Hoe een glutenallergie je vruchtbaarheid kan aantasten (2)

Heb je met onverklaarbare onvruchtbaarheid te maken? Het zou wel eens door een verborgen voedselallergie kunnen komen.

While it may be easy to see how a gluten allergy could impact your stomach health, the links to fertility as well as miscarriage are a bit less obvious.

Many doctors believe the immune responses linked to Celiac disease and gluten intolerance - including the production of toxins - have a detrimental affect on the menstrual cycle and disrupt ovulation. How does this occur?

Celiac expert Dr. Alex Shikhman believes it may be through the increased production of a hormone known as prolactin.

“ Studies show that when women allergic to gluten eat this protein, it typically causes an upswing in the production of prolactin,” says Shikhman, director of the Institute for Specialized Medicine in Del Mar, California.

Produced by the pituitary gland, and secreted in small amounts in both men and women, prolactin is the hormone that naturally increases during pregnancy in order to help prepare your body for breastfeeding. But it also does something else: In high amounts prolactin can turn off production of brain chemicals linked to both egg production and release. These include FSH, which stimulates eggs to grow, and LH, which prompts ovulation. In fact, one of the reasons most women don't get pregnant while they are breastfeeding is because high levels of prolactin keep them ovulating.

At the same time, however, if you want to get pregnant, the production of FSH and LH is critical. So it's easy to see how high prolactin levels can keep you from conceiving.

Additionally, fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen believes it's not just high prolactin levels, which contribute to gluten-related infertility.

" Since the very nature of a gluten allergy means that patients are absorbing far less nutrients from their foods and even their vitamin supplements, I also believe this condition can lead to a deficiency of factors that I know are essential to getting pregnant - particularly the B vitamins, plus vitamins C, D and A, as well as minerals like calcium and iron," says Lauersen, author of Getting Pregnant: What You Need To Know. 

In fact, he says that whenever any of these nutrients are in short supply getting pregnant can be much more difficult.

"It doesn't have to be from a gluten allergy - any problems that cause a decrease in nutrients, including irritable bowel syndrome or a poor diet, can be a factor in unexplained infertility," says Lauersen. 

Moreover, Dr. Shikhman has been gathering data suggesting there may be a link between gluten allergy and endometriosis, the menstrual related disorder that is also the leading cause of infertility in young women.

According to his preliminary research, when caught in its earliest stages, mild endometriosis responds to a gluten-free diet - meaning that not only does the endometriosis