DAY 243 - Are Your Allergies Making You Fat?

Add caption

Hang on! This could be a bumpy ride!

“In August 2010, researchers from Yale University published a study in the journal Obesity finding that people who took antihistamines regularly were heavier than people who didn't take them at all. The study's authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006 to compare the body weight of 867 adults and their prescription antihistamine use. The two drugs most common in the study were ... Zyrtec, and ... Allegra, and the effect was more pronounced in men. The researchers warned that this was an observational study, and couldn't demonstrate whether antihistamines actually caused the weight gain or if obesity predisposes people to allergies.”

“[I]n a separate study, published in 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Allergy and Immunology ... [u]sing data from the same CDC survey, researchers found that obese children were more likely to suffer from allergies, specifically food allergies, than normal-weight children. "It wasn't clear to us if that really meant that the obesity was the cause of that allergic propensity or not," says Cynthia Visness, PhD, the study's lead author and a research scientist at Rho Inc., the research firm that conducted the study.”

“There isn't much literature available on the link between obesity and allergies, so possible explanations for the associations seen in these two studies are simply theories at this point, Visness says. In her study, she suggested that inflammation could play a role. Fat cells release cytokines, chemicals that promote inflammation, and an allergic reaction triggers inflammation as well.”

Here’s the bumpy part. The title of the Rodale Press article that I have quoted above, asks if allergies can make you fat. The Yale study suggests that the excess weight may be due to allergy medications. Dr. Visness of Rho Inc states that she isn’t sure whether obesity causes allergy, but concludes that obesity might be a contributor to the increased prevalence of allergic disease in children, particularly food allergy, and that systemic inflammation might play a role in the development of allergic disease.

Here is the way I see it; the dominant pathway is allergy leading to inflammation, which leads to excess body fat. From my experience treating overweight and allergic patients in the last 28 years, and from the findings of current medical science, I believe that inflammation is the central issue, with much of that inflammation arising from allergic reactions. Many individuals, including infants and young children have food allergy/reactions, inducing inflammation. Those same individuals often have diets rich in sugar and refined starch; and low in, or devoid of fresh vegetables and fruits, the effect of which additionally induces inflammation in the body. The combination of food allergy/reactions plus a nutrient-poor diet, often result in low energy and a resultant lack of physical exercise, which also increases inflammation. If that weren’t enough, the emotional stress of being overweight can also produce inflammatory chemicals.

One powerful therapy for halting this cycle of inflammation and weight gain is to determine and remove food allergens. In my experience, and in the experience of Mark Hyman, MD, a published expert in health restoration and weight loss, dairy products are one of the most common food allergens that induce weight gain. Taking a week to 2 weeks off of dairy can facilitate weight loss for some. There are those who will not respond quickly and obviously, and they will need the guidance of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

DAY 49 - Got Knee Pain? Part III

Functional treatment of knee pain by healthcare practitioners, as contrasted with cover-up treatment, can be valuable, and in many cases, invaluable. A doctor of chiropractic (DC) can provide treatment through adjustment (manipulation) of the lower part of the spine, the knees, and/or the feet. Some DCs are trained to advise patients regarding non-musculoskeletal treatments such as dietary change, improvement of digestive function, and vitamin supplementation.  Other practitioners that treat knee pain include; doctors of oriental medicine, homeopathists, herbalists, naturopaths, bodyworkers, physical therapists, podiatrists, and osteopaths.

Knee pain is not uncommon in children. In my experience, adverse food reactions are the most common cause of childhood knee pain. These pains, and associated leg pains, are often misdiagnosed as "growing pains”. Beware that there is no evidence that growing causes pain. These pains are often in one leg, or favor one leg. This being the case, one would have to ask is the leg that is pain-free not growing? Again, growth does not cause pain.

Finally, I offer three pieces of advice:

1)         take the time to find out what’s causing your knee pain, and make the necessary changes to correct the imbalance,

2)         beware that chronic joint pain is an unquestionable sign of ongoing inflammation in the joint, that inflammation is destructive to tissues, and that unresolved, it is probable that your knee will deteriorate at an accelerated rate,

3)         recognize your knee pain as an opportunity to learn about your body, and appreciate that the functional changes that you make to heal your knee will enhance the health and vitality of your entire being and your entire life.

DAY 48 - Got Knee Pain? Part II

Most chronic knee pain is a result of a combination of factors. Common factors include, 1) food allergies and food sensitivities that result in inflammation in the joint, or in a reaction in which the body attacks the joint, 2) chronic illness in the digestive tract that may have no other symptoms than joint pain, 3) loss of mobility in the low back which may negatively impact gait, or may alter nerve conduction from the spinal nerves of the low back which control leg muscles that stabilize the knee, 4) insufficient stretching exercise to maintain a full range of motion in the lower extremities, which results in restricted motion, altered gait, and poor nutrient delivery to the joints, and 5) insufficient walking which results in weak supporting muscles and poor nutrient delivery to the joint.

