Functional Solutions For Living

Greetings everyone! As some of you already know, I have been in sunny Arizona since mid-December. So far, with the exception of a family medical emergency, this has been a fun and astonishingly fruitful sojourn.

One of the great advantages the people in this part of the country have is the vast array of cutting-edge, healthcare alternatives and practitioners (and unfortunately, silly New Age “healers” who waste people’s time and money, often doing more harm than good…but that is another post entirely!) to choose from. I knew this before I arrived here but I have to say that the quality and quantity (of both skilled practitioners AND silly New Age “healers”!) has far exceeded my expectations.

While here, I have had the opportunity to meet, work with and learn from some exceptional indivuals and can honestly say that the people around here are in good hands. Whether they reach those hands is their responsibility but they are here to help and help they will!

If I would have lived around here when I first started experiencing the symptoms of CFIDS and Celiac disease 12 years ago, I would have been spared years of suffering and confusion, not to mention tens of thousands of dollars. But I didn’t and that is okay because I would not know what I know and do what I do.

Moving on…

Today, I would like to share a little information on CFIDS, otherwise known as Chronic fatique immune deficiency syndrome or simply Chronic fatigue syndrome. I would like to thank the good folks at The Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine for being such a valuable resource.

Chronic fatigue (immune deficiency) syndrome, CFIDS, is a clinically defined condition characterized by debilitating fatigue, persistent for over 6 months, with associated muscle pains, tender lymph nodes, joint pains, low grade fevers, and problems with focus and memory.

Chronic fatigue is estimated to affect almost 1% of the population, and is not limited to white Caucasian middle aged females, as previously thought, but is found in all age groups, races, and economic strata. About twice as many women as men are affected.

However, men (surprise, surprise) are also more likely to due to societal pressures revolving around money and “strength” to keep plugging away or calling it something else despite their symptoms. Many self-medicate and dig themselves deeper by not seeking help. I know this all too well. No man wants to be perceived as “weak” or unable to be productive and successful financially and career/education-wise.

In the future, I will devote an entire post to the topic of CFIDS in men.

Back to our story…

CFIDS is not a condition which fits neatly into the allopathic model of illness. Diagnosis is made by ruling out all other “treatable” causes of fatigue. There are no definitive diagnostic tests. Patients suffering from chronic fatigue are often diagnosed with depression or other neuro-psychiatric labels.

Diagnostic criteria, as defined by the International Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Work Group, are as follows:

* Clinically evaluated, unexplained, persistent or relapsing chronic fatigue that is of new or definite onset

[has not been lifelong]; is not the result of ongoing exertion; is not substantially alleviated by rest; and

results in substantial reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities;

and

* The concurrent occurrence of four or more of the following symptoms, all of which must have persisted or

recurred during 6 or more consecutive months of illness and must not have predated the fatigue:

1. Self-reported impairment in short-term memory or concentration severe enough to cause substantial

reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities;

2. Sore throat;

3. Tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes;

4. Muscle pain, multi-joint pain without joint swelling or redness;

5. Headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity;

6. Unrefreshing sleep; and postexertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours

By these criteria, chronic fatigue syndrome could very well be a disease of mitochondria – the tiny organelles inside cells which are responsible for energy production. There is some evidence for this. One study showed abnormal mitochondrial function in a subgroup of patients with abnormal lactate responses to exercise (production of lactic acid occurs when there is insufficient energy to fully utilize all the glucose presented to the cell).

Chronic viral or fungal infection is another possible causative factor. Some commonly performed tests are those for chronic viral infection (Ebstein-Barr virus, for example), Candida albicans, and immunologic function including cell population analysis. None of these tests is specific for CFIDS, but they may indicate contributing causes.

Although, the right kind and the right amount of exercise can help dramatically, most people with chronic fatigue syndrome have a significantly decreased ability to exercise. Decreased production of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system may also be a factor.

Excessive body burden of heavy metals is another possibility. Heavy metals can cause significant loss of function of enzymes which promote the cell’s biochemical reactions, experienced in the body as fatigue.

There is some thought that chronic fatigue is almost always a result of simple toxicity or nutritional imbalance, perhaps early metabolic syndrome, from years of eating the typical non-nutritious American diet of processed foods and sugars.

