A collection of bits and pieces from here and there
Money doesn�t grow on trees. When you need quick cash here�s 25 unique ways to earn it right now.
Desperate times / Photo Fanboy30
You reach into you wallet to pay for your hostel bed for the night, and come up empty. You dig deeper, finding only receipts and pocket lint.
You realize you�re out of money.
Nervous, you excuse yourself from the hostel clerk and rip open your backpack, in search of a secret stash of cash. Nothing. Not even a few coins.
All you have left are some smelly socks, an overdrawn bank account and an unquenchable thirst for adventure.
What do you do? Pack up your gear, hang your head in shame as you call your friends/parents to send the money for a ticket home? Or do you consider these innovative options for funding a life on the road:
1. Travel Writer
Considered by many as the ultimate travel job, writing for online publications can help you buy your next mug of beer. Work your way to becoming the next Hunter S. Thomson by learning about the craft and querying your next inspired idea.
2. Wield that camera
National Geographic may not be knocking your door down, but that doesn�t mean that your photos don�t deserve an audience. Try selling your landscape and portrait shots to travel publications or submit it to a stock photography company such as Shutterpoint.com, Andes Press Agency and Getty Images.
3. Video journalism
With the advent of Youtube amateur videos are in great demand. Become a backpack film maker, set up your own vblog or simply sell it to tourism sites.
National Geographic may not be knocking your door down, but that doesn�t mean that your photos don�t deserve an audience.
4. Busking
If you�re talented (or even if you aren�t), this is a great way to earn money. Just make sure you�re not taking someone else�s �spot� and check the legalities of performing in a certain area. Or if the police come, you could just run away really fast.
5. Work an a Bookstore
It�s a great way to show-off your �intellectual� side whilst devouring the latest books. Keep in mind that most may require a work permit before they hire you. A great alternative is to bunk in Paris� famed Shakespeare and Company where the owner offers free beds and work in exchange that you promise to read at least one book a day.
6. Online Poker
This is the perfect money-making means for risk takers. Many travelers who have funded their trips from their winnings on Online Poker. Make sure to weigh the risks of wiping out your bank account and developing a gambling problem.
7. Massage
Have you been known to make your dates swoon with your suave massage moves? Maybe it�s time you put your seduction skills to good use by working as a freelance masseuse. Find willing clients on the beach or a location where people are looking to relaaaaxxxx. Invest in some scented oil, clean nails and your most disarming smile and you�ll have enough funds for your own spa treatment.
WWoofing it for cash / Photo strickeal
8. Farm Work
Fruit picking and farm work is one of the favorite possibilities for hippies, idealists and masochists. Though it is literally hard labor, it�s a paying job with invaluable perks, like meeting new people, enjoying the outdoors and having a unique experience.
One of the best resources is Transitions Abroad, Matador�s Guide to WWOOFING and Finding Paying Work in Europe.
9. Construction
If you�d like to fatten your wallet whilst trimming your waistline, then take on some short-term construction work. Who knows, with your newly sculpted abs and beefy biceps, you may find other uses for that tool belt.
10. Work in a hostel
Many hostels hire part-time workers in exchange for cheaper rates on rooms. Cleaning up after travelers may seem pretty disgusting, but it�s an opportunity for quick cash, a free bed and some new friends.
11. Painting
You don�t have to cut off your ear to get a painting gig, but you can put your artistic abilities to good use by offering your services for home, office or building refurbishments.
12. Dishwasher or Kitchen Staff
Grab some leftovers without having to resort to dumpster diving. Experience the stress, camaraderie and craziness of working in a restaurant�s kitchen. It may even open your eyes to a new career path like it did for bad-ass chef extraordinaire, Anthony Bourdain.
Get prodded and poked by nervous science students in the UK, US and in Europe as a guinea pig.
13. For the love of science�or some cash
If you were the type of kid that purposely ignores the expiration date on milk cartons just to �see what would happen,� then this is the job for you. Get prodded and poked by nervous science students in the UK, US and in Europe with Get Paid to Guinea Pig.
14. Donate Blood
So what if you feel a bit woozy? A train to Russia is not cheap. Sissy. Plus, you�re helping save lives.
15. Modeling
Do you enjoy staring at your reflection on train windows and hostel mirrors? Then throw down that backpack for a few hours and head off to the glamorous world of commercial and print modeling. Often found in the gigs section of craigslist ads and city job sites, these opportunities require little more than a few cheesy poses.
16. Movie Extra
Run through the streets of Berlin with Jason Bourne or flee Godzilla�s rampage in Tokyo by working as a movie extra. You can check out casting agencies, local job posts or even the local couchsurfing group where independent film makers often post openings. It�s a great way to rub elbows with international celebrities (or at least tell your friends you did), earn some fast cash and possibly get discovered.
17. Recycle
Yes, saving the environment does pay. In most European cities, you can get cash back for the bottles you collect. Scour the hostel lounge and trash cans for some empty containers which you can take to the local supermarket where you�ll be given enough change to finally buy that banana you�ve been eyeing.
Play the streets as a busker / Photo Kafka4prez
18. Sports events
Run after wayward golf balls or mop up the latest spillage from the Tae Kwon Do championships. For sports enthusiasts, it�s a great way to earn some money whilst gaining insight on the local games.
19. Trim some bushes
No, not those, pervert. Knock on a few doors and ask if they need any cleaning, yard work or repairs done. Though you may be chased off by Rover (or Ganesh if you�re in India), with a rumbling stomach, anything is worth a try.
20. Expositions
If you consider yourself a master of setting up tents, then challenge yourself by working at an exposition. Find these jobs on the city classified pages and help put up the displays, tarps and booths for a quick and easy buck.
21. Write Content
If you�ve been annoying your friends and family back home with your lengthy emails, then maybe its time to get paid by writing about other things than yourself. Work for a site that pays per hits such as blogit.com, helium.com and Associatedcontent.com.
22. Resell stuff
Don�t quite know what to do with that weird doll you got in Romania? Then sell it in your next location. From convincing your bunkmate to buy your lucky charms to auctioning fleamarket finds on ebay, reselling unusual travel goods can turn into quite the lucrative on-the-road business.
23. Handicrafts
If you�ve got a knack for crochet or can weave a basket at hyper speed, then selling some of your crafts can be used towards funding your next bus ticket. At the very least, you could make yourself something warm for those homeless evenings.
24. Festival Stalking
One of the best ways to combine a crazy cultural adventure, lots of drinking and enough dough for your next hangover spot is to work the festival circuit. You could either apply for a gig in one of the stands or push your own agenda by selling homemade space cakes, jell-o shots or setting up a kissing booth.
25. Sail Away
Sail off towards the sunset by working on a yacht or a cruise ship. You can find work by perusing crew job sites or simply asking people by the harbor if they have any leads. It provides a sense of freedom, a means to sustain to yourself and a way to get to your next stop.
Being on the road with very little or no cash may seem daunting at first, but the challenge of using your imagination to provide for yourself will make the experience all the more exciting and valuable.
Face the fear! There are always opportunities for the resourceful and intrepid traveler.
Any money-making ideas we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!
by Friar Jim Van Vurst, O.F.M.
