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tom o’bryan

Sage, gluten, CBD and gut-brain axis: highlights from The Anxiety Summit 5

November 8, 2019 By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

sage gluten cbd gut-brain axis anxiety summit 5

Today I’m sharing a few highlights from The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis which airs November 11-17. We cover all new material, it’s research-based and we talk about practical solutions.

The highlights cover sage and other herbs that can impact GABA and anxiety; new testing for gluten issues; CBD and the role in gut health, anxiety and PTSD; and the microbiome and gut-brain axis and neurotransmitters.

#1 Herbs to Improve Digestion and Support GABA ~ Magdalena Wszelaki, author of Cooking for Hormone Balance, shares this in our interview

Astringents like sage, rose and red raspberry tighten loose junctions in IBS, support female hormonal health and ease anxiety.

We discuss sage and make reference to this study called Flavonoids: some of the wisdom of sage? which concludes that the “actions of molecules such as hispidulin [a flavonoid found in sage] might be able to target GABAA receptors for the management of anxiety and epilepsy.”

What I really love about this interview is that Magdalena brings it all back to practical steps and shares how to make a healing medicinal tea.

#2 Latest Gluten Research and Testing (Part 2) ~ Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN.  We discuss the Neural and Wheat Zoomer tests and Dr. Tom shares this:

Let’s do a different test that’s more accurate and more sensitive. That’s why the Wheat Zoomer looks at 26 different peptides of poorly digested wheat. And it’s the most comprehensive test on the market today …. on the Anxiety Summit, the ones that you’d be most concerned about is the gluteomorphins and the prodynorphins because those antibodies attack the opiate receptors, and that is critically important with brain dysfunction.

#3 Gut-Brain Axis and Mental Health ~ Peter Bongiornio, ND, LAc, author of Put Anxiety Behind You, talks about the microbiome and bidirectional aspects:

so we have this microbiota, all these germs and bacteria that are in our digestive tract as an example. What we’re seeing now is that the health and the diversity of those create either a healthy brain or an unhealthy brain; that the microbiota that are in our gut actually play a very, very strong role and how neurotransmitters are made both in the gut and in the brain. As well as they also create inflammatory molecules and peptides and things that also travel to the brain and will affect brain inflammation, and affect brain neurotransmitters and affect the receptors of these neurotransmitters as well.

#4 Endocannabinoid System and Your Gut ~ Hyla Cass, MD, talks about CBD and anandamide in the endocannabinoid system:

CBD influences the breakdown of anandamide , extending it’s use. Anandamide is found in both the brain and the gut and the name comes from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss.

So what CBD is doing is extending the life of the anandamides, so they can act longer. Dr. Cass also shares the connection between the endocannabinoid system, stress, the HPA axis, the gut and PTSD:

we react to stress and trauma through the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis/ the HPA Axis. And the endocannabinoid system tends to tone down or modulate the HPA axis to protect us from stress. And when it’s protecting us from stress in that way, it’s also signaling to the GI system to calm down. People that don’t have enough endocannabinoid activity are more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis airs online Monday Nov 11 to Sunday Nov 17, with replays the following weekend. I do hope you’ll be joining us.

If you’re having any doubts, read this delightful message I received this week and be inspired and motivated to tune in and learn:

Trudy … thanks so very much for the 3 transcripts featuring Ann Louise Gittleman, Carolyn Ledowsky and Dr. Datis Kharrazian … they were ALL fantastic and unlike many of the health related docu-series, I felt that I obtained some great insights and key take-aways that will help me on my road to good health journey! You asked some GREAT questions and I appreciate you digging further for names of supplements and more specificity to ensure clarity. You are a PRO and I am so glad I found you ❤️

anxiety summit

Please join us and listen to this interview and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

  • Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
  • MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
  • Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

anxiety summit 5 speakers

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

Register for the Anxiety Summit 5

 

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

  • Online only or flash drive or both
  • A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
  • The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
  • GABA Quickstart Program (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)
Purchase options

 

If you have already purchased, I know you’re going to find immense value from this material to be able to refer back to again and again.

What gems stand out for you today and do you have questions?

If you’d like to ask a question, please post in the comments below.

I’d also love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to these interviews and the others.

 

 

Filed Under: Anxiety Summit 5 Tagged With: anxiety, anxiety summit, cbd, digestion, Endocannabinoid, GABA, Gluten Testing, Gut-Brain Axis Mental Health, herbs, Hyla Cass, Magdalena Wszelaki, Peter Bongiornio, PTSD, tom o’bryan, zoomer

Serotonin, leaky gut and leaky brain on The Broken Brain docuseries

January 8, 2018 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

The Broken Brain docusersies, hosted by Dr. Mark Hyman airs January 17-25th .

Here are some wise words of wisdom from 3 of the 57 expert speakers – on the powerful gut-brain connection (covered on day 2).

And let us not forget the term Dr. Hyman uses to describe this: somatopsychic = mental symptoms caused by bodily illness. Issues in the gut – like food sensitivities, dysbiosis, SIBO, inflammation, parasites and so on – may be some of the root causes of your anxiety and/or depression. This is also known as body-mind medicine, which is different from mind-body medicine.

The relationship of the gut to the brain is physical and chemical. We talk about serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters. The lion’s share of these chemicals are not made in the brain. They are made in the gut. ~ Dr. David Permlutter, MD, author of Grain Brain and Brain Maker

What most doctors don’t realize is that when you have leaky gut, the identification markers are the same identification markers that affect the blood-brain barrier. That’s leaky brain. ~ Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC, author of The Autoimmune Fix

When our gut becomes inflamed, it produces chemicals the cross our blood brain barrier, and suppress the activity in the frontal cortex. And that produces all the telltale signs and symptoms of depression [and anxiety]. ~ Chris Kresser, MS, Lac, author of Unconventional Medicine

Save the date for the 8 -part Broken Brain docusersies, hosted by Dr. Mark Hyman – and register here. It airs January 17-25th

Here’s a list of ALL the episodes, to showcase just some of what you will have access to. Each episode will be available for 24 hours, at no-cost!

  1. The Broken Brain Epidemic / Dr. Hyman’s Story (January 17)
  2. Gut Brain Connection: Getting to The Root of a Broken Brain (January 18)
  3. Losing Your Mind (Alzheimer’s, Dementia, MS, and More) (January 19)
  4. ADHD and Autism (January 20)
  5. Depression & Anxiety (January 21)
  6. Traumatic Brain Injury: Accidents, Sports, and More (January 22)
  7. 7 Steps to An UltraMind (Part 1) (January 23)
  8. 7 Steps to An UltraMind (Part 2) (January 24)

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: broken brain, Chris Kresser, David Permlutter, mark hyman, tom o’bryan

Triggers and tests from Dr. Tom O’Bryan on Interpreting Your Genetics Summit

July 17, 2017 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

I’m really excited about the upcoming Interpreting Your Genetics Summit which runs August 21-28, 2017.

Summit host, James Maskell of Evolution of Medicine, has gathered world-renowned leaders from genetics, genomics and functional medicine. These pioneering experts are on the front lines interpreting data to create improved health in patients around the globe. Learn how to translate your health data to better understand:

  • Your predisposition for diseases and how to minimize manifestation.
  • Genetic health traits your children are likely to inherit.
  • Whether your medications and supplements are right for you.
  • How to unlock previously unsolved health challenges.
  • And more!

Tom O’Bryan, author of The Autoimmune Fix and creator of the docuseries Betrayal: The Autoimmune Secret They’re Not Telling You sets the stage for the summit in his brilliant interview by explaining that simply because you have a genetic defect or polymorphism doesn’t mean you’re going to get that disease:

It means that you’re vulnerable to a particular disease. “Mrs. Patient, if you pull at a chain, it always breaks at the weakest link. Always. It’s going to be at one end, the middle, the other end. It’s your heart, your brain, your liver, your kidneys. Wherever your genetic weak link is. And where’s your weak link? Whatever your genes are. Whatever the deck of cards you’ve been dealt in life, that’s the weak link in your chain.”

So when you have that basic understanding, the first thing that comes up is stop pulling on the chain so much, right. And then, the link won’t break. And how do you stop pulling on the chain? Reduce the inflammation, reduce the activation of your immune system, which is what turns on the genes.

