In my twenties doctors had different explanations about the weird aches and pains I complained of. They were either from aging (in my twenties!!), or they were all in my head, or – poor redheads all over the world! – it was just that redheads had lower pain thresholds.
Research meanwhile has confirmed that redheads have actually higher pain thresholds. Besides, I had a whopping but unrecognized case of gluten intolerance, probably since birth. Took me many years to figure it out.
You, too, might have gluten intolerance. Estimates go that one of one-hundred-five people has, most of them not yet diagnosed. Most of them are blond and blue-eyed – but not all of them (otherwise the diagnosis would be easy!).
Of course, aches and pains can have other causes than celiac disease (another word for gluten intolerance; as is non-tropical sprue). But food is often the culprit - dairy, in my opinion, the worst since it is highly inflammatory (besides fattening). If you have arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, fasciitis – or any “…itis" in your body, leave out milk and milk products for at least a month, and see if you get better.
Other suspicious foods are nuts (which, on the other hand, are very wholesome if you can tolerate them), nightshades (tomato, potato, eggplant, bell and hot peppers). Food additives can give bad reactions (and should not be in your food in the first place). Food intolerances can be very individual – for some it is an innocuous apple, for others shrimp or peanut or banana. By keeping a food journal you might find out – or help your doctor to find out.
Finding the cause and avoiding the offender, is the first step. On top of it, there are many herbs that reduce inflammation, like turmeric, garlic, rosemary. In fact, so many plants contain inflammation-dousing phyto-nutrients that eating more vegetables and herbs already might give you relief. If you want an herbal preparation, I usually recommend Zyflamend (be sure you have no allergy to any individual herb in there).
A good fish oil (you should not burp up fish!) has excellent anti-inflammatory action. As does olive-oil (unheated) in your salads. And lastly, a good probiotic, to quench the fire in your belly: Most inflammation originates in an inflamed bowel. Read More
Blog: On Health. On Writing. On Life. On Everything.
Love Ice Cream?
April 18, 2010
Every time a patient tells me “I just luuuuve ice cream!” (or whatever), I answer “You shouldn’t love food - you should love your spouse!”
Usually that gets me a stare. Am I serious? Yes! Every time you find yourself saying you “luve” something edible, start re-examining your eating habits - and your life. A famous story about the former German President Gustav Heinemann (1899 to 1976) goes like this: A reporter asked the President if he loved Germany. “No,” said the President. “I love my wife.”
Nearly invariably I find that patients who “love” certain foods, have an allergy to them. One shouldn’t “love” cheese – and yet, so many people do. Very often, the beloved food is from the dairy group (my downfall is whipped cream!). There is but one solution: DON’T EAT IT!! I used to eat nuts daily (they are chock-full of mineral and vitamins and good fats), until I found out that they caused my extreme fatigue. No food should appear on your menu every single day. The more you rotate, the less likely it is that you get a food allergy.
Besides that you might suffer from a food allergy, it seems (to me, at least) that you don’t have your priorities right. Food should not be loved; food should sustain your life. Your life should be bigger than ice cream and pizza. The same goes with “hate” as in “I hate red beets”. Beets are tasty, and they are healthy. On should not “hate” anything.
Get a life! Ice cream is not a life. We have world hunger and fuel shortage and water scarcity and poverty and injustice to mend. Just start somewhere! Read More