Jesus� Conflicts With Religious Leaders
Early in the Gospel of Mark (2:18-22), Jesus runs into a series of conflicts with the Jewish religious leaders. One such conflict involved the law of fasting. We know that in all religions (and even secular organizations, for that matter) there are certain rituals and practices that identify a person as a member. Not so many years ago, meatless Fridays were part and parcel of Catholics� lives; it seemed everyone knew that about us. With the Jewish faith, fasting was one of those practices that set its members apart from all other groups. Now the basic law required all good Jews to fast twice a year. However, the Pharisees, those religious leaders who went way beyond the minimum, fasted not just two days a year but twice a week. In doing so, they separated themselves from the ordinary Jew and put themselves into a class of �holy� people.
Now when Jesus came preaching repentance and calling the people to look at their lives, it was utterly shocking for them to see that Jesus did not do any extra fasting. Even John and John�s disciples fasted. If Jesus was supposed to be this holy man, it was scandalous that he would do only the minimum required by the law. In their eyes an even greater sin for Jesus was to work�cure and heal�on the Sabbath. People in the Old Testament died at times rather than break that most holy day of rest. And here was Jesus with absolutely no qualms about healing on any day of the week!
Religious Practices Took On a Life of Their Own
Of course, as Jesus began his ministry, he knew he was facing certain external practices and attitudes that actually got in the way of the people seeing God for who he was. What had developed, and can develop in any religious group, was an attitude that the more you fasted (or rested on the Sabbath), the better you were. Not only that, but the belief was that when you did something for God, the more God was in your debt. Its sounds strange, but it is like someone saying to God, �OK, God. I fasted 40 days this year and it wasn�t easy. So, my question for you is: �What are going to do for me in return?�� When you really look at it, it was all backwards. God owes us something? Hardly.
Jesus wanted the people to know that God was loving and compassionate. They needed to know that all they had was God�s gift to them. Just to know Yahweh as their God was such a privilege and gift. If they were to do anything for the sake of God, it would not be to get something back but rather to make a gift to the God who had already gifted them with life and faith itself.
Religious Observances Don�t Save, But Prove Our Faith
As a matter of fact, it is one of the aspects of our own faith that is often misunderstood�not just by Protestants but even by Catholics themselves. The simple truth is that �works don�t save anyone.� We are saved by Jesus� death on the cross and the gift of faith with which we have been blessed. No one �works� his or her way into heaven.
And it is absolutely true that �faith without works is useless.� Good works show our faith is true and sincere. We would never say, �Oh, I believe, therefore it doesn�t matter what I do.� That would be like one spouse telling the other, �Oh, I love you, but I don�t consider that requiring anything of me.� How absurd that would be, and how that would indicate that the first statement, �I love you,� was just a lie. As true Christians, we do not just need both faith and works. Our hearts tell us that we want both if we are to be authentic Christians.
Now this brings us to Lent. Lenten regulations today are very mild compared to those in the past. Fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and then abstaining from meat the six Fridays in Lent are hardly burdensome. In fact, for many, fish has become a staple of a healthy diet. So in terms of real penance, the restrictions are truly light.
But when it comes to fasting, we are dealing with much more than food. Look at Jesus. He fasted from the constant need to ensure his good name with the religious leaders. He fasted from his own security, putting himself at risk in preaching and healing. And, of course, he fasted from the power that was his as God� living on this earth �like us in all things except sin.�
Important New Ways of Fasting
Just think about what we could fast from in our own lives: 1) insisting we are always right in any argument; 2) controlling family members and others by means of anger or deadly silence; 3) relying on a clever but sarcastic tongue that we might think is cute but hurtfully cuts others, even loved ones; 4) wasting hours on the Internet when we could be doing something with our family. There are other examples, of course, but you may find that the above suggestions are much more challenging than cutting down on food.
People may regret that the rules are so lenient these days. Well, opportunities for lenten penances are not hard to find, and others may help us discover a couple if we have the courage to ask.
LISTOWEL FOOD FAIR 6th - 9th NOVEMBER 2008
01/10/2008
Events on this years programme include special guest Darina Allen of Ballymaloe House and Cookery School. Darina will officially launch the Fair and provide a cookery demonstration incorporation the local artisan food products from the local farmers market. The launch event will include a taste of local shellfish reception together with complimentary wine.
Consultant Dietician Aveen Bannon will give a nutrition and healthy eating seminar on the key nutritional issues in the Irish diet. Recent studies all focus on the increasing levels of obesity in Ireland but despite us growing in size as a nation we are still nutrition deplete. The key nutritional issues in Ireland include inadequate iron in the diet, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids and more. Aveen plans to address these dietary issues and advise on how we can change these statistics by changing our eating habits and attitudes to food. Aveen will help you to gain an understanding of the nuts and bolts of nutrition and will offer practical advice on everything from the importance of iron intake to healthy and nutritional meal ideas.
The National Farmhouse Cheese competition
The National Farmhouse Cheese competition takes place on Friday morning with cheese guru Juliet Harbutt of the British Cheese Awards in attendance together with Teagasc experts Eddie O�Neill and Sara McSweeney.
This year sees the launch of the Irish Food Book of the Year Competition with a prize fund of �1,000 for the best food book of the past year.
The winners of the Bord Bia Quality Mark Schools competition will be announced on Friday evening with prizes for individual students, teachers and participating schools. This competition aims to highlight the Quality Mark and promote its awareness among consumers.
The Homebaker of the Year competition this year focuses on a Bown Soda Bread making competition to be judged by culinary experts from the local Tralee Institute of Technology Hotel and Catering Department.
Saturday events include cake decorating and bread making classes and morning and afternoon children�s workshops, events in local supermarkets, the good food dining circle in local restaurants and a beer tasting event.
Sunday�s annual Food and Craft market takes place from 10am to 5.30pm and the fair comes to a close with a wine tasting evening.
For more information contact 068 23433 or contact Listowel Food Fair.
hy So Many Intolerant To Gluten ? - by Luigi Greco, D.C.H., M.Sc.(MCH), M.D., Department of Pediatrics, University of Naples 06/30/1995
We have recently reported on Lancet (1) a consistent cohort of patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy with cerebral calcifications, half of which were cured by a gluten-free diet. All had an atrophic jejunal mucosa, which recovered on a gluten free diet. Gluten intolerance is now a recognized cause of brain calcifications and epilepsy, of dementia, of psychiatric disturbances: many researchers believe that, in genetically predisposed subjects, gluten is not healthy for the brain function (2).
This is just too much.
Having had over 25 years of variegated experience with gluten intolerance I find hard to imagine that the single most common food intolerance to the single most diffuse staple food in our environment might provoke such a complexity of severe adverse immune-mediated reactions in any part of the human body and function. The list is endless, but malignancies, adverse pregnancy outcome and impaired brain function are indeed complications above the tolerable threshold of this food intolerance.
On the other end today we know very well that the majority (as many as 9 to 1) of gluten intolerant subjects, identified by familial or population screening, do not manifest any complaint, although they do have a flat intestinal mucosa (3).
In conclusion a sizable proportion of our population (from 0.3 to 1%) is gluten intolerant and reacts with a wide spectrum of symptoms from no apparent reaction to severe life-threatening diseases.