Author Mary Nash Stoddard has proposed that aspartame poisoning may give rise to a number of health problems including chronic fatigue and Fibromyalgia.

Once the diagnosis is established, allopathic medicine has little to offer in the way of treatment. Common wisdom states that most patients will take over 18 months to recover, although some will remain debilitated for the rest of their lives.

There is no need to suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. First, one needs to understand that mitochondrial dysfunction results in the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Both can irreversibly damage DNA, and even cause cell death. Therefore, taking antioxidants like CoQ-10, glutathione, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and other similar substances can go a long way toward improving mitochondrial function and relieving the symptoms of chronic fatigue. These are sometimes best administered in IV form.

I personally made a huge step forward when I treated my mitochondria. I did this on my own by using specific doses of CoQ-10, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl l-carnitine, D-ribose, creatine and a few other supplements. If anyone wants more info on this cocktail you can reach me through the contact link. I do individualized nutritional and lifestyle counseling that gets results and get results fast. I am however, not a doctor and do not diagnose or treat diseases of any kind.

Second, it is known mitochondrial function is significantly disturbed by heavy metals. Workup for excessive body burden of heavy metals is very appropriate in the chronic fatigue patient.

Third, intolerance to gluten (wheat, barley, rye and a few other grains) and other food items can result in neurologic symptoms like extreme fatigue without any intestinal symptoms at all. Therefore investigation of gluten intolerance and other food sensitivities should be part of the initial work-up. Food intolerance has been shown to increase inflammatory mediators in the body and to erroneously activate the immune system.

Food intolerance may be determined in any one of several ways. The classic elimination diet works well for those who can tolerate its rigors. For those less tolerant, keeping a food and symptom diary may prove very helpful. There are many other ways of diagnosing this condition, including direct provocation tests, blood tests, and the classic intradermal injections.

Food intolerance has also been shown to be related to several other dysfunctions commonly associated with chronic fatigue syndrome: asthma or respiratory distress, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In my case, I just fell apart. First gradually, then suddenly. What I later figured out and my doctors confirmed through a multitude of tests was that I was walking around with several undiagnosed food allergies, undiagnosed Celiac disease, systemic Candidiasis, high levels of Mercury in my system and the collateral damage (like seizures, depression, cognitive impairment, etc.) that comes with not treating these conditions.

How does that happen to a perfectly healthy male athlete in his late twenties who meditates, does yoga, eats a mostly raw, organic, vegetarian diet and has lots of love in his life? That is also another story and parts of it are still a mystery to me and my doctors.

How am I now? Well let’s just say that these things don’t happen over night and they don’t clear up over night but I am definitely well on my way. Healing one’s brain, immune system and digestive tract is a process and it takes time, discipline and a continuous, deep and mindful understanding.

I will say that I am much wiser, much happier, much healthier and living a wonderful life. I am surrounded by intelligent, insightful, supportive, understanding, creative and deeply compassionate people. I have the greatest friends (especially my friends at the Singing Bowl and Fresh Horizons cafe’s in Erie, Pa who continuously create delicious, organic, vegan, gluten and allergy-free works of art…I mean meals for me), mother, son and girlfriend anyone could wish for.

With CFIDS, like many conditions and diseases, knowing is more than half the battle. It is a shame, a tragedy really, that it takes so many years for conventional doctors to figure these things out and that so many false and damaging diagnoses are often given out. Many healthcare providers are often too busy in general, over-focused on their specific modality or over-focused on treating symptoms and so called diseases with pharmaceuticals rather than treating people and looking for the root causes.

My advice to everyone is to take an active role in your healthcare. Ask questions, look into the matter, talk to different doctors and practitioners. Seriously, they work for you. You pay their bills! Don’t be an asshole, but don’t believe what you are told without doing some research and following your gut. We have no excuse these days when there is such an abundance of information and resources out there.

Again, for anyone seeking guidance, please feel free to contact me. I have traveled this path and know how to navigate it. I’d love to meet you and help in any way!

It’s your body, your life, your happiness. Reclaim them!!!