James summarizes this concept perfectly:

So what I hear you saying is that whatever your genetic test comes back, you want to be minimizing the pull on the chain. And you want to be minimizing and repairing the holes in your gut to make sure that you don’t end up with a broken-chain situation, which would be an autoimmune disease, which could manifest anywhere depending on your genetic makeup.

Tom O’Bryan discusses some common environmental triggers that will “pull on the chain” in great detail, and how they lead to genes being turned on and hence causing disease: food quality, wheat, dairy sugar, glyphosate, plastic and air quality. He also covers the APOE4 genes that increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and shares this scary fact about kids in Mexico City:

what they have found is that every child that they checked in Mexico City has evidence of early Alzheimer’s. Every child! Let me say that again. Every child that they check has evidence of early Alzheimer’s.

Why? Because the air pollution is so bad. And you breathe that stuff in. It goes into your lungs. And just like leaky gut, you get leaky lungs. And this particulate matter goes right through the lungs, into the bloodstream, straight up to the brain, activating your immune system to fight this stuff. Tears the lining of the blood-brain barrier.

And he shares one of his favorite tests for determining if damage is being done to the brain:

8-hydroxy-2′- Deoxyguanosine… a measure of the DNA residue from damaged brain cells or damaged nerve cells, mostly in the brain. So you just do a simple urine test. And if your 8-hydroxy is up, you’re killing off brain cells. And that makes you say, “Well, why?” [this is the DNA Oxidative Damage Assay from Doctor’s Data]

And this one to look at antibodies to the blood-brain barrier:

You have a simple type of lining on your brain that stops molecules from getting in the brain that shouldn’t be here. So you want to look for antibodies… to S100B. There’s a panel of antibodies that you could look for to see, “Is my brain on fire right now,” because if you have elevated antibodies, your brain is on fire. You’re killing off brain cells.

This interview sets the stage for the rest of the summit! I can’t wait to learn from these amazing speakers on this very relevant and cutting-edge topic.

I hope you can join us on Interpreting Your Genetics Summit, August 21-28, 2017. You can register here

Once you register you’ll have access to this interview and 2 others (Epigenetic Mastery for Everyone from Andrea Nakayama, CNC, CNE and The Current State of Genetics from Jeffrey Bland, PhD) right away.

Hope to “see you” on the summit!

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: 8-hydroxy, autoimmune, Betrayal, genes, Interpreting Your Genetics Summit, james maskell, S100B, The Autoimmune Fix, tom o’bryan

GABA, toxins, hormones, autoimmunity – encore of The Diabetes Summit

March 28, 2017 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

Brain Mowll is host of the 4th season of the Diabetes Summit and here are all the speakers and topics in the encore replay line-up (including yours truly).

TRUDY SCOTT, CN: Understanding Anxiety: The Connection to Diabetes

  • Learn about the link between diabetes, anxiety, and depression
  • Understanding the root imbalances underlying anxiety
  • Natural solutions and supplemental support for anxiety 

We may need to look at low serotonin as well because we’ve got two kinds of anxiety when it comes to neurotransmitters, the low GABA, which is the physical anxiety, and the low serotonin, which is more the ruminating thoughts, the worry in the head, the reprocessing, the negative self-talk. So we often have low GABA, and we often have low serotonin as well. And both of those have a corresponding amino acid that helps to raise it. With low GABA we use GABA. With low serotonin we use tryptophan or 5-HTP. And we’re going talk about that one in a second. But the interesting thing is I was really excited to see that there’s some really new research on how GABA has some pretty promising benefits in terms of diabetes support as well.

