{"id":5382,"date":"2016-09-23T14:00:03","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T21:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/?p=5382"},"modified":"2016-09-23T05:44:59","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T12:44:59","slug":"autoimmune-fix-tom-obryan-gluteomorphins-casomorphins-withdrawal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/autoimmune-fix-tom-obryan-gluteomorphins-casomorphins-withdrawal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Autoimmune Fix by Dr. Tom O\u2019Bryan: gluteomorphins, casomorphins and withdrawal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"autoimmune-fix\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s disease, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto\u2019s 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\u2019Bryan\u2019s new book, The Autoimmune Fix: <\/em>How to Stop the Hidden Autoimmune Damage That Keeps You Sick, Fat, and Tired Before It Turns Into Disease<\/em><\/a>\u00a0he provides a practical and much-needed guide to navigating autoimmune diseases to help you feel better and develop a plan that works for you.<\/p>\n

A big factor with many autoimmune diseases and conditions is going gluten-free and often going dairy-free too. As Dr. O\u2019 Bryan states:<\/p>\n

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This does not mean that everyone with a systemic autoimmune disease has a sensitivity to gluten, but it does show the very high correlation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He also shares that Marios Hadjivassiliou MD believes that<\/p>\n

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gluten sensitivity is associated with autoimmune disease and that celiac is just one manifestation of it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here is a wonderful success story from the book \u2013 a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, and the nutrition to heal her intestinal permeability (or leaky gut):<\/p>\n

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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\u2019t 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\u2019t even consider dating. She had lost interest in men anyway, despite being only 28 years old.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n

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Some don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014when you laugh so hard your belly hurts? Remember how good you felt after that? It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

If this happens to you, don\u2019t 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\u2013derived opiate withdrawal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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:<\/p>\n

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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, \u201cMy body must need wheat. It\u2019s been 3 days since I\u2019ve had anything made of wheat, and I feel awful!\u201d This response can be scary. But remember, it\u2019s not that the body needs wheat; it craves it. This is just the body craving a toxic substance that it\u00a0has gotten accustomed to. Don\u2019t worry: The symptoms will disappear quickly. And best of all, the cravings for sugar and wheat will subside, and then you feel wonderful!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is interesting to read that Dr. O\u2019Bryan finds that only 10% of his patients have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. I\u2019d like to add to the discussion and share that with the anxious women that I work with, it\u2019s even higher than the 40% that Dr. Davis reports. It\u2019s in these instances that I find the targeted amino acids<\/a>\u00a0so 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\u2019s afternoon\/evening cravings), GABA (if you stress-eat), DPA (if you comfort-eat) or glutamine (if you crave due to low blood sugar).<\/p>\n

Dr. O\u2019Bryan does recommend glutamine for gut healing, together with vitamin D, fish oil, probiotics, zinc carnosine and colostrum. I suspect he doesn\u2019t recommend the amino acids I mentioned above because he doesn\u2019t see as many unpleasant or difficult withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n

Some of my other favorite sections from this new book include:<\/p>\n