WellWired-TV: Gluten is Everywhere!
Nutrition | Dr. Igor Schwartzman | June 2, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Photo by Jc Westbrook.
Even if you don’t have a gluten intolerance, you might want to avoid the stuff. But gluten is everywhere! In fact, it’s probably behind you right now, hoping you don’t watch the informative video below. But don’t worry, the protein found inside the endosperm (that’s the plant tissue) of grains like wheat, oats, rye, barley, and triticale is no match for Dr. Igor.
Dr. Igor Schwartzman practices naturopathic medicine with a strong emphasis in women's health, hormone imbalances, and thyroid disorders at Whole Family Wellness Center in Portland, Oregon. He is a co-founder of WellWire.com.
Tags: barley, celiac, gluten, gluten free, oats, rye, video, wheat
This is great! So cool to learn about other groups doing what I am! Nice. Thanks for the info!
Dear Peter,
Thanks for visiting and we look forward to having you come back! We are thrilled to learn that you also strive to offer information and education to other people.
Yours in health,
Dr. Igor Schwartzman
Just wanted to add my experience with gluten to the conversation. I found out about this a few years ago so decided to try being gluten free and it has single handedly been the best health decision I have ever made. My energy levels went up, my skin drastically improved, and my digestive problems were immensely reduced.
So if anyone is experiencing any of the symptoms Dr. Igor talks about here, please do yourself a favor and go on a gluten free diet. It is a challenge at first, but once you see how much better you feel, your cravings for bread, pasta, pizza, cake, etc will go down in time.
Robyn Morris, LMT
Dear Robyn,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. This is a true testament to the fact that being gluten-free offers a number of health benefits. In my clinical experience, one does not have to have Celiac disease, nor do I find it necessary to test for gluten sensitivity for people to reap the benefits of eating gluten-free foods. I have yet to see any study that shows any benefit to having gluten be part of one’s nutrition.
Robyn, thank you for encouraging others to do the same.
Yours in health,
Dr. Igor Schwartzman
Hi Doc,
I have been in the wellness arena for several years and was the anchor for a show on CNBC Africa which discusses ‘wellness from a corporate perspective’ – through investigation discovered my wheat/gluten/soy intolerance several years ago.
I did undergo the blood test and immediatly stopped all of the above. IT IS IN EVERYTHING – It makes a normal social life quite a challenge too. BUT experiencing the symptomatic relief of the elimination of gluten – has made it easy to take gluten substitues with me.
I enjoyed healthy weight loss, lack of bloating, skin rashes and allergies vanished – so I concur, its worth having the blood test and changing your life.
Your in wellness,
Tanya (www.infinityfactory.co.za)
Dear Tanya,
Thank you for sharing your story with us. In my clinical practice, I observe improvements in people similar to those that you describe including skin, digestion, weight loss, and others. We look forward to your future visits.
Yours in health,
Dr. Igor Schwartzman
interesting material, where such topics do you find? I will often go
A number of years ago, my family doctor, (an MD with a practice that used a very holistic approach to medicine) suggested that I had developed a condition called “leaky guy syndrome”. As I recall, it was explained to me that with this condition some proteins can cross through the intestinal wall into the blood stream without first being broken down completely by digestion. If I understood correctly, the immune system sees these complete or partially complete proteins in the blood as potential threats and mounts an immune response. This then causes a variety of symptoms ranging from mild to severe depending on the individual. I’d be curious to know if my understanding is correct and if leaky gut might be in part responsible for the increase in gluten intolerance. Perhaps you might address leaky guy syndrome in a future article / video.
Dear Marvin,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, your understanding is correct. Leaky gut syndrome can certainly result in a plethora of signs and symptoms. Both gluten-intolerance and -sensitivity may be in part due to this phenomenon, but more importantly it is due to an oversensitization to it. In other words, because gluten is in most foods, all of the pre-packaged, processed, and many others, the body gets large amounts of it on a regular basis. Over time, the body perceives it as a foreign antigen, and mounts an immune response. Although leaky gut may be a major contributing factor, it is not necessary the sole reason for such an increase in gluten-sensitivity and/or intolerance in the general population.
Also, as per your request we will consider doing an article and/or a video to help define the idea of a leaky gut.
Hope this helps.
Yours in health,
Dr. Igor Schwartzman