma to worsen so that you can prevent those terrifying symptoms from occurring so regularly.

What are the triggers of Asthma?

There are many triggers to asthma that you are probably very well aware but in case you aren’t, please have a look at the following common triggers amongst asthmatics.

Cigarette smoke
Mould
Animal dander
Dust
Pollen
Cold drinks
Air Conditioning
Diesel fumes

Being a chronic asthmatic, these environmental triggers are most likely second nature to you, so knowing to avoid these triggers the best you can is probably something that you do not need to hear again.

So what I will talk about instead are the lesser known causative factors and triggers that you may not know about.

Omega 3 Fatty Acid Deficiency

If you do not eat fish at least three to four times a week at least then you be at risk of an Omega 3 fatty acid deficiency which sucks because Omega 3 is great for asthmatics like yourself!

Being deficient in omega 3 means you miss out on the natural anti-inflammatory action that omega 3 fatty acids contain – and you need all of the anti-inflammatory action you can get because asthma is caused from excessive inflammation of the airways.

I know I know, you may not like the taste or smell of fish, or maybe the price of fish doesn’t suit your weekly budget but there are alternative ways to still receive your omega 3.

You could take a fish oil capsule so you don’t have to taste the fish at all – but you must ensure you have a minimum of 3-4 capsules a day for it to be beneficial.

Or if you are vegetarian or vegan you could take a flax seed oil liquid that you can throw in a smoothie or put in a salad dressing at 1 to 2 tablespoons a day or take the capsules!

Food Allergy and Food Sensitivities

Food allergies and sensitivities are commonly linked to the worsening of asthmatic symptoms.

You may have had a skin prick test that indicated you were allergic to a variety of environmental allergens, but failed to show any allergy to food.

Skin prick tests only test for immediate allergic reactions which involve IgE antibodies. But in the case of food sensitivity, IgG antibodies are only involved which are not picked up on a skin prick test.

Getting tested by an Allergist that tests for both IgE and IgG antibodies or doing a food challenge will help you find out exactly what you could be reacting to so that you can avoid exposure to these food sensitivities that may trigger a worsening of your asthma or initiate asthma attacks.

Food sensitivities worsen asthma as it induces inflammation and excess mucous production reducing the passage of air as well as inducing bronchospasm.

Cow’s milk, sodium benzoate (preservative), sulphur dioxide (preservative commonly found in dried fruit) in particular are very common food sensitivities amongst asthmatics that you may want to consider in chronic asthma.

Low Stomach Acid

Low stomach acid is a common problem particularly in asthmatics, where an approximate 80% or children with asthma have low stomach acid.

Low stomach acid is often initiated by a cow’s milk allergy, which results in irritation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and digestive system, inhibiting the release of hydrochloric acid into the stomach for proper digestion.

If you have low stomach acid, you will become very prone to nutrient deficiencies and the production of even more food sensitivities that can worsen your asthma.

So the first step is to determine if you have food allergies that may be maintaining low stomach acid from child hood, and secondly rule out if you have low stomach acid or not.

To learn more about the symptoms to low stomach acid and what you can do to improve digestion, please read my article on Food Sensitivity – What Causes it and How to Treat it Part Two and Three.

Yes There is More

In Part Two I will discuss the significance of Magnesium deficiency on asthmatic symptoms as well as some further handy tips you could incorporate into your daily lifestyle.

References

1. Roberts, G and Lack, G. Food Allergy and Asthma – What is the Link? Paediatric Respiratory Reviews Volume 4, Issue 3, Pages 205-212 (September 2003).

2. Nguyen Myngoc T. Effect of Cow Milk on Pulmonary Function in Atopic Asthmatic Patients. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 1997; 79(1): 62-64

3. Noah J. Friedman, Robert S. Zeiger . The role of breast-feeding in the development of allergies and asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – June 2005 (Vol. 115, Issue 6, Pages 1238-1248

4. Jen – Yuan Hsu, Han Chung Lien, Chi Sen Chang and Gran Hum Chen. Abnormal acid reflux in asthmatic patients in a region with low GERD prevalence. Journal of Gastroenterology, Volume 40, Number 1 / January, 2005

5. Okamoto M et al. Effects of dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids compared with n-bronchial asthma. Intern Med. 2000 Feb;39(2):107 – 111

6. Schubert, R et al. Effect of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Asthma after Low-Dose Allergen Challenge. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2009;148:321-329

Wheat Allergy Symptoms – A Dummies Guide to Wheat Allergy and How to Treat It

Chloe Orford — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:32:44 +0000

Wheat is found in a wide variety of foods, especially in food you would least expect. For example, did you know that tomato sauce contains wheat!

