by Allyson the Assistant

As many of you know, Sean has been feeling a bit under the weather this week so I’m stepping in to share with you guys some awesome info from Dr. Peter Osborne’s show on UW Radio last week, The Gluten Free Lie.

May 18th will mark my 3-year anniversary working for Sean and let me tell you, since then, I’ve learned a TON about the evils of gluten.

But the coolest thing about working for Sean is that I’m always learning more. I know consuming gluten is linked to developing autoimmune disease, but listening to Dr. Osborne’s podcast really helped shed some light on the science behind it.

Simply put, ignoring a gluten sensitivity leads to leaky gut.

And leaky gut leads to autoimmune disease.

How can this happen?

The cells in the gut that line the intestine are tightly bound together to keep bacteria and toxins from the food we eat inside the GI tract, preventing them from getting into the bloodstream.

Gluten can cause the gut cells to open up and drift apart, allowing food proteins to slip between the cells. Since 80% of our immune systems resides in the lymphatic system behind the gut wall, the escaped food proteins start to cause an immune reaction.

Here’s the kicker – molecular mimicry.

Some of the foods we eat have similar protein structures as other parts of our body such as cartilage, thyroid, and liver tissue. Once the immune system gets used to reacting to the food leaked from the gut, it can start looking at these structures in our body and think, “these guys look similar, let’s attack them too!” Thus creating autoimmunity.

I’d heard about leaky gut and tight junctions, but this concept really helped me make sense of it all.

Another big thing I learned from Dr. Osborne was what he classifies to be gluten. But you’re going to have to listen to the entire show for that.

I promise you’ll be surprised. Click on the player at the bottom of the post to learn more…

Here are my notes…

3:18 – How Dr. Osborne got into gluten research
3:54 – “This is a miserable field to work in because nobody ever gets better”
4:24 – 3 things in medical literature to arrest autoimmune disease
5:00 – Gluten – the agreed upon culprit for autoimmune disease
6:23 – The difference between Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
7:10 – Why gluten sensitivity is not a disease
7:45 – Can somebody acquire a gluten sensitivity?
8:35 – Turning gluten sensitivity on
9:35 – Sean’s stress response
10:33 – Can stress trigger leaky gut?
11:12 – Is Sean allergic to eggs?
11:42 – 190 diseases associated with gluten consumption
12:06 – Your thyroid and the immune system
12:41 – Can gluten alter gut bacteria?
13:53 – “We know that gluten can impact any tissue in the body”
14:13 – What is leaky gut?
15:34 – Problems with leaky gut
16:25 – What gets through the leaky gut gate?
17:23 – Why does gluten cause so many problems?
18:36 – Caller Q – Besides removing foods from diet, are there other ways to heal the gut?
19:36 – Get the grain out!
21:28 – The Gluten Free Lie
23:10 – Why a traditional “gluten free” diet doesn’t work for Celiac disease
24:53 – Playing nutritional roulette
25:52 – Proof that JERF works
26:46 – What about beans and nuts?
29:36 – Does sprouting and soaking help the digestion process?
31:03 – Is gluten free for everyone?
32:20 – Listener Q – Are there false negatives in genetic testing?
34:10 – Was grain once ban for sale in the US?
35:53 – Caller Q – Can you leak oxilates through leaky gut and and not other foods?
38:50 – Delayed reactions to foods
40:11 – Caller Q – Can you add back in foods you were once sensitive to?
42:05 – Facebook Q – Are coconut products tolerated for those with leaky gut?
43:10 – Caller Q – Does eating grain-fed meat defeat the purpose of eating a paleo diet?
44:10 – Caller Q – Can you test for leaky gut?
45:01 – Caller Q – How do you know if your Hashimoto’s is under control?
47:00 – Caller Q – Why aren’t polysaccharides mentioned with regards to Celiac disease?
52:25 – Caller Q – What is the relationship between Tourettes, Autism, gluten and vaccines?
57:09 – Caller Q – Using nutritional supplements if you have gut permeability issues?
58:38 – Thyroid medication contains gluten
1:00:53 – Caller Q – Do you recommend applied kinesiology for gluten sensitivity?
1:06:08 – Caller Q – What tests do you run to know if the paleo diet works for you?
1:08:18 – Caller Q – What are your opinions on the GAPS diet?
1:08:47 – Caller Q – Is there really no cure for Hashimoto’s?
1:10:25 – Dr. Osborne’s Gluten Free Society

Check out this video clip about The Gluten-Free Lie!

