Gluten and Your Brain

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturapth

Gluten sensitivity is most often thought of as a gut problem but for those that are gluten sensitive this is an even bigger brain and autonomic nervous system issue. As we learn more and more about gluten sensitivity it is becoming apparent that gluten destroys brain and nervous system tissue more than any other tissue in the body and this even includes the tissue in your gut. So if you feel as if your brain is not functioning at a high level recognize that a sensitivity to gluten can be causing an immune assault on your brain which will lead to brain inflammation and increase the risk for an autoimmune attack on your brain tissue.

So if any of these factors resonate with you as listed below, be sure to read through this entire article. I'll also add that approximately 86% of those with a gluten sensitivity are actually asymptomatic, so you may want to learn more about this regardless. Toward the end of this article I have also provided you with a link to a complimentary gluten assessment.

• Does consuming grains make you tired
• Does consuming grains make it difficult to focus and concentrate
• Does consuming grains make you bloated
• Do you feel better when you avoid bread and grains
• Do you react to grain products

Before we go further let's take a quick look at gluten. Often clients will ask me, "what's the big deal with gluten all of a sudden?" While gluten has been a slight issue for thousands of years, the problem has grown tremendously in our more recent history. Recognize that gluten is not what it used to be. While gluten would not be considered "genetically modified" it has definitely been altered based on the fact that this is not hybridized and deamidated. When a food is genetically modified genes are either inserted or deleted but during hybridization an new protein is created by combining different strains of wheat. This can actually alter the protein sequence by as much as five percent which will create a  very different product than the original source The process of hybridization has created a "new wheat" which has been shown to trigger immune reactions which specifically affect the brain and nervous system.

Deamidation is the other issue to address. This practice is used extensively in the food processing industry and yet another way in which gluten has become a further immune reactive food source. Deamidation uses acids or enzymes to make gluten water soluble when it is normally only soluble in alcohol. The reasoning behind this process is to make gluten easier to mix with other foods. While this will of course make wheat easier to use this has also shown to create a severe immune response in people.

While some may look at hybridization and deamidation as progress, this is actually a significant digression for people and a definite challenge for brain function.

While this information has been know for some time, I would share that the average neurologist has no idea that gluten sensitivity can create a neurological disease state. Scary but true!

Let's look a bit further into why gluten is so harmful to the brain and nervous system. Studies have found that gluten sensitivity is associated with disorders in every major part of your nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and the nerves that extend into the arms and feet. Gluten sensitivity has been shown to be at the core these neurological disorders below.

• Psychiatric disorders
• Movement disorders
• Sensory ganglionapathy
• Ataxia
• Neuroolgical impairment
• Neuromyelitis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neuropathy
• Myoclonus
• Apraxia
• Myopathy
• Neuromuscular disease
• Multiple systems atrophy
• Cerebellar disease
• Migraines
• Hearing loss
• Cognitive impairment
• Dementia
• Restless leg syndrome
• Disorders in virtually every part of the nervous system

There are three main mechanisms that are creating these issue between gluten and your brain/nervous system.

1. The first is tied into a cross reactivity where your immune system can mistaken one protein for another. The protein structure of gluten is similar to the protein structures of your nervous system so when your body is gluten sensitive and is producing antibodies to tag gluten for destruction, your body may "accidentally" produce antibodies to the nervous system tissue every time you eat gluten. If this is the case, you may be creating an autoimmune attack against your brain and nervous system.
2. Another significant mechanism is the immune response against transglutaminase which are enzymes that help bind proteins together in the process of digesting wheat. Gluten can trigger reactivity to different forms of transglutaminase thus leading to autoimmune responses in the brain as well as other areas of the body.
3. The other mechanism is tied into the fact that gluten can break down your blood/brain barrier. The this lining  protects the brain from exposure to pathogens and toxins in your body. Without this protection we increase the risk of autoimmune reactions in the brain and nervous system.

So please understand that there is no single dietary protein that poses a greater risk to your brain than wheat gluten and/or gluten in general. If you do have a gluten sensitivity or a full blown autoimmune reaction to gluten referred to as Celiac disease it is essential that gluten is eliminated for you diet completely. I know this may sound a bit harsh, but isn't your health and happiness worth it?

For those the question if gluten is an issue personally, feel free to visit this link to take a complimentary gluten sensitivity assessment. If you find yourself to be somewhat likely or very likely to be sensitive to gluten, I would suggest giving up this dangerous food source.

