Gluten

The Anxiety Summit – Gluten’s impact on the inflamed brain: reducing anxiety and depression

November 4, 2014 By Trudy Scott 32 Comments

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:

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 Anxiety Summit: coffee, chocolate, fish, water and more

June 21, 2014 By Trudy Scott 41 Comments

This is day 14 of the Anxiety Summit and the final wrap up call by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Anxiety: coffee, chocolate, fish, water and more – and where to go next

the anxiety-provoking effects of coffee! and what about chocolate?
the bad-mood effects of gluten
wild fish, water, pumpkin seeds and laughter to boost your mood and calm you down
questions answered ( a few from the blog and facebook page)
what you can get out of the summit, resources and where to go next

This is the great quote by Jamie Oliver (I saw it on Josh Friedman’s super Facebook page):

Homicide is 0.8% of deaths. Diet-related disease is over 60%. But no-one talks about it

We’re talking about it! And we’re being heard! There obviously a big need for this information – as of the end of the 13^th day of the summit we have officially reached just over 10,000 people!

This is the cover of Time magazine: Eat Butter. Scientists labeled fat the enemy. Why they were wrong. About time ! (no pun intended)

For decades, it has been the most vilified nutrient in the American diet. But new science reveals fat isn’t what’s hurting our health”

Here is the blog post that has the video of Angie trying the DPA/Endorphigen for low endorphins. She calls it a miracle, no longer desired chocolate and felt euphoric!

amazing nutrient DPA (d-phenylalanine) or Endorphigen. It is SO effective if you’re low in endorphins! Just watch Angie’s reaction when she sampled some….she actually called it a miracle! – See more at: https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/end-emotional-eating-no-willpower/#sthash.ocYcUhhQ.dpuf

This is the blog post that mentions the research on how water affects serotonin and dopamine levels, thereby affecting your anxiety levels.

Based on the food mood research done by Dr. Felice Jacka and the results I see when my female clients add back red meat into their diets I am a proponent of grass-fed red meat. You can read some of Dr Jacka’s findings and information about our interview here. Be sure to check out the comments in this blog – I mention other research on grass-fed red meat and mood,

In line with this we have the new Anxiety Summit quote:

Sugar is the most abused anxiety drug

Grass-fed red meat is the most underutilized antianxiety food

~ Trudy Scott, host of The Anxiety Summit and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution

This is from the editorial called Nutrition and Psychiatry in the American Journal of Psychiatry. It was published when Dr. Jacka’s Western diet/traditional diet study was published in 2010.

It is both compelling and daunting to consider that dietary intervention at an individual or population level could reduce rates of psychiatric disorders. There are exciting implications for clinical care, public health, and research”

I always say “yes compelling but not daunting with what we know” and with we’ve learned on the Anxiety Summit.

~~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~~

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts + interview highlights and listen when it suits you

Is Roundup toxic and a cause of anxiety, autism and celiac disease?

May 30, 2014 By Trudy Scott 18 Comments

Dr. Stephanie Seneff, Senior Research Scientist at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, kindly agreed to share her expertise on Roundup/glyphosate on The Anxiety Summit.

This is the title of our interview: “Aluminum and glyphosate (Roundup) collaborate to cause anxiety, depression, autism and celiac disease.”

Recently Dr. Seneff has become very concerned about the current autism epidemic and her research leads her to believe that glyphosate plays a critical role in this epidemic as well as in modern diseases like anxiety and depression

During our interview Dr. Seneff shared this:

“There are a group of us who are extremely concerned because the manufacturer of glyphosate has repeatedly claimed that it’s almost harmless to humans. So people are using it very carelessly and they are not monitoring it in their blood, in their urine, in their food or in their water. Everyone is assuming that it’s fine and so it is extremely insidious and dangerous for that reason”

We also talked about how widespread the use of Roundup has been, which is all rather disturbing considering what Dr. Seneff and other researchers are finding.

Dr. Seneff shared this:

“Wheat and sugar cane… farmers have been increasingly adopting the practice of spraying these crops right before the harvest (with Roundup)…These are not Roundup ready so the crops dies. And that’s the intention…to hasten the harvest… Nobody thinks it’s toxic…And we have the celiac disease epidemic…and all these gluten free sections showing up in the grocery stores. I think this is directly due to Roundup residue in the wheat.”

Dr. Seneff’s 2013 paper called Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance found that:

“Deficiencies in tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and selenomethionine associated with celiac disease, match glyphosate’s known depletion of these amino acids”… contributing to anxiety and depression.

The paper ends with this plea:

“We conclude with a plea to governments to reconsider policies regarding the safety of glyphosate residues in foods.”

Join us on The Anxiety Summit to hear the whole interview (and hear 20+ other experts share research, nutritional pearls, food advice and protocols)

Why glyphosate is sprayed on wheat right before the harvest, and how this explains the epidemic in gluten intolerance
How glyphosate disrupts gut bacteria causing a deficiency in beneficial bacteria and an overgrowth of pathogenic forms
How glyphosate depletes minerals like cobalt, zinc, molybdenum, and manganese by caging them; and how it depletes serotonin and GABA levels
How glyphosate disrupts cytochrome P450 enzymes in the gut and liver, with devastating consequences

The Anxiety Summit is a free online virtual event that runs June 9 to June 22 and will be bringing together experts from all over the world – to share nutritional approaches to end anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks and OCD. Get access here www.theanxietysummit.com

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

Anxiety: food based solutions with Trudy Scott on The Randy and Christa show

April 25, 2014 By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

I met Christa Orrechio at a conference earlier this year and was thrilled to be invited to speak on The Randy and Christa show. They are doing a fabulous job getting the wellness message out into the world! I also love how they have such fun doing this show!

During my segment we talked about the following:

Why read my book The Antianxiety Food Solution: if you’re stressed, have panic attacks, fears, phobias and even sugar cravings
“80-90% of my clients do better off gluten”
My client who went gluten-free: her eczema cleared up and she felt calmer
Amino acid supplements (like GABA and tryptophan) help you break the gluten addiction/craving
Low serotonin causes anxiety, sadness, excessive worry in the head, depression, afternoon and evening cravings, PMS, winter blues and sleep problems (see the whole questionnaire here)
Tryptophan (500mg is the starting dose) midafternoon and evening raises serotonin so you’ll feel calmer, hopeful and optimistic
Some people may do better on 5-HTP but it can raise cortisol levels
Too much of the amino acids can have a reverse effect – use what you need. You may need less than the starting dose
The amino acids are a short-term approach – you also need to be addressing diet and low blood sugar etc
Low GABA causes physical tension and anxiety (Randy finds GABA helps him sleep)
Caffeine is a problem for many people with anxiety – give it up! If it doesn’t make you anxious make sure it’s organic
Zinc and vitamin B6 are important for making GABA and serotonin
A good source of zinc and B6 is red meat. It’s also a good source of iron and omega-3s (as much omega3-s as salmon!). Of course it does need to be grass-fed!
The starting dose for vitamin B6 is 100mg
Magnesium is a calming mineral
Sign up for your free report “5 Simple Steps to Reduce Anxiety Now“

Be sure to listen to Randy and Christa when I drop off as they continue the discussion (12:30 minutes).

Regarding the red meat discussion they had a bit later, I’d like to add that I find many of my clients with mood issues – both anxiety and depression – do better with more red meat than just once or twice a week. Having it every day is just fine! As Christa said, it has all the amino acids to make our neurotransmitters/brain chemicals.

Christa Orecchio is a clinical and holistic nutritionist, and founder of The Whole Journey, a nutrition practice and informational website. She is on a mission to help as many people as possible to heal by addressing the root cause (and not just the symptom) of why they don’t feel good and concurrently teaches people how to use food as their medicine to heal their bodies so they can ultimately live a thriving, vibrant life.

Christa has a TV show on FOX in San Diego called “Food as Medicine” and is the co-host of her own nationally syndicated health talk show “The Randy and Christa Show”.

The Antianxiety Food Solution on Annie Jennings’ JenningsWire

November 12, 2013 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

I really enjoyed sharing a few of my top antianxiety food solution tips on the Annie Jennings’ JenningsWire podcast! It was short but sweet! We managed to cover real food, red meat, coffee!!, tryptophan and gluten in 10 minutes!

The Antianxiety Food Solution

How do you calm your anxious mind, improve your mood and end cravings with food?
Does red meat cause anxiety?
If you’re anxious do you really have to quit caffeine?
Everyone is talking about the gluten-free diet – what is the tie in to mood?
What is your favorite nutrient for eliminating anxiety, worry, negative self-talk, low self-esteem and afternoon/evening sugar cravings?
What are the key nutrients for addressing social anxiety?

You can go to the Annie Jennings’ JenningsWire podcast page to listen to the 10 minute audio interview.

We didn’t get to the last question: What are the key nutrients for addressing social anxiety? If you have the little-known condition called pyroluria (the main symptoms are inner tension and social anxiety) you may need to supplement with zinc and vitamin B6. These nutrients also happen to be co-factors for making brain chemicals like serotonin and the calming GABA. I am seeing an overlap between the traits anxious introverts resonate with and the pyroluria symptoms ! Imagine a nutritional solution for anxious introverts!

From Annie’s site: “This podcast is presented by Annie Jennings, of the National Publicity Firm, Annie Jennings PR and the creator of JenningsWire online magazine. JenningsWire is capturing the heart of America with its rich community of talented, insightful and relevant bloggers and podcasters!”

Thanks Annie and Stacey for the opportunity!

Anxiety and Depression Association of America 2013 conference highlights

April 12, 2013 By Trudy Scott 14 Comments

My gluten-mood poster at the 2013 ADAA conference

Last weekend I attended the annual conference of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America / ADAA and am pleased to share some of the highlights.

The keynote was presented by Dr. James Fowler and was fascinating! He shared how we are all connected and how your friends’ friends’ friends affect everything you feel, think and do! Check out his site and book Connected, The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks

Gluten does have such a big impact on mood for so many people and I had many interested and curious visitors at my poster presentation (see the above picture) “Evidence-based Research On The Serious Effects Of Gluten On Mental Health, With An In-depth Look At Testing And The Gluten-free Diet.” A number of people shared how gluten removal had eliminated their anxiety and/or depression too: a mom whose daughter quit gluten and found that this eliminated her panic attacks, a Canadian MD who didn’t know about gluten intolerance and infertility and the director of an anxiety clinic in Argentina. I was also honored to have Dr. Jerrold Rosenbaum, MD, ADAA Past President, Chief of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, stop by. He said “interesting… everyone where I live is going gluten-free.” I asked him “and what kind of feedback are you getting?” Dr. Rosenbaum: “They’re all feeling better!”

I attended a great presentation by Dr. Teri Pearlstein: “Treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders”. Dr. Pearlstein shared studies that show that babies born to depressed moms may have similar health problems as those born to moms taking anti-depressant medications i.e. lower birth weight and smaller head circumference. However, I also learned this: in a JAMA Psychiatry study of more than 1800 children, investigators found an adjusted 2-fold increased risk for ASD (autism spectrum disorder) among mothers who used an SSRI during the year before delivery and a 3-fold increased risk when SSRIs were ingested during the first trimester. The study was done in 2011 so it’s not new but it’s still an important finding. To me, this provides a very big incentive for using drug-free solutions for pregnancy – which is why the amino acids, fish oils and other nutrients that I cover in The Antianxiety Food Solution are worth investigating as a better option. We really need some research in this area!

I’ll be sharing some other interesting posters (like “Mindful-based stress reduction for stress and cognition in older adults”) and presentations (like Benzodiazapine side-effects and tolerance) in my next post on the ADAA.