Until next time…

A

Greetings everyone and happy belated New Year. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done any regular posting to be sure.  Life wanted my attention elsewhere and I have learned a long time ago to not argue with life.  I definitely question the things of life but arguing with Life itself, not so much!

Anyway, I’m back in action! Currently, I am traveling and enjoying sunny Arizona for the rest of the month, then it is off to South Florida to finish the winter and explore some new and exciting opportunities.  

It’s definitely been an amazing, unpredictable and fruitful year.  Many strange, humbling and edifying things have happened.

In the personal realm, a chronic health problem that I thought was in remission decided to stop by for a visit; a promising business partnership dissolved; severe physical injury occurred; a “sound” financial investment shockingly collapsed into the void; a young family member suddenly and tragically passed on; the seemingly happy and indestructible marriage of one of my favorite couples, without warning, ended in divorce. I could continue but the point I am making has nothing to do with a tallying of 2009′s “good” or “bad” experiences.

However just as quickly, if not simultaneously, wonderful things happened…

New opportunities arose in place of lost opportunities; helping hands were extended; eyes, ears and hearts were opened; smiles were exchanged; children were born; new friendships were grown while old friendships were rekindled; goals, victories and milestones were achieved; there was singing, dancing, geese; and (picture me with a warm relaxed feeling in my body and a rather large smile of my face) true love stopped by to say hello and decided to stay.

Added up, these are the things of life. Suzuki Roshi once called it, “Things as It is.” Some are beautiful and amazing. Some are dark and painful. Some are minor inconveniences and some are major pains in the ass. Some are wanted and some are not. All are, whether we understand or not, necessary!  

If I lost you on that one, “Things as It is”, is the understanding that life is one whole being that includes everything, and that the many things are found in one whole being.

We can cling and resist all we want (which is the root of most suffering) but the universe will continue “universe-ing” and life will continue “life-ing.” Everything is ephemeral…we can all agree on that.

I choose to see it as a beautiful and mysterious dance. I find peace and excitement in letting go and resting in the mystery of it all, in the not-knowing. You may choose to see it differently and that is definitely okay.

We are all intimately familiar with the obvious discomforts of not getting what we want or getting what we don’t want. However, there is also a more subtle discomfort that comes with getting what we do want and then experiencing its dissolution.

But if it helps, remember that when things seem painful, difficult, confusing or downright insane and absurd, “this too shall pass.”

It is also useful to remember to practice gratitude and humility when we do get what we want or when things are going well and we are happy because, “all good things must come to an end.”

I am sure this new year will bring much of the same: victories and defeats; ups and downs; birth and death; success and failure; love and love lost…

An important thing for us to remember in this new year is to avoid, as best we can, resisting and fighting the inevitable changes and flux that life brings (and the opportunities for growth they offer when we practice letting go and making room for the new) as well as not clinging too tightly to the people, situations or the things we love.

William Blake summed up this second point beautifully when he wrote:

He who binds himself to a Joy,
Does the winged life destroy;
He who kisses the Joy as it flies,
Lives in Eternities sunrise.

I think Mr. Blake’s words are a good note to end on.

So, let’s all lessen our defenses, loosen our grips, focus on what we want, love well and make it the best year ever!

Until next time…

Kind Regards,
A

Today’s post will be short and sweet!

It is about letting go…

If a dog has a stick in its mouth and you have a treat for it, it has to drop the stick to receive the treat.

Now, most dogs will probably get a little confused at first, but they will also quickly figure out that they must drop the stick to receive the treat.

Most humans struggle their whole lives before they figure this one out!

Many never do…

If we want to receive what life has to offer us in this moment, we have to let go of all prior moments, real or imagined.

We have to let go of our identities, our expectations, our attachments to our desires.

We also have to let go of the non-existent, imagined futures that we often inadvertently distract, neglect or abuse ourselves with.

We have to let go of everything…

For some this seems like an overwhelming task.

In reality, it is the simplest thing in the world but we usually don’t do so well with simple!

So, to make it appear and feel more manageable, we practice letting go in many small moments over and over again.

If you do this, you will experience your life in a radically different way.

You will be free from the bullshit imaginings of the ego, of the conditioned mind and all the suffering and feelings of separateness that come with that powerful, sometimes necessary but all too often silly and maddening bundle.