If you would rather test this to be sure, there is only one test that I would recommend which is an Array #3 from Cyrex Labs. This is the most comprehensive testing for gluten sensitivity available today. Do not trust saliva testing for gluten or even blood testing for Celiac disease because neither of these look at the whole picture and one of the worst scenarios is to receive a false negative for gluten sensitivity. As an example I had one client use the Array #3 and while 23 of the 24 different components of gluten actually tested out negative, the 1 out of 24 actually showed an extreme reaction. This reaction was so strong that this had already shown to create brain autoimmunity. This definitely is not something that you want to miss.

If you have any questions or comments in regard to this article, please post this below for us to respond to personally. If you would like to complete the Array #3 to test for gluten sensitivity, feel free to call Depke Wellness at (949)954-6226.

Chemical Sensitivity

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

Chemical sensitivity used to be for the select few chronically ill but these days, I am seeing

chemical sensitivity on significant levels for so many of my clients both young and old.

So why is this becoming such a huge issue?

Why are so many children seemingly starting off life with these sensitivities?

Is there one cause or many causes?

Is there hope for those with chemical sensitivities?

Today I will answer these questions and more but to shed a little light at the beginning, there is hope for those that are chemically sensitive! 

Let's start by defining this simply by looking at life's events. Imagine that you walk into an office the was freshly painted and newly carpeted. For most people, walking into this office would bring nothing more than a simple recognition of the odor telling you that the carpet is new as well as the paint. For the individual that is chemically sensitive though, this chemical expression can be maddening, almost to the point that they have to run out of the office.

So why is it that one person simply responds with recognition while another is running out of the office?

I would like to say there is one easy answer for all but one answer for all does not exist. The good news is that there are a combination of areas to look at ASAP that can be addressed to assist the body in responding to these chemicals in a less dramatic fashion, with the eventually goal of a release of chemical sensitivity.

Here is the list of what typically has to be addressed with those suffering with chemical sensitivities.

• Adrenal function - While your adrenals basically play a role in the whole of your being, they also play a direct role in chemical sensitivity due to the impact they have on the mucosal tissue lining (immune systems first line of defense), every level of detoxification, immune system regulation, the pro/anti inflammatory response and your overall neural connectivity. Since I have never seen someone with chemical sensitivity that does not have an adrenal issue, this is a great place to start.
• Inflammation - Chronic inflammation also known as an NF-kB state, is typically one of the significant factors behind chemical sensitivity. Understand that the NF-kB state will likely cause immune system dysregulation which in turn will often lead to chemical sensitivity. Addressing both the triggers for inflammation plus the inflammation itself is a key.
• Gluten or cross reactive intolerance - If you are consuming foods the you body is intolerant to, this is an issue in regard to chemical sensitivity. This is due to the fact that intolerant foods that are not addressed lead to digestive disorders, neurological imbalance, immune system disorders, inflammatory states, adrenal imbalance and poor blood/brain barrier function. ALL of these play a role in chemical sensitivity.
• Gut/brain/immune connection - If your gut/brain connection is suffering on any level due to pathogens, intolerant foods, stress, brain trauma and/or poor diet this will generally lead to immune system issues and chronic inflammation which is turn will contribute to chemical sensitivity.
• Poor blood/brain barrier function - Barrier function occurs in your gut, lungs and brain. The barrier that pertains with chemical sensitivity is the blood/brain barrier. This barrier keeps toxins from entering the brain via blood flow. If this barrier is not healthy, toxins will cross into the brain and create chemical sensitivity.
• Poor liver/colon function - The liver takes on the detoxification of approximately 80% of the toxins in your body. This will take place via a phase I and phase II liver detoxification. To simplify, phase I converts fat soluble toxins into water soluble toxins for eventual release via the colon. Once this phase I occurs it is essential that these are released via the colon because this phase I conversion actually makes the toxins more toxic. Yes, you heard that correct, your body's conversion of these toxins actually does create a higher level of toxicity. With that said, if you do not have healthy bowel movements (2 per day or more) you are actually releasing this toxic load back into your body and round and round you go. All this creates a significant toxic load and can be a big part of chemical sensitivity.
• Poor drainage - Often when we talk about detoxification, we forget the most important part. That part is drainage. To detoxify without drainage can lead to a toxic overload in your body and chemical sensitivity. See above while understanding that drainage is so much more than just your colon. Lymph, kidneys, skin and lungs also play a role.

While there may be some fringe areas to address beyond these listed above, most will find a significant release of chemical sensitivity symptoms or even a complete elimination of these symptoms by addressing these areas.