If you did then consider yourself one of the few, but for the rest of us, particularly those who may have a wheat allergy – this article is for you.!

The complete dummies guide to wheat allergy symptoms and how to treat it.

Here I give you the low down on what a wheat allergy is, how it occurs, what the symptoms are and what you can do to get some relief

What is a wheat allergy?

A wheat allergy is created when your immune system begins to identify something found in wheat as harmful.

These harmful substances that are usually detected in wheat are albumin, globulin, gliadin and gluten – these are all different types of proteins found in wheat. You can be allergic to one or more of these proteins.

How it happens

When you have a wheat allergy, after you have ingested or come in contact with wheat, your immune system will automatically release weapons to destroy the food every time you ingest as it has mistaken it as dangerous.

Usually this is not a normal response, but in your case your immune system has become confused and has instead mistaken wheat for something dangerous like a bacteria or virus.

In order for your immune system to do the job properly and protect you against danger, it must now destroy the invader by releasing IgE antibodies.

When the antibodies come in contact with wheat, it signals certain cells to release chemicals like histamine in nearby tissues in an attempt to destroy the invader.

As a result of this attack and the release of chemicals, you will begin to experience a range of symptoms that lets you know that you have ingested, inhaled or come in contact with wheat.

What are the Symptoms

If you are allergic to wheat, a reaction can occur immediately or a few hours later after inhaling, ingesting or coming in contact with wheat.

Depending on where the chemicals are released determines what sort of reaction you may experience. For example if the chemicals are released in the skin, you will experience skin rashes like hives or atopic dermatitis.

Symptoms can vary each time and can change in severity. Any one or more of the following symptoms may arise:

Hives (Urticaria) – A rash that is characterised by circular welts on the skin that are usually itchy and occur most commonly on the legs, arms and trunk.
Anaphylaxis – A life threatening reaction consisting of swelling of the mouth and throat followed by chest tightness, difficulty breathing and dizziness/fainting.
Atopic Dermatitis
Stomach cramping
Nausea and/or vomiting
Diarrhoea
Difficulty breathing
Nasal congestion
Itchy eyes
Itchy mouth and throat

Who is more prone to a wheat allergy?

A wheat allergy was found to be relatively rare amongst adults but is now increasing. Occupational inhalation of wheat flour in bakeries, the increased prevalence of wheat flour in a wider variety of foods and the overall increase of food allergies in general may be contributing factors to this growth.

Wheat allergy is still however much more common amongst children.

Wheat allergy is commonly found in infants when wheat is first introduced into their diet, as their immune systems aren’t fully developed.

Wheat allergy will commonly occur in infants who already have other existing food allergies and have parents with a history of food allergies.

Often a wheat allergy in a child is out grown between 4-12 years of age once their immune systems have fully developed. Unfortunately this may not always be in the case especially if there is a long family history of food allergy.

Do you think you may have a wheat allergy? Get Tested

If you are regularly suffering with one or more of the following symptoms that have been discussed after the ingestion or contact with wheat, it may be a good idea to get tested and receive an accurate diagnosis.

Skin Prick Test

Skin prick test is commonly the first test used by Doctors to determine an allergy. This type of test can be taken out on babies, children and adults.

The test is usually taken out on the inner forearm or back. It involves introducing a small amount of the allergens in question underneath the skin by first placing a drop of the allergen on top of the skin and then pricking the skin with a lancet.

This can feel uncomfortable but should not feel painful. If there is a positive reaction to the allergen, the skin will become itchy followed by a red swollen wheal after 15-20 minutes.

It does not represent the severity of the allergy, but just the presence of IgE antibodies to that particular allergen which are creating your symptoms.

NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique)

If you do not like the thought of the skin prick test, you may want to look into NAET which uses a non invasive, pain free test called muscle testing.

To learn more about NAET please click here.

How to treat your wheat allergy

If you have been diagnosed with a positive wheat allergy, the most important step you will need to make is to avoid all wheat derived foods.

Wheat can be hidden in almost anything including places you least expect like soups and sauces – wheat flour is commonly used as a thickener.

Looking out for foods that say gluten free (even though you may not be allergic to this type of protein in wheat) will guarantee there is absolutely no wheat used in their ingredients.