You will be able to make clearer decisions and choose action over drowning in information.

You will be able to receive and appreciate your life.

And after a while you just may realize that you are life itself…

Drop the stick and receive your life!

Drop the stick and receive yourself!

If that is too much, then just drop the stick and see what happens.

If a dog can do it…

Until next time…

Kind Regards,

A

Hey everyone!

Once again, I am off on another out of town adventure and am strapped for time.

Before I hit the road, I wanted to share this story by Allen Watts.

It is a story about reality, where the universe came from and what it is all about.  It is not scientific or literal so just chill out and enjoy:

There was never a time when the world began, because it goes round and round like a circle, and there is no place on a circle where it begins. Look at my watch, which tells the time; it goes round, and so the world repeats itself again and again. But just as the hour hand of the watch goes up to twelve and down to six, so, too, there is day and night, waking and sleeping, living and dying, summer and winter. You can’t have any one of these without the other, because you wouldn’t be able to know, what black is unless you had seen it side-by-side with white, or white unless side-by-side with black.

In the same way, there are times when the world is, and times when it isn’t, for if the world went on without rest for ever and ever, it would get horribly tired of itself. It comes and it goes. Now you see it; now you don’t. So because it doesn’t get tired of itself, it always comes back again after it disappears. It’s like your breath: it goes in and out, in and out, and if you try to hold it in all the time you feel terrible. It’s also like the game of hide and seek, because it’s always fun to find new ways of hiding, and to seek for someone who doesn’t always hide in the same place.

God also likes to play hide-and-seek, but because there is nothing outside God, he has no one but himself to play with. But he gets over this difficulty by pretending that he is not himself. This is his way of hiding from himself. He pretends that he is you and I and all the people in the world, all the animals, all the plants, all the rocks, and all the stars. In this way he has strange and wonderful adventures, some of which are terrible and frightening. But these are just like bad dreams, for when he wakes up they will disappear.

Now when God plays hide and pretends that he is you and I, he does it so well that it takes him a long time to remember where and how he hid himself. But that’s the whole fun of it—just what he wanted to do. He doesn’t want to find himself too quickly, for that would spoil the game. That is why it is so difficult for you and me to find out that we are God in disguise, pretending not to be himself. But when the game has gone on long enough, all of us will wake up, stop pretending, and remember that we are all one single Self—the God who is all that there is and who lives for ever and ever.

Of course, you must remember that God isn’t shaped like a person. People have skins and there is always something outside their skins. If there weren’t, we wouldn’t know the difference between what is inside and outside our bodies. But God has no skin and no shape because there isn’t any outside of him, like a Mobius strip. The inside and outside of God are the same. And although I have been talking about God as “he” and not “she,” God isn’t a man or a woman. I didn’t say “it” because we usually say “it” for things that aren’t alive.

God is the Self of the world, but you can’t see God for the same reason that, without a mirror, you can’t see your own eyes, and you certainly can’t bite your own teeth or look inside your head. Your self is that cleverly hidden because it is God hiding.

You may ask why God sometimes hides in the form of horrible people, or pretends to be people who suffer great disease and pain. Remember, first, that he isn’t really doing this to anyone but himself. Remember, too, that in almost all the stories you enjoy there have to be bad people as well as good people, for the thrill of the tale is to find out how the good people will get the better of the bad. It’s the same as when we play cards. At the beginning of the game we shuffle them all into a mess, which is like the bad things in the world, but the point of the game is to put the mess into good order, and the one who does it best is the winner. Then we shuffle the cards once more and play again, and so it goes with the world…

Until next time…

Kind Regards,

A

This past weekend, a few friends and I had the honor and privilege of spending time with Tibetan lama, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.

To say it was surreal is an understatement…

One minute we were in the car talking about life, women, our children, our finances and the next we were sitting in a farm house with Rinpoche and his interpreter.

I am not at liberty to reveal specifics, but many questions were asked.

Some were very ordinary and some were very deep…

The answers were always very simple!

One thing that struck me over the weekend was the amount of confusion in peoples minds about meditation and enlightenment.

I would like to talk about the latter.