I also wanted to talk about one other area of chemical sensitivity that is so important and that is with children. With younger children, this is typically tied into food intolerance, the gut/brain connection and/or poor blood/brain barrier function. Addressing these first will often show relief for you children.

To take this a step further, let's look at the main reasons so many kids seem to be born with these chemical sensitivities. The fact is that this starts with the health of the parents upon conception and the health of the mother throughout pregnancy. Please understand the importance of a healthy gut/brain/immune system in the mother which will coincide with a healthier gut/brain/immune function with your child. Often women are living with an undiagnosed autoimmune reaction or every a full blown autoimmune disease. These challenges are easily transferred into the developing child and unfortunately this occurs far too often. With this said, make sure that a part of your family planning includes optimal health for both parents and have confidence in the gut/brain/immune health for the future mother. Doing this can release years of frustration down the road for both parents and children.

One other factor to consider is the high amount of chemicals that are in our environment via the air we breathe, water we drink, foods we eat as well as chemicals on cloths or products we put on your skin. These areas can be improved on every level also to take away some of the chemical load thrown at us on a daily basis.

• Air we breathe - Take a look at this article on air purifying plants for your home and office.
• Water we drink - My general recommendation is a Reverse Osmosis filtration system that includes a minimum of 4 filters. You can also purchase a portable aquagear system that will filter tap water at any time. Great for traveling or regular use. Learn more about AquaGear.
• Foods we eat - Consume whole natural and organic food whenever possible. Processed foods and a sugar are a part of a toxic lifestyle.
• Chemicals on your body - Use natural cleaning products and do not put anything on your skin that has a chemical base. There are many natural products that you can use on your skin available today. Here is a link to some of these natural products. Remember that your skin will easily soak up your toxic exposure.

In the end, recognize that once you are chemically sensitive this does not have to be a life long struggle for you. Take the necessary steps to live a life free of these sensitivities. It will be more than worth it!

GMO's are NOT Bad? LOL!

by Glen Depke

I know, we are all told of the good that is provided by genetically modified organisms (GMO). The pros that are described in different areas are as listed below:

• Crops
• Enhanced taste and quality
• Reduced maturation time
• Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
• Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
• New products and growing techniques 
• Animals
• Increased resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency
• Better yields of meat, eggs, and milk
• Improved animal health and diagnostic methods
• Environment
•  "Friendly" bioherbicides and bioinsecticides
•  Conservation of soil, water, and energy
• Bioprocessing for forestry products
• Better natural waste management
• More efficient processing
• Society
  • Increased food security for growing population
   

I know all of this sounds like it could and should be a great idea, but it comes at a price. The scary aspect is that we still do not even know the extent of the price we are paying because we are in essence an ongoing experiment.

Yes, we are! That means you and me, our friends and those that we love. If it does not sound scary, it should.

Here are some of the cons:

• Safety
• Potential human health impacts, including allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects
• Potential environmental impacts, including: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity Access and Intellectual Property
• Domination of world food production by a few companies
• Increasing dependence on industrialized nations by developing countries
• Biopiracy, or foreign exploitation of natural resources

• Ethics
• Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values
• Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species
• Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa
• Stress for animal
• Labeling
• Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
• Mixing GM crops with non-GM products confounds labeling attempts
• Society
• New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries

I can share first hand from my own personal experience as well as my work with clients, the challenges created by GMO's. 

Three of the top GMO foods we consume with some regularity are wheat, corn and soy. These are three nutritional choices that are wreaking havoc on our society today. You might think these are natural wholesome foods, but it truly cannot be furture from the truth.

These foods are three of the top ten that I see my clients, even myself personally, creating an immune system reaction. This is when your own body's immune system is attacking a food that you eat because it is no longer recognized as food or your small intestines are damaged and allowing whole food particles into your blood stream. Either way, the long term expression of this is inflammation and autoimmunity and these are two factors that are recognized with regularity in regard to chronic illness. I see this with regularity in my practice.

In the end, eat real food as it was created or has evolved for us. We, as people, think we can do better but we are proving very quickly that this simply is not true.

Now you know why I say (LOL!) when talking about GMO foods!

Your Thyroid Needs Your Gut

by Glen Depke

You've all heard me once if not a thousand times, your gut plays such a significant role in your overall health and wellness but most do not understand the impact the gut has on your overall thyroid function. 

So here we go...

Gut challenges are one of the most overlooked symptoms in our culture today. We think it is normal to walk around bloated, gassy, constipated, and uncomfortable. It seems normal because everyone else we know is living with this on some level.