Wheat Free Grains

Eating wheat free can be a rather difficult task at first – but once you begin to explore your options you will soon realise there is a new world of new nutritious, great tasting alternative grains that you can eat instead of wheat.

Wheat free grains include spelt, rice, corn, quinoa, millet, buckwheat and amaranth. If you would like to learn more about these grains please click here.

Getting your hands on a good wheat free cook book will make it much easier for you to begin your new wheat free diet – it will take the guess work out of finding recipes that are wheat free.

Don’t have a wheat allergy but you still feel sick after eating wheat based foods?

If you aren’t feeling quite right after eating wheat but you don’t have a wheat allergy. Then you may have a gluten intolerance or wheat sensitivity.

Gluten intolerance and wheat sensitivity are completely different to wheat allergy, so it’s important that you educate yourself on these two. This information will be coming soon.

Please post below and share your experiences and stories on wheat allergies!

References

1. Battais F, Richard C, Jacquenet S, Denergy-Papini S & Moneret-Vautrin DA. Wheat grain allergies: an update on wheat allergens. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Ummunol, 2008, Nov; 40(3):67-76

2. Niggemann B, Reibel S & Wahn U. The atopy patch test – a useful tool for the diagnosis of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis. Blackwell Publishing 2000, Allergy, Volume 55, Number 3, pp. 2810285(5)

3. Keet CA, Matsui EC, Dhillon G, Lenehan P, Paterakis M, Wood RA. The natural history of wheat allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunology, 2009, May;102(5):410-5.

4. Denise A. Moneret-Vautrin & Martine Morisset. Adult food allergy. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, 2005, Volume 5, Number 1, pp. 80-85.

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Four

Chloe Orford — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:55:49 +0000

Your body has an incredible capacity to heal it self, but only if you supply the right conditions to allow it to do so. Food sensitivities are no exception.

Leaky Gut Syndrome (increased intestinal permeability) is a very common condition today that is causing not only food sensitivities and allergies but has also been identified as a factor in Atopic Eczema, Crohns Disease, Celiac Disease, Chronic Liver Disease, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, and several other autoimmune diseases.

Food sensitivities and allergies are often early indicators of leaky gut syndrome, long before other more serious diseases may occur if the intestinal permeability continues to exist.

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Leaky Gut Syndrome is exactly how it sounds – partially undigested food and other fragments from your digestive system are passing what is supposed to be an impermeable intestinal lining, entering straight into your blood stream.

Ideally, only adequately digested food molecules that benefit your body should pass through the intestinal lining into your blood stream. The intestinal lining acts like a barrier to bacteria, endotoxins and undigested food matter blocking them from entering. These are then eliminated naturally when you go to the toilet – well that is what is supposed to happen.

But, if you have leaky gut syndrome, the garbage that should have been eliminated like large undigested food molecules and harmful bacteria, are instead absorbed through the intestinal lining since the holes are now big enough for them to fit.

In turn, this produces a massive burdern on your immune system and liver.

It’s Relation To Food Sensitivities

If you were your immune system and you saw weird looking molecules floating around in your blood stream that you had never seen before, what would you do?

Do you think attacking and destroying it before it could harm you would be a good idea? Well your immune system sure does think so – and that is exactly what it does.

Destroying bacteria and viruses are great but if your immune system identifies your food and attacks it like a harmful invader then a food sensitivity will be created.

As a result, your immune system initiates an attack every time it sees that same food molecule – and it’s got a pretty good memory.

Certain weapons are released to destroy it, and as a result inflammation occurs which creates the terrible symptoms of a food sensitivity such as bloating, stomach cramping, itchy skin, or joint pain.

What Causes Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Leaky Gut Syndrome occurs overtime from long term irritation to the lining of the intestinal wall. This irritation causes inflammation and ultimately tears the thin lining of the intestine creating the leaking of substances from the gut into the blood stream.

Alcohol - Creates cellular damage in the intestinal wall when absorbed causing porous holes to form
NSAIDS (Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) – Cause gastrointestinal damage in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract
Overuse of antibiotics reduce the protective good bacteria (probiotics)
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

How To Heal Leaky Gut Syndrome

You can heal the damage created to your digestive system but not without hard work and persistance.

Step 1. Improve Digestion

As discussed in Part Three of “Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It,” addressing poor digestion (if present) is the primary step you need to take, to ensure you are digesting your food into small molecules. If this is not addressed first, your intestinal lining will take a lot longer to heal because the large undigested molecules will continuously create inflammation that maintains your leaky gut.