I think that many people are under the assumption that when one reaches enlightenment, all of their personality flaws and imperfections just drop away.

That is not the case…

Although we’d like to believe there is a path that is impervious to our own proclivities for self-deception, self-sabotage and our personal versions of delusion and ignorance, there is not.

From my experience, I have seen that most people approach things like meditation and other spiritual practices with a certain naiveté.

They seem to think that there is a way to practice that is impervious to their defenses, unconscious programming, beliefs and emotional patterns.

I am here to say there is not…

We have certain ways of being, a specific personal history and our own character to reckon with.

There is no way around it…

What I have found is that the more awake I become and the more “enlightened” I become, the more my shortcomings become painfully evident to me.

That may sound discouraging to some but believe me it is not…

It is a gift!

With this seeing comes the ability, the determination and the will to do something about our condition.

The understanding comes first but the change in behavior takes time.

Habituality is deeply, deeply rooted!

Much of what we are up against is emotional in nature. If we are to change our behavior, we first must do the work to neutralize our negative emotional charges.

Usually, much of this work takes place off of the cushion and uses means that are not specific to our practice as an adjunct.

More on this in my next post.

Until next time…

Kind Regards,

A

Hi everyone!

I am still in Columbus attending a teaching with Tibetan lama, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche on Mahamudra.

I am on on the run, so please forgive this Frankensteined blog!

Over the weekend I heard many people ask for Rinpoche’s advice on meditation…

Seems like many people just can’t (which means won’t) take the time to practice, or do practice and have many thoughts arising that they find undesirable.

Many people seem to think that proper meditation requires absence of thought which is entirely erroneous.

I came across some interesting words regarding meditation that many of you might find useful.

But before I get to that, some of you are probably wondering what Mahamudra is…

Mahamudra literally means “great seal” or “great symbol”.

Thubten Yeshe explains the use of the term: “Mahamudra means absolute seal, totality, unchangeability. Sealing something implies that you cannot destroy it. Mahamudra was not created or invented by anybody; therefore it cannot be destroyed. It is absolute reality”.

The term Mahamudra refers to the realization arising from certain advanced forms of Buddhist meditation practice, comprising methods of attaining a direct introduction to the nature and essence of the mind. Mahamudra also includes practices to stabilize the accompanying transcendental realization.

The practices associated with Mahamudra draw upon instructions from multiple levels of Buddhism, including Sutra and Vajrayana, to provide a range of approaches to enlightenment suited to the needs of various practitioners. Mahamudra is believed to enable one to realize the mindstream’s innate purity, clarity and perfection, summed up by the term “buddha nature”, the topic of the Third Turning of the Dharmachakra, the final phase of Gotama Buddha’s teachings.

Aryadeva summarises: “The discussion of how to attain mahamudra entails methods for meditating on mind itself as something having voidness as its nature.”

Another way of putting it is…”Mahamudra is the union of great bliss and emptiness – the very subtle mind that experiences great bliss and realizes ultimate truth. By enabling us to go within to uncover the deepest level of our mind and then to use the very subtle mind to meditate on ultimate truth, Mahamudra practice destroys all our delusions at their very root and thus propels us quickly to the state of full enlightenment.”

Now back to the issue of meditation…

I would like to share some words I came across that some of you may find useful. They are the words of a man I have never met or heard of until this weekend. I only know of him as “Kip.”

Here is what he had to say about meditation:

“I often hear people saying they can’t meditate.

But what they are really saying is they won’t meditate.

Whatever reasons they give, the truth is in meditation they have come across an experience they do not wish to experience.

Whether they are conscious of it or not, they have felt a sensation that they do not wish to feel.

The reasons on top of this are just excuses.

The moment you allow yourself to experience those sensations you are avoiding, then you see the futility of your reasons, the futility of your thoughts.

The futility of trying to figure it all out.

It really has nothing to do with mind.

You just didn’t want to feel a certain sensation, and once you did, it wasn’t so bad, ironically, it was quite blissful.

Suddenly you are filled with love and peace until the next sensation you unconsciously resist makes itself known.

Once you realize this one very simple point, that the reason you can’t meditate is that you do not wish to feel a certain sensation, then meditation becomes very clear.

