In today’s fast-paced hectic world, there is a tremendous need for balance and getting back to values that are the most important to you. When our egos run the show and we are caught up in the external world our internal world is often neglected. This external world which tends to be transient and can change on a dime is not the ‘world’ to get attached to these days. Turn on the news and you will quickly here stories of loss and feel the climate of fear and uncertainty that our media thrives on. This external world does not typically bring a deep feeling of peace to us or a sense that everything is alright with our world. Our internal worlds need to be cultivated and require some attention from us at this time.

Taking a moment to be more mindful in your world can really help at this time. Being mindful is really bringing your attention to the present moment and bringing as much of ‘you’ as you can to the present moment whether the moment involves washing your dishes, talking to a work colleague or chatting on the phone with a family member. Remind yourself that this present moment is the only thing you can really count on and ask yourself how can you bring the best you to the table? Being mindful is a way to quiet the chatter in your mind and bring a feeling of more inner peace to you. You can’t think about your future when you are in the present moment and when you bring your full undivided attention to the present moment it becomes really beautiful I bet if you check in with yourself from time to time and remind yourself of this you will have a better day and the other people around you will have a better experience of you.

Starting your day with a 10-20 minute meditation can also help you prepare for your day and start it in the best frame of mind possible. I recommend setting your alarm clock twenty minutes earlier and getting up to do this. Tell yourself before going to bed that it will be easy to get up at your designated wake up call. By telling your subconscious mind that it will be effortless for you before dropping off to sleep, it will be. Try it and you will be amazed that this is true.

As I have found that people’s emotional bodies are most challenged at this time, I recommend on doing a mindfulness meditation on love. To do this, I would conjure all the people up in your mind that you love most. Spend twenty minutes feeling love for all the people in your life. Think about all the reasons why you are grateful for them in your life, what specifically are the qualities that you most love in them, how they have added to the richness of your life. See how much you can fill your heart up with love for others. If you have trouble feeling love for people, you can also think of your pets or anything else that you feel love for. When you are finished this meditation, you will start your day feeling more in a ‘love vibe’ and will be less likely to react to minor inconveniences or challenging interpersonal dynamics in your day. Try this and let me know how it goes…and remember to love and accept yourself as we are all a work in progress…

When I am treating someone with an autoimmune disease, I also recommend getting off dairy products. The dairy industry has had a major impact in terms of our conditioning when it comes to drinking cow’s milk. We are drinking another animal’s milk and that is not natural. Yet, we have been raised believing it necessary to drink cow’s milk- it is even it’s own food group on the Canada food guide. But is it really healthy? I would not recommend consuming it in the case of an autoimmune disease.

The problem with dairy is the large proteins that come along with it- the main one causing problems is casein. If casein gets into the bloodstream when dairy products are digested due to a leaky gut situation which I have discussed in previous posts, it can cause cross reactions with the immune system. The sequence of amino acids making up casein can be similar to our own proteins and when the immune system ‘sees’ casein in the bloodstream, it can go into attack mode and attack other host tissues like the B-cells of the pancreas. Whey is the other protein in dairy and makes up about 20% versus casein which makes up about 80% of the protein in dairy. As many people drink whey protein powders, I would recommend a rice based protein powder instead or other vegan alternatives.

An AI disease is a red flag for me concerning dairy but other individuals have problems with dairy as well. There are other symptoms you may have when you have an intolerance to dairy. Lactose intolerance, which is when you can’t digest the milk sugar lactose can cause diarrhea, bloating, and gas in susceptible individuals. This situation can also contribute to small intestinal dysbiosis and thus contribute to leaky gut syndrome. Other symptoms of a dairy intolerance include chronic nasal congestion and runny nose. Ear infections are common in kids who have a dairy allergy as is chronic hyperactivity. I do IgG testing to detect dairy allergies.   

Most people worry about calcium intake when they cut out dairy products but there are other ways than milk to get calcium. Green vegetables are a fabulous way to get calcium. Some of the best sources include broccoli, kale, collards and bok choy. Nuts and seeds such as almonds and sesame seeds are also a decent source of calcium. Milk substitutes include hemp milk, almond milk, and fortified soy milk (if tolerated- I don’t recommend soy for AI patients). There are no great substitutes for cheese but nutritional yeast which is a source of B vitamins makes a reasonable alternative to parmesan cheese. I use nutritional yeast to make dairy free pesto and it tastes really good. I also add nutritional yeast to quinoa if I want a hot cereal in the am as they blend well together. Some people tolerate fermented sources of dairy such as yogurt especially if they are lactose intolerant. I still do not recommend any type of dairy when treating an AI disease.