Treatment for chronic knee pain can be divided into two types; cover-up and functional.

Cover-up treatments include medications to mask pain and block inflammation, and limitation of use. These treatments may be appropriate for short-term use, but are disastrous when used long-term. Masking body-protecting pain signals leaves an individual at risk of causing further damage to the involved body part. Anti-inflammatory drugs are known to damage joint structures, injure the lining of the intestinal tract, and cause 10,000 deaths a year in the US. Limiting knee use means walking less. While some limitation of use may be important, we all know, when you don’t use it, you lose it.

Functional treatment begins with assessment of factors that influence the knee specifically, and the body generally, and then focuses on creating changes that would enable the knee (and the body) to heal itself. (It is worth noting that the body is designed to repair itself.)

Functional self-care is most important. Examples are listed below. Keep in mind that chronic health problems are usually caused by multiple factors, and therefore often require several simultaneously combined therapies and lifestyle changes in order to relieve pain and restore function.

In my experience, elimination of foods that commonly cause arthritis provides the greatest relief from knee pain. Some of the foods that commonly cause joint pain are: dairy products, sugars, tomatoes, chiles, corn, meats, and shellfish.

Full-body stretching, such as yoga, with attention to the legs and low back, is remarkable for its ability to improve knee function and reduce pain. Stretching should be done for 30 or more minutes one to two times per day.

Baths with epsom salts are often very effective in the treatment of a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including knee pain. I recommend using an entire half-gallon of salts in a warm to hot bath. These magnesium salts can be purchased at drug stores and large grocery stores. They have been used with amazing results for generations.

Essential fatty acids (fish oil and flax oil) taken as nutritional supplements can, in many cases, reduce inflammation and knee pain. Recall that fish oil has been used for generations in the treatment of arthritis. When supplementing with these fats, it is important to also take a fat-soluble antioxidant such as vitamin E to protect these oils from oxidizing (turning rancid) in the body.

Aerobic exercise has proven extremely effective at reducing joint pain. Effects appear to be mediated in part through improvements in circulation, detoxification, and elimination of wastes. In more general terms, balance and wellness in the body is improved by an optimization of turnover/cycling of bodily fluids and gases, and their physiologically active compounds. This occurs with regular exercise.

Significant emotional stress must always be considered as a potential cause of pain, and if present, must be dealt with.

-- coming up ... Parts III, IV and V

DAY 36 – Living with Arthritis - Why???

I was ten years old when I awoke one morning unable to move. I was on my back and could not turn, or attempt to get up without a sharp pain piercing my low back. Lying there, I fearfully wondered what kind of shape I would be in at 50, given that I was in such pain at 10. Finally I called out to my parents; and my Dad came to gently lift me out of bed.

That was the first of many painful, and at times incapacitating, episodes of arthritis that I would experience during the next 3 decades. Thirty-one years after that fateful morning an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) showed that the arthritis had destroyed bone and discs in my low back.

(the image to the left is a second MRI of my low back taken in 1998)

Today, November 10, 2010, forty-nine years after that fateful morning, I get an e-mail from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, titled “Living with Arthritis”. Not exactly timely for me. :) But timing is not the problem with this e-mail and the linked article from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) of the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health (NIH). http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Arthritis/default.asp  The problem is that from the highest healthcare resource in the land we learn almost nothing about the causes of arthritis, and scantily more about what to do about it.

The article informs us that inflammation causes arthritis, but then neglects to tell us what causes inflammation. This is a serious omission. Fortunately, some of us already know.

As for what to do about our arthritis, we are advised to stay active, lose weight, absolutely see a doctor (implies an MD), and by all means take the anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication that your MD will surely prescribe. Again, no discussion or connection to the cause of the disease.

This article shines a flood light on America’s need for real healthcare reform. We must break from our addiction to the conventional medicine of suppressing symptoms with drugs, and embrace conversations and practices that deal with understanding the causes of illness and disease.

My advice is don’t waste your time learning to “Live with Arthritis”. Instead, learn about its most common causes, and make changes in your lifestyle to respond to those causes.

Dr. Young
Note: I will address causes and functional treatments for arthritis in a future post.

DAY 32 – Bell’s Palsy Prompts Call from Alabama

I’ve been treating Lenny for about 20 years now. We’ve been through a lot together; pain, insurance companies, and a near-death experience. Through all of it, the mutual trust we started with has only grown stronger.

When I answered the office phone this morning, it was Lenny calling from Alabama. Being retired and free, he and his wife had packed up the trailer two weeks ago and set out to visit relatives in the South.

He was calling for my advice. His adult daughter had just been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (a usually temporary, one-sided paralysis of muscles of the face, caused by disturbance of the facial nerve). Her MD had given her a steroid injection and advised her that there was little that she could do but wait it out (usually 4-8 weeks).

Lenny and I have been through these before. When a question arises about health, any aspect of health, whether his, a family member’s, or a friend’s, he checks in with me for guidance. His question now was, was the MD correct, or was there anything else that could be done for his daughter, or that she could do for herself.