Trust me, it is not normal.

So how does this tie into your thyroid function?

Understand first that the lining of your gut is a very important immune barrier. If this barrier is not healthy, this is one of the most significant factors in autoimmunity and autoimmunity is one of the biggest core factors in thyroid challenges. We discussed this a few weeks ago in the article "Gluten and Autoimmunity."

Also remember from another recent article on the thyroid "Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!" we discussed the fact that 20% of your T4 is converted to T3 in your gut due to healthy gut flora.

You guessed it, this does not occur with poor gut function.

Another common symptom of poor gut function is constipation. Let me first define constipation. This is anyone that does not have at least two healthy bowel movements per day. Yes, I said two. If you are one of those that feels that your colon is working well at one bowel movement per day, you've got another thing coming.

Among other challenges if you are constipated, it makes life much more difficult hormonally speaking. Slow colon release hinders the release of unused hormones and leads to an accumulation of estrogen, which decreases thyroid function.

So what do you do to improve the intimate connection between your gut and thyroid?

First off, it is a good idea to always take a quality Prebiotic/Probiotic formula, Digestive Enzyme (Prime Digestive Support) and for many adding a Betaine HCL/Pepsin supplement. All three of these can be found at the Depke Wellness Store. This would assist with healthy bacteria, predigestion early in your stomach and proper breakdown later in your stomach prior to being released into the small intestines.

From here you want to focus on your nutritional choices. The typical favorite foods of many in our culture are also the leading causes of poor gut integrity such as sugar, ice cream, pasta, bread, corn products, alcohol and pasteurized dairy products. Below is a list of all potentially inflammatory foods to review. Basically anything that leads to inflammation in your gut leads to hormonal imbalance. 

This of course effect your thyroid function. 

Sugars: including agave, candy, chocolate, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose. 

High Glycemic Fruits: including bananas, canned fruits, dried fruits, mango, pineapple, raisins, watermelon.

Grains: including amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, couscous, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, wheat, wheat germ.

Nuts and Seeds: including almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.

Gluten-Containing Compounds: including barbecue sauce, binders, bouillon, brewer’s yeast, cold cuts, condiments, emulsifiers, fillers, chewing gum, hot dogs, hydrolyzed plant and vegetable protein, ketchup, soy sauce, lunch meats, malt and malt flavoring, malt vinegar, matzo, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, nondairy creamer, processed salad dressings, seitan, some spice mixtures, stabilizers, teriyaki sauce, textured vegetable protein.

Dairy Products and Eggs: including butter, cheeses, cow milk, creams, frozen desserts, goat milk, margarine, mayonnaise, sheep milk, whey, yogurt (except coconut). 

Soy: including edamame, miso, soymilk, soy protein, soy sauce, tempeh, tofu.

Fungi: edible fungi and mushroom.

Alcohol: all alcohol.

Beans and Legumes: including black beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, soybeans.

Nightshade Foods: including eggplant, paprika, peppers, potatoes, Tabasco sauce, tomatillos, tomatoes.

Other: canned foods, coffee, processed foods. 

Remember, your thyroid needs your gut and in more ways than one.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to today's article, please leave this below for me to address personally.


 

Gluten & Autoimmunity

by Glen Depke

Autoimmunity is a much more significant issue than most are lead to believe. Today we will discuss autoimmunity deeper than in the past and discuss one of the biggest factors leading into autoimmunity, which is gluten.

Last weeks article "Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!" brought up the point that the higher percentage of individuals that are diagnosed with thyroid issues are actually dealing with autoimmunity and not a thyroid issue per say. 

This has to be addressed!

Understand that autoimmunity is not just a thyroid issue. This can lead to challenges throughout the body and most likely lead to issues in the gut/colon, skin, nervous system tissue, pancreas, liver, brain, joints as well as the thyroid.

Let's first define autoimmunity as a production of antibodies against the tissues of your own body, producing autoimmune disease or hypersensitivity reactions. I tend to refer to the hypersensitive reactions as an autoimmune reaction.

Before we move on let me shed some light on conventional medical diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease cannot be diagnosed until you are in a full out tissue destruction state. That would be like you lending me your car and I bring it back only to tell you that your brakes are shot. But then say, don't worry about fixing your brakes until you actually run into someone or something and you hurt someone or something or kill someone. 

This does not make sense, does it? 

Thankfully autoimmune reactions can be recognized much earlier and you can address this early in the game before it is a life altering issue for you. This can be realized by addressing one of the most significant percursors to autoimmunity, which is gluten.