Step 2. Eliminate Foods You Are Sensitive To

Inititally eliminating foods you are sensitive, allergic or intolerant to are absolutely necessary to allow your leaky gut to heal. Yes this can be very hard work, but bare in mind this is only temporary.

Avoiding these foods over time will eliminate the IgG antibodies in your blood stream that have been produced by your immune system against these foods, thus inhibiting the reaction usually experienced when the allergic food is eaten.

Soon you will be able to tolerate a lot of these foods much better when re-introduced into your diet at a later date when your intestinal tract has healed.

Opting for a healthy balanced diet and eliminating the following will ensure a faster recovery

Refined Sugar - Soft drinks, lollies, biscuits, sauce, white bread, fast food.
Sugar can hide absolutely everywhere. Once you start looking for it in your ingredient labels you will shocked at how much sugar you could be consuming on a daily basis.
Alcohol - This is a major irritant to the intestinal lining. When alcohol is consumed in leaky gut syndrome, the absorption rate is even greater straining your liver even further. Leaky Gut Syndrome and alcoholism is a good combination for chronic liver disease.
Caffeine - Coffee, soft drinks, energy drinks, black tea. Try to substitute with herbal teas. Roasted dandelion is often used as a replacement for coffee. Not only that but it’s also a great digestive and liver detoxifier.

Realistically, you won’t be able to avoid all of these foods every day. But if you can cut them down so that you are only having them once a week instead of everyday then you will be on your way to a faster recovery.

Step 3. Use Natural Medicine To Heal Your Gut

Probiotics

Probiotics literally meaning for life, are beneficial bacteria found in your digestive system that exert a positive effect on your health. Such good bacteria that are commonly found are Lactobaccillus Acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium.

They inhibit the growth of bad bacteria which can contribute to intestinal permeability. They also assist with lactose digestion by producing the enzyme lactase necessary for it’s breakdown.

Probiotics most importantly control chemicals that induce inflammation of the intestinal lining, preventing intestinal permeability whilst inhibiting food allergy reactions in the gut.

Directions - Take 1 capsule 20 minutes before breakfast on an empty stomach, and 1 capsule before bed 2 hours after meals.

Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in your digestive system, and the necessary fuel for the cells of your intestinal lining.

In many studies, glutamine has shown to stablize gut barrier function reducing the permeability of the intestinal tract that leads to increased allergy susceptibility.

Directions – Glutamine is best taken in a powder as it is more easily absorbed and at a higher therapeutic dose than most tablets or capsules. Placing 1 teaspoon in room temperature water on rising and before bed.

Slippery Elm

This herb has long been used in a number of digestive system problems including ulcers, IBS, heart burn, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain. It’s a mucilaginous herb that acts to soothe and coat the digestive tract, reduce inflammation and enhance the secretions of mucous to protect the intestinal lining.

It is wonderul at repairing the impermeability of the intestinal tract, whilst also preventing further damage from occuring.

Directions - Place 1 – 2 heaped teaspoons in boiling water last thing at night.

*If you are on any medication, please talk to your Doctor before taking any of these natural supplements.

Though there are many other nutrients that are beneficial for healing Leaky Gut Syndrome, the three that have been mentioned seem to have the longest track record for benefiting intestinal permeability.

Your Road To Health

If you have read my four part series on “Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You can Fix It,” I hope that you feel empowered and better educated about the causes and actions necessary for self healing.

Treating food sensitivities and preventing further ones from developing can be a daunting task even after reading this information. So contacting a health professional that specialises in allergies and sensitivities will be able to supply you with a personalised treatment strategy to help you achieve the desired results.

Good luck on your journey to better health – and to eating anything you want without having a reaction!

References

1. Bjarnason, I., So, A., Jonatha, A, L., Peters, T., et al. Intestinal permeability and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis: Effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The Lancet,1984; Volume 324, Issue 8413, Pages 1171 – 1174.

2. Pearson, A. D., Eastham, E, J., Laker, M. F., Craft, A. W and Nelson, R. Intestinal permeability in children with Crohn’s disease and celiac disease. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1982; Volume 285, Pages 20-21

3. Bjarnason, I., Ward, K & Peters, T. The Leaky Gut of alcoholism: Possible route of entry for toxic compounds. The Lancet, Volume 323, Issue 8370, Pages 179-182

4. Isolauri, E., Majamaa, H., Arvola, T., Rantala I., Virtanen, E., & Arvilommi, H. Lactobacillus casei strain GG reverses increased intestinal permeability induced by cow milk in suckling rats. Gastroenterology, 1993; Volume 105, Pages 1643-1650.

5. R.R.W.J. van der Hulst., M.F. von Meyenfeldt., N.E.P. Deutz., et al. Glutamine and the preservation of gut integrity. 1993, The Lancet, Volume 341, Issue 8857, Pages 1363-1365

6. A. Keshavarzian., E. W. Holmes, et al. Leaky gut in alcoholic cirrhosis: a possible mechanism for alcohol-induced liver damage. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 1998; Volume 94 Issue 1, Pages 200-207

7. V. Rosenfeldt, E. Benfeldt, N. Valerius, A. Pærregaard & K. Michaelsen. Effect of probiotics on gastrointestinal symptoms and small intestinal permeability in children with atopic dermatitis. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2004; Volume 145, Issue 5, Pages 612-616

8. Carratu, R., Secondulfo, M., Magistris, L., et al. Altered Intestinal Permeability to Mannitol in Diabetes Mellitus Type 1. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition, 1999; Volume 28 Issue 3, Pages 264-269

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Three

Chloe Orford — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:17:05 +0000

Food sensitivities also known as ‘hidden allergies,’ are created from the poor digestion of your food. This leaves partially undigested food matter in your digestive system that is able to enter your blood stream, causing your immune system to react.

Undigested Food Creates Abnormal Immune Responses

Your immune system identifies partially undigested food in your blood stream as harmful. In response, IgG antibodies are released which then attach to the food and tag it as harmful. This tagging initiates an immune reaction. An IgG reaction is not immediate nor is it severe like IgE antibodies, therefore symptoms can occur anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days after the food is eaten. This can make it very hard for you to detect what foods you are sensitive to.

If you continue to eat the foods your immune system has identified as harmful there will be a large build up of IgG antibodies in your bloodstream indicating a long term sensitivity, and a greater reaction to the food. As a result your symptoms will become worse and worse.

If you have poor digestion and it is not addressed and treated successfully, you may become prone to more food sensitivities and a wider range of symptoms that you previously didn’t have.

Reduce Your Allergic Potential by Strengthening Your Digestion

If you regularly experience the symptoms of poor digestion listed in Part Two of these articles, then I strongly suggest you follow the steps below to finally improve your digestion.

Hilde Hemmes Swedish Bitters

Swedish bitters is a herbal tincture that is mixed in water, taken half an hour before meals to stimulate stomach acid secretion and bile flow necessary for adequate digestion. In doing so, it will relieve indigestion such as heart burn, bloating, flatulence and abdominal discomfort.

The herbal formula also contains herbs senna and rhubarb which have laxative properties, therefore relieving constipation and maintaining regular bowel movements. Because laxatives should not be taken long term (9-12 months) as they can become addictive causing your bowel to become lazy, I would suggest taking a break every 1-2 months to reassess the adequacy of your digestion without the help of the Swedish bitters.

Depending on the state of your digestion, usually poor digestion can be rectified anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months with Swedish bitters. As long as the correct nutrients are also supplied through a healthy diet or supplementation needed for proper production of stomach acid and digestive enzymes.

*Contraindication: Pregnancy, breastfeeding, ulcers

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are an alternative to Swedish bitters if you really can’t stand the taste of the herbal formula. Instead of stimulating your bodies own secretion of stomach acid and digestive enzymes, instead it supplies you with the enzymes needed to break down your food. Look for one that contains enzymes to digest a wide range of foods these include;

Trilactase – Digests lactose found in dairy products
Lipase – Digests fat
Protease – Digests protein
Amylase – Digests carbohydrates

Digestive enzymes can be used for quite some time without being habit forming. As it enables you to break down your food, the absorption of the nutrients in your food will be optimized which will assist with your bodies own production of stomach acid and enzymes.

Eat Raw Vegetables

Raw vegetables are filled with naturally occurring enzymes that help your digestive system to break it down, reducing the need for your body to produce it’s own enzymes. As soon as you cook your food whether it’s through steaming, roasting, or microwaving you will reduce their vitamin and mineral content by half.

By eating a raw salad everyday, you are taking the burden off your digestive system and supplying your body with a multitude of nutrients needed for optimum health and the production of your digestive enzymes.