Read some additional snippets from my interview: Diabetes, anxiety and GABA

 

RAZI BERRY: Using Naturopathic Principles to Prevent Diabetes

  • Learning from Razi’s health experience and journey
  • How toxins in our environment can disrupt metabolism
  • Natural solutions to improve blood sugar and overall health

Read some snippets from her interview here: Anxiety, phenibut, toxins and cold showers for detoxification

 

ANNA CABECA, DO: Creating Hormone Balance to Optimize Metabolic Health

  • The keys to balancing hormones to burn fat and control sugar
  • Understanding the connection between menopause and metabolism
  • How to optimize hormone levels

Dr Cabeca shares this about the ketogenic diet (for women), going keto-crazy and being like a witch when eating too low-carb:

…if you’re working on a ketogenic diet and lifestyle, check to see your urine. And you’re most likely acidic. But now, get that pH up into an alkaline range, and you’ll see your neurotransmitters will balance. You’ll feel calmer. You’ll sleep better. You’ll start to melt fat away which is huge. And that made all the difference in the world, combing those two.

Read some additional snippets from her interview: Menopause: insulin, cortisol, and oxytocin (an interview with Dr. Anna Cabeca)

 

TOM O’BRYAN: Autoimmune Disease and the Connection To Diabetes

  • Understanding what drives autoimmune disease
  • Exploring various toxins that inundate our lives
  • How to balance the immune response to allow proper healing

 

SAYER JI: What the Evidence Reveals About Reversing Diabetes

  • What the peer reviewed, medical literature shows
  • The best natural strategies to reverse diabetes
  • The role of supplements and helpful nutrients

 

BJ HARDICK: Sugar, Detox, and The Brain: Natural Strategies For Healing

  • Understanding damaging foods and how to remove them
  • How to properly structure a detoxification program
  • Type 3 diabetes and how dysglycemia effects the brain

 

SACHIN PATEL: A New Model for Medicine, Diabetes, and Blood Sugar Health

  • Re-evaluating the healthcare model and redefining our roles
  • How to be empowered to control your health as a patient
  • A new model for caring for the body and optimizing health

This aspect of why we eat is seldom addressed and it’s profound:

When you are living a life that is on purpose – that requires you to be eating healthy because you’re going to do whatever it takes to eliminate things that are going to impact that purpose.

I also love the analogy of the right fuel in the car but driving in the wrong direction (like hating your job or not having a purpose):

When you are living a life that is on purpose – that requires you to be eating healthy because you’re going to do whatever it takes to eliminate things that are going to impact that purpose

 

NIKI GRATRIX: The Mind-Body Connection to Metabolic Health

  • How to tap into your internal abundance of energy
  • Understand ACE (adverse childhood events) score and how childhood events impact health
  • Natural techniques and strategies to let go of limits

 

PETER OSBORNE: The Autoimmune Connection to Blood Sugar and Diabetes

  • The connection between autoimmune and blood sugar
  • How to test and treat autoimmune disease effectively
  • Natural solutions to reduce inflammation and heal the body

 

MICHAEL MURRAY, ND: The Four Types of Blood Sugar Problems in Diabetes

  • Understanding a natural medicine approach to diabetes
  • Dr. Murray’s four types of blood sugar problems
  • Natural strategies to address the specific blood sugar issues

 

JOEL KAHN, MD: A Plant-Based Approach to Heart Health and Blood Sugar Health 

  • Sorting through the confusion about dietary strategies
  • Understanding the importance of plant-based foods
  • Key nutrients and supplements for heart health

I’d like to add that while I respect Dr. Kahn’s cardiology diet expertise, I am an advocate of quality animal protein and have found that many people with anxiety and depression typically don’t do very well on a vegan diet. His discussion was professional and very respectful and I do wholeheartedly agree with this:

I think whether grass fed beef, free range, omega 3 rich eggs are healthy or not, and that’s probably not possible to solve that question completely, the data’s here, there, or frankly there’s not enough data, just always add these organic brightly colored fruits and vegetables to whatever you’re eating

He also acknowledged Dr. Hyman’s coining of the term, the Pegan diet, which combines the best of a Paleo and vegan diet saying

It’s a useful term. It’s another way to say eat a very clean, very vegetable rich diet with a little wiggle room [i.e. the addition of quality animal protein]

We really do need a study comparing a real foods diet with feedlot meat and farmed fish – with a real foods diet with grass-fed meat and wild fish!

Here is the link to register for the Diabetes Summit if this is the first you’re hearing about it. You can still sign up to listen!

Enjoy these encore day replays!