Here are the early steps to be recognized: 

1. Test and recognize antibodies to the proteins in gluten for those without health symptoms.
2. Test and recognize antibodies to the proteins in gluten for those with health symptoms.
3. Test and recognize full blown tissue destruction.

So you get to pick at which level you would like to recognize this challenge. I don't know about you, but I know where I would want to pick this up at and honestly I can share that I found my answer about 6 years ago in the first and earliest stage. 

You could too.

You may ask, what is gluten or am I referring to Celiac disease?

First of all, gluten is defined as the mixture of proteins, including gliadins and glutelins, found in wheat grains, which are not soluble in water and which give wheat dough its elastic texture. Let's take this a bit further though to mention that gluten is in far more grains than just wheat. Wheat just happens to be the biggest culprit here.

The other referring to Celiac disease can best be put into this statement. A gluten intolerance would be an immune system reaction to the consumption of gluten while Celiac disease would be a full blown autoimmune reaction to gluten. A gluten intolerance would be recognized as tested gliaden or glutelin antibodies, while Celiac disease would be assessed as a autoimmune disease. It is recognized that currently, 1 in 100 people in the U.S. have Celiac disease but the numbers would be staggeringly higher for those that are simply gluten intolerant. A couple of other interesting facts is that 87.5% of those with Celiac disease are asymptomatic, which means they have zero gut symptoms. Only 12.5% actually have symptoms. 

I also want to mention that the correlation between gluten intolerance and future autoimmunity is extremely strong. So strong that it is suggested that a gluten intolerance that is not addressed will have almost a 100% likelihood of becoming an autoimmune issue within a 5 year time span.

Yikes!

Of those "not addressed" gluten intolerances, 33% will create gut inflammation and gut issues while the other 67% will create other negative symptoms of the body seemingly unrelated to the gut.

This is often why people do not want to even look at gluten. I'll hear comments like, "I know gluten is not an issue for me because my digestion is very healthy." 

My, how often they are surprised! 

As a person with a gluten intolerance progresses, this can be recognized in one of 3 ways:

• Intestinal challenges
• Silent or without symptoms
• Symptoms outside of the gut
• Nervous system
• Skin
• Hormonal
• Joints
• Other

Another big question I get with regularity is," Why is gluten such a big deal all of a sudden?" 

First of all, this is not all of a sudden. This has been progressing rapidly over the last 50 years. The biggest issue with this is what has happened to our grains and specifically wheat. Wheat is now a significantly genetically modified food. It is deamidated which is a processing to make gluten more water soluble, which in turn also makes it more inflammatory. It is stored for long periods. The typical turn around between wheat being harvested and ending up on your dinner table is 2 years. This is a long time to develop enterotoxin contamination. This is also exasperated by other factors such as hygiene, leaky gut, chronic stress, poor nutrition and enzyme insufficiency.

While some people have to stay away from gluten containing products at all times, there are other that can do quite fine consuming gluten products in other areas of the world, such as Europe due to the fact that gluten products are not genetically modified or deamidated. In other words, often subjects have no reaction to a true native wheat flour but have severe reactions to deamidated wheat flour.

Get this...this is not a trend...this is real! 

So for those of you reading this today, what percentage of you actually are gluten intolerance? Is this 50%, 70% or even closer to 90%. I would suggest higher rather than lower.

So what do you do now?

• First take the gluten intolerance assessment which is complimentary at Depke Wellness. Click here for you free assessment.
• If you find score a 5 or above, I would recommend you do one of two things. First if possible, via testing assess antibodies to gliadins and/or glutelins as well as the wheat germ. If you do not have this as an option, I would eliminate gluten from your diet. For those testing, it is extremely likely that you would be eliminating gluten after reviewing test results.
• Test for other cross reactive foods or go on an anti inflammatory diet for at least 30 days, and slowly reintroduce the eliminated foods to assess your reactive states.
• Test for autoimmunity within your body.
• From here, there are supplement protocols to address the gut, brain and immune damage as well as intervention to assist with chronic inflammation. There are also protocols to support immune system regulation and assist with regaining balance in your immune function.

I understand that this may seem like an insurmountable task for many but trust me, it is much easier than dealing with the symptoms of tissue destruction of an autoimmune disease.


Remember, you can address an autoimmune reaction long before it is a full blown autoimmune disease and an unaddressed gluten intolerance is one of the biggest factors to address for most.


For those choosing to eliminate gluten, first off, congratulations. This is a significant commitment to health and happiness. Second, there is another complimentary download for you at Depke Wellness. You can get a free list of Gluten Foods in Categories that makes this commitment much easier. Get your list now.
 