Then you see the power is in your hands.

Most people are just looking for the bliss and they don’t want to do the work to get it.

And that is perfectly fine, a little relaxation and meditation will give you this.

But if you want more than this…

If you want freedom, from this constant conflict of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain and all the stress & suffering that goes with it, then you will be willing to sit through the uncomfortable experiences and enjoy the peace that goes with it.

Unconditional peace does not come from feeling happy all the time.

Unconditional peace comes by being present with what is here regardless of how you think it feels.

You give it a try and I bet you’ll really like it.”

Until next time…

Kind Regards,

Anthony

Welcome back. This weekend, I have the honor of meeting and attending a weekend retreat with Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, so I will be out of town.

I wanted, however, to share some additional information on dairy before I hit the road.

Since my Post, Got Milk? Well Maybe You Shouldn’t Unless You Are a Baby Cow, I have received many emails and great comments.

One comment that stood out was from nutrion expert and co-author of The Horomone Revolution (you can find it in my bookstore), Kimberly Day in which she expanded upon the information I shared:

“Fantastic post as always! I agree that dairy is no good…for all these reasons and more. First of all, it is highly inflammatory; as you mentioned, it’s one of the most common food allergies. Plus, it’s high saturated fat increases cholesterol, and the artificial hormones worsen estrogen dominance in women.

It also contributes to weight gain. Which makes sense if you think about it. The truth is, cow’s milk is really the breast milk of another mammal and is intended to grow a calf into a 300 to 400 pound animal. Think what it’s doing to you!

Also, dairy is highly addictive…and not just because of the salt and mouth-feel. It has opioid properties. The enzymes that produce opiates are not confined to poppies; they also hide inside cows’ livers. So traces of morphine can pass into the animal’s bloodstream and end up in milk and milk products. These opiates hide inside casein, the main dairy protein. As casein molecules are digested, they break apart to release tiny opiate molecules, called casomorphins. One of these compounds has about one-tenth the opiate strength of morphine.

When you take all this into consideration, it makes sense that breaking free of dairy can be very difficult for many people. But the health benefits are so worth it…”

In addition, author, lecturer and intuitive coach Laura Kowalski shared the following video which sheds further light on this topic. After watching it, be sure to come back and weigh in because I am interested in what everyone has to say:

When it comes to dairy, the writing is on the wall.

Until next time…

Kind Regards,
Anthony

Hey everyone, welcome back. Today we are going to talk about the difference between food allergies and food intolerances.

This is a topic that I am very intimate with and consequently, for better or for worse know inside and out!

According to many doctors, food allergies and intolerances are becoming more and more common these days.

According to the National Institute of Health, at least 30 million Americans (10%) suffer from some sort of food intolerance.

According to the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, 8 foods account for 90% of all food allergies: Cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, fish and shellfish.

One in three Americans alters their diet with the belief that they or someone close to them has a food allergy.

What many of them don’t understand, is that what a large number of people think of as food allergies are actually food intolerances.

The difference?

A food allergy occurs when the immune system produces an antibody in response to the protein in a specific food or foods.

Even a small amount can produce symptoms. Sometimes immediate and sometimes delayed. These symptoms can range from hives, eczema, stomach upset, sinus problems to more serious and even life threatening ones such as swelling of the tongue and closing of the throat.

Ways to diagnose food allergies include: Food elimination diets, skin testing, blood and other lab tests.

Personally, my food allergies were found quickly with a blood test but the more troubling and problematic food sensitivities were finally uncovered when I went on an elimination diet.

A food intolerance occurs when there is a negative physiological response following the consumption of certain foods. In this case, the immune system does not respond like it does with allergic foods.

The tricky thing with food intolerances is that it may take up to three to four days for the symptoms to take effect. This makes food intolerances very hard to diagnose.

Elimination diets and other less known, specialty tests are the most common means of diagnosis.

Symptoms of food intolerance can include headaches, insomnia, muscle aches, chronic fatigue, irritability, gastrointestinal problems and the list goes on and on.

For example, when I eat corn I can get very agitated…but it takes effect about 24 hours later and lasts for about two days…fading in intensity until it clears out of my system.