Filed Under: Antianxiety, Depression, Diabetes, Events Tagged With: ana cabeca, bj hardick, Diabetes Summit, joel kahn, michael murray, niki gratrix, peter osborne, Razi Berry, sachin patel, Sayer Ji, tom o’bryan

“Betrayal” Episode 1 – teenagers with time on their hands!

November 15, 2016 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

“Betrayal – the Autoimmune Disease Solution They’re Not Telling You” is hosted by Dr. Tom O’Bryan, author of the bestselling new book The Autoimmune Fix.


Overview of Episode 1

  • What really is auto-immune disease? 
  • The true impact of auto-immune disease in US and other countries. What is functional medicine and how is it different from conventional medicine? 
  • The facts behind why medication is not the core solution. Inspirational personal case studies of patients being healed by the functional medicine protocols. 
  • Who is Dr. Tom O’Bryan and what’s his purpose with the ‘Betrayal’ documentary series?

At the turn of the 20th century, autoimmune diseases were found in about 1 in 10,000 individuals. And now as many as 1 in 4 are on the autoimmune spectrum!

That’s an unbelievable change in a remarkably short period of time. It’s not because our genes have changed much over that short period of time. That’s why it is a modern epidemic. And it’s mostly accrued in the last 30 years.

In this first episode, you’ll actually learn how your body is trying to protect you, and modern therapies and medications are designed to block your immune system, instead of work with it.

Here is a snippet from the brilliant Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, CNS, CHN about autoimmunity:

In my eyes it’s a misfire between what our immune wants to be doing and what it should be doing. When we lived in a more pristine, more traditional culture, here we lived close to the earth and where we had parasites, where we ate food that was fresh and we didn’t have refrigerators and foods spoiled, the immune system had a lot of really good things to do. And now our immune system in this modern age seems a lot to me like a group of teenagers with time on their hands, and so they get into mischief because they don’t have their old jobs to do.

We’re exposed to toxins, we eat foods that are unusual, we’re stressed out, we have molds, we have all kinds of unusual situations that are different from even 150 years ago, and the immune system just sort of overreacts. They say it’s like it’s your birthday and everyone is singing happy birthday and you have the cake and the candles are lit and everyone is just expecting you to blow out the candles and you rip out your fire extinguisher. That’s an autoimmune disease – it’s an overreaction of the immune system to a normal event

In my last email about this event I mentioned that there are 159 diseases that are on the autoimmune spectrum? I had no idea!

Some of the commonly recognized ones are Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, lupus, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac and Graves’ disease. Less well-recognized is the role of autoimmunity in CFS, Alzheimer’s disease, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, lichen planus, interstitial cystitis, endometriosis and other conditions.

And of course, we can see anxiety and depression with any of the above conditions so this series is very relevant to us all!

Here are some of the positive feedback from viewers who have watched Episode 1:

  • Brought tears to my eyes to know that there are clinicians out there that REALLY care.
  • I cannot thank you enough Dr. Tom for this series. I have been in the exercise and nutrition industry for many years and have believed the true path to healing is with food, supplements, exercise, down-time, sleep, etc. I was told that the vitamins and diet I chose to follow would kill me at an early age. Well, that did not happen. I have felt lost in our diseased world and I am so excited to get all this information. It may be overload, but it is empowering me to move forward with this cause.
  • Dear Tom, At last I’ve found people who know what they are talking about – I’ve been searching for so long. I’ve felt abandoned by allopathic medience and have been searching for alternatives and have tried various different system. From listening to your overview I note that I have already started to do some of the things you suggset Tom and I am now looking forward to tomorrow’s session and to gaining a healthier furture. You have given me something very important – you have given me hope. THANK YOU, Mary
  • This information is fantastic. I have been following the Institute of Functional Medicine for the past couple of years. I am not a practitioner but I believe in this type of medicine and was moved by James’ testimonial at the end of EP1. I am at the same place in my life, “how do I want to spend my time from here on out”. Fullfilment and purpose in life can also improve health. There is such a connection between the mind, spirit and the body. Integrative psychiatry is also a part of functional medicine. Right now we need more functional medicine doctors and psychiatrists.

