March 1, 2010

Contents:

1. Is Gluten Sabotaging Your Health?
2. Daily Dose of Vitamin D Prevents Falls in Elderly
3. Caring for Ourselves Goes Hand in Hand with Caring for the Planet

__________

Is Gluten Sabotaging Your Health?

by Crystal Di Domizio, RHN

Celiac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people, according to new research from the Mayo Clinic. Could you be one of these people? Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there are likely 30 who have it but aren't diagnosed.

When individuals with celiac disease consume gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged. This greatly decreases the body's ability to absorb nutrients causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies that deprive the brain, nervous system, bones and other organs of essential nourishment.

Continued exposure to gluten creates an increased risk for developing secondary diseases and disorders including certain types of cancer.

The development of celiac disease involves a combination of genetic, environmental and immunological factors. It can occur at any age and may be triggered by a gastrointestinal or viral infection, severe stress, surgery, pregnancy or another life-changing event.

Symptoms:
There are no typical signs and symptoms of celiac disease. According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, "There are more than 300 symptoms of celiac disease, and symptoms may vary amongst different people. One person might have symptoms of diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person has irritability or depression.

Some people develop celiac symptoms early in life, while others feel healthy far into adulthood. Some people with celiac disease may not show any symptoms. These differences can make celiac diagnosis extremely difficult resulting in 95% of celiacs undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. Left untreated, people with celiac disease can develop further complications such as other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, and cancer."

Some of the most common symptoms, which may occur singly or in combination, include:
- Bloating & Gas
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Fatigue
- Itchy Skin Rash
- Tingling/Numbness
- Pale Mouth Sores
- Joint Pain
- Delayed Growth
- Poor Weight Gain
- Thin Bones
- Infertility
- Headaches
- Depression
- Irritability
- Discolored Teeth

Diagnosis:
The diagnosis of celiac disease is often very difficult because the broad range of symptoms that vary from mild to severe (or none at all) often mimic those of other diseases including irritable bowel syndrome, crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, lactose intolerance, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

The average time frame for diagnosis of celiac disease from the onset of symptoms in Canada is 10 years in comparison to Italy where it is three weeks. The difference? In Italy all children are screened by age six and Italians of any age are tested for the disease as soon as they show symptoms. This highlights the need for increased awareness of celiac disease in North America, both among physicians and the general public. I'm looking forward to the day when doctors screen for Celiac Disease the way they do for cholesterol and blood pressure!

To gain a proper diagnosis of celiac disease the first step is to request the panel of blood tests from your physician or you can purchase the Celiac Home Test, which is available online and in some pharmacies. If the blood tests and/or symptoms indicate celiac disease your physician may suggest a biopsy of the lining of the small intestine to confirm the diagnosis. (Please note that it is very important to continue eating a normal, gluten-containing diet before being tested for celiac or you may not receive an accurate diagnosis. )

Treatment:
Celiac disease can be effectively treated and controlled with a life-long adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. Once a person with celiac disease stops eating gluten, symptoms are often alleviated and the small intestine gradually heals over time. It is important to note that eating any gluten, no matter how small the amount, can damage the intestine. This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms.

It is essential to consult with a nutritionist with expertise in celiac disease and the gluten-free diet for nutritional assessment, education, meal planning and assistance with social and emotional adaptation to the new gluten-free lifestyle. Joining a local support group for ongoing education and support is highly recommended.

***
Crystal Di Domizio, RHN, is a registered holistic nutritionist, life coach and birth doula based in Vancouver, BC. Through her group, Living Gluten-Free Community, she supports and inspires those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity with ongoing education, events and empowerment. http://lgfc.ca or http://cultivateyourhealth.com

__________

Daily Dose of Vitamin D Prevents Falls in Elderly

by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com

Seniors who take a large daily dose of vitamin D may be significantly less likely to suffer from falls, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in the British Medical Journal.

"Falls are important events to prevent," said researcher Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, "and 700 to 1000 IU of vitamin D per day is safe and inexpensive."

Approximately one-third of all adults over the age of 64 and 50 percent of those over the age of 49 fall at least once per year. In 9 percent of these cases, a visit to the emergency room is required. In 6 percent of cases, a fracture results. Falls are often one of the primary events resulting in admission to a nursing home.