My answer included:
1)    Bell’s Palsy is hypothesized to be caused by inflammation or viral infection. While the MD reduces inflammation with steroids, it would be wise to lower inflammation oneself by temporarily removing animal products from the diet, by markedly decreasing sugars and refined starches, by removing common food allergens such as dairy products, and by taking beneficial bacteria (probiotics) orally,
2)    Alternating ice and heat (10 min each and 40 minutes off) applied to the back of the neck and base of the skull,
3)    Receive skilled chiropractic adjustment to restore mobility to the joints of the neck, if found to be stiff or restricted.

Not born yesterday, Lenny knows that it is not probable that there would be only one treatment for a condition. And he knows to ask questions. With questions answered, he felt relieved, and could now help his daughter. He thanked me and assured me that he would keep me informed of his daughter’s progress.

Trust and communication, a powerful duo.

DAY 30 – Tweeting Not for Twits Necessarily

Twitter, as you may know, is a very popular instant-messaging system that lets a person send brief text messages, called Tweets, up to 140 characters in length to a list of followers. My bet is that a huge percentage of Tweets are light on significance. Some folks, like my wife, think of them as worthless.

But, some Tweets, as it turns out, carry powerful messages.

My professional mentor, Jeffrey Bland, PhD, (pictured at left) the founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a biochemist by training, and a brilliant philosopher and educator by gift and diligence, tweets. I limit my Twitter following, but he is on my short list.

Today I looked at two of his Tweets. The first was a link to an article by neurologist, David Perlmutter, MD, on the brain’s ability to regenerate. One paragraph reads as follows:
““In 1998, the journal Nature Medicine published a report indicating that neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells, does indeed occur in humans. As Sharon Begley remarked in her book, "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain," "The discovery overturned generations of conventional wisdom in neuroscience. The human brain is not limited to the neurons it is born with, or even the neurons that fill in after the explosion of brain development in early childhood.””
For the complete article -> Synthesis (@FMUbyJBland) (via @HuffPostHealth) http://huff.to/9AJzJq

The second Tweet, a quote from Dr. Bland, stated: “A hyperinsulin state can overdrive specific kinase-modulated pathways and increase the relative risk of a metastatic disorder.” In lay terminology, this means that elevated levels of insulin in ones blood (often caused by excess dietary intake of sugars and starches) can cause an overproduction of molecules involved in the process of inflammation, which themselves increase the risk of developing cancers that spread from the initial site in the body. In excessively simple terms this means that eating too much sugar and starch is a risk factor for developing aggressive cancers.

The first Tweet dealt with brain health and brain regeneration, the second with a mechanism of the genesis of metastatic cancers. This is not lightweight material. For busy doctors like myself, these data blasts help to keep me on the cutting edge. 

They may be packed into 140 characters or less, but these are not twit Tweets.

DAY 16 – Can Farting Cause Hearing Loss?

So, I’ll cut to the chase, while there is no scientific evidence that farting (flatulence) can directly cause hearing loss, there ARE known factors that can cause both farting and hearing loss; and I’m going to tell you about them. While farting is not usually a serious medical condition, and hearing loss won’t kill you, an underlying condition that can cause both, is a serious risk for all forms of chronic degenerative disease.

But first, it is important to know that our culture and most physicians believe that hearing loss is caused primarily by either exposure to loud noise or “getting old”. Loud noise can be a cause. “Getting old” is not. Everything wears out as we age, but have you ever noticed that some folks have hearing aids at age 40 and others die at 85 never needing them? Age is not a cause.

The serious underlying condition that I want you to know about is chronic inflammation of the digestive tract caused by eating foods one is either allergic to or intolerant of. Through a variety of mechanisms, these food irritants create an inflammatory state that can affect the digestive tract or the entire body.

When the digestive tract is inflamed, excessive intestinal gas is common. When the entire body is inflamed, it is possible for sensitive nerve endings in the ears to be damaged, resulting in hearing loss.

I would encourage you to go to YouTube and watch "Treatment of Hearing Loss" featuring Dr. Katz (EarNoseandThroatMD) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qior3h5xvWA . In this video Dr. Katz states that after determining that loud noise has not caused the hearing loss in a patient, the doctor must move on using a medical history and examinations to determine the cause. The first causal possibility that he suggests is inflammation, and he then suggests that steroids (anti-inflammatory) would be an effective treatment. Note also that he states that individuals with diabetes, and those with cardiovascular disease are at greater risk to develop hearing loss. Inflammation is an integral factor in the causation and progression of both these diseases. It therefore makes sense that the systemic (body-wide) inflammation associated with each of these serious diseases, could also damage nerves in the ears.

I want to be sure to leave you with two important points: 1) that it is possible for food allergies or intolerances to cause systemic inflammation that could cause hearing loss, and 2) farting may be caused by food allergies or intolerances, and may be linked to serious health conditions through the mechanism of inflammation.

Not so funny, eh?