Initially, if your digestion is quite bad then you might find that salads will still make you feel bloated. By taking your Swedish bitters or digestive enzymes when you’re eating the salad, will greatly minimise those symptoms. If you persist you will notice you won’t need the extra help as your digestion re corrects itself.

Stop Eating Rubbish

Reducing your overconsumption of junk food; lollies, cakes, ice-cream, soft drinks, biscuits, white bread, chocolate and alcohol will also be a huge benefit not only to your digestive system but to your overall health. All of these foods are empty calories with absolutely no nutrition what so ever. These sugary processed foods greatly compromise your immune system creating erratic behaviour to over react to harmless substances.

If you need convincing to eat your vegetables and to cut out your junk food, you should have a look at the new DVD ‘Food Matters’ – trust me you will be very motivated once you watch this film! You can also check out my review on this documentary here.

Eat Smaller Meals But Regularly

Instead of eating three large meals throughout the day, try and eat five small meals every two to three hours. Large meals take a lot longer to digest, and it can leave your stomach feeling really heavy and bloated. You may even feel tired, as your body uses it’s energy to digest the big meal.

Small meals throughout the day also maintain your energy levels, blood sugar levels, metabolism and appetite. You will also be less inclined to eat those sugary processed snacks in between meals as you will constantly feel satisfied.

Don’t Eat While You Are Stressed

Eating while you are stressed greatly slows down your digestion by diverting all of the energy from your digestive system to your extremities. Avoid eating in front of the computer or the television, instead eat at the dinner table where you can relax and enjoy your meal. Focus on really chewing each mouth full to trigger the digestive enzymes released in your digestive system in preparation for further digestion.

Next Step To Healing Your Digestive System

I hope that you start utilizing these steps into your daily routine as soon as possible. The faster you begin these steps to correct your digestion, the faster you can reduce your allergy potential.

In Part Four I will look into the importance of an elimination diet to reverse your food sensitivities and how you can heal the lining of your digestive system to recorrect your hypersensitive immune system.

Stay tuned.

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Two

Chloe Orford — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:00:04 +0000

Many of you with food sensitivities or allergies will often suffer from poor digestion. Poor digestion can be a big key factor that causes food sensitivities and food allergies to be created in the first place.

You have probably heard of the saying, ‘You are what you eat,’ but what is more important than that is, ‘You are what you assimilate (absorb)’.

If you are eating reasonably healthy but not digesting and absorbing all those nutrients properly then your body still isn’t getting the nutrition it needs to work at it’s very best.

Your immune system won’t have the vitamins and minerals it needs to work properly, and those undigested food particles will confuse your immune system creating more and more food sensitivities or allergies.

Symptoms Of Poor Digestion

Good digestion is imperative to good health, so lets take a look at what symptoms are produced when your digestion isn’t working too good so that you can figure out if your digestion needs help!

Bloating

Reflux

Bad Breath

Difficult bowel movements

Feeling of fullness for hours after eating

Belching

Gas after meals

Undigested food in bowel movements

Malabsorption problems

Peeling nails or vertical ridging on nails

Candidiasis

If any of the above symptoms are something you encounter on a day to day basis, then it might be a good idea to start giving your digestive system some much needed TLC. Lets look at what may have caused your poor digestion so that you can learn how to fix it.

Digestion begins in the mouth

Chewing your food is exceptionally important to initiate proper digestion. As you chew, certain enzymes are released from your salivary glands to partially digest the food in your mouth. Chewing thoroughly also will prepare the release of digestive enzymes further down the digestive system tract, ensuring they are ready to continue breaking down the food you are chewing.

Even though this sounds like a pretty simple thing to do, many of you do not chew properly. Chewing does not mean take a bite of your food, chew it once, mix some soda in with it and stuff more food in your mouth all whilst trying to drive. This does not give your body time to release the appropriate enzymes for adequate digestion.

Follow These Simple Steps When Eating

1. Eat in a relaxed atmosphere, away from the computer and television and definitely don’t eat while you’re on the run.

2. Try not to drink a lot of fluids immediately before during and after meals as this can dilute the digestive enzymes impeding digestion.

3. If you must drink a beverage with your meals, stay away from icy cold drinks as the temperature of the drink can slow down the production of hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) which is the next step for proper digestion.

The Importance of Stomach Acid

The next phase of digestion after you have swallowed your food, is in the stomach. As food enters the stomach, stomach acid is released (also known as hydrochloric acid) to begin breaking down the protein found in the food into smaller particles.

