Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC host of ‘The Gluten Summit – A Grain of Truth’ is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.
Gluten’s impact on the inflamed brain: reducing anxiety and depression
- Terminology and why it’s not called gluten intolerance but sensitivity
- Is gluten sensitivity just a fad and the recent FODMAPs research
- The multitude of diseases and symptoms caused by gluten sensitivity
- Gluten sensitivity as a contributing factor to psychiatric manifestations/anxiety/depression and new 2014 research from Italy
- Suicide rates in kids with celiac disease (even when they quit gluten), and kids celiac camps
- The conundrum with testing
- Doing an elimination and then challenge?
- Can anyone eat wheat or should we all be gluten-free
One of my favorite quotes in my anxiety food talks is this one from a 2012 paper by Jackson and Fasano called Neurologic and psychiatric manifestations of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
gluten sensitivity remains undertreated and underrecognized as a contributing factor to psychiatric and neurologic manifestations.
Here are some snippets from our interview:
73% of kids with celiac disease have social phobia, 63% still have social phobia on a gluten-free diet. You have to also heal the gut and address nutritional deficiencies
No human on the planet can digest gluten! Whether or not it causes symptoms like anxiety or depression or arthritis why eat anything that would cause inflammation!
He shares recent research published in BMC Medicine. The study looking at Italians with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, found that 68% of participants felt “a lack of well-being” and 39% experienced anxiety. In the large majority of patients, the time lapse between gluten ingestion and the appearance of symptoms varied from a few hours to 1 day.
No human on the planet can digest gluten! Whether or not it causes symptoms” like anxiety or depression or arthritis “why eat anything that would cause inflammation”
The gluten-FODMAPs discussion and non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a fad:
- No effects of gluten in patients with self-reported non-celiac gluten sensitivity after dietary reduction of fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates.
- The article in Forbes : Gluten Intolerance May Not Exist
- Randomised clinical trial: gluten may cause depression in subjects with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity – an exploratory clinical study.
Dr. O’Bryan summed it up like this:
it took two studies to do this but it appears to be the FODMAPs in the wheat that cause the GI complaints (the bloating, the gas, the abdominal pain) but it’s the proteins that cause symptoms in the brain and other parts of the body
I write about gluten often. Here are some additional links for you:
- I was interviewed on Gaiam TV and discussed the gluten-mood connection
- I presented a poster called Gluten and the serious effects on mental health at the 2013 annual conference of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America/ADAA
- and here part 1 of a 2 part blog on gluten and mood
Last year Dr. O’Bryan hosted the fantastic Gluten Summit and you can grab a copy of one of the interviews here: Dr. Marsh’s Gluten Summit interview: Why the Early Stages of Celiac Disease Must be Taken Seriously
If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com
The link to listen isn’t working for me. I’m using my Galaxy 4G phone.
Thanks!
Valerie
Hi Valerie
I’m sorry to hear this – please contact support@everywomanover29.com and we’ll help you to get it working.
Please explain what happens
Trudy
I’ve enjoyed listening to the talks so far, I don’t know if anyone feels the same, but why does it all sound so complicated. Theres just so much to consider. Toxins, Environtal pollutions, stress, The food you eat. Coming from years of researching, enquiring, often out of desperation. Organic, free range is not as readily available in S.A.. What happened to just eating fruit off a tree. Enjoying life without having to think about it. I live in constant fear/anxiety and low grade depression. I don’t eat wheat, bottled foods, sugar. I stay away from processed foods and bottled juices. Tried various treatments over the years, the last two months I go for weekly IV treatments, a cocktail of DMSO, Phosphatidyl Choline, Magnesium, Zinc, Neurobian, for the chronic fatigue. It was said, that it can take a long time, for the body to heal, to repair the tissues. How does one live and not get caught up in the “woe is me” attitude. Each day is a day of surrender and to be as concious and functional as I can. Is 6 months a realistic time to expect any results? Thank you for sharing your knowledge, wisdom and expertise. In my heart, I know if I remain consistant, keep an open mind, and listen to my body – my health will eventually take a turn for the better. Vanessa
Hi Vanessa
I’m so sorry to hear about your problems. You are looking for answers and educating yourself so that’s a very positive thing!
For some people it’s simple – change the diet to real whole quality food and eat more animal protein.
For others it’s adding supplements like the amino acids (tune in to my talk on this topic – they can give you relief right away and hope while you’re figuring this all out).
For others there are many layers of complexity – toxins, heavy metals, methylation defects and more.
I do hope you glean some additional insights during the summit.
Trudy
My sister was diagnosed with MS 9 years ago, within a week, she was paralysed, sight, co ordination ,speech etc. I Feel I really do not know what real suffering is about, when it does come to your health. After her second relapse, the doctors weren’t too optimistic, as was very progressive. After looking into all kinds of diets, alternate therapies for her, she’s been about 4 years with no relapse. No longer on cortisol and all the harsh chemicals and she’s completely off gluten now, and cow dairy. 3 weeks ago, she had her first stemcell replacement therapy. We go together for our weekly IV treatments. Relentless research, and perseverence can be tiring – and it can be quite overwhelming as there is vast amounts of information around and yet still to be learned. It would be lovely to experience a breakthrough with my sister. To live life fully, without the sadness I see around. Thank you. V
Hi Vanessa
Thanks for sharing your sister’s story – 4 years with no relapse is wonderful. I wish you both lots of healing
Trudy
Waooh am so impressed to listen and read about natural healthy living even at tender age.
Wonderful Becky – I’d love to know how old you are?
Hi Trudy, I have a few questions for Dr Tom. I heard that if someone who is not NCGS goes gluten free, then they could possibly become NCGS. Is that true?
We tried having our kids go gluten free for awhile. We rarely eat when in our home but let our kids eat it at parties, etc. We don’t want to cause problems for them. If we had them go gluten free for awhile without knowing if they needed to and then let them eat gluten could that cause problems for them?
When he talked about testing for antiboides to the brain – what test is this and where do you get it? If one has anxiety then is this test necessary since it seems the brain is a weak link? What would be the benefit of this test then?
If we have the test done by Cyrex for being gluten free, is it still necessary to have tests like IGG, IGA, and IGE as well?
Thanks for the time you have put into this summit!
Hello Heather
Great questions. Thank you.
1)The longer an at-risk child is not exposed to gluten, the stronger their immune system develops. And their brain. And their heart. And their bones…..
Remember, the most common symptom in children with a Gluten Sensitivity is a ‘failure to thrive’. Traditionally focused on as meaning shorter height (suppressed bone and muscle development), failure to thrive means failure to thrive. That means suppressed development of any (and often many) tissues in the body. The thyroid, the brain, the pituitary, the reproductive system (this is why celiac young girls have their first cycles later in age than their friends). It’s a failure to thrive across the board. So the longer an at-risk child is kept away from gluten, the more likely that child’s body will develop more to their God-given genetic potential (whatever that may be).
It is uncertain if delaying gluten exposure to children will prevent the development of Celiac Disease at some point in that child’s life (studies are inconsistent). But it is certain that the longer they are free of an inflammatory agent, the more likely stronger growth and development.
2) Cyrex Labs-Array #5
3) You ALWAYS want a marker other than symptoms to monitor what’s ‘cookin’ in the body and to measure improvements.
4) The Cyrex panels look at IgG, IgA and IgM-most complete panels on the planet right now. I would not recommend IgE testing after this unless the person has histamine-type symptoms (breathing difficulties, rashes, …)
Many of he links are not working – please can you let us know when this is sorted out.
Many thanks to Dr O’Bryan for yet another excellent discussion.
Hi Justine
Glad you enjoyed Dr O’Bryan – he is fabulous and I loved our interview!
All the links are now fixed – so sorry about those sneaky gremlins
Trudy
What is the name of the supplement he recommended to take if you’re eating out to protect against contamination? Thank you.
Great talk as always Dr Tom O’Bryan!
I know you recommend Cyres tests but just wondering what you think of the gluten sensitivity test by Enterolab. I think it’s a stool test! I would love you knowldegable thoughts on this for someone I know who wants to test.
Thank you
Hi Claire
So glad you enjoyed Dr Tom O’Bryan! he’s great and a wealth of knowledge.
I have not used the gluten sensitivity test by Enterolab so I can’t comment. Hopefully someone else reading this blog will chime in.
I can say this, no test seems to be conclusive so if you test and get negatives don’t assume all is ok. I worked with one family all with gluten issues – mom and 3 kids all tested positive for a different gluten marker and the youngest did not have any positives.
One other thing to consider is low SigA – this can lead to a false negative of antigiladin antibodies on the saliva test
Trudy
I, and many of my friends in my gluten-intolerance group, used the Enterolab test to test for sensitivity and to check for the celiac gene. As a result, I have been gluten free (except when I get “glutened) since 2007. I would love to hear from others, and especially Dr. O’Bryan, about that test. I wouldn’t THINK of eating gluten again before doing any test, and Enterolab’s test does not require that you be consuming gluten.
Hi Lynne
Thanks for sharing about Enterolab and good point about testing the genes HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 (which for folks who may not know means you have a higher chance of celiac disease).
I’d also love others to comment here abut what they have found to be useful testing.
I’ll see if I can get Dr O’Bryan to hop on and comment. If not, I’ll gather up some questions and email him and come back and post his response
Trudy
Hi. I am loving your Summit and taking it all in. While listening to Dr. O’Bryan’s presentation, I heard you mention that you helped a patient with idiopathic pancreatitis to remove gluten and I’m guessing take amino acids as well to help relieve symptoms. This is a subject that greatly interests me and I would love to hear more at some point about your recommendations.
Maybe after the summit, we can have a phone conversation.
Thank you so much for all that you do.
I have your book and have learned so much.
Thanks,
Nina
Hi Nina
So pleased to hear you’re loving the summit and have learned so much from my book!
Let me know what you’re looking for in terms of amino acids and gluten removal? or perhaps ask more after my interview on the amino acids airs next week – I’ll be going into this then – how they can help break the addiction, stop the cravings and help you not feel deprived – no willpower required.
I’d be happy to help you via a phone consult after the summit too
Trudy
Thanks Trudy. I am aware about the gluten removal and wonder of other individuals with pancreatitis find a gluten free diet helps decrease their acute episodes. I am also interested in learning more about use of amino acids to help with the inflammation of the pancreatitis during flare ups. Any info would be helpful. Also, any recommendation of functional medicine practitioners/dietitians in the Boston area who are interested in finding root causes to help my daughter with this painful condition would be so very helpful.
Hi Nina
Ok, got it. I don’t know of anyone else with pancreatitis doing better on a gluten-free diet but there is quite a bit of research showing a connection – here is a recent blog post I just found for you http://www.thesavvyceliac.com/2014/06/19/can-celiac-disease-cause-pancreatitis/
Hopefully another reader of this blog/comment will share if they’ve seen results.
Glutamine and omega-3s have been shown to be helpful (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24931755) and I would also look into curcumin/turmeric (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249972/ and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23890132).
One of my most highly recommended functional medicine doctors is Dr Mark Hyman. He’s not in Boston but is close enough in Lennox.
Trudy
Trudy,
I can’t thank-you enough for your help with this!!!!! I appreciate all this information! Your work is so important to real people and the quality of their day to day lives.
Nina
Dr. O’Bryan, this was an excellent talk. Thank you!!! I deal w/celiac and have gone off all grains from Dr. Osborne’s teaching. Now, I’m wondering if it is necessary. It’s hard to be so strict. Thanks, Mary
Hi Mary
The clue is always to listen to your body – how do you feel off them vs on them. Some people are able to eat grains and some are not. For some it’s a short-term solution while they may be dealing with food sensitivities, leaky gut, SIBO, yeast etc.
Trudy
Thanks so much for your summits. I have been meaning to send you an e-mail from a satisfied listener. I have followed all the advice yet the thing that made the biggest improvement for me was getting rid of gluten. HUGE difference. I have told folk to do the same thing. I have had immune related disorders and am hoping that healing my gut by getting rid of gluten will make some shifts in my body re-organising itself. I have less brain fog and more vitality, so a big thank-you from me. I am going to include morning light therapy too now. I hope you realise how much appreciated it is for you getting your work out there. Anyway I’m sure everyone is very grateful for your programmes and speakers! The wealth of information is quite staggering. I am on a low income so seeing specialists is a bit of a problem but your guests offer amazing information that you can implement immediately. People like myself put up with so much systemmic discrimination from doctors that its impossible to navigate the health maze. I am however very grateful for my level of education that has taught me research skills and how to get things for myself in a world that can put barriers up between you and the desired goals in your life.
Baphomet,
Getting comments like this makes my day! And my year! Thanks so much for posting this comment. I am thrilled with your results and say bravo for taking charge of your health and even telling others about what you have learned and what’s helping you!
Stay tuned for a blog post on light therapy too. Right now I’m reading “Winter Blues” by Dr. Norman Rosenthal and I’m going to invite him to speak on the next summit.
All the best for an even better 2015! And “see” you on the next summit in May. Thanks again for sharing – this will inspire others and give them hope!
Trudy
Hello Trudy,
My client’s husband has anxiety (has been on Xanax and Gabapentin for years), and he’s “addicted” to bread, pasta, etc. To me that’s a red flag for gluten sensitivity so I suggested he try going off gluten. (I also suggested he read your book which he did!) Since going gluten-free (for 10 days now) he’s had withdrawal symptoms: joint pain, dizzy, flu-like, and MORE anxiety. I suggested taking magnesium, more probiotics, staying hydrated, epsom salt baths (per Dr. William Davis). Joint pain getting better now, but anxiety isn’t. Is there anything else you would recommend? Thank you for any input you can give!
Robin
It’s not uncommon to have withdrawal symptoms when going gluten-free and many of my clients have described their symptoms as being as bad as when they’ve had to quit street-drugs. However this doesn’t typically last for more than a week or so and MORE anxiety is not common, althogh the other symptoms you describe are very common. When someone is still having symptoms like this I’d suspect some gluten exposure (from spices, shampoo, eating out etc). If this was his only source of carbs I may also suspect die-off if he also has candida (which are no longer being fed).
I will say that I have all my anxious clients use targeted amino acids as they help with quitting so the addiction is broken and no willpower is needed. They also help so much with the anxiety and will likely help now too https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/targeted-individual-amino-acids/ – GABA and tryptophan may be worth him trialing https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/how-to-do-an-amino-acid-trial-for-anxiety/
Also, as I’m sure you know, Xanax and Gabapentin can cause all sorts of tolerance issues and rebound/withdrawal anxiety etc so be sure to check her hasn’t been doing anything with his dosages at the same time.
Thanks for suggesting my book to him – glad he’s reading it and glad he’s got you and his wife to help him!
I had allergy tests last year and requested testing for gluten sensitivity. The MD thought it was a “fad” and instead gave me fodmap dietary information. Do I need a physician to get the Cyrex lab test?
Sharon
Any integrative practitioner with a Cyrex account can order it. Dr Tom’s gluten certification practitioners would fit into this category.
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Hi Cheryl
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