This intolerance is strongly linked to specific genetic markers which have indeed required thousands years to develop and be selected: the 'population genetic' time is of this dimension, while the changes in the environment and in the food we eat, require centuries or less.
Where did they come from?
Hunters, Fishers and Gatherers
Human beings have been on Earth for over 3 millions year, but Homo Sapiens Sapiens, our nearest parent, is only 100,000 years old. For ninety thousand years he conducted a nomadic life getting food by hunting, fishing and collecting fruits, seeds, herbs and vegetables from nature. Only quite recently (about 10.000 years ago) did some nomadic tribes start to have stable settlements because they developed the ability to gather enough food to be stored. The cultivation of wild seeds begun.
Ten thousand years ago the last glaciation came to an end: a Neo-thermal period ensued which marked the passage from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic age. Ices melted gradually from the equator to the poles over several thousands years when new fertile and humid lands were uncovered in South East Asia all of Europe was still covered with ice and Northern Countries had to wait up to 4000 years more to get out from a frozen environment.
The Great Revolution: The First Farmers
The discovery in the Neolithic age of ways to produce and store food has been the greatest revolution mankind ever experienced. Passage from collection to production originates the first system in which human labor is transferred onto activities which produced income for long periods of time. The principle of property was consolidated and fortifications to protect the land and food stores were developed.
Archeological findings suggest that this revolution was not initiated by the man hunter and warrior, but by the intelligent observations made by the woman. The woman carried the daily burden of collecting seeds, herbs, roots and tubers. Most probably she used a stick to excavate roots and tubers: during this activity she observed the fall of grain seeds on the ground and their penetration into the soil with rain. She may have been surprised to find new plants in the places which she herself dug with a stick, and made the final connection between fallen seeds and new 'cultivated' plants.
She was, for thousands years, the sole leader of the farming practices and provided a more and more consistent integration to the scanty products of the man hunter (6).
To our actual knowledge, the origin of farming practices should be located in the 'Fertile Crescent': the wide belt of South East Asia which includes Southern Turkey, Palestine, Lebanon and North Iraq. In the highlands of this area abundant rainfall was caused by the neo-thermal switch. In all of this area existed, and still exists, a wide variety of wild cereals, sometimes in natural extended fields, induced by the rainfalls. Triticum Dicoccoides (wheat) and Hordeum Spontaneum (barley) were common and routinely collected by the local dwellers. The wild cereals had very few seeds (2-4) which fell easily on the ground on maturation.
The people from the Uadi el-Natuf Tell of South East Asia (7800 B.C.) provided the first traces of the gradual shift from hunters to grain cultivators. Their economy was based on the hunt of the gazelle, but their diet also included collected grain seeds. These gradually came to form a substantial proportion of their energy input, as cultivation practices ensued. There were no grinding stones or mills and it was most probable that gathering prevailed on cultivation. But during the Proto-Neolithic superior a cuneiform mortar appeared. 1000-2000 years later (5000 B.C.) wild animals, more rare due to incoming drought, formed only 5% of the daily diet, while cereals and farmed animals become a sizable part of it (4).
Stable settlements were founded: the village of Catal-Huyuk in Southern Turkey had a population of 5000 inhabitants 9000 years B.C. In that area a collection of sickles was found with inserted oxidian blades, smoothed by the routine contact with the siliceous stalk of cereals. The sickles indicate that it was possible to collect seeds not only by picking on the ground, but also by cutting stems of plants which were capable of retaining the seed in an ear (5). 'Mesopotamic' populations, originated in the first farmers, developed a great civilization with large cities and powerful armies to defend their land property and food stores. In Egypt a civilization based on farming practices developed in the 5th millennium: they became specialists in the cultivation of wheat, barley (to produce beer) and flax.
The Expansion Of The Farmers
While in South East Asia the progressive drought made hunting difficult and encouraged farming, in Europe the Paleolithic culture of hunters and gatherers persisted for 5000 years more, gradually transforming into the Mesolithic age.
In the 'Fertile Crescent' the availability of food stores and the gradual development of animal farming stimulated an unprecedented demographic explosion. The nuclear family had had a small dimension for hundreds thousands of years: the birth rate had been limited by nomadic life. In transmigrations the mother had been able to carry one infant, while the others had been obliged to walk and move on their own. Small babies in between had less chances of surviving. Thus mankind remained of approximately the same size during entire ages.
Farmers, on the contrary, were settlers, possessed food stores and most probably took advantages in the farming practices of more hands in the family. In this manner the family size exploded and, as a result, a progressive continuous need to gain more lands ensued.
The farmer's expansion lasted from 9000 B.C. up to the 4000 B.C. when they reached Ireland, Denmark and Sweden covering most cultivable lands in Europe. The expansions followed the waterways of Mediterranean and of Danube across the time of Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans (7).
The farmers' expansion was not limited to the diffusion of the agricultural practices, but was a 'demic' expansion: that is a substantial replacement of the local dwellers, the Mesolithic populations of Europe, by the Neolithic from South East Asia. More than 2/3 of our actual genetic inheritance originated in this new population, while the native genetic background has been progressively lost or confined to isolated geographical areas.
The genetic replacement of the native European population is marked by the B8 specificity of the HLA system. Cavalli Sforza and coworkers showed that the migration of farmers is paralleled by the diffusion of B8. The frequency of B8 is inversely proportional to the time length of wheat cultivation. In practice B8 appears to be less frequent in populations which have lived on wheat for a longer time, as it is caused by a negative genetic selection in wheat cultivators (7). We are aware that in Ireland, where the wheat cultivation came only 3000 years B.C., a very high frequency of gluten intolerance has been reported.
The Evolution Of Cereals
The early wild cereals, of the Triticum (wheat) and Hordeum (barley) species were genetically diploid and carried few seeds, which usually fell on the ground at maturation, making any harvest very difficult. A chromosomes in single couples (diploidicity) allowed for a wide genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity with remarkable variations in the content of protein and starches. Poliploid plants occasionally originated in nature, but they had few chances to survive, without artificial (cultivation) practices and were usually lost (8).
The beginning of farming, with the use of irrigation, allowed the survival, and the expansion, of poliploid grains. But the new poliploid grains had substantially reduced genetic variations (since each gene is represented in several copies) and more frequently autoimpollinate themselves, causing remarkable increase of the genetic uniformity.
The first stable formation of poliploid grains is dated around 6000 years B.C.: the genetic uniformity caused a considerable rise in stability and yield, convincing the early farmer to induce a progressive and rapid replacement of the wild species.
Genetic variability of grains was essential in order to adapt the plant to the very different environmental conditions of different areas, but the yield was generally low (9).
Triticum Turgide Dicoccoides was crossed with Triticum Fanschii to originate the Triticum Aestivum, which is the progenitor of all our actual wheat. The Aestivum is an esaploid wheat with 42 chromosomes, versus the 14 of the T. Monococcum. Such powerful grain replaced all existing varieties to the point where genetic variability nowadays is lost: over the world we have 20,000 cultivated species of the same unique T. Aestivum wheat. The Triticum Turgidum Dicoccoides, progenitor of the actual 'durum' wheat with which pasta is made, had just few seeds encapsulated into a pointed and twilled kernel: at maturation the seeds fell on the soil and penetrated into it with rain, eased by the arrow-shaped structure of the kernel.