Adequate stomach acid is extremely important for proper digestion because it also lets the pancreas and gall bladder know that food is on it’s way. Stomach acid will stimulate the release of enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the gall bladder which assists in digesting the carbohydrate and fat portions of the meal.

If you do not have proper stomach acid production then all of this is greatly impaired, and you end up with partially digested food in your small intestine. This isn’t something you want because it can allow bad bacteria to thrive leading to inflammation and fermentation of the food.

This creates stomach upsets, gas production, stomach pain and bloating which are very common signs of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). With low stomach acid you will become more prone to food poisoning and digestive infections as your stomach is unable to sterilise your food. This in itself will create even further problems.

Undigested large molecules of food can also put your immune system on high alert because they are identified as foreign and dangerous to your body. This initiates a immune response to that food, creating food allergies and sensitivities.

What Causes Low Stomach Acid (Hypochlorhydria)

Low stomach acid can be caused by a number of things, but one of the most important contributing factors to low stomach is our diet. Diets that are high in processed foods, saturated fat and refined sugars completed with a lack of fresh vegetables and fruit is a wonderful way to cause low stomach acid and poor digestion.

Poor Diet

1. It does not contain raw fruits and vegetables that have naturally occurring enzymes to assist with the digestion of food. Your digestive system is constantly overtaxed for it’s supply of stomach acid and digestive enzymes to effectively digest your processed foods without any help from the food itself since it is so depleted in enzymes.

2. With a lack of nutritious food, you will become depleted in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum secretion of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzyme production. Zinc is a mineral which is needed to assist with the release of hydrochloric acid and B vitamins are necessary for optimum production of digestive enzymes.

Stress

Chronic stress is also another huge factor in low stomach acid and digestive enzyme production. Are you a worry wart, does your mind go hundred miles an hour. Do you eat while driving in your car on the way to work, or at your desk while you frantically type on the computer. Do these situations sound like ideal times to eat and digest your food? Well your body sure doesn’t think so.

All of these situations put your body into the fight or flight mode, which is what happens when you’re stressed. Your brain is perceiving your stressful situation as dangerous, so it prepares your body to either fight or run away.

To do so it shuts off your stomach acid and digestive enzyme production, and increases circulation to your muscles away from your digestion so your body is prepared for the dangerous situation.

As a result the food you ate while you were highly stressed will sit in your stomach for a lot longer trying to digest. With little stomach acid your stomach is unable to empty properly, causing your stomach acid to rise into your esophagus creating a burning sensation. This is also known as GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) when it occurs for long periods of time.

Acid reflux medication known as antacids are commonly prescribed for this problem, by lowering stomach acid it reduces the reflux of acid into the esophagus removing the burning symptoms. Though they work well, they do not fix the cause of the problem which is poor digestion and low stomach acid.

If these medications are taken for long periods of time, it will worsen your digestion and inhibit your absorption of vitamins and minerals even further creating a number of problems related to nutrient deficiencies.

Other contributing factors to low stomach acid may include:

Age: Unfortunately as we get older, our stomach acid will naturally decline which is why it is very common to have a lot of digestive problems later on in life.

Gastrointestinal Infections

How to Strengthen Your Digestion

Strengthening your digestion is a multi dimensional treatment strategy to address the many contributing causes that I have discussed in this article. In Part Three of Healing Your Digestive System and Minimise Food Sensitivities I will explain how you can optimise your digestion through simple dietary changes along side natural supplements to get your digestion working at it’s very best.

Related posts:
Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Three

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part One

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Four

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part One

Chloe Orford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:03:18 +0000

Food sensitivities are commonly known as hidden allergies because the symptoms can be delayed up to three days after you have eaten the food, creating a lot of hard work on your behalf to determine the food you are reacting to.

Symptoms can be so broad in food sensitivities that if two people were compared with a sensitivity to milk, one person could experience joint pain in their fingers where the other one may have a rash on their body all year round. It’s also not uncommon to have more than one symptom occurring from one food sensitivity either.

Not Feeling Like Your Normal Self?

If you are experiencing a bunch of strange symptoms and you can’t figure out what is causing it, then you may possibly have a food sensitivity. But before you start eliminating every single food from your diet you may want to read what has caused your food sensitivity in the first place, and how you can rectify this problem!

Even though avoiding the foods you might be sensitive to is a pretty good option, if the cause of the problem is not solved you may find you will have to avoid more and more foods each year – and trust me this isn’t fun!

