Over the past year and a half, I’ve spent much my time on this blog detailing the various dietary practices and other conditions that can impair intestinal-barrier function, and for good reason. While our intestines are located within us, as far as the body is concerned, this environment is actually external to it. And … Read More →
“Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.” Thomas Jefferson Abbreviations: BCM7: beta-casomorphin-7 C. albicans: Candida albicans FOS: fructooligosaccharide GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease GI: gastrointestinal H. pylori: Helicobacter pylori, aka Campylobacter pylori IBS: irritable bowel syndrome LES: … Read More →
“We look for medicine to be an orderly field of knowledge and procedure. But it is not. It is an imperfect science, an enterprise of constantly changing knowledge, uncertain information, fallible individuals, and at the same time lives on the line. There is science in what we do, yes, but also habit, intuition, and … Read More →
This is a post I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now. Thyroid hormone impacts many areas of the body, including the GI tract, and in many cases the first symptoms of thyroid dysfunction are manifested here. To save myself a bit a typing, here is how I described the … Read More →
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but I’ve been putting it off until we approached the summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. What prompted this article was a series of email exchanges this past winter (his summer) with a young man living in Sydney, Australia. Like many people who write … Read More →
Today I want to write about the mucus layer that lines the gut wall. This often overlooked part of the gastrointestinal tract is of immense importance in preventing metabolic endotoxemia. Mucins are the primary component of the mucus layer that lines the digestive tract. Mucins are high-molecular weight glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are proteins that contain … Read More →
“Although genetic and biological factors play a major role in the development of obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and diabetes, these common disorders that are part of the metabolic syndrome are probably influenced by other factors. Evidence suggests that these disorders are mediated by a complex interplay between genetics, biology, and the environment. Stress, whether … Read More →
In this fifth and final post on gut dysbiosis, endotoxemia and heart disease, I want to explore the role cholesterol plays in all of this. As you know, I consider cholesterol an innocent bystander in this piece, not the villain. So what is cholesterol? Cholesterol is an alcohol but not the same type of … Read More →
As we are about to enter the festive 2012 holiday season, I thought it appropriate to blog about heart disease. Many of you may not know this, but the holiday season sees more deaths from heart attacks than any other time of the year. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah y’all! (1) For those of … Read More →
In the last, I told you how the consumption of gluten-grains is the number one dietary reason of constipation. However, it isn’t the only reason you may have trouble going to the bathroom. A number of people who are gluten-free have contacted me expressing frustration with their constipation. So what could be causing their … Read More →
This is the sixth post in my series on small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Today I want to talk about those dietary factors that cause impaired intestinal motility and inflammation. I was hoping to include my thoughts on plant lectins in this post, but once I realized I was closer to writing a small book … Read More →