Glen Depke

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, please leave them below and they will be addressed personally.

What the Heck is Glutathione?

by Glen Depke

Really, what the heck is glutathione?

I know you have all heard that a picture is worth one thousand words, so all you have to do is look at the pictue to the right here and you will see what glutathione really is. Let me guess, this did you know good whatsoever? I get that seeing the element formula for glutathione does most no good at all.

So what would help?

Maybe a definition? OK, here you go. Glutathione is a sulfur containing, water soluble endogneous tripeptide composed of 3 amino acids. I get it, still no help.

Instead of looking at the elements or getting into a scientific definition, let's look at this simply. Glutathione is a primary anti-oxidant that is produced in your body that actually enhances the benefit of every other anti-oxidant. In my practice I focus on glutathione levels to significantly improve auto-immune issues, inflammatory challenges, gut barrier breakdown, blood/brain barrier breakdown, chronic pain and so much more. Understand that this ties into so much more. Beside for my focus in my clinic, here is a list of  function that depend on adequate glutathione levels.

• Anti-aging
• Cardiovascular health
• Cell regeneration
• Digestive issues
• Kidney function
• Eyes/vision
• Prevent cataracts
• Recovery of eye surgery
• Protects hair follicles
• Immune system
• Metabolism
• Nervous system function
• Alzheimer's
• Depression
• Parkinson's
• Schizophrenia
• Enhances absorption of essential minerals
• Natural detoxifier
• Protection against damages due to aspirin and NSAIDs
• Protection against the damage due to alcohol consumption
• Protection against the toxic effects of smoking

With this said, I trust that you understand the importance of adequate glutathione levels in your body.

Let's now discuss what inhibits the production of glutathione. First of all cooking destroys all glutathione levels in your foods and it is also important to understand that glutathione is basically unavailable bio-chemically as a supplement.

Here is a list of substances that interfere with glutathione.

• Cadmium deficiency 
• Excessive copper and iron
• Hydrogen peroxide destroys glutathione
• Excessive consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Helicobacter pylori
• Mercury toxicity
• Aspirin and NSAID use
• Excessive sun exposure
• Intense exercise or endurance exercise
• Alcohol consumption
• Severe stress

So what is a person to do? Glutathione is so important, much of what we do in life depletes our bodies ability to produce glutathione and it is so poorly absorbed as a supplement. My recommendation is to increase the nutrients needed to produce glutathione which is N-acetyl cysteine and L-glutamine. There are also other ingredients that enhance this production. I also recommend using a cream for vascular absorption of glutathione. I find that the combination of increasing the underlying nutritional components as well as the vascular cream goes a long way in substantially increasing your glutathione levels.

Feel free to leave a post below if you have any comments or questions on this subject or you can call my office directly at 949.954.6226.

Can Detoxification Kill You?

by Glen Depke

Before we get going here let's look at some simple facts. The exposure to mercury is an almost inescapable consequence of human life, we are constantly exposed to an incredible amount of new chemical substances daily, with little or no testing to its affect on us as humans, and we are ALL toxic. Yes, you heard me. We are ALL toxic. Of course this will be to varying degrees but this is the truth none the less.

So what's a person to do?

Well according to the old paradigm in regard to detoxification you would use a urine or hair sample to "measure" the amount of toxins in your body and your health practitioner would then share the dangers of living with these toxins. From here you would receive the dissertation on the need to remove these toxins to regain your health and happiness. At this point you would learn of that particular practitioners favorite way of addressing or chelating the toxins and away you go. Now of course if anything went wrong it would simply be explained as detoxification symptoms. I think most or many of you are familiar with this story.

I have to honestly share that this is what I used to do in the past but there always seemed to be something with this that never made sense to me. Why would feeling better often feel so bad? That was the question that I always had for myself. Due to this questioning of the paradigm that I was taught, I have always taken a less than aggressive approach with detoxification and I trust that my clients are very happy about this.

Well, let me tell you, there is a new sheriff in town. I've always wanted to say that...

No really, there is more to detoxification that is not generally understood. First of all, it is recognized in multiple studies that most of the toxins that are removed via chelation type therapies actually simply transfer the toxins from the tissue into the brain. What, toxins in your brain! Yes, it is insane but often the case.

This is due to the fact that most individuals that are chemical sensitive don't simply have a toxicity issue, they have a chemical tolerance issue. This means that their ability to live with their toxic load is significantly lessened and they often live in constant pain and agony from anything new in their environment. I don't have to point this out any further, you know who you are.

