Over the past couple years, I have seen posts on social media mocking people who avoid gluten even though they do not have Celiac Disease, claiming that these people are basically idiots because there is ZERO scientific evidence that people should avoid gluten unless they have Celiac Disease. It really frustrates me because I personally know many people, including family members, who suffer from what is known as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS). Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity is when people who do not have Celiac disease or a wheat allergy, experience gastrointestinal issues or non-gastrointestinal issues (like headaches) or both, after ingesting gluten containing food. As more research is done on NCGS, the data strongly suggests that it is indeed its own disease/condition. Although there are many studies that have been published about NCGS, I thought I would share a literature review that I found quite compelling. The review is based on international literature that wa...
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Over the past couple years, there have been more and more studies linking antibiotic use in babies and children to serious health issues later on in life. Research is showing us that children who take antibiotics early in life, have an increased chance of having serious health issues such as obesity, eczema, food allergies, arthritis, irritable bowel, and cardiovascular disease. In our gut, there are more bacteria cells than there are cells in our entire body. This is often referred to as our gut fora or microbiome. How these bacteria impact the way our body functions and our health has really come to light over the past decade as more and more studies have revealed that a proper balance of good bacteria in our guts play a huge role in how our brain functions, immune strength, metabolism, heart function, and hormone balance. When an antibiotic is taken, it does what it is designed to do, which is to kill bacteria in the body. The problem is along with bad bacteria, it kills good ba...
Back pain has become an epidemic in the United States with Americans spending around 240 BILLION dollars each year on medical cost related to their back pain. There are many factors that can lead to back pain, but the leading culprit is often lifestyle. Here are five easy ways to dramatically increase the health and longevity of your spine. 1. Wallets and purses have to go! Okay, so maybe you don’t have to throw them all away, but carrying around a wallet or purse incorrectly could be wreaking havoc on your spine. If you sit at your desk all day long with a wallet in your back pocket, you are basically placing a wedge under your pelvis. Even though it may not seem like much, even the thinnest wallet in a back pocket can lead to an imbalanced pelvis. Since the pelvis is the foundation the spine sits on, it can lead to major problems down the road if it is sat on day after day for year after year. It will slowly place excessive stress in the muscle tissues and joints creating inflamma...
What makes us fat? Well, contrary to popular belief it's not as simple as too many calories. In fact, there are many factors that can cause us to gain weight, and one of the major factors is the hormonal and physiological affect certain foods and substances create when they enter our bodies regardless of calorie content. Do they cause a spike in insulin? Do they alter thyroid function? Do they alter gene expression? Do they create a stress response? Do they make you feel lethargic? There are even certain substances, when ingested that actually cause disruption in hormonal processes and metabolism. So what is a hormone? Well, a hormone is simply a compound that is released into the blood that is designed to interact with another organ, tissue, or cell; organs that secrete hormones are called endocrine glands. Some examples of endocrine glands in the body are the hypothalamus that helps to create the brain body connection, the thyroid glan...
Degeneration in the spine, whether its Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) or degenerative arthritis, is a very common problem, and while there are some studies that show there may be some genetic factors involved, the condition of the vertebrae and spinal discs depend largely on how much stress the spine is under and for how long. 4 stages of DDD. The model on the right shows the most severe. There are many factors that can accelerate the degeneration of the spine. One of the most common factors is repeated stress from daily activities. For example, people who perform manual labor or people who do a lot of running tend to develop DDD at an accelerated rate in their lumbar spines due to increased stress to the area. Another factor that can accelerate spinal degeneration is a point of weakness or dysfunction in the spine. When this happens, instead of seeing degeneration throughout an entire region of the spine, the degeneration is isolated to two or three specific ver...
Nutrition can be really confusing. Depending on where you look or who you listen to, there is a wide range of opinions.Since many people make resolutions to start eating healthy this time of year, I thought I would give you some quick nutritional advice: eat more good fats! With more studies being done, the data is now pointing to what natural health and functional medicine practitioners have been saying for a long time, which is a diet high in carbohydrates and bad fats is leads to inflammation and eventually cardiovascular disease. I have often said one of the easiest ways to transition into a healthy diet is to change out your bad fats (canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil) for good fats (coconut oil, olive oil, grass fed animal fats, and ghee). To read more, check out this article below by Dr. Jill Carnahan as she discusses a large study of over 135,000 people that was published August 2017 in the Journal of American College of Cardiology about th...