Researchers analyzed the results of eight different studies on a total of 2,400 people over the age of 64. All the studies looked at whether vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of falls in the elderly.

The researchers found that at doses below 700 IU per day, there was no reduction in the risk of falls. Above this level, however, the risk of falls was reduced by as much as one in four.

"It takes 700 to 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day and nothing less will work," Bischoff-Ferrari said. "At the higher dose of 700 to 1000 IU vitamin D, the benefit on fall prevention is significant -- at least 19 percent, 26 percent with vitamin D3."

Although vitamin D2 is the form most commonly found in supplements, the body absorbs vitamin D3 more effectively.

The researchers found no difference in effectiveness between supplements marketed as "active" and those that were simply unmodified D2. "Active" supplements, however, are significantly more likely to lead to high calcium levels, which may cause hormone problems and cancer.

__________

Caring for Ourselves Goes Hand in Hand with Caring for the Planet

by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

Ecosystems come in all shapes and sizes, often without distinct boundaries. And what happens in one ecosystem affects other ecosystems.

We can even consider the human body as an ecosystem, or perhaps more correctly as a number of interrelated ecosystems. According to a recent article in the scientific journal Nature, "The human body is one of the most important ecological study sites of the coming decade."

The article's author, David A. Relman, chief of infectious diseases at Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in California, writes: "Humans depend on the microbial communities that colonize them for a surprising suite of benefits. These include: extracting energy from food, educating the immune system and protection from pathogens. Yet, despite the recent attention to this indigenous microbiota, we are relatively ignorant of what our 'extended self' comprises or how it works."

If we didn't have microbes, which are mainly bacteria, living in and on us, we wouldn't be able to digest our food or breathe properly, and we'd be more vulnerable to numerous types of disease and infection. Scientists estimate that our bodies contain 10 times as many bacteria as human cells, numbering around 100 trillion, and that the human gut alone contains 500 to 1,000 species of bacteria.

The microbes that help our body function properly are referred to as "normal flora" or "microbiota". But, like all ecosystems, our body's ecosystems can be disrupted. If we pollute our bodies, either intentionally or unintentionally, the normal flora can become overwhelmed to the point that they don't function as well as they should. Sometimes this may result simply in a case of upset stomach or indigestion, but often, especially if the pollution is ongoing, it can result in serious disease and death.

What we expose our bodies and the microbes within them to can also have unintended consequences. Although antibiotics have offered a lot of benefits to human health, we're now seeing that decades of their use, often as "growth promoters" in feed for chickens, hogs, and cows, is leading to new illnesses and infections as sometimes-harmful bacteria evolve to be resistant to antibiotics and to our own microbial defences.

The more we learn about the microbial communities in our own bodies, the more we see that a balance must be maintained, for our own sake and for the sake of our human communities. According to New York microbiology professor Martin J. Blaser, "evolution has selected for those microbial populations that maintain and increase the fitness of both individual hosts and the group as a whole."

If we want our own bodies to be healthy, we must ensure that we have access to wholesome food, clean water, and good air. And we should avoid exposing ourselves to anything that would negatively affect the health of our own cells or the microbes that keep those cells healthy.

This is really no different than what happens in all ecosystems. If we put too much garbage and pollution in to the air, water, or ground, we upset the balance created by all the organisms and natural cycles in the environment. Our planet itself has a lot of similarities to the human body. Water circulates around and through the Earth in a complex hydrological cycle, regulating temperature and keeping plants and animals alive, just as blood circulates through our bodies. The natural organisms of the Earth's ecosystems, like the microbes in our bodies, also offer numerous services that we rely on to survive and be healthy.

And for both the human body and the Earth, carbon is an essential element. Carbon is the second most abundant element in the human body, after oxygen, and it also cycles through the Earth, its inhabitants, and its atmosphere. Normally, carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere though photosynthesis and is put back through respiration and decay. But when we upset the balance by cutting down too many of the plants or trees that absorb the carbon and by burning fuels that put too much carbon back into the atmosphere, we put the Earth's health, and thus the health of all of us, at risk.

We must learn to treat the Earth as we would treat ourselves. After all, we are part of nature, and if we don't look after its health, we aren't looking after our own health.

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

Calendar of Events

Media Watch