If this is you, please understand that measuring your toxic load is of very little importance but addressing your lack of chemical tolerance is of utmost importance. If you go through chelation or any type of aggressive detoxification, the chemical load on your brain will seem insurmountable. If you have experienced this, I do not need to go any further. You already get this!

So why does this happen and what can you do about it?

This actually develops in two stages. First there is and initial yet profound breakdown in your natural tolerance. This then leads to a triggering of immune responses by small quantities of previously tolerated chemicals, such as exhaust, fragrances, foods, drugs, and often supplements. This reactivity to the environmental triggers can  lead to asthma, migraines, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and autoimmunity.

Remember that it is not only the exposure to the toxin, it is the individuals lack of chemical tolerance that creates these issues.

So what creates the loss of chemical tolerances?

There are four significant challenges that create this as listed below.

• Depletion of glutathione recycling
• Regulatory T-cell failure
• Breakdown of the barrier systems
• Cytokine Dysregulation

While I understand that most do not know what I may be talking about here, I listed this so you can question your health care practitioner to discuss this.

I find that one of the most significant factors within my client base is tied into the depletion of your bodies ability to create and recycle glutathione. Glutathione is your body's primary anti-oxidant that also acts as a boost for all other anti-oxidants within the body. The lack of this proper recycling of glutathione leads to the breakdown of the blood/brain barrier, thus allowing chemical toxins to invade the brain. This often leads to an array of symptom challenges and brain inflammation that may seem unbearable.

This is why I say that you will not likely die from detoxification but you may wish you could.

In regard to your body's glutathione, I want to share the two biggest factors in this depletion, which are alcohol and stress. Any combination of one of or even worse, both, can lead to significant challenges with the loss of barrier function and lowering of chemical tolerances that can throw your health and balance completely out of control.

For those the would like a simple test to understand the balance and integrity for your blood/brain barrier balance and integrity, feel free to register for a complimentary 20 minute phone consultation with me personally  or call my office at 949.954.6226. This is too significant of a challenge to ignore.

Could I Have Leaky Gut?

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

Absolutely you could have leaky gut. It is estimated that approximately 80% of health challenged individuals are struggling with this, and very surprising that approximately 30% of what we would consider healthy individuals, are also struggling with leaky gut. This really grabbed my attention as I was researching this further and further; recognizing that I had many of the red flags and mechanisms for this challenge myself. I would consider myself to be more in the upper percentile of healthy individuals, so how could I have leaky gut?

If you are health challenged or consider yourself healthy, I would recommend looking at leaky gut as a possibility and if you are a health profession, it is suggested that you look for this challenge with your patients or clients. If this is missed, you may be missing a significant component to slow or halt the healing process.

So what is leaky gut? First of all, I would suggest that it is really leaky small intestines. This creates a situation in your small intestines whereas the tight junctions that typically allow the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and coenzymes to be absorbed through are now compromised. This will allow large undigested compounds, toxins and bacteria to be absorbed and assimilated. If you guessed that this would create some substantial challenges, you guessed right. These undigested proteins create an undesirable reaction in the underlying intestinal immune system, which promotes exaggerated immune responses. This then creates a viscous cycle of further intestinal inflammation and even further loss of integrity within the small intestines.

There are many mechanisms that can lead to leaky gut and I will list them below. Do you find that many of these initial mechanisms are currently a part of your life?

·Dietary

o Excessive alcohol

o Gluten

o Processed foods

o Excessive sugar

o Fast foods

· Medications

o Corticosteroids

o Antibiotics

o Antacids

o Xenobiotics

· Infections

o H-pylori

o Bacteria overgrowth

o Yeast overgrowth

o Intestinal virus

o Parasitic infections

· Stress

o High cortisol

o High CRH

o High Cat

· Hormonal

o Low thyroid hormones

o Low progesterone

o Low estradiol

o Low Testosterone

· Neurological

o Brain trauma

o Stroke

o Neurodegeneration

· Metabolic

o Intestinal inflammation

o Autoimmune

Based on the mechanisms that create leaky gut, you can see why this would be such a challenge overall in our culture. There are many health challenges that are directly associated with leaky gut as listed below.

· Fibromyalgia

· Chronic fatigue

· Depression

· Chronic inflammatory conditions

· Chronic Pain

· Inflammatory bowel

· Autoimmune disorders

· Multiple food sensitivities

· Chronic yeast overgrowth syndromes

· Brain fog

· Extreme sensitivities

Basically, if you are fatigued, depressed or inflamed it is important to address the possibility of leaky gut.

