Dear Colleagues, This newsletter will be different then some. I will be reprinting a very interesting write up from my friend, Bea-Knight Johnson D.C.'s newsletter for her patients. It is an excellent article, as you will see. Bea practices in Boulder, CO.
WHEAT AND OTHER FOOD SENSITIVITIES - Dr. Bea Knight-Johnson Many of you know how shrill I can become when you tell me you just "can't give up wheat." Well, the following may just change your mind about the malevolent power of a wheat sensitivity. Wheat can destroy your brain. Do I have your attention now? "Gluten sensitivity appears to be a cause of ataxia or altered gait and limb movement problems (eg. Staggering drunkenly with no martinis in your system) even in the absence of gastro-intestinal symptoms of celiac disease." (this part means you don't have any convenient warning system of your wheat allergy via gas, or fatigue, or many of the other sensitivities that a wheat sensitivity can produce.)
"Neurologic examination revealed peripheral neuropathy" (numbness and/or tingling in the hands and/or feet) in 19 of the 28 patients, and MRI showed evidence of cerebeller atrophy in six. The new data suggests that the severity of this manifestation may increase with disease duration, and that the immunologic damage to the cerebellum may be irreversible. Some of the patients in whom the diagnosis of gluten ataxia was made experienced complete resolution of their symptoms after a strict adherence to a gluten free diet." Townsend Letter Feb/Mar, 1999.
Here's the scenerio: it seems to come out of nowhere - the stumbling and the tripping. Of course, you get scared and think you have something terminal and horrible. You make an appointment with a neurologist who puts you through lots of expensive and uncomfortable tests. She comes up with nothing and gives you a very broad diagnosis like "cerebeller ataxia, etiology unknown" and gives you a referral to a psychiatrist. You're back to square one, and no one has tested you for a wheat allergy. Except maybe me or someone like me.
Regarding Ataxias: Since we are speaking of these stumbling disorders, there is a hereditary one called Familial Cerebeller Ataxia - of which I believe my father had a mild form. Either that or an undiagnosed wheat allergy. Mayo Clinic put him through a battery of tests in the 60's and found nothing.
Wheat allergies tend to run in families, especially those families of Northern European ancestry (I am wheat sensitive and of Northern European ancestry) and it could be that this "hereditary" and "familial" ataxia is yet another undiagnosed wheat allergy wreaking havoc through generations of unsuspecting people.
The cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that orchestrates all movement, for some reason develops transmission problems in the signals that coordinate muscles. Nobody has known what to do with the nonspecific ataxias. Could it be - more -specifically - wheat? However, Science News reports in its April, 2001 issue that one of my favorite supplements of all time - CoQ10 - improves this particular ataxia, dramatically liberating the disabled from their wheelchairs. This could lead us to infer that some ataxias may be the result of an oxygen deficit in the mitochondria (little cell engines). CoQ10, being a first class oxygen carrier, would restore the oxygen in the mitochondria. I can only wonder if my father's symptoms would have improved or even disappeared with the simple elimination of wheat and the addition of 200 mgs of CoQ10 daily.
To further scare you to death, researchers have also made a connection between long-standing gluten sensitivity and a variety of senile demetias, including Alzheimer's disease. (Jeff Bland, Ph.D Aging Seminar, 1999) Gluten intolerance can also trigger a systemic antibody response which can inflame brain tissue and lead to headaches. Gluten is not only in wheat, but in rye, barley, and oats as well. Researchers at the Royal Hallamshire Hopstial, England described 10 patients with headaches and unsteadiness who also had abnormal MRI's.
(Neurology, 2/13/01) The symptoms of 9 patients improved after removing all gluten from their diets. They adhered to a gluten-free diet for six months which is how long it takes the nasty antibodies to be eliminated and the sensitivity reactions to calm down. (You can't just give up wheat for a few days and expect symptoms to change -it takes a while.)
Here's the rub: You never know when you will sensitize to wheat gluten. It can happen at any moment, with any bite of sourdough bread, and you may not really be aware of it in any noticeable way, as a wheat allergy can masquerade as many different things - as trivial as some lower bowel gas now and again or a headache that won't go away or as serious as schizophrenia or ataxia or early dementia. As you go merrily along eating the free bread specials at Great Harvest, your wheat allergy will be silently stripping your gut lining of its tiny villi. These little guys -graceful like the seaweeds waving in the currents of the Caribbean - allow us to absorb nutrients, and when they are gone, there ain't no getting the goodies out of the organic food that you so carefully buy and prepare. This permeable gut is called Leaky Gut Syndrome, from which you will eventually get massive nutrient deficiencies which then will give you major diseases which may or may not relate to your gut. For example, breast cancer has been implicated in leaky gut syndrome (caused by your wheat allergy) as has rheumatoid arthritis and almost all the auto-immune disorders. So you see that wheat allergies can be devastating, long reaching, slow, silent and deadly.