 

Here’s each of the breath-taking episodes you’ll have the opportunity to watch each evening:

Episode 1- The Autoimmune Epidemic: Root Causes and Solutions
Episode 2- Intestinal Permeability: The Gateway to Autoimmunity
Episode 3- The Microbiome: Where Health and Disease Begin and End
Episode 4- Autoimmune Diseases of the Gut: The Role of Food and Digestion
Episode 5- Environmental Toxins: The Hidden Drivers of Disease
Episode 6- Autoimmune Diseases of the Brain: A New Approach to Neurology
Episode 7- Case Studies: Bringing it All Together

You can register here and watch episode 1.

I can’t recommend it highly enough and feel we should ALL watch this series!

 

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: autoimmune disease, gluten, Liz Lipski, tom o’bryan

The Autoimmune Fix by Dr. Tom O’Bryan: gluteomorphins, casomorphins and withdrawal

September 23, 2016 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

 

autoimmune-fix

Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, celiac disease, osteoporosis, and lupus are all autoimmune diseases and can be reversed because 70% of them are found in the gut. In Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s new book, The Autoimmune Fix: How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease he provides a practical and much-needed guide to navigating autoimmune diseases to help you feel better and develop a plan that works for you.

A big factor with many autoimmune diseases and conditions is going gluten-free and often going dairy-free too. As Dr. O’ Bryan states:

This does not mean that everyone with a systemic autoimmune disease has a sensitivity to gluten, but it does show the very high correlation.

He also shares that Marios Hadjivassiliou MD believes that

gluten sensitivity is associated with autoimmune disease and that celiac is just one manifestation of it.

Here is a wonderful success story from the book – a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, and the nutrition to heal her intestinal permeability (or leaky gut):

Nancy never left the house without a packet of tissues. She suffered from chronic allergies but could never figure out exactly what she was allergic to. She was also constantly battling her depression, and although she didn’t think of herself as someone who had digestive problems, she always felt bloated. The comforting allure of a box of doughnuts, a pint of ice cream, a bowl of noodles, or, when things were really bad, a roll of raw cookie dough was often too hard to resist and seemed to calm down her anxiety. She dressed to hide her weight gain in public, hoping to pass invisibly through life. She didn’t even consider dating. She had lost interest in men anyway, despite being only 28 years old.

To the average doctor, Nancy was a classic depressed patient who needed a prescription for antidepressants, perhaps some antianxiety medication, and a good weight-loss and exercise program. But here’s what most doctors miss with people like Nancy: Her depression, anxiety, and weight gain were actually the result of immune responses that were causing chronic inflammation. Nancy, like so many women, had a constellation of symptoms that all pointed to one culprit: a systemic inflammatory cascade.

When Nancy came to my office, I ran an antibody test to determine the cause of her problems. I discovered that the culprits for her immune reaction were a sensitivity to gluten and dairy and elevated levels of LPS [lipopolysaccharides] in her blood. These molecules were activating her immune system. But how did these molecules enter her bloodstream? The answer was the third factor: intestinal permeability. With the proper testing and treatment, a gluten- and dairy-free diet, and the nutrition to heal her intestinal permeability, Nancy’s antibody load to LPS reduced within 6 months. She stopped throwing gasoline on the fire (by removing gluten and dairy), and her symptoms began lifting within the first 2 weeks as her inflammation subsided. Within 6 months, she was down two dress sizes and came back to see me, vibrant with life.

It really can be as successful as this and I see these kind of results with so many of my clients who make these few simple changes.

However, for some people, it can be more challenging and you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you give up wheat and dairy, and feel tired, depressed (or anxious) or nauseated:

Some don’t want to exercise, and some have headaches (just like with coffee withdrawal). This is especially true of those who in their blood tests have elevated levels of the peptide in wheat called gluteomorphin or elevated levels of the peptide in dairy called casomorphin.

These poorly digested peptides can stimulate the opiate receptors in the gut and brain. Opiate receptors trigger the production of hormones called endorphins and enkephalins that produce that feel-good response. Remember the last time you laughed out loud in a movie or with your friends? Perhaps you even had belly laughter—when you laugh so hard your belly hurts? Remember how good you felt after that? It’s because your opiate receptors were stimulated and you now have a little more endorphins circulating in your bloodstream. Well, gluten and dairy can mildly stimulate these same receptors. And just as an addict may have withdrawal symptoms when they stop their drug of choice, such may be the case with gluten and dairy withdrawal. My friend William Davis, MD, author of Wheat Belly, even came up with a name for it: wheat withdrawal. The same may be true for removing dairy or sugar.