An essential part of treating autoimmune disease involves eliminating foods that one is sensitive to and/or cutting out the foods that commonly initiate immunological reactions. I use IgG antibody testing and/or IgE antibody testing to determine foods that one is reacting to. This is a good method to test food allergies. (Scratch testing via your doctor is not accurate enough to detect for food sensitivities.) Please go to rmalab.com to read a detailed report on food allergy testing. Because the goal is balancing the immune system, foods that are causing an immunological reaction must be eliminated. In many cases, a simple blood spot test can detect these foods that you’re reactive to.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that occurs in 1 in every 100-200 people. 97% of people that have it go undiagnosed. After eating substances that contain gluten, absorption in the small intestine occurs and these proteins interact with the antigen-presenting cells in the lamina propria causing an inflammatory reaction that targets the mucosa of the small intestine. Some people have minimal symptoms but if severe, this can cause involve multiple organ systems and cause an increased risk of some malignancies. Common signs and symptoms of cd include diarrhea, fatigue abdominal pain, weight loss, abdominal distention, canker sores, dermatitis herpetiformis, flatulence, irritability and mood swings.

Consider having your doctor test for it, if you are symptomatic and/or  have autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, unexplained elevations in transaminase levels, unexplained iron deficiency anemia, infertility, osteoporosis, and Vitamin D or calcium deficiency. If people do not want to pay for IgG testing (and this is not a test for cd anyways), they can ask for a celiac screen from their doctor. The TTG antibody test is the recommended single serologic test for cd screening but your medical doctor will be up on comprehensive testing that is recommended. Testing would certainly be warranted if you suspect you have a problem with gluten. 

Secondary symptoms that may be related to celiac disease include depression, migraines, epilepsy,  anxiety, unexplained recurrent miscarriages, and autoimmune thyroid disease. A review paper in a top medical journal listed 55 ‘diseases’ that can be caused by eating gluten and autoimmune diseases are at the top of the list therefore I recommend cutting out gluten if you have any type of AI disease. Gluten grains include wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, triticale, and oats. Hidden sources can be found at www.celiac.ca.

Gliadin is a protein in gluten containing grains that once broken down can be absorbed through a leaky gut situation and can cause X-reactions in the body (for instance, it is believed a component of gliadin once broken down mimics the components of the myelin sheath thereby causing a  X-reaction with myelin in the cns leading to destruction of myelin.)This is a theory but certainly I have experienced this firsthand> the last two MS attacks I had I consumed gluten (pita bread the first time and a gluten wrap the second time) when I had been avoiding it for a long time. I thought I could try it because I was feeling so good. I have since been off it and am feeling good again.

Gluten sensitivity is believed to occur in 40% of people. In North American culture, some people eat wheat at every meal, toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner. The more you eat something the more likely your immune system will be sensitized to it. Wheat is convenient; it is readily available, inexpensive and tastes good. The problem is for many people, eating gluten causes inflammation preventing proper utilization and absorption of nutrients found in other foods. Gluten sensitivity has been linked to fatigue, weight gain and weight loss, irritable bowel syndrome, canker sores, GERD and ADHD. If you have early onset dementia or osteoporosis, think about the possibility of a problem with gluten.

Why is there a problem with gluten? Grains have been introduced much later than other food groups in terms of our evolution; it is believed that we don’t have the genes to properly digest grains especially gluten. People of European descent may be particularly susceptible to this intolerance. Wheat in North America has a higher gluten content than that found in Europe- lucky us-heavy note of sarcasm! Not everyone is bothered by gluten but some are and it is important that you are aware of that especially if you suffer from an AI disease.

Life can go on without gluten. There are plenty of gluten free grains so please get familiar with them. Corn, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, rice, sorghum, and teff are great alternatives to gluten and cooking the grain versus consuming the flour is optimal for a whole foods diet. I will continue to talk about diet with regards to AI in my next post…