The good news is that Leaky Gut isn't necessarily permanent. In fact, by eliminating wheat - and this is the toughie since we are such a wheat based society - and rebuilding you gut, overtime you can usually reverse all the damage. Start now. Food allergies continued: Another problem with not honoring your food sensitivities
- not just wheat - is that it will increase blood levels of eosinophils, which are the white blood cells that are clinical benchmarkers for allergic reactions and parasites. Researchers report in the April Nature Immunology that "allergic reactions to food coincide with an accumulation of eosinophils in the small intestine" and furthermore, such a buildup "contributes to intestinal inflammation, damage to nearby nerves, weight loss and stoppage of digestion." This may be why some people feel so horrible after eating due to the rush of the eosinophils to sites in the gut that have released granules that contain toxins from the ingested sensitive foods. Similar to the cleanup work Pauly Walnuts does for Tony Soprano, these beneficent little eosinophils are just trying to clean up our messes by getting the balance of power back to where it should be. But when we indulge ourselves in our food allergies, the eosinophils are so busy trying to handle the allergic reactions, they don't have time to do their really important job which is cleaning up parasites and their debris. This is why I find that people who are allergic to foods and are still eating them are always overwhelmed with parasites and yeast (which seems to be a symbiont of parasites). This deadly duo spells major ill health. My advice to you: Find out what foods you are sensitive to and stop eating them. Clean up the parasites and yeast. And take digestive enzymes for life.
Regarding the oldie by goodie Coca's pulse test: This is an easy way to figure out what foods aren't particularly good for you. Measure your pulse rate - before you have the food that you suspect you may be sensitive to. Eat the food. Twenty minutes later take you pulse again. Irregular beats, increased pulse pressure or more than a ten beat increase is a good sign that your body is rebelling against the food you just put in your mouth. Do you get throat phlegm after eating? Fatique or sleepiness within two hours after eating? Brain fog or depression? These are all key signs of a food sensitivity.
PRACTICE FOR SALE
Office Building for sale: Orange County, NY Dr Retiring to new area out of State. 1500 sq. ft. office space = Reception area, business office, consultation office, 3 treatment rooms, and 2 lavatories. Most equipment and ALL patient files included. Upstairs Apartment (rented)+ 2 1/2 bedrooms, kitchen, living, dining and bath rooms. Check: www.drcroker.homestead.com for more information. Or email slipdisk@ptd.net
GREAT OPPORTUNITY
MATERIAL AVAILABLE FROM DR. MICHAEL LEBOWITZ
1. VIDEO: Correcting Chronic Health Problems 2001:This video seminar approximately 6 hours long will teach the physician a simple to apply, effective protocol to treat patients with chronic fatigue, allergies, chemical sensitivities, intestinal dysbiosis, (fungal, bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections), food sensitivities, altered intestinal permeability, toxic metal problems, endocrine dysfunction, nutritional imbalances, chronic pain and subluxation. Knowledge of basic muscle testing is helpful. A complete protocol is taught that you can start using immediately to treat even the most chronic patients. The video is suited for both the novice and the advanced practitioners in our work. A complete set of advanced notes accompanies the video. This video supercedes our previous ones and was taped at our 4/29/01 LaGuardia Seminar. The cost is $225 ppd.
2. Clinical Indications of Thorne Research Products: This handout, over 20 pages long, has both academic and clinical observations on well over 100 products I use in my office. Approximately 90% of the products I use are by Thorne Research. Reasons are given. This handout is free. Also see it on our website www.michaellebowitzdc.com
3. Personal Seminars with Dr. Lebowitz: Dr. Lebowitz teaches seminars to one or two doctors at a time in his home/office in Grand Junction, CO. It is approximately 4 miles from the airport serviced by United, Delta and Continental Airlines. Seminars run from 9:00-4:00. These classes are tailored to meet your individual needs and can be as basic or advanced as you would like. Treatment for you and/or your family can be included in the teaching. Lunch is provided and this is a great place to vacation all times of the year with nearby attractions in both Colorado and Utah. Colorado continuing education hours can be provided. Best days are Sundays, Mondays or Wednesdays. Call to schedule exact dates. Cost is $300 We are not able to process credit cards at this time.
Please send a check with your order to:
Dr. Michael Lebowitz 2550 I Rd.
Grand Junction, CO 81505 For the handout either write or call: 970 - 257-0311