Elizabeth Yarnell, Author, Innovator, Naturopath, Speaker
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Tag: food sensitivities

Antibiotic Exposure in Infancy Linked to Food Allergies

A new study shows that children who were given antibiotics in babyhood are almost twice as likely to grow into kids with food allergies. The authors, from South Carolina College of Pharmacy in Columbia, theorize that the early disruption of normal flora and fauna in the digestive tract by antibiotics lead to a loss of oral tolerance levels and development of allergies as the child grows.antibiotics in babies linked to food allergies

I can’t say I was shocked to see this information, though it’s always good to see clinical results in a scientific study like this to convince people.

When we take antibiotics, the drugs kill all the bacteria in our body – the good along with the bad. Good bacteria assist us in normal digestive processes and are necessary for complete digestion and assimilation of nutrients into our bodies. We can replenish good bacteria by taking probiotics, but they are limited and unfortunately cannot precisely recreate the complex biome that should be inside our guts.

In Chinese medicine, it is taught that the digestive system in children is not fully developed until they reach six years of age. The Chinese realize that it takes time to build up the bacteria and other life forms in our guts that help keep us healthy.

The study noticed that many of the study participants where given multiple rounds of antibiotics as babies to treat infected eczema. Eczema can usually be controlled with dietary changes in either the breast-feeding mother or the type of infant formula. Babies battling eczema should be tested for food allergies and food sensitivities before they get to a point of multiple infections and repeated rounds of antibiotics that set them up for more food allergies and sensitivities.

The reason I was not surprised to see the results of this study is that I believe a pre-natal course of inter venous antibiotics administered during the ninth month of my pregnancy to address an infection of listeria resulted in my baby’s 41 food and chemical sensitivities. I know it was a necessary action because listeria likes to take up residence in the placenta and cause stillbirth, but none of my medical caregivers ever mentioned how it might affect my baby’s life once he was born. The entire focus was on getting him born alive, and as a result of the infection and treatment he suffered terribly in constant pain and discomfort for the first six years of his life.

If your baby is suffering, it may be due to what he is eating. There are things we can do to help ease his pain and heal his body even if he is still breastfeeding. Feel free to contact me for a free consultation about what can be done.

Salicylate Sensitivity and Psoriasis

In my work creating customized anti-inflammatory diets, one of the trickiest sensitivities to deal with is salicylate sensitivity.

Psoriasis before going salicylate-free. Skin is scaly and uncomfortable.
Psoriasis 2 weeks after going salicylate-free. Itch-free and healing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When salicylates show high in the Mediator Release Test (MRT), it translates to an exhaustive analysis of every food before deeming it safe to it for that person.

Salicylates sensitivity is near impossible to identify without such sophisticated testing because so many foods we think of as “healthy” are full of these naturally occurring compounds. Synthetic salicylates may be added to many medicines, perfumes, and personal care products. Those with salicylate sensitivity need to be aware of both sources when they are looking to find relief.

Salicylate sensitivity can manifest in anything from migraines to skin issues to autoimmunity. One of my clients arrived battling severe psoriasis that had recently escalated with new patches and swelling in her face and eyelids. Testing showed she was highly reactive to salicylates.

We started her off on a tailored anti-inflammatory diet that was low in salicylates. Immediately, the puffiness and new patches receded, but long-term spots were unresponsive. We adjusted her diet to be entirely salicylate-free and the change in her body was dramatic after only two weeks.

She realized that the daily “green-smoothie” health kick she and her husband had been following had actually been making her skin much worse, full as it was of salicylates in the leafy greens!

So much for blindly following generalized health advice!

Must You Oil The Lid When Making Glorious One-Pot Meals in A Dutch Oven?

Reader question: Hi elizabeth, I have a question– why is it necessary to oil the entire pot even though not all of the pot will be touched by food? I have a problem with the oil sticking to the lid…it’s very hard to get off.  Thanks, kelly

Hi Kelly! This is a great question with a simple answer: if you don’t want to oil the inside of the lid of your Dutch oven when making Glorious One-Pot Meals, then don’t.

Because I prefer to load my cast iron Dutch oven all the way up to the brim with food when preparing GOPMs, I’m in the habit of oiling the inside of the lid as well as the inside of base of the pot because I’ve experienced food sticking to the top when I skipped this step. However, it is not a mandatory requirement that you oil the inside of the lid, or even that you oil the pot at all. Certainly, I’ve forgotten to oil the Dutch oven many times before loading it with food, and the food still cooked up just fine, even if the pot was a little harder to clean afterward.

Glorious One-Pot Meals are very forgiving recipes: substitution or even omission of suggested ingredients is encouraged, making this a perfect technique to use for those with food aversions, sensitivities, or allergies. Of course, even omnivores can appreciate the simplicity of preparation, the speed of cooking, and the tastiness of the final results!

Thanks for writing, Kelly!

Here’s a quick and delicious Glorious One-Pot Meal cooking demonstration for “Feta Shrimp”, in case you’re wondering what the fuss is all about.

Why You Should Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Yesterday I wrote about the surprising prepared/processed/packaged foods that may contain corn syrup or its derivatives. Today I want to touch on why high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) might be harmful for your health.

The last time I wrote about high fructose corn syrup and sugar, I unexpectedly received a large package by snail mail from the corn growers association containing a lot of printed propaganda about the goodness of corn derivatives and how the human body cannot tell the difference between corn syrup and cane sugar. Sweet is sweet, they say.

Don’t fall for it. We have had the wool pulled over our eyes for too long and our population is paying the consequences.

I was not convinced that high fructose corn syrup is the same as sugar because I know that:

* High fructose corn syrup is many times more concentrated than natural sweeteners like sugar. The dose you receive from a soda or candy made with HFCS is intensified and sweeter than it would be from cane sugar..