If this happens to you, don’t be surprised. First of all, this may be the first time you had to give up some of your favorite comfort foods cold turkey. And these favorite foods become comfort foods for a reason: Sugar-laden foods, especially refined carbohydrates, are highly addictive. Your body is actually going through a gliadin-casein-sugar–derived opiate withdrawal.

You may ask how common is it to have these withdrawal symptoms? This can be different for each individual and can differ from one practice to the next:

Dr. Davis [author of Wheat Belly] believes that wheat withdrawal can be quite unpleasant for close to 40 percent of the population. That has not been my clinical experience. Our number has been closer to 10 percent, which is still a substantial number. You may have a friend or family member who has tried to go gluten-free and has told you, “My body must need wheat. It’s been 3 days since I’ve had anything made of wheat, and I feel awful!” This response can be scary. But remember, it’s not that the body needs wheat; it craves it. This is just the body craving a toxic substance that it has gotten accustomed to. Don’t worry: The symptoms will disappear quickly. And best of all, the cravings for sugar and wheat will subside, and then you feel wonderful!

It is interesting to read that Dr. O’Bryan finds that only 10% of his patients have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. I’d like to add to the discussion and share that with the anxious women that I work with, it’s even higher than the 40% that Dr. Davis reports. It’s in these instances that I find the targeted amino acids so helpful to break the addiction, prevent the need for having to use willpower and provide instant mood and anxiety relief at the same time: tryptophan (if it’s afternoon/evening cravings), GABA (if you stress-eat), DPA (if you comfort-eat) or glutamine (if you crave due to low blood sugar).

Dr. O’Bryan does recommend glutamine for gut healing, together with vitamin D, fish oil, probiotics, zinc carnosine and colostrum. I suspect he doesn’t recommend the amino acids I mentioned above because he doesn’t see as many unpleasant or difficult withdrawal symptoms.

Some of my other favorite sections from this new book include:

  • his brilliant description of the immune system and how antibodies are created, and how inflammation is the primary tool in our immune system’s arsenal that keeps us healthy
  • the differences between autoimmune diseases and the many autoimmune conditions (he lists 159 that are on the autoimmune spectrum!)  
  • the differences between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
  • the leaky gut and lipopolysaccharides discussion, and the section on the microbiome and dysbiosis (and the big connection to stress)
  • the connection of a disproportionally large forehead to celiac disease (fascinating!)
  • testing and measuring autoantibodies (I love that he calls them “messengers from the future”) and the chart that shows the likelihood as to whether you will develop a particular disease
  • the extensive lists of the hidden sources of gluten in supplements, cosmetics (this is surprisingly long) and even household products
  • the connection between gum disease, mouth bacteria and leaky gut
  • his food and nutrient recommendations
  • the long list of references and study summaries – if you’ve have the wonderful opportunity to have heard Dr. O’Bryan speak live or on summits (he’s a popular speaker on prior Anxiety Summits) you’ll recognize and love this style of his right away

If any of this is new to you and you suspect you may have an autoimmune disease or condition, then this book, The Autoimmune Fix is a must-read. It launched earlier this week and as you would expect from Dr. O’Bryan, it’s brilliant! You can order your copy here on Amazon. This is groundbreaking information we all need to know!

Let us know if you have an autoimmune disease or condition and if going gluten-free and/or dairy-free has helped you? Was it an easy change for you to make or did you experience withdrawal symptoms? Did you power through or did you successfully use amino acids to help? Have you done any of the testing he discusses or addressed dysbiosis? Healed your leaky gut?

If you have already purchased and read the book, please share some of your favorite sections and what has helped you.

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: amino acids, anxiety, Autoimmunity, casomorphin, celiac disease, depression, Dr. O’Bryan, gluten, gluteomorphin, The Autoimmune Fix, tom o’bryan, withdrawal

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