Enjoy the show!

Allyson Drosten-Brooks
World’s Greatest Assistant (Sean wrote that!)

by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN

Gut flora play a key role in nutrition and your immune system.

Without these tiny helpers, your body wouldn’t be able to absorb vital nutrients or carry out its regular maintenance functions.

When your body is under attack from toxins, harmful organisms, or infection, gut flora act as the first defense against the intruders since they reside in the mucosal membranes that form the barrier between the outside world (the gut) and in the inside of your body (your bloodstream).

Since 80% of your immune function resides in the wall of the intestines – known as “gut associated lymphoid tissue” or GALT – your immune system is critically dependent upon good bacteria (probiotics) to keep the bowel wall healthy, to produce B vitamins, folic acid and vitamin K, break down your food, reduce food allergies, and fight off yeast and other invaders of the bowel.

Additionally, the cells that line your colon need energy to regenerate themselves. The gut flora helps in this process by converting unabsorbed sugars into specific types of fatty acids that your cells use for energy.

Your gut flora also:

* Produce enzymes and proteins that can kill or inhibit harmful bacteria

* Crowd out the “bad” bacteria by giving them no space to grab on

* Stimulate the secretion of Immunoglobulin A, an antibody that fights infection

* Without a strong immune system you are more prone to infections, flu, allergies and cancer.

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms found everywhere on Earth — in water, soil, plants, and in most parts of your body. In fact, bacteria outnumber the actual cells in your body by about 10 to 1. Your skin and digestive system alone host about 2,000 different kinds of bacteria.

There are fewer bacteria in the stomach than in other parts of the digestive system because the acidic environment kills most bacteria.

That makes delivering probiotics particularly challenging — you have to ensure that those good bacteria can survive in the stomach’s unfriendly environment.

These organisms acquired their bad reputation in the 1800s, when Louis Pasteur, the father of microbiology, showed that bacterial growth caused spoilage of foods, including milk and beer. He invented the process of heating milk to kill bacteria and mold, a process we now call pasteurization. Pasteur proposed that bacteria also cause disease in people, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Recent research has actually shown that different strains of probiotics have greatly differing influence on your immune system.

Certain strains of bacteria induce a production of regulatory T cells, which means that we get more immune system balance from them. Some improve digestion, while others help burn fat. They all play different roles and that’s why having a wide variety and high number of bacteria is best for your health.

Specifically, lactobacillus and bifidobacteria seem to be very helpful. We’ll investigate these 2 strains and others as we next uncover what to look for in a good probiotic supplement.

The Probiotic Supplement Label

The label should disclose the genus, species, and strain designation of each probiotic strain contained in the product.

This approach provides a level of confidence that the product manufacturer is formulating the product with specific strains consistently over time. Furthermore, strain designations tie the product content back to the scientific publications that document claimed health effects.

The product label should also indicate the number of live microorganisms that are delivered in each serving or dose, as well as an expiration date. Levels are typically communicated as CFUs (colony forming units).

The suggested serving size or dose should be indicated.

Labels should describe health benefits that have been substantiated for the product.
Finally, proper storage conditions and corporate contact information (including a Web site or consumer hotline number where additional information can be obtained) should also be indicated.

Multiple Bacteria

Strains of the same species can be different – probiotics within the same genus (or group), such as Bifidobacterium, do not necessarily provide the same benefits.

A probiotic is defined by its:

1. Genus (e.g. Lactobacillus),
2. Species (e.g. rhamnosus), and
3. Strain designation (often a combination of letters or numbers).