Ten thousand years ago it was difficult to pick them up: hence the attempt, made by the Neolithics, to select varieties which could retain the seed longer, in order to allow for an harvest.
Genetic variability was already substantially reduced in Roman times: 'farrum', i.e. spelt, (T. Dicoccoides) and 'Siligo' (T. Vulgaris) were the common grains. Siligo was used for bread making and contained a certain amount of gluten, while spelt, used mainly for soups, was poorer in gluten content (10).
But cultivation of wheat and barley was not started or diffused in the whole world: only a small geographic area (South East Asia) developed gluten-containing cereals. In Asia rice was the cultivated species, while in America maize prevailed and in Africa sorghum and millet. All these plants were present in nature and were gradually cultivated in the places of origin (7).
In our part of the world grains had for centuries been selected in order to improve their homogeneity and productivity, but soon (Roman times or before?) another desirable quality was preferred: the ability to stick, to glue up a dough to improve bread making. Early bread making activities pushed towards grains that contained greater amounts of a structural protein which greatly facilitated the bread making: the gluten. Gluten was not chosen because of its, at the time unknown, nutritional value (which is not absolutely special, since it is a protein with relatively low nutritional value), but for its commercial qualities.
Rice, maize, sorghum, millet do not contain gluten: no leavened bread was prepared with them: the majority of mankind never lived on bread, as we do know it.
Over the last 200 years of our modern age active genetic selection, and actual genetic manipulation, have changed the aspect of the original Triticacee enormously: from few grains and little gluten to great wheat harvests very enriched in gluten (50% of the protein content), well adapted to cultivation practices and ready to be handled by monstrous machinery.
The Rise Of The Intolerance To Gluten
Did everybody adapt to such profound changes in the basic nutrition over such a short period of time? South Eastern populations, presumably well adapted to the new foods, grossly replaced the existing Mesolithic European dwellers who still lived on hunting and gathering. But a proportion of the local populations (or, rather, of their inheritance ) persisted beside the invaders. The feeding changes were not well tolerated by everybody.
The best similar example is lactose intolerance: populations that have more recently adapted to milk consumption, still lack the genetic ability to digest lactose over the infancy period. Environment has changed centuries before any change in the inheritance may have been possible.
Similarly a considerable proportion of the hunters and gatherers of the pre-Neolithic ages have not fully adapted to the great feed changes induced by the cultivation of wheat. These people could not recognize gluten as a 'tolerable' protein available for digestion and absorption: they may have not have any problem or complaint for centuries, since the content of gluten in the grains was very low, but when 'industrial' quantities of gluten were induced by selection of wheat in order to improve bread making, they were exposed to unbearable quantities of an 'intolerable' protein or peptide.
This population, genetically identifiable today by their specific HLA pattern, did not recognized, through their HLA system, the gluten peptide as a tolerable item, but, because of the similarity of some sequences of gliadin peptides with several pathogenic viruses, they generate a complex defense mechanism (an immune response) which does not eventually find the pathogen to destroy, and most probably activate an auto-immune response which ultimately is the origin of the damage to their intestine and other organs.
These fierce descendants of hunters and fishers, exposed to this subtle enemy, could not develop the defense of tolerance and, in the attempt to fight the unknown, they ultimately develop a disease due to excess defense. For centuries they underwent a negative selective pressure, with less chances to survive, and then to be manifest (11).
In the last millennium gluten-intolerant children mostly had a harsh time behind them: after weaning, malabsorption and malnutrition were the underlying causes of poor defense to infections during infancy and early childhood. Acute infectious diarrhea was the main killer of infants up to 50 years ago in Europe and up to 15 babies every thousand died for this condition. In the suburbs of Naples, only 25 years ago, infectious diarrhea was the main killer (25% on an infant mortality rate of 100 per thousands live births) (12).
The vast majority of gluten intolerance occurred among these poor infants. In my own clinical experience 25 years ago I observed several fatal gastrointestinal infections in babies with the 'celiac crisis', which has now disappeared from our wards.
Few chances to survive, few intolerant children that reached the reproductive age, and become capable of transmitting the intolerance, few adult cases. Then gluten intolerance may have become extinct, as was in fact the case with several other pathogenic conditions? Not at all.
The intolerance most probably had some selective advantage which counterbalanced the gluten intolerance: it is possible to suggest that it was their very effective HLA Class II system that gave them a selective advantage against infections, which compensated the disadvantage due to gluten intolerance.
When, in the last 50 years, infantile infections greatly diminished, the descendants of the hunters and gatherers with very active immune-defense, 'over reacted' more frequently to the gluten than to their ordinary enemy. Hence the rise of the cohort that now appears to manifest, in different manners, a gluten intolerance.
However, not all populations of the world were ever exposed to such a nasty protein: the vast majority of mankind, after the development of agriculture, lived on maize, rice, sorghum and millet, tubers: all gluten free. All of them did not underwent the selective pressure of gluten intolerance and they may in fact have been the reservoir of wild genes.
Finally, breast feeding most probably played a major role in preserving some children from the fatal infection of infancy (13). The capacities of breast milk to protect against viral and bacterial attack, the protection given by maternal antibodies and the delaying effect on the manifestation of symptoms of gluten intolerance (in the predisposed subjects) may all have protected the hunters and gatherers, who in this manner avoided to develop fatal symptoms and managed to survive and transmit their genes to our population.
Hints On The Epidemiology Of Gluten Intolerance
The epidemiology of gluten intolerance, as we know it today, is the complex result of the apparition of the population of hunters and gatherers in our modern world.
As the cohort of those born before the World War II had few chances to survive infancy, we nowadays have few adult cases and few long term complications. Where the intolerance is still manifested mainly in the classical way (infants and small children, malabsorption, diarrhea, often switched on by an infection) we do not frequent encounter 'atypical' presentations and adult cases or long term complications. In this case the epidemiological calculations on observed cases made by gastroenterologist may be in great contrast with those made by pediatricians. On the contrary the rarity of 'classical' cases, which has been used as the proof of the 'disappearance' of gluten intolerance, is counterbalanced by the presence of atypical and late diagnosis, where actively searched for.
Finally nutritional attitudes have played a major role with regard to the chances for hunters to manifest themselves in different age groups: the example of Sweden as compared to the nearest Denmark or Finland is paradigmatic (14).
As shown by Maki et al, the ability to identify atypical cases may completely change the observed epidemiological pattern in a given region. Hence the reason for the 'iceberg': most cases still to be discovered (15). Similarly, population-based screening programs uncover more 'silent' than overt cases (3).
Nevertheless, the 'cohort effect', regional differences and so on, have up to now failed to overcome the limits of numbers: when local incidence rates are compared with other regions' rates, the 95% Confidence Intervals of the rates are very often so wide to contain the all lot of observed rates. No clear-cut statistical difference has really been shown in the incidence of gluten intolerance in Europe (16).
Wherever extensive studies on symptomatic cases have been run an incidence of 1 case per each 1000 live births has been reached, but very often the incidence has been much lower: up to 1 cases every 250 live births. Population screening studies invariably come to an incidence rate of 1 every 250. This is very close to the rate predicted by age-adjusted incidence density studies (17). Recent reports indicate an incidence close to 1 case per every 100 live births, but this finding needs confirmation.
Gluten Sensitive Versus Gluten Intolerant
But the epidemiology of gluten intolerance, which entails the tracing of a group of our ancestors, may completely change once we consider the increasing knowledge about the 'gluten-sensitive' individuals. 6 to 10% of first degree relatives of known cases themselves are gluten intolerant and have a flat intestinal mucosa (these are silent cases), but up to 30% of sibs of cases, when challenged with a dose of gluten (or its digest) activates a specific mucosal immune-response (with increase in intraepithelial infiltration and activation of T-cells), without having any sign of mucosal damage (potential cases?) (18).
We may, in the near future, have a substantial group of individuals who do not activate, in presence of gluten, a 'pathogenic' immune response (auto-immunity), but who recognize gluten as a 'suspect' protein in the same way as their peers really intolerant.
Finally gluten intolerance is indeed linked to a specific genetic predisposition: most probably at least two genetic loci are involved in running the risk of intolerance.
How many possess these specific genetic risk at a 'carrier' state? Certainly more than 5% of the actual population. In conclusion we have a wide population of 'gluten-reactants' in Europe (EC): at least 1 million cases of total intolerance to gluten - an estimated similar amount of 'gluten sensitive' people - 10-15 times more 'carriers' of the risk of becoming gluten intolerant.
So we have found our ancestral hunters and gatherers: they are a substantial proportion of our actual community and do deserve a 'gluten-free' alternative not only as a therapeutic mean, but as an option of our daily life.
Gluten Sensitivity and Bladder Disease
Celiac.com 08/28/2008 - Gluten intolerance can affect all the mucous membranes of the body in sensitive individuals, including the bladder lining. I was diagnosed in 1996 with an incurable, progressive, painful disease called interstitial cystitis. The symptoms mimic those of a bad bladder infection, although most lab tests are negative for bacteria, and antibiotics generally do not help. I knew as a nurse how the bladder functions, and that it needs to have an intact lining to tolerate holding all the toxic wastes of the body prior to elimination. It made sense to me to try a dietary approach, and I had good luck immediately by excluding from my diet known bladder irritants like tomatoes, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, and alcohol, even though most doctors at the time gave diet little credit for a reduction in symptoms. Nevertheless, the disease did progress over time, and I eventually needed to take pain medications, anti-spasmodics, and other medications to enable me to function. Every urine test showed that I had significant amounts of blood in my urine. No one ever tested me for food allergies, gluten intolerance, or considered any other possible cause. No one suggested that my symptoms were part of a systemic dysfunction in my body. I had a painful disease, and they would give me as much pain medicine as I wanted, but there was no cure.
I was no longer getting enough sleep to enable me to function well as a nurse. I made the choice to stop working for a few years to concentrate on rebuilding my health. I was in constant pain. It was about this time that I began turning to alternative practitioners for help, and started experimenting with my diet, as well as having food allergy and sensitivity testing done. I had some success eliminating the swelling in my pelvic area using castor oil packs, enough so that when I had increased swelling from eating a particular food, I could tell the difference. Careful observation showed me what did and did not negatively affect my bladder. Eliminating gluten resolved a long-standing rash on my legs, called dermatitis herpetiformis, and after about two years and a lot of alternative bodywork, my bladder began to significantly recover. It was the first area to show symptoms, and the last to recover.
Now, twelve years after my interstitial cystitis diagnosis, my urologist readily agrees that gluten negatively affects the bladder in some portion of her patients, and that eliminating gluten leads to a reduction in symptoms. All of my urine tests are perfectly normal and I sleep at night. Still, there are almost no published journal articles linking gluten intolerance and the bladder. I am trying to get the word out there, specifically, the idea that we do not have to live with constant pain, and that what we eat can affect our health.
My future goals include beginning an informal clinical trial in the form of a support group for patients willing to try a gluten-free diet as a treatment for chronic bladder symptoms. If anyone is interested in the link between bladder symptoms and gluten sensitivity, I have pages of anecdotes gathered from many people who have experienced healing on a gluten-free diet.
The Connection Between Bladder Symptoms And Gluten Sensitivity - A Collection Of Personal Experiences*
*Names have been changed to initials to protect individuals privacy.The author has the original web-posts or other identifying information. A summary of web posts from [email protected] and [email protected] and personal communications revealing strong evidence of a connection between bladder symptoms and gluten sensitivity. This article is an adjunct/follow-up to the above article on gluten sensitivity and bladder disease.
��The main help came from W.�s suggestion to try to eliminate wheat-barley-rye (gluten).The Elmiron was getting close it it�s max without constantly abusing the situation with gluten�about three months ago I started eliminating gluten-carrying grains, �wallah� absolutely the most significant change started happening about 3 or 4 days from the last day of gluten. How much better am I now since then � about 500% better (close to where I was when I first noticed the IC, even though I didn�t know what was happening � close to TWENTY YEARS AGO). I am still of the opinion that some kind of critters have and maybe still play a part of this. I have taken every kind of antibiotic, with a little success now and then, but not enough to kill it.�
�It took about 3 months to see mild improvement, about a year to see moderate improvement, and about 2 years to feel much better. I am not 100 percent symptom free, but most of the time I am a very manageable level of symptoms, and when I flare (from diet or sex) it is very short lived.I am down to one Elmiron a day (from the original dose of 3) and I also do a gluten and sugar free version of the IC diet, which I also think has helped me a lot.�
�I have had IC for 30 years pretty severely. It was only this past years that I got tested �and found out I had a severe wheat-gluten allergy to the point that I cannot ingest one bite of anything with wheat or gluten�they said my whole digestive tract was inflamed�Over the years I knew I was wheat, dairy, and sugar intolerant but these (latest) tests are more specific and let you know the levels. I feel much stronger and have many days when I am symptom free. I finally feel different.�
�I have started cutting wheat and gluten out of my diet, its been about 2 weeks now. I, like M., have IBS. I am feeling better every day.I am following a diet very similar to yours.Thank you for posting it again!�
�I have had IC for over a decade. I have been on a gluten free diet for over 6 years and that has been the only thing that has given me any relief from the IC. I no longer take any meds at all � haven�t even been to a doctor for the IC in several years.Glad to hear someone else is seeing the benefits of the GF diet for IC and getting the word out. I would definitely suggest anyone with IC give it a try. It definitely gave me my life back."
�Where have you been for the last twenty plus years?You may have saved my life.I have described these symptoms for years to doctors and never got an answer that sounded even close to what was happening. Just �try these antibiotics� once in a while at the beginning (there was minimal change), but more and more the antibiotics got more and more expensive with less and less effect if any at all, it even included the kill-all antibiotic � kills everything except me �Went to nerve doctor ($2,500 plus, pelvic x-rays (2 or 3 types).One of the urologists� never said anything but �prostatitis� over and over again. My head now also has a near perfectly clear thinking ability, before it was always a bit cloudy even though I may not have been totally aware of it.The feel of carrying extra weight is now almost gone. The gluten issue may not be the only issue I have � prostatitis is likely to be part of the pain problem, but there is no question that the gluten issue has been a very, very large part and is now subsiding.�
�I was tested for gluten intolerance but it came out negative but while I awaited results I went gluten free and I felt so good I never went back. I have had a lot of improvement going gluten and sugar free as well.I can find rice pasta, lasagna etc. easily. It�s amazing how you don�t have to try hard to substitute (for) it.�
�I have gone from having to go with urgency every 5 to 10 minutes and being in constant pain (especially at night) to having almost no symptoms. I am not �cured�. I am still working on healing. I occasionally have a mild flare. Gradually I am able to add foods back into my diet � a very different diet than before. Whole foods, more veggies, only whole grains (no wheat), no sugar, and an overall more alkaline diet�.There is help. There is hope.�
�I am just into the first several chapters of the book (Solving the IC Puzzle, by Amrit Willis, R.N.), but wanted to stop and ask if there were any people who were celiac or gluten intolerant that also suffer from IC. In my celiacs group, there are quite a few that have celiacs that (also) have IC.autoimmune � allergy � poor lifestyle choices � toxic body � all related. So, I am wondering if there are others in this IC group that are gluten intolerant/celiacs or who have suffered from, have, or have healed from autoimmune diseases��
�I have celiac disease also. I was diagnosed via a blood test about 4 months before the IC thing came to a head. I disregarded the doctor�s warning to stay away from gluten/wheat.I went to a gastroenterologist because I felt like I was having a stomach flu every 2 weeks. So I saw this guy and he gave me the blood test results (which I ignored) until finally, I felt so bad I decided to whit the gluten/wheat.I had a friend who has celiac really severely and she told me that I might as well cancel my hydrodistention to test for IC because eliminating wheat/gluten might clear everything up for me. Unfortunately, I had the hydrodistention which made me much worse, IC-wise�.Sorry for the long-winded answer.I finally stopped taking the Elmiron�So far so good.I really don�t expect to have a problem. It was just hard letting go. I don�t know which came first (the celiac or the IC).Looking back, every time I drank beer I always felt bloated right away. Classic example, on our way to skiing, we would stop for two beers. Relieving myself before getting back in the car, I would be dying for the bathroom before we reached our destination, 45 minutes later. I though this was normal.I suppose it was the celiac and IC kicking in. Too bad it would take 10 years and 3 pregnancies later to diagnose it��
�I have been diagnosed with gluten sensitivity and am gluten-free. Since I was already eating very little in the way of grains at my nutritionist�s urging, I don�t find the diet that difficult to follow.I try to be very careful.�
�I agree with these 2 types of pastas. I also find that when I eat wheat (which is an allergy I have) that my bladder gets irritated��
��So, W. your IC is totally gone right now � especially after cutting out gluten? I have known for years and years that I was gluten sensitive as whenever I wouldn�t eat gluten or wheat, if I just ate vegetables and protein my stomach would be soooo quiet.Hindsight is 20/20 � just wish I would have given up gluten years ago and maybe this wouldn�t have happened. I am checking into pelvic floor therapy and will have that done along with many other things � I am so terrified of this getting worse, absolutely scared to death. Thanks for your words of encouragement and comfort.�
(Personal Communication)�Suddenly some of the mysteries of what's been called my "wheat intolerance" or "allergy" were resolved. In particular, I no longer think I'm crazy for suspecting a link between my 2.5-year-long urinary tract infection and the onset of my more obviously wheat-related symptoms. Thanks so much for getting the word out, and sharing your experience!�
(Personal Communication) �I about fell off my chair when I read about your bladder stuff. I've seen 3 specialists (including a digestive doc and a urologist!!), a regular PCP, and a naturopath, and none of them were willing to consider a link between wheat issues and my poor bladder's troubles. It was like the world lifted off my shoulders - I'm not crazy! And my body is not the wreck I thought it was at the ripe old age of 31!Seems funny to be exultant about probably having celiac disease, but that's what I've been since.�
GUM
Could Xanthan Gum Sensitivity be Complicating your Celiac Disease Recovery?
Celiac.com 12/03/2008 - Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide used as a binder in many gluten-free products. In the production of xanthan gum, sucrose or glucose is fermented by a bacterium, Xanthomonas campestris. After a four-day fermentation period, the polysaccharide is precipitated from a corn-based growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. When added to a liquid medium, a slippery, sticky gum is formed, and this substance works well in holding baked goods together, or keeping separate liquid ingredients in suspension in salad dressings and sauces.
While the above description doesn't make it sound very appetizing, what's the problem with xanthan? Some people develop an allergy to xanthan, with gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Even consumption of a very minor amount can lead to days and days of recovery and many trips to the bathroom. Hmm. Sound like anything we've heard before? And that's the problem. Experiencing a xanthan reaction can make you question your gluten-free diet, make you think you were accidentally exposed to gluten, or mystify you completely.
A xanthan reaction can also precipitate migraine headaches, skin itchiness, and for those exposed to large amounts, such as bakery workers, nose and throat irritation. Symptoms of xanthan sensitivity become more prevalent with increasing exposure, so that can be one important clue. If you've suddenly started baking alot, or become addicted to a new brand of gluten-free cookies, and you start to have increased gastrointestinal symptoms, you may want to consider ruling out an adverse reaction to xanthan gum.
What's a body to do? Guar gum makes a good substitute, and it is also less expensive.
How did I become aware of this? Well, actually I have known about this for quite awhile, but since xanthan gum is in so many gluten-free products, I thought that sensitivity to xanthan must be a rare and isolated occurrence. Then two things happened to change my mind. I began baking a lot of gluten-free products for a business venture, and suddenly started having some gastro-intestinal problems, after being healthy for so long. I didn't have the severe pain of a gluten reaction, but otherwise my symptoms were eerily similar, particularly the bloating. I had already decided to lay off the baking (and tasting) as much as I could, and had narrowed the possibilities down to either tapioca starch or xanthan gum. Then, a student in one of my cooking classes let me know that she had a severe allergy to xanthan, and described her symptoms. They were identical, except in severity.
I reformulated my recipes using only guar gum for my next stretch of gluten-free baking, and I had no problem at all. I certainly hope that I do not develop a reaction to Guar gum, which is the ground carbohydrate storage portion of the guar bean. I have not seen reports of allergy or sensitivity to guar gum, but will do a little more research for my own knowledge, which I will share in the future.
By no means am I advocating that all people following a gluten-free diet give up products made with Xanthan gum. But, if you do not feel that the diet is helping you, and are still symptomatic, a sensitivity to Xanthan gum is one possibility that needs to be ruled out.
Gluten Sensitivity and Depression
Celiac.com 03/02/2009 - Patients with depression are told they have a chemical imbalance. If someone else in their family is also depressed, the �gene card� is played. �Your depression is genetic�, they are told.
I have been in practice for over 20 years and I find the above data to be false. Consistently we find patients who are suffering from depression and anxiety to be gluten sensitive. How could a food cause depression? Let�s take a look.
After the digestive tract, the most commonly affected system to be affected by gluten is the nervous system. It is thought that depression can be caused by gluten in one of two ways.
The first area addresses the inflammatory changes gluten can cause. A gluten sensitive individual�s immune system responds to the protein gliadin. Unfortunately, that protein is similar in structure to other proteins present in the body, including those of the brain and nerve cells. A cross reactivity can occur whereby the immune system �confuses� proteins in the body for the protein gliadin. This is called cellular mimicry and the result is the body attacking it�s own tissues with inflammation resulting. When inflammation happens in the brain and nervous system, a variety of symptoms can occur, including depression. Research shows us that patients with symptoms involving the nervous system suffer from digestive problems only 13% of the time. This is significant because mainstream medicine equates gluten sensitivity almost exclusively with digestive complaints.
In a study examining blood flow to the brain, 15 patients with untreated celiac disease were compared to 15 patients treated with a gluten-free diet for a year. The findings were amazing. In the untreated group, 73% had abnormalities in brain circulation by testing while only 7% in the treated group showed any abnormalities. The patients with the brain circulation problems were frequently suffering from anxiety and depression as well.
In addition to circulation problems, other research looks at the association between gluten sensitivity and its interference with protein absorption. Specifically the amino acid tryptophan can be deficient. Tryptophan is a protein in the brain responsible for a feeling of well-being and relaxation. A deficiency can be correlated to feelings of depression and anxiety.
Our society is too willing to accept a �chemical imbalance� as an explanation for their symptoms and instead of getting to the root cause of the condition, simply swallow a pill � a pill that in the case of anti-depressants has very dangerous and sometimes lethal side effects.
The frequency with which we are able to successfully taper patients off their anti-depressants is considered �unbelievable� to many mainstream doctors, yet we do it regularly. How is that possible? We actually diagnose the root cause of the depression. Frequently the culprit is gluten, and in such cases a gluten-free diet is the main path to recovery.
Celiac Disease, Asthma & Dehydration
Celiac.com 03/11/2009 - I recently had an unfortunate health experience related to celiac disease. I learned long ago that it�s my responsibility to manage my own health, so I came up with a strategy that was successful. Along the way, I also learned some important information that really helped me understand the problem and the eventual solution. Perhaps this information will help you avoid a similar health crisis. I�ve included links that can give you additional information. Disclaimer: I�m not a medical doctor. This is information that I have gathered based on my own experiences and research.
Celiac Disease
I have celiac disease. I manage it quite well through my diet. However, if I ingest anything with gluten, for instance a wayward crouton in a restaurant salad, I have a severe reaction that starts within five minutes. All or some of the following will occur: hives from head to toe, stomach cramps, uncontrollable diarrhea, vomiting, asthma, severe lethargy. I fall into an uncontrollable sleep that takes about four hours to run its course. Needless to say, I avoid gluten at all costs.
A Bit of History
Although I am a remarkable person (like all of us), my health history has been quite unremarkable. Nothing was ever wrong with me and I wasn�t allergic to anything. I can count on one hand how many times I�ve taken antibiotics in my entire life. In the past 30+ years, I never went to the doctor for an illness. I�ve had colds, various and sundry viruses and infections, but they ran their course with slowing down, plenty of rest and fluids. I believe that the primary strategy should be to give your body the time to heal itself first, and if that fails look for an alternative strategy from your doctor.
Imagine my surprise when about six years ago the symptoms of celiac disease manifested themselves. (Note: I was going through an acute stressful time in my life when this occurred.) Along the way, other unexpected food allergies have presented themselves as well.
One of my favorite foods was peanut butter. Since I was a little girl, I loved feasting on �peanut butter on spoon�. Out of the blue one day, a typical teaspoon of one of my favorite foods sent me into an anaphylactic reaction. And then a few months after that incident, a bite of a granola bar with cashews sent me on my first ambulance ride with a rapidly constricting throat to the emergency ward. My favorite food is now a deadly poison.
I�ve had mild intestinal reactions to all vinegars and vinegar products (a little balsamic is OK), more than three glasses of red wine (not white wine or champagne), milk and cream (not cheese, thank the Universe!). I�ve also realized that I�m thirsty all the time. It seems that no matter how much water I drink, I can�t seem to quench my thirst. I even sleep with water next to my bed and drink several glasses throughout the night and still wake up thirsty. The water goes right through me and doesn�t seem to be absorbed. (I have recently been prodded, poked, examined and tested by a battery of doctors as a result of my once in 50-year checkup and they all agree that I�m the picture of health.)
Both my mom and my grandmother suffered from asthma; my grandmother dealt with it her whole life. When I have an asthmatic reaction, my wheezing and coughing sound just like theirs! I remembered them being armed with their inhalers and their steroids at all times. I also remembered that these medical weapons didn�t stop the asthma attacks or the wheezing or uncontrollable coughing. They only dealt with the symptoms, not the underlying problem. Mom�s asthma went away when she started eating a gluten free diet.
The Incident
So I�ve come to enjoy cooking. Regardless of the disastrous results of my past cooking experiences well documented by my children, close friends and family, this new hobby relaxes me at the end of the day, is creative, saves money and insures a truly gluten and allergy free diet.
I recently made a delicious French Onion and Ham Cream Soup. It was inspired by some wonderful French spices I bought from Penzey Spices. I made a big pot of the soup and had it for different meals throughout the week. I didn�t notice at the time an increased feeling of lethargy, intestinal rumblings and increased thirst that got progressively worse through the week.
And then it happened. About five minutes after devouring the last of my delectable French Onion and Ham Cream Soup, the tell-tale signs of an oncoming asthma attack occurred: mucous pouring into my lungs, wheezing, airways closing up, unrelenting coughing.
In addition, I had horrible abdominal cramping. I was tremendously thirsty, but the water just seemed to go through me and make me even thirstier. At about 4:00 am just as I was about to get myself to the hospital, I started to slowly stabilize, meaning I wasn�t getting worse.
I slept for a little bit, then woke up coughing uncontrollably. My throat was so parched it felt like sandpaper. I dragged myself through a day of work exhausted, not being able to really get a good breath and feeling so very thirsty.
That night I literally coughed all night long sitting straight up in a chair; I couldn�t lie down because of the coughing. I couldn�t go to work the next day. I needed to discover why this happened, how I can prevent it from happening again and implement an immediate strategy for managing this health crisis.
Hypothesis
I realized there was a relationship between several factors: celiac disease, since I had no allergies until it manifested itself; cow�s milk, which I knew was a highly allergic food; asthma, as the allergic reaction, and dehydration, because of the incessant thirst. By understanding how all of these factors related to each other, I thought I could figure out a strategy to 1) get myself into a healthy state quickly and 2) prevent this health crisis from happening again. (Even thought I knew this was an asthma attack, I wanted to make doubly sure it wasn�t pneumonia or something similar. I had no fever, chills, aches or pains, headache, or upper respiratory infection. I was fine one minute and not fine the next.)
Research
Asthma is a disease in which inflammation of the airways causes airflow into and out of the lungs to be restricted. When an asthma attack occurs, mucus production is increased, muscles of the bronchial tree become tight, and the lining of the air passages swells, reducing airflow and producing the characteristic wheezing and coughing. Asthma symptoms are usually worse at night.
There is high correlation between people who have celiac disease and people who have sensitivities to proteins found in cow's milk. Milk is one of the most common food allergens in the American diet. And most cows eat a lot of grain and perhaps there�s a link here. Milk allergy symptoms can occur within minutes or hours after consuming the dairy product. They can be triggered by a very small amount of milk protein in the system.
There is also a relationship between celiac disease, asthma and dehydration. People with celiac disease are often very thirsty even after drinking lots of water. And so are people with asthma. If fact, many doctors now think that asthma is a symptom of the body managing its water supply.
This is how it works�
Water is needed for every function of the body. Our bodies are 75% water and our brains are 85% water. Because of the water used in breathing, digestion, enzyme and hormone production, immune function, toxin removal and so on, we need to replace that water frequently throughout the day or our health will suffer.
When we start to dehydrate, histamine production increases to conserve water in our bodies.
This is vital since our lungs must remain moist to work properly. Excess histamine, a defense against losing more water, makes it difficult to breath and triggers an asthma attack. Histamine also stimulates mucous production to help seal in moisture, but that also leads to increased breathing difficulties. Histamines are also important for immune function, but during dehydration they are mostly used to look for water. If dehydration becomes chronic, the immune system will suffer; allergies, both inhalant and food allergies, will result because histamine is important for the proper balance of Tcells, antibodies and so on.
Elevated histamine in the lungs causes the spasm of the bronchioles. This conserves moisture that would normally be lost during breathing. The mucus that clogs up the airways is the body�s attempt to keep the airways from completely drying out. Inflammation in the airways is the result of the body bringing more �micro-circulation� to the lungs as a result of dehydration.
Common problem foods for people with asthma are dairy and gluten. Both are very hard to digest and require a lot of water to break down. If there is not enough water in the digestive tract when food is taken in, water will be pulled from other parts of the body and localized dehydration will result. This can lead to asthma, among other problems.
Allergy symptoms of any kind are a sign that we need to drink more water. Antihistamines and most medicines, either directly or indirectly, actually are counterproductive for the body because they further dehydrate the body and shut off the body�s search for water. Pain, inflammation and digestive problems are also typically signs of dehydration. Dehydration is a common cause of migraines, for example.
And then I unexpectedly learned about salt�
Salt is the other half of the hydration equation. Salt is vital for the generation of hydroelectric energy and transmission of nerve impulses in all the cells. Salt acts as a natural antihistamine through salt-sensing nerves on the tongue and plays a major role in regulating water. Without enough salt, water is not absorbed.
My Strategy
The first step was to get myself in a healthy state. My re-hydration plans included continually drinking filtered water even through the night, teaspoons of honey to soothe my raw throat when needed and pinches of pink Australian sea salt (a Christmas gift from my wonderful mom) on my tongue throughout the day and night when I felt I needed it, although any sea salt would do. I also had vegetable juice and fruit juice for additional fluids.
I noticed the salt working in a couple of hours. I was beginning to absorb the water (I didn�t have to pee every time I drank some water). It took about two days before the thirst went away. It was great waking up without a parched throat. The coughing was still uncontrollable, especially at night, but instead of a constant, non-productive coughing and horrible wheezing, the mucus was beginning to become looser. It took another three nights before I could sleep lying down, but the mucus had really broken up. The coughing was actually allowing the mucus to get out of my lungs. It took about six days to feel like myself again. I did gain about five pounds. But I lost it quickly and it was fat lost, not precious water. Besides, there�s nothing glamorous about walking around in a dehydrated, sickly state.
The second step is to not let this happen again. I�m now drinking no less than 10 eight-ounce glasses of water every day with a pinch of salt on my tongue if I feel I need it. I need about � teaspoon of salt for every quart of water I drink. After a lifetime of poor medical advice, I now know that salt is my friend. If I drink coffee or wine or if I get the nutty idea to exercise, I have to drink more water. And no more milk and cream - at least until I�m stabilized for awhile.
If I feel an asthma attack coming on, the best treatment is to drink 2-3 cups of water and put a pinch of sea salt on my tongue. This will provide my body with the water it needs and the salt will send a signal to my brain to relax the bronchioles by letting it know relief is coming.
Conclusion
As difficult as this last health adventure was, I learned something that has changed the way I feel and has optimized my health. I found the root of the problem and fixed it instead of following mainstream medical thinking and putting a band aid on the symptoms. It�s really scary when it feels like your body is turning on you, and very empowering when you use science and knowledge to get yourself back. I�ve always said when it comes to business, �the market speaks, just listen.� I now need to take that advice for myself. My body speaks; I just have to listen!
Enjoy Yourself and Be Healthy Too
By The National Cancer Institute
There is no need to deprive yourself of your favorite treats or abandon all the healthy habits you may have developed since New Year's Day. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) focuses on what you can do-as opposed to what you can't do-to live healthy and happy.
DO get more active. Some additional physical activity will help you expend some of extra calories and avoid weight gain. You don't need to buy special clothes or belong to a gym to get more active. Work it into your everyday routine. The easiest exercise you can do is to go for brisk walks whenever you can-- park further back in the parking lot, walk a little extra while shopping at the mall or go for a walk with friends or family members after dinner. Be sure to walk only in safe, well-lit areas. You can also dance, climb stairs, rake leaves, play some basketball or toss a football with a friend or family member- any activity that keeps you moving. Each week, try to aim for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise such as hiking uphill or jogging) as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends.
Already get regular exercise? Good for you! Try not to let your busy schedule derail your workouts. If you get off track, add exercise into other parts of your day and get back to your regular routine as soon as you can. Any physical activity that you do will help you control your weight, maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, and reduce risk of cardiovascular conditions and even some cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
DO eat healthy, nutritious foods. We know it's hard and let's face it; we're all going to splurge from time to time. We never really think about our risks for cancer or other disease when we're eating for enjoyment--but try these tips to keep your splurging in moderation:
While you're at the dinner table, fill up on your vegetables and fruits first. According to the National Cancer Institute, people whose diets are rich in plant foods such as fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of getting cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, and there is some suggested evidence for colon, pancreas, and prostate. By eating 5 to 9 fruits and vegetables, you are also less likely to get diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, all major concerns for the African American community. This may sound like a lot, but one serving size is small (it fits in the palm of your hand).
Share desserts with another friend or family member. This will help you enjoy more of your favorite things without so much of the fat. As you probably know, eating foods high in saturated fat increases the risk of many chronic diseases so it's best to do so in moderation. Occasional splurges can be fine, but get back on track with your normal eating habits as soon as you can.
Use some healthy recipes for your entrees, appetizers or side dishes. Do honey candied yams, angel food cake with mixed berries, or garlic mashed potatoes sound good to you? For the recipes, call 1-800-4CANCER or visit www.cancer.gov/ncipubs to request a free copy of the Down Home Healthy Cooking recipe book.
Use healthy cooking techniques. Put away that deep fat fryer-boil, roast, bake, grill, braising or stir-fry instead. Use low-fat or skim-milk while cooking, add more herbs and spices instead of salt, and steam your vegetables whenever you can.
Visit www.cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER to learn more about how more physical activity and a healthier diet may help reduce your cancer risk. Small changes can make big differences. This season, try to adopt some new, healthy habits and start a new tradition for you and your loved ones. After all, living healthy and happy is always a "do."
The National Cancer Institute is the nation's lead federal agency for cancer research. For more information about cancer research and resources, visit www.cancer.gov or call toll-free 1-800-4CANCER.