So how do you know if you have leaky gut? Well, if you are like me and you are feeling the symptoms and you have the mechanisms you can be very confident that this is a challenge and implement the dietary and supplement protocol to heal your gut. If you desire confirmation, I would recommend testing the will assess permeability/dysbiosis, epithelial cell damage as well as tight junction damage. Many labs only test the tight junction damage which may be incomplete for you if you are attempting to absolutely confirm leaky gut.

What is a person to do if they know you have leaky gut? First of all, you definitely want to fix this. Don’t think you can do this half _ _ _, if you know what I mean. Depending on the severity and longevity of this challenge you may be on a leaky gut protocol from 10 to 90 days. For an acute repair after let’s say antibiotic treatment or a night of far too much alcohol, you can use a 3 day protocol. Sometimes it is best to be preventive when you know the mechanisms are ripe for you.

This requires a specific diet to completely avoid all foods that are fueling the challenge, regular probiotic use, supplements to repair the gut lining as well as supplements to address the secondary gut challenges tied into leaky gut.

I cannot use words strong enough to point out the necessity of addressing leaky gut and the high percentage of individuals currently living with leaky gut.

If you would like to discuss my approach to leaky gut with me, Depke Wellness offers a complimentary 20 minute initial phone session to understand our approach of getting to the core of your health challenges. Visit here to register for your complimentary session.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to post this below and I will answer them personally.

Could You Have Auto-Immune Challenges?

by Glen Depke

First of all, what is auto-immune disease? This includes but is not limited to rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile RA, lupus, scleroderma, endometriosis, Sjogren’s syndrome, type I diabetes, Hashimoto’s, MS, and Addison’s disease.

For most that are diagnosed with these challenges there are often many challenging years ahead, so it is best to address this from a preventive matter.

Let’s get wrapped around some important information first. Before you are diagnosed with an auto-immune disease there must first be tissue damage or destruction. Before this happens there will first be an auto-immune reaction, somewhere within your body. This would be comparable to knowing that the tires on your care are bald and your breaks are out and not understanding the problem until you get into a car accident. Instead of waiting for the accident, how about fixing the underlying challenges that lead to the accident itself?

Looking at the function of the immune system, we can understand that there are two sides that work in synergy with each other. These are called TH-1 and TH-2. When either TH-1 or TH-2 is low the other is high and likewise. If the body is not able to maintain this balance, we have a TH-3 which is able to assist in the balancing act. Auto-immune disorders are actually either TH-1 or TH-2 dominant due to an overall poorly functioning immune system. This happens when the TH-1 and TH-2 are not able to self regulate and the TH-3 is unable to perform its job as needed. Often the mechanism for this poor regulation is mental/emotional stress, adrenal imbalances, chronic poor fundamentals and such. This leads to a weakened immune system function and the dysfunction of the TH-1, TH-2 and TH-3 as mentioned above.

Once the dysfunction above is initiated this will lead to the activation of TH-17. This is where we really begin to see some challenges. Once TH-17 is activated this “turns on” free radical activity and tissue destruction begins.

There are two areas to address once this begins. One is addressing the role of glutathione and also the role of nitric oxide in the body. While these two areas are not a cure for auto-immune disease, they can allow for a much more sustainable life and the needed hope for recovery long term. For those that would like to learn more about these protocols to assist in balancing proper immune function, feel free to post your question at the end of this article.

The main goal is to continue to support your immune system function so you do not even begin the auto-immune reaction. To do this you will want to keep your gastro-intestinal tract healthy. Remember from previous posts that about 80% of your immune system actually originates in your GI. Do this by taking a high quality probiotic daily and your Prime Digestive Support with every meal. Be sure to focus on all of your fundamentals of health and to look into these deeper, please visit the series of post on this blog from January of this year that addresses the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, your sleep, movement, exposure to the sun and the underlying energetic component to your health. I will also share that your immune system function is substantially affected by your adrenal function and for anyone that follows me regularly; you know how important and often challenged adrenal function is.

Two areas that can often be significant triggers for this auto-immune reaction is, extreme mental/emotional stress and abusing the use of alcohol. This creates a very poor recycling of the glutathione that we spoke of earlier.

I will also add that I have seen many clients in my career with auto-immune challenges and I must say that there are typically multiple imbalances that are needed to be addressed to allow the body to utilize its natural healing abilities.

If you have any questions or comments in regard to the post please do not hesitate to leave them below for me to answer personally.