intolerance Archives - Dr. Cathy Sevcik, Naturopathic Doctor and Bowen Therapist

Is Your Heartburn Actually Eosinophilic Esophagitis?

January 10, 2016 by Cathy

Pain behind the sternum associated with the sensation of food getting stuck could be eosinophilic esophagitis.

You probably haven’t heard of eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) unless you or someone you know has it. A decade ago it was considered fairly rare by the medical community but this condition is rapidly increasing in incidence. It used to be mainly a problem diagnosed in children but now it is more commonly being found in adults.

EE occurs when eosinophils (a white blood cell, part of the immune system) infiltrates the esophagus due to food and environmental allergies. When the eosinophils detect an ‘intruder’ (the allergen) they release substances that ultimately cause tissue swelling which leads to compression of the tube. The swelling comes and goes depending on the exposure to allergens. During an acute reaction, food that is being consumed may feel like it can’t go down (called dysphagia) and in extreme cases it can become impacted. Repeated cycles of this event cause the esophagus to stiffen and may create strictures and thickenings, known as Schatzki rings.

Esophageal pain associated with food consumption is often reflux related and so many people assume they have heartburn when they have pain behind their sternum. However, if this pain is also associated with the sensation that food is getting stuck part way down, this is a signal that the problem may be EE. EE can only be diagnosed by a gastroenterologist who will perform an endoscopy with tissue biopsy. The tissue will be observed under microscope to confirm abnormal eosinophil concentration.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is of particular interest to me because I was diagnosed with it in 2014. Looking back, I can remember the first time it felt like I couldn’t swallow something I ate. It was ages ago and it didn’t happen again for years so of course I didn’t even give it a second thought. But over time, I had these episodes more and more frequently and more and more intensely until I had a very intense lengthy episode of impacted food that motivated me to go for a diagnosis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is considered chronic, incurable, progressive and is expected to relapse and remit. The conventional treatment is palliative and can have undesirable side effects.

Naturally, I have found better natural treatments!

Identifying and avoiding food intolerances has been so helpful. I went from having 2-3 episodes per week to 1 every 3 months – and those I could trace to accidental or purposeful exposures to specific foods.

Identifying and avoiding or desensitizing environmental allergies is another component of the treatment strategy. Some EE sufferers only experience episodes during their hay-fever season. That was not my case, but my worst episodes have occurred during grass season, which is my allergen. Retraining the immune system to not attack these pollens has brought further improvement.

Helping the lymphatic system to drain efficiently with detoxifying remedies has also helped both prophylactically and during acute episodes.

If you have chronic heartburn, you may have eosinophilic esophagitis. This condition irreversibly damages your esophagus so early detection is desirable. Natural treatments can substantially improve your quality of life and reduce the progression of the condition.

Reboot Your Immune System with Sublingual Allergy Desensitization Therapy (SLIT)

November 29, 2015 by Cathy

Reboot your immune system with SLIT and eliminate or reduce environmental allergies.

Is the arrival of spring a bitter sweet event for you because although it means beautiful weather and cherry blossoms it also signals the beginning of your hay fever season? Or maybe you suffer more from dust mites or cat allergies all year long. Environmental allergies comprise a number of symptoms including: itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion and post nasal drip, and reactive airways including constant cough and asthma. The intensity can reduce the quality of life for people.

No matter what the ‘assailant’, environmental allergies signal immune system malfunction – I like to call it confusion. Your immune system works (almost too well) but it has identified the wrong foes. This is not only annoying because of the symptoms, but it also means that your immune system has less resources left over for real problems like pathogens and cancerous cells. It also means that during your allergy season, there is heightened inflammation circulating through out your body – which is a factor in aging in areas like your joints and brain. We don’t want to age faster than necessary, do we?

Rather than reach for antihistamines during allergy season, I suggest you consider rebooting your immune system. Effectively, we can practically wipe the slate clean (the immune memory cells that create the antibodies) so that your immune system can be more effective.

The first aspect of the process is to identify digestive intolerances and clean up digestive function since 70% of immune cells reside in your gut. I do this work in the initial appointment with every patient I see. It provides the foundation for keeping your entire system clean and smoothly operating.

Then we identify the environmental allergies using a scratch test and proceed with SLIT for the allergens identified. Ideally for 48 hours after a SLIT treatment, the allergen is avoided. This is why treating seasonal allergies outside of their season is ideal.