Living on water and a limited amount food is not only unhealthy but it will also make you go crazy.

There Is More To It Than Just Avoiding Food

Your digestive system plays a massive part in modulating a healthy immune system! Without these two important systems working efficiently, you will become very prone to the production of food sensitivities and other allergies.

In this four part series I will help you understand the importance of a healthy digestive system in relation to food sensitivities, as well as the steps you can take to heal your body and minimize food sensitivities.

The Digestive System & Immune System Connection

The largest part of your immune system is surprisingly located in the mucosal lining of your small intestine. Here your immune cells work very hard at constantly sampling the environment of your small intestine, trying to detect foreign invaders that have entered your body. Viruses, bacteria and a number of undesirable substances are picked up by your immune cells which are then escorted out of the body before they can do any harm.

When your digestive system is running smoothly, your immune system is able to differ between foreign invaders such as viruses and harmless substances like food. But if you are like many Australians with food sensitivities and allergies, it is most likely that your digestive system is not functioning at it’s complete capacity producing a huge burden on your immune system.

Symptoms of Poor Digestive System Function

Poor functioning of your digestive system is probably not something you enjoy sharing with your friends at a dinner party. It can be embarrassing to talk about especially if things just aren’t functioning like they should be, and it’s definitely not something you want to keep ignoring.

So many diseases have been shown to stem from a poor diet and poor digestive function especially food sensitivities.

A good functioning digestive system should be a priority on everyone’s list including yours, so let’s take a look at what symptoms could be hinting that you have trouble in this area and how it can be contributing to your food sensitivities.

Symptoms

Bloating after meals

Reflux

Excessive gas production after meals

Burping after meals

Constipation (Not having regular bowel movements everyday)

Ongoing diarrhoea or loose bowel movements

Undigested food in your bowel movements

Stomach pain or cramping not associated with the menstrual cycle

Feeling nauseous after eating

If you have any of the above symptoms on a regular basis, it means your digestion is not working at it’s very best which could be confusing your immune system! This can create a number of food sensitivities.

How Poor Digestion Can Lead to Food Sensitivities

When you have poor digestion, it means that you aren’t breaking down the food in your stomach like you should be. This can be caused by many things like not chewing your food properly, eating on the run, drinking water with your meals, eating while you are stressed, antibiotics, excess alcohol intake, high sugar and junk food diet, low stomach acid and insufficient digestive enzyme production.

Your food must be digested into small food particles that are small enough to allow for the small intestine to absorb the nutrients it needs through the mucosal wall. If you are unsuccessfully digesting your food like you should be, over time this can create havoc in your digestive system.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Instead of small particles entering the small intestine, large particles are because your digestion is not working properly to be able to break the food down into smaller particles. Over time this can really irritate the mucosal wall lining of the small intestine creating inflammation, causing holes to open up in the lining (commonly called Leaky Gut Syndrome).

In an ideal environment, your mucosal lining is supposed to be impermeable and should only allow the nutrients it needs to pass through, whilst stopping undesirable substances like large food particles, viruses, bacteria and toxins from passing.

But in this scenario, the holes that open up are now large enough to allow undigested food particles to pass. This puts your immune system on high alert, as it suspects the large food particle to be a foreign invader. Antibodies are produced by your immune system to begin the immune reaction, releasing substances such as histamine to initiate the attack to bring down the invader.

A Food Sensitivity is Created

Every time you eat that particular food that has been identified as foreign by your immune system, it will be able to recognize that food faster and will respond quicker often with worser symptoms each time you eat that food.

If the permeability of your gut lining continues to worsen, you can become sensitive to more and more foods that you regularly eat. For example if you eat tomatoes every day, because your immune system is constantly seeing the undigested large food particles of a tomato in your blood stream it will produce antibodies against them creating an immune reaction to them.

It is very important to not get into the habit of eating the same foods every single day, having a wide variety of foods in your diet is essential to prevent more and more food sensitivities from occurring.

Healing your digestive system

To give your digestive system the chance to heal itself, there are lifestyle factors you will have to consider as well as supplements that you can take to speed up the recovery.

In the following articles I will discuss what you can do to optimise your poor digestion, and what tools you can use to heal the permeability in your digestive system lining.

Healing your digestive system is imperative to prevent further food sensitivities from occurring and to have a chance of getting rid of the ones you already have.

Related posts:
Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Two

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Three

Food Sensitivity – What Causes It And How You Can Fix It Part Four