Amira Ayad, PhD
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Should we all be gluten-free?

26/2/2015

4 Comments

 
I have always hated fad diets. I am a scientist at heart and do not believe in fads and trends based on opinions and biased emotions.  This is why when this whole idea of gluten-free started, the scientist in me strictly objected. I come from a culture where we use the same word for 'bread' and 'living'. To tell an Egyptian stop eating bread, is like telling him 'go die'. 
But, since I moved here to Canada, I started seeing client after client (myself included) with symptoms improving or even totally disappearing just by giving up gluten. So, what was going on here?

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To reach the bottom of this highly controversial topic, I needed to learn from the expert and no one is more qualified to teach on the subject than Dr. Alessio Fasano, M.D. 
Dr. Fasano is a pediatric gastroenterologist. He heads the Center for Celiac Research at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, Massachusetts and He is a Visiting Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. His life-long research about celiac disease in the U.S. eventually led to his publication of the groundbreaking study in 2003 that established the rate of the autoimmune disorder at one in 133 Americans. He also discovered the molecule "zonulin," which regulates the impermeability of the intestine also known as "leaky gut."  

In a recent interview on the Autoimmune Summit, Dr. Fasano answered the question: 'after all what you know now, do you still eat wheat?” he non-hesitantly replied: "yes, I do".
Now, we're talking, I reasoned. This is no fad!

In his latest book, Gluten Freedom, Dr. Fasano explained that wheat is hard to digest for all human being; yet, only few of us genetically susceptible to its health-compromising effects. To develop an autoimmune disease, he says, three factors need to be present:
1.    Genetic susceptibility
2.    A trigger
3.    Increased intestinal permeability, or what is known as leaky gut.

If we apply this to gluten-related disorders, for someone to develop the myriad of health reactions ranging from celiac to neurological and behavioral disorders, one has to:
1.    Have the susceptible genes (HLA-DQ2 & DQ8 genes)
2.    Be subjected to the trigger which in this case is gluten protein from wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, triticale or oat.
3.    Have a leaky gut for the gluten to cross the intestinal mucosa, get in contact with the immune system which identifies it as ‘foreign harmful entity’ and initiates the attack that damages body cells in the process.

This explained why many people have no problem eating wheat (they do not have the susceptible genes) and why many others develop the symptom at later age even though they have had the susceptible genes all along and have been eating wheat all their life (they did not have leaky gut until recently). 
If we remove one of the factors, the disease won't be manifested.

Although having celiac or other gluten-related autoimmunity is very restrictive in eating and lifestyle habits… it is still the only autoimmune disease that we know how to manage --- just remove the trigger (gluten) for life. Genes cannot be changed and the intestinal permeability factor is pretty variable and can only be controlled to certain extent.

So, to answer my first question: do we all have to be gluten-free? No we don't. 
But how do you know if you need to?
We know very little -if any- about the trigger in other autoimmune diseases. And although not all autoimmune diseases are triggered by gluten, it is well worth the try. So, if you suffer from any autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto or multiple sclerosis try to get completely off gluten for at least 2 months and see if your symptoms improve. This may be the key to your healing or at least one step forward.

Have a great day!


4 Comments

My word for 2015!

3/2/2015

0 Comments

 
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Wow I loved all the responses I received for the New Year word. And, thank you all very much for all your prayers and encouragement.
As promised I will share with you my chosen word for the year. May be you already guessed it: SMILE!

This word kept surfacing again and again in my life recently... I guess I really needed it! As you many of you know by now, 2014 was a very stressful year for me on both personal and professional levels. So, I guess it is really time to slow down and breathe... Time to pause and reflect. Time to embrace changes and surrender to the Divine Will. 
Trying to get every aspect of my life under control is futile. Embracing ambiguity haven't been a strength of mine. It's time to work on improving my resilience after all. And no better way to start than "Smile". 
So this year, I will try to remember keeping my genuine authentic smile as much as I can. I'll try my best to live with all my senses, embracing the beauty and acknowledging the blessings that is offered to all of us on a daily basis. 
If you would like to join me on my 'smiley' year challenge, I would love to hear from you. Leave your comment below or on our Healing Body & Soul facebook page and let's support one another to make this year the happiest and healthiest year ever!

Have a Smiley week!

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    About the Author

    Hi, I'm Amira... I'm all for simple, natural, uncomplicated life... My core values are derived from my Islamic faith... My definition of wellness includes lots of smiles, human interactions, delicious food, music, joy, colorful paint, Mediterranean sunshine, blue sky and turquoise sea, care, love, compassion and deep heart-felt peace.
    I love learning… I love books and art supplies… And, I am saddened by human conflict and intolerance.
     
    I am an introvert who loves being around people... I love building communities and gathering around the kitchen table... I am a teacher at heart... I simplify complex health science and speak openly about heart and soul stuff...

    I've been helping people on their health and healing journey for more than 20 years now and I am committed to be authentic, caring and a beacon of love and peace.

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My wellness coaching, workshops, teachings, and all the services I provide are at all times restricted to education, teaching and training on the subject of natural health matters intended for general natural health well-being and do not involve the diagnosing, prognosticating, treatment, or prescribing of remedies for the treatment of any disease, or any licensed or controlled act which may constitute the practice of  medicine. 
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