The names sound complicated, but they are important to connecting the specific probiotic strain to the strain’s published scientific literature. Some bacteria have several strains, or variations within the same species, and the strain appears at the end of the bacteria’s formal name.

For example, Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 belongs to the genus Lactobacillus and the species acidophilus. DDS-1 is the specific strain.

Often, product manufacturers will create a trademarked (TM) or registered trademark (®) name for the strain found in their product for marketing purposes. It is just an “alias” for the probiotic strain and does not necessarily reflect product quality.

For example, L. casei immunitas is the commercial/trademark name for the proprietary strain of Lactobacillus casei in DanActive (a popular yogurt). The real (scientific) name is Lactobacillus casei DN – 114001. Obviously, Dannon knows that the former is more appealing to consumers.

Nonetheless, the International Probiotics Assocation (IPA) says that a trademark name is not sufficient, and that the full scientific name of a strain must also appear on the product label.

Since your gut contains hundreds (if not thousands) of different types of bacteria, it’s best to find a probiotic that contains a wide variety of bacterial strains. Most probiotics will include the 2 major strains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria bifidum, however, the best probiotic supplements will go above and beyond by including several more strains.

The other reason that this is important is because different bacteria adhere to different areas of the digestive and intestinal tract.

For instance, lactobacilli bacteria have an affinity for the upper GI tract, namely the alkaline medium in the small intestine. Bifidobacteria tend to favour the slightly more acidic environment of the large intestine. Thus, it’s important to get the best of both of these bacteria and numerous species and strains that they encompass.

We’ve only scratched the surfaced of the complex world of probiotics in this article and if you’d like to get the full story so that you can feel confident in the next probiotic you choose, then read this new report called “Probiotics: Why You Need Them and How to Choose Them”.

by Sean Croxton

There’s just something about poop.

I know it’s kinda weird, but I really like talking about it. It’s my idea of a good time.

So you can probably imagine how pumped I was to have Aglaée Jacob, author of Digestive Health with Real Food, on the radio show last week.

We covered a buttload (hehe!) of topics in just under an hour.

Check em out below, and be sure to click the audio player at the end of this post to LISTEN to the show.

4:10 – How a registered dietitian went rogue and embraced real food
5:11 – How to know if you’re digestion is not working properly
6:17 – Lessons from your poop
8:50 – What an IBS diagnosis means
10:25 – Common causes of digestive problems
11:00 – How to identify and deal with food sensitivities
13:58 – Parasitic infections: prevalence, transmission, & testing
15:57 – Low stomach acid and H. Pylori infections
18:47 – Can parasites be transmitted from person-to-person?
19:44 – The scoop on small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
22:07 – Can SIBO be detected via stool testing?
24:41 – There is no one-size-fits-all parasite protocol
26:50 – What to do if you have SIBO?
29:12 – The FODMAPs diet, IBS, and SIBO
30:50 – Foods to remove on an elimination diet
32:49 – Super foods that speed up gut healing
36:42 – Does milk kefir heal the gut?
39:15 – How to get the gut back on track after slipping on your diet
40:47 – Apple cider vinegar as a way to boost stomach acid
43:37 – The best supplements for digestive health
50:11 – The most overlooked factors preventing gut healing
51:04 – Email questions!
55:15 – The efficacy of supplementing with L-glutamine for gut healing
56:08 – Info on Aglaée’s upcoming book

Click the player below to catch this episode!

By the way, if you missed the previous 213 episodes of UW Radio, you can find them on our Podcasts page or on iTunes.

Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

by Sean Croxton

Thank you for all of your hilarious comments! There were over 300 of them!

Click the video below to find out if YOU won a FREE Squatty Potty.

If you didn’t win and you’d still like to get your hands on one, use the discount code UWPOTTY to get $5 off your purchase.

Discount code expires tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11:59pm PST.

Good luck!

And CONGRATS to our winners!

Sean Croxton
The Poop King

by Sean Croxton

I’m in love.

Monday afternoon the FedEx guy knocked on my door and delivered the ultimate holiday gift.

No, this gift wasn’t something I’d use once or twice and then put up on a shelf. In fact, I can use it every single day – sometimes twice. Depends on what I eat.

A couple years ago, I posted my most popular video Poopin’ 2.0 in which I explained the importance of going number two with proper form. The design of our modern toilet is actually not so physiologically-friendly, leading to many potential problems including incomplete elimination, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis.

Since I uploaded Poopin’ 2.0 I have heard from literally hundreds of people – both men and women – who have thanked me (sometimes with very graphic stories) for altering their daily trip to the john.

Saves time.

Saves effort.

Saves paper. (Squatting is eco-friendly, too!)

As I state in the video below, I get a lot of free stuff from companies hoping that I’d help them market their products. Ninety-nine percent of the time I decline.

But when Mr. FedEx dropped off The Squatty Potty the other day, I could not wait to share it with you.

This thing is super cool! It’s stylish. You can stow it away by sliding it under your toilet bowl. And it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb in your bathroom like the old plastic box I used to use.

I’m so pumped about The Squatty Potty that we’re giving away TWO of them!

You know the drill. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below about why you want a Squatty Potty. I’ll draw 2 names out of a bag on Monday morning and announce the winners by video.

Contest ends Friday, December 9 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.

Looking forward to reading your comments!!

Feet up! Butt down!

Out.

Sean Croxton
The Poop King

by Sean Croxton

Yo! What’s up, y’all!

Before we get to today’s video, I’ve got a few announcements.

First off, yesterday’s radio show with Devil in the Milk author Keith Woodford was an instant classic! You MUST listen to it. Definitely a Top Ten all-time show. It’s going to help a lot of people.

Listen to the show HERE.

Second, I’ve gotten about a billion emails about Wednesday’s FDN webinar recording. This morning, Reed sent it over. Click HERE to view it.

By the way, the discount code (FDN200) for $200 off the course ends TONIGHT at 11:59 Pacific Time. Take advantage! When you enroll, you also receive a 30-45 minute coaching call with me as well as the link to my How to Build Your Brand Through Social Media lecture video. You’ll dig it!

Lastly, I’ll be sending out an email-list-only podcast on Monday morning. My guest is Morley Robbins. If you’re a UW podcaster you may know him as my main main Morley from the 847. He and I had a fascinating discussing that I know you’re gonna love.

This recording is ONLY for those signed up for my email list, so get signed up in the upper right corner NOW! There will be many more exclusive podcasts coming very, very soon.

Click HERE to watch Morley’s Misled…And Misfed presentation. The man oozes with passion.

Oh! I had a couple of great calls this morning. Be sure to keep stopping by this blog, as I will be giving away a few cans of Vital Whey protein powder (from gras-fed cows) and some interval timers from Gymboss.

Stay tuned!

Enjoy today’s video. It’s a mind bender!

Out.

Sean Croxton
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

by Sean Croxton

Truth bombs were falling out of the sky last night as I sat down at my desk to watch the rest of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s lecture from the Wise Traditions London DVD.

I learned all about how the health of the digestive system plays a HUGE role in asthma, epilepsy, depression, and a whole lot more! Mind blowing info, indeed.

Tomorrow, I plan on filling you guys in on the whole asthma situation. Did you know that asthma meds actually cause long-term lung damage?

It’s true!

But today I felt the need to talk about one of my favorite topics, reproduction. I love talking about baby making!

Click the video below to learn how your immune system was inherited from your mother, and why it is so incredibly important for women (and men) to ensure that their guts are well stocked with healthy flora.

Too many babies are coming into this world with the chips down. What results is an ugly cascade of compromised immunity, infections, antibiotics, worsened gut flora and immunity, leaky gut, toxicity, food sensitivities, and autoimmunity.

Talk about a domino effect!

Let’s nip this thing in the bud by educating ourselves and eating with our children in mind.

If you’re interested in learning more about health baby-making, click HERE to check our my buddy Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code program. You’ll dig it.

See you tomorrow!

Sean Croxton
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss