Oral Tolerance Part II: The overlooked power of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) for immune health, brain health, and food sensitivities

Go here to read Part I: New food sensitivity issues on AIP? The oral tolerance protocol In my first article on oral tolerance, I talked about why many people develop an increasing number of food sensitivities on restrictive healing diets and what to do about it. The primary cause is called loss of oral tolerance, and…

What type of gluten intolerance do you have?

Advances in testing for gluten intolerance offer accurate assessment Gluten intolerance has been linked in the literature to 55 diseases so far, most of them autoimmune. Fortunately a revolutionary breakthrough in gluten reactivity testing at Cyrex Labs, founded on years of leading immunological research, is now available to help determine whether this ubiquitous substance is damaging…

Are your supplement ingredients safe?

Many people with autoimmune and chronic health conditions follow specialized dietary and lifestyle protocols to manage their condition yet find they still suffer from symptoms. One culprit to investigate is whether your supplement ingredients and medications are triggering inflammation. Easy access to supplements is a mixed blessing The United States benefits from wide access to nutritional supplements,…

Vitamin D is a powerful tool in taming autoimmunity and inflammation

Vitamin D deficiency is commonly associated with autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and type 1 diabetes, as well as muscle pain, neurodegenerative disorders, osteoporosis, impaired wound healing, depression, constant fatigue, and more. Understanding the role of vitamin D and how to maintain proper testing, supplementation, and cofactors will go a long way in fostering…

Omega-3 fats necessary to dampen inflammation and autoimmunity

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are naturally occurring fats that our bodies cannot produce. Instead, they must come from whole food sources or supplements. EFAs are critical to help dampen inflammation and autoimmunity, promote blood vessel health, support healthy skin growth, give the hormones the precursors they need to remain balanced, and support healthy brain and…

Dampen inflammation by supporting regulatory T cells

Reducing inflammation is integral to managing autoimmune disease and other chronic disorders. To be effective in reducing inflammation, it’s important to understand some basics. One great way to minimize inflammation is to support the immune system’s regulatory T cell function with simple dietary and lifestyle habits. These daily strategies can profoundly impact how you feel…

How low SIgA promotes loss of oral tolerance and can create false negatives on lab testing

Are you becoming sensitive to an ever growing list of foods? Do you do lab testing only to have everything come back negative, despite clear and obvious reactions to foods. If so, you may have low SIgA levels. SIgA refers to secretory immunoglobulin antibodies. The immune system makes antibodies to tag proteins to be destroyed…

Leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, and lab testing

Many people with gluten sensitivity and gastrointestinal inflammation develop intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut.” Leaky gut happens when the lining of the digestive tract becomes over-porous and allows toxins, undigested food, and other pathogens into the bloodstream. These pathogens trigger an immune cascade that results in systemic inflammation, increasing the risk for food sensitivities, inflammation,…