Knowing this, I understand that it is just inflammation in my brain and body and don’t let it change my behavior. It does require an extra degree of mindfulness and use of energy so it is an inconvenience.

Before I figured out that I had Celiac disease, food allergies and food intolerances, I blamed the symptoms on any number of things…all of them inaccurate.

Of course, my doctors had many diagnoses (I now call them diagnonsense) ranging from seizure disorder to depression to ADD to cancer to temporal lobe epilepsy and a few others.

It was not a pleasant ride to say the least. There was much suffering, confusion and embarrassment, and of course much money spent trying to make sense of it all. I knew I wasn’t crazy but I also couldn’t figure out what was causing these strange physical, emotional and mental symptoms and reactions.

Eventually, I figured it out after doing a fast in conjunction with some meditative work I was doing. After four days of not eating, I started to feel much better. Once I started eating again, my symptoms returned.

From there, I started removing various foods from my diet and then reintroducing them. Eventually, I pinpointed several foods and eliminated them from my diet. I felt much better but their was still something else….

Armed with this knowledge, I went to my doctor who ordered a blood test which confirmed my results and actually revealed a few more foods which eventually revealed Celiac disease but that wasn’t for a few more years! That is a whole other story!

Here is a more detailed list of symptoms. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms on a regular basis it may be an indication of a food reaction:

Mood and behavior
Emotional ups and downs
Depression
Sleep problems
Fatigue
.
Respitory
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Sinus problems
Throat closing
Excessive mucus (not specifically associated with Celiac disease)

Stomach
Diarrhea
Constipation
Gas
Cramps
Bloating
Vomiting
Reflux

Skin
Eczema
Dry skin
Hives/rashes
Itchiness
Flushed color
Welts

Aches
Joint pain
Muscle aches
Loss of strength
Migraines

Malnutrition
Anemia
Dizziness
Fainting
Weight change
Osteoporosis
Dental problems
Delayed growth in kids
Irregular periods
Infertility
Fatigue

If you have any of these symptoms, consult with your health care provider. If you suspect that you have Celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, it is important that you get tested before you change your diet. The reason being, is that the test will likely come up as negative following the implementation of a gluten-free diet.

Well, I think I’ve covered enough for this post. I welcome any questions anyone has and will answer them promptly. Just remember, that I am not a doctor nor can I give medical advice!

Until next time…

Kind Regards,
Anthony

Recently, a good friend of mine developed some very strange and troubling skin problems and contacted me for some input that might help him with his upcoming doctors appointment.

We took a look at his stress level, his environment, his lifestyle and finally his diet and came up with what we thought might be the culprit.

He then went to his doctor who quickly and politely dismissed the information we came up with.  He was certain it was stress related and of course, tried to put him on a steroid and an anti-anxiety medication.

The problem with that was that other than the skin problem and some fatigue, his life had never been better…

Got excessive stress?   Not him!

He passed on the anti-anxiety med but did take the steroid.  After three weeks he felt worse and stopped taking it and asked for my help.

The first thing I told him was to tell his doctor that he quit taking it and see what he had to say.

We then went back to where we left off…

What we found was that his condition coincided with a massive increase in dairy consumption.

He had never in his life enjoyed eating cheese but was trying to cut down on meat so he tried it again, loved it and became addicted.

He was eating over a pound a day!

I suggested that he pass on the dairy for two weeks and then reintroduce it to see if that was causing the inflammation…

It has been about a week and lo and behold, his skin is clearing up.  He is also reporting having more energy and a “clearer head.”

At this point he is convinced and does not want to reintroduce it but only time will tell…

I’d still like him to eat it at least one more time to see how his body reacts, but he’s the boss when it comes to his body!

I am not a doctor but after years of  helping others with mysterious physical, mental and emotional symptoms, I have come to the conclusion that dairy and gluten are two of the main culprits in people who have skin, sinus, allergy and fatigue problems as well as with depression, anxiety and ADD-like characteristics.

Of course that is not always the case but it is very, very common.

Remove the potential offenders for long enough and then reintroduce them one at a time and you will know without a doubt.

Unfortunately, many people go back to feeling like crap and/or taking medications rather than getting the problem at its root.  They are just so habituated and often get secondary gains that they are not willing to give up.

But don’t take my word for it…

Walter Willett, M.D., Ph.D — the second-most-cited scientist in all of clinical medicine and the head of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health, who has done many studies and reviewed the research on dairy consumption has a few things to say about Milk and dairy:

1) Milk doesn’t reduce fractures.

Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk — but dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent (according to the large Nurses’ Health Study)!

2) Less dairy, better bones.

Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.

3) Calcium isn’t as bone-protective as we thought.

Studies of calcium supplementation have showed no benefit in reducing fracture risk. Vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures.

4) Calcium may raise cancer risk.

Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent. Plus, dairy consumption increases the body’s level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) — a known cancer promoter.

5) Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn’t.

Calcium supplements, but not dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.

6) Not everyone can stomach dairy.

About 75 percent of the world’s population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products — a problem called lactose intolerance.

Based on such findings, Dr. Willet has come to some important conclusions:

* Everybody needs calcium — but probably not as much as our government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA).

* Calcium probably doesn’t prevent broken bones. Few people in this country are likely to reduce their fracture risk by getting more calcium.

* Men may not want to take calcium supplements. Supplements of calcium and vitamin D may reasonable for women.

* Dairy may be unhealthy. Advocating dairy consumption may have negative effects on health.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman M.D, there are “more scientific studies worth noting:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently asked the UDSA to look into the scientific basis of the claims made in the “milk mustache” ads. Their panel of scientists stated the truth clearly:

* Milk doesn’t benefit sports performance.

* There’s no evidence that dairy is good for your bones or prevents osteoporosis — in fact, the animal protein it contains may help cause bone loss!

* Dairy is linked to prostate cancer.

* It’s full of saturated fat and is linked to heart disease.

* Dairy causes digestive problems for the 75 percent of people with lactose intolerance.

* Dairy aggravates irritable bowel syndrome.

Simply put, the FTC asked the dairy industry, “Got Proof?” — and the answer was NO!

In addition, dairy has been linked to conditions such as:

* Allergies
* Sinus problems
* Ear infections
* Type 1 diabetes
* Chronic constipation
* Anemia (in children)”

Many people claim that raw milk is different…

Is it?

Not really.

Again, Dr. Hyman:

“Although raw, whole, organic milk assuages concerns like pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and the effects of homogenization and pasteurization, it is still milk.

From an evolutionary point of view, milk is a strange food for humans. Until 10,000 years ago we didn’t domesticate animals and weren’t able to drink milk (unless some brave hunter-gather milked a wild tiger or buffalo!).

If you don’t believe that then consider this: the majority of humans naturally stop producing significant amounts of lactase – the enzyme needed to properly metabolize lactose, the sugar in milk – sometime between the ages of two and five.

In fact, for most mammals, the normal condition is to stop producing the enzymes needed to properly digest and metabolize milk after they have been weaned.

Our bodies just weren’t made to digest milk on a regular basis.

Instead, most scientists agree that it’s better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources, like whole plant foods — vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed.”

What do you think?

Here’s Dr. Mark Hyman’s M.D’s advice for dealing with dairy:

* If you want healthy bones, get plenty of exercise and supplement with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily — don’t rely on dairy.

* Get your calcium from dark green leafy vegetables, sesame tahini, sea vegetables, and sardines or salmon with the bones.

* Try giving up all dairy — that means milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream for two weeks and see if you feel better.  You should notice improvements with your sinuses, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, energy, and weight.  Then start eating dairy again and see how you feel. If you feel worse, you should try to give it up for life.

* If you can tolerate dairy, then use only raw, organic dairy products, preferably fermented products like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, occasionally.

* If you have to feed your child formula from milk, don’t worry. The milk in infant formula is hydrolyzed or broken down and easier to digest (although it can still cause allergies).  Once your child is a year old, switch him or her to real food and almond milk.”

The bottom line…

Dairy is not essential for good health!

If you have strange health problems and even if you don’t, I suggest that you go dairy-free and see how you feel.

You might, like my friend and many others I have worked with, be pleasantly surprised!

Until next time…

Kind Regards,
A