* It would be hard to eat anywhere near as much corn or sugar as you take in with a small amount of high fructose corn syrup.

* HFCS spikes blood glycemic levels, forcing the pancreas to work overtime producing insulin to process it all. When the pancreas can’t keep up with the demand for insulin, you get Type II Diabetes.

* According to Michigan researchers, brain cells develop insulin resistance, just as body cells do

* Since at least 88% of all corn grown in the United States is now Genetically Modified (GMO), the odds are unavoidably high that the high fructose corn syrup in that packaged food is concentrated GMO corn extraction.

* In a fascinating article in the September/October issue of Psychology Today, Nikhil Swaminathan examines the plight of the bees and how it reflects on human health. He discusses how Round-Up Ready (TM)  GMO corn leaches the Round-Up (TM) organophosphate-based chemical pesticides into the kernel, contaminating all of the corn derivative products added to our processed foods. The toxins accumulate with every ingestion of products containing high fructose corn syrup. The stark truth: bees fed high fructose corn syrup laced with organophosphates died. Researchers in Montreal looking for organophosphates in the urine of preschoolers found detectable levels of organophosphates in 96% of kids tested. Basically, everyone is being fed these poisons through our food supply.

* Exposure to the organophosphates used as pesticides with Round-Up Ready (GMO) corn  can lead to measurable cognitive deficits in children, hormone disruption, and heightened hypersensitivities, likely due to the additive effects of multiple exposures. The EPA only looks for single exposure limits, but since the toxin can be found in so many additives, typical eaters in our modern society likely receive many exposures over the course of a single day.

At some point, each one of us could inadvertently cross that invisible, personal, toxin threshold that sends our bodies into constant reaction. Until you get there, you really don’t know how lucky you are to have your health and not feel miserable within your own skin almost every day. Once you arrive at this dreadful place, it is a long, arduous climb to cross that constantly lowering threshold again and regain a state of health.

I’ve been there and it resulted in three years of constant hives. A good day would be thirty hives, and a bad day three hundred. So many days were miserable because I was so uncomfortable inside my own skin. I feel lucky that I was able to heal and survive beyond the hives; I remember researching online and finding posts from people who had been suffering with hives for 17 years or longer. It took a lot of effort for me to clear out enough toxins from my life and my body to surmount my threshold and return to health, and I learned a lot about clean and healthy living in the process.

My advice: avoid high fructose corn syrup whenever possible and find out your own particular hypersensitivities.

What causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) often stumps medical doctors. I see many IBS sufferers who carry thick files of medical records testifying to all the specialists they’ve seen, to all the medications they’ve tried, and to all the dietary and other advice they’ve received. IBS is a serious condition that can cause great physical distress to a sufferer.

In my experience as a naturopath, IBS can usually be traced to one or a combination of the following problems:

  • antibiotic usage.
  • bacterial infection.
  • parasitic infection.
  • enzymatic deficiency/intolerance.
  • decrease in oral tolerance thresholds, otherwise known as food sensitivities.

Let’s look at each of these a bit more closely and see where the solutions to IBS may lie.

Bacterial infection

If you have a bacterial infection, the culprit could be salmonella, e.coli, c.dif, or another pesky and sadly-too-common bacteria. Usually these will appear when a medical professional takes a culture and looks for them. Typically, these tests have already been done by the time a client comes to see me, and if they show positive results a course of antibiotics can make a big difference.

Antibiotic use

Of course, a round of antibiotics will kill off not only the bad guys, but also a lot of the good bacteria you need to assist in digesting your foods. Probiotics can help balance this, though sometimes you need to try several types to find the one you need.

Parasitic infection

International travel, camping, gardening… there are lots of ways you can get infected by parasites. Once, the entire city of Milwaukee was infected with cryptosporidium through the water supply, so don’t look at this as a stigma or judgement on your personal hygiene.

The host cycle of a parasitic infection can include acute phases and chronic phases. The life cycle of a parasite includes eggs, larvae, and adult stages, and it is important to target all three when eradicating the infection. Western anti-parasitic medication — Flagyl — will only get the adults, and it is not effective against all species, either. I advocate a gentle, herbal program for longer than 15 days to see the best effects. Then, you may still need to repeat the herbs 6 months to one year later, if the symptoms reappear.

By the way, testing for parasites is notorious for false negatives. If you suspect parasites, I always advocate doing a parasite cleanse without bothering with expensive, unreliable testing.

Enzymatic deficiency

The villi are the little hairs that line the insides of your stomach. Their job is to sense the food that you eat and call for the correct enzymatic formula to digest the food into small enough particles so that the villi in your intestines can absorb the nutrition and assimilate it into your body. When you are chronically inflamed, the villi get smashed and flattened and are unable to do their job well. The food does not get broken down enough, absorption and assimilation doesn’t happen, and deficiencies develop. Enzymatic deficiencies cover intolerance, too, such as lactose or gluten intolerance.

Supplementation with plant-based digestive enzymes can help correct this and enable nutrient absorption.

Decrease in oral tolerance, aka food sensitivities

I listed this last because I believe food sensitivities can be incited by any of the above-mentioned conditions, or perhaps you are simply a sensitive person who has unwittingly crossed their tolerance threshold through other circumstances.

Food sensitivities can manifest in a whole host of issues caused from inflammation in the body where it shouldn’t be: migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, arthritis, MS, etc., etc., etc…. Food sensitivities likely play a role in every chronic condition that has inflammation at the root level.

The hopeful thing is that, if you can figure out the cause and address it appropriately, you can eliminate the irritable in IBS and lead a pain-free, “normal” life.

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