The SLIT we use is different than commercial preparations. We have created serial dilutions of standard antigens that are administered sequentially in a 1 hour appointment. Most adults will need between 3 and 5 sessions (1-2 weeks apart) of SLIT to obtain maximal results. Most people will obtain substantial reduction in reactivity to their allergens. Some will find that they need a periodic booster to maintain their results.

“All information contained on this website is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.”

Does your mouth itch when you eat certain foods?

September 17, 2015 by Cathy

There are some simple therapies that can help you with oral allergy syndrome.

Have your lips ever tingled or become swollen after a meal – and you didn’t know why?

And do you suffer from seasonal allergies?

If so, this could be a common phenomenon called oral allergy syndrome.

What’s happening is that certain foods contain proteins that are similar enough to certain pollens, that the immune system misidentifies the food as being the same as the pollen and attacks – causing swelling and perhaps a rash, usually in the lips, mouth & throat area.

Ideally your immune system wouldn’t have identified the pollen as a threat in the first place – but that’s another story.

The interesting (and confusing) thing about oral allergy syndrome is that it comes and goes. If the food in question is cooked, it is less likely to cause the reaction because the proteins have been ‘denatured’ or changed and they sneak by the immune system.

Also, you are much more susceptible to reaction during the season that the corresponding pollen count is high. You may have no reaction out of season, or it may be quite diminished.

The syndrome is usually benign but uncomfortable. Sometimes the allergy can progress to systemic reactions especially if it involves nuts or any of the high allergen foods (dairy, egg, fish, soy, wheat, or shellfish). In any case, you should explore whether you have a more serious allergy that could develop into anaphylaxis (unable to breath, shock, life threatening) with an allergist.

Here is a list of the pollen allergens and the season they tend to be active:

Birch – spring

Grasses – spring and summer

Ragweed – summer and fall

Mugwort – summer and fall

Here is a list of the pollen allergens and a list of foods that they have been associated with. Foods may appear on multiple lists:

Birch – almond, apple, apricot, carrot, celery, cherry, chestnut, chicory, date, fennel, fig, grape, hazelnut, jackfruit, kiwi, melon, nectarine, orange, parsley, parsnip, peach, pear, peanut, pistachio, plum , potato, prune, soybean, spinach, walnut,

Grass – apple, carrot, celery, chamomile, chestnut, currant, date, eggplant, fennel, fig, grape, kiwi, melon, mushroom, nectarine, orange, peach, pistachio, tomato, watermelon

Ragweed – banana, cantaloupe, carrot, celery, chamomile, coriander, cucumber, dandelion, fennel, honeydew, kiwi, melon, peach, peppers, watermelon, zucchini

Mugwort – aniseed, apple, avocado, caraway seed, carrot, chamomile, celery, coriander, mango, mustard, parsley, peach, peppers, sunflower, watermelon

Does any of this sound familiar? Do you want to see if there is a way to reduce your reactivity?

My process for helping people with these issues includes:
• Identifying underlying systemic inflammation from food intolerances which cause digestive insufficiency and leads to immune system dysfunction including allergies
• Identifying the pollen allergies and the critical season and identifying natural remedies that modulate inflammation
• Desensitizing the immune system to benign pollens and foods using low dilution therapy

The best time to start desensitization therapy is outside of the season in which the allergy is active – not in the middle of hay fever season when you are suffering.

This is a great article on oral allergy syndrome.

http://ow.ly/Sm7sz

Let Food be Your Medicine

August 30, 2015 by sean

“If diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. If diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” – Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb

Did you know that 70% of your immune system resides in your digestive tract?

This fact has powerful implications for the role of diet in the healthy functioning of every aspect of your body.

The chronic conditions that plague the modern human are largely a result of subclinical inflammation that begins in the gut and then circulates throughout the body.

Systemic inflammation is implicated in the following conditions:

Brain – mood issues, memory problems, Alzheimer’s, headaches, neurological disorders
Skin – acne, eczema, rashes
Respiratory System – asthma, allergies
Endocrine system – female sex hormone imbalances, blood sugar problems
Circulatory system – atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, blood disorders
Digestion – IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, constipation, bloating, SIBO
Musculoskeletal – osteoarthritis, muscle and joint pain, weight gain
Immune system – chronic infections, autoimmune disorders
Degenerative conditions – cancer

Anything that reduces the quality of digestion can result in a cascade that leads to further mal-digestion and inflammation.

Here are some suggestions:

Don’t eat too much in any sitting. Overloading your digestive tract prevents proper digestion.
Don’t eat unless you are hungry. This gives your digestive tract time to properly process each meal. If you get shaky or irritated between meals, then you may be eating too much carbohydrate. Consider eating a diet that has a lower glycemic load.
Identify and eliminate food intolerances and sensitivities. Intolerances result from enzyme deficiencies and result in incomplete digestion. The undigested food travels to your colon where it grows a less than ideal microbiome. These gut bugs release waste products that are toxic to your system. The undigested food also comes into contact with your immune system, starting a cascade of food sensitivities.

I use a naturopathic test called the Carroll Food Intolerance Method to help individuals identify the foods that contribute to their systemic inflammation. Once these foods are identified and eliminated, the body can heal.

The Art of Good Sleep

August 30, 2015 by sean

“Dear sleep, I know we had problems when I was younger, but I love you now.” Anon

How do you sleep? Do you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your day?

Adequate sleep is essential to health. Your body and brain do most of their repair work at night while you sleep.

Our sleep-wake cycle is primarily set by 2 hormones – melatonin and cortisol. Melatonin is released from the pineal gland in response to darkness and makes us feel sleepy. Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands and enables our daily activities. Ideally, cortisol peaks around 8am and declines throughout the day. Interruptions in the levels and responsiveness to these 2 hormones contribute to sleep problems.

What you do both at night and during the day can make or break this balance and result in sleepless, restless nights.

Here is a list of considerations. Take a look and see what you need to adjust in your lifestyle to improve your quality of sleep.

Routine. Your adrenals crave routine. Getting up around the same time every day is the most important followed by eating and going to bed at the same or similar time. Also, establish a bedtime routine that clearly signals your brain that you intend to go to bed. The more your body can acclimate to a schedule, the more optimal your cortisol levels will be (high in the morning, declining all day and low during sleep).

Light/Dark. We evolved in an environment where we had little control over light and dark, and so it governed our lives. Now we manipulate our environment such that is can be artificially light whenever we want. This could be the single most sleep disruptive factor. You can still enjoy the benefits of modern life with a few tweaks that will help you sleep better. Go outside for at least 20 minutes each day – even if it’s not sunny and preferably in the morning. The sun’s rays have different properties than the artificial light that you are normally exposed to and these properties are likely important in determining your alertness during the day. In order to emulate the dark cycle, approximately 2 hours before your scheduled bed time, turn down the lights or light candles if that appeals to you. Ideally, stop screen time at this time too – but if that’s impossible, at least let the rest of your home be dark. You can purchase amber glasses that filter out blue light which can also be helpful. Your pineal gland will become primed to produce melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep onset and maintenance. While sleeping, your bedroom should be completely dark – use blackout blinds or curtains and remove all lit screens. Even a clock radio can be too much light for light sensitive individuals. Don’t turn on lights if you go to the bathroom at night. Use dim night lights if necessary to avoid tripping hazards.

Stress and Adrenal Fatigue. If you have been under stress for a long period of time, your adrenals may be over or under-producing cortisol or surging too late in the day. It is underappreciated that low cortisol may result in the inability to stay asleep, which is a common complaint. Address stress. Consider meditation. Practicing self-hypnosis and progressive relaxation has really helped me!

Blood sugar regulation. How well you manage your blood sugar all day affects the quality of your sleep. This is because when it is not well managed during the day, it isn’t during the night either. A common reason that people wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep is because their blood sugar has dropped too low and the brain can’t maintain the proper balance of neurotransmitters to stay asleep. In addition to eating a low glycemic load diet all day, having a small protein snack before bed can alleviate this problem for certain people.

Inflammation. Our brain is affected by any systemic inflammation in the body. Examples include dental infections or digestive inflammation caused by food intolerances and food sensitivities. Ultimately, sleep can be quite disrupted. Identify and eliminate these sources of inflammation.

Caffeine and other stimulants. Are you the type of person who can’t drink a caffeinated beverage too late in the day or it will affect your sleep? If so, then that means you are caffeine sensitive. It also means that the caffeine you are consuming early in the day could be disrupting your sleep. If you are really serious about better sleep, you may need to try a caffeine elimination period to see what happens. Many have been surprised that eliminating a single morning cup of coffee improves their sleep dramatically.

Alcohol. Alcohol may seem to help you fall asleep but it certainly doesn’t help you stay asleep. It also changes the sleep cycle pattern making sleep less restful.

Herbs and supplements. There are a number of herbs and supplements that can support sleep while you are working on the lifestyle factors. Some people respond really well to them and others find they don’t help at all. The point here is that experimentation is generally required. Certain ingredients may work for you better than others and not all products will have the same effectiveness, even if they contain the same ingredients. It can be frustrating but worthwhile if you find the right combination for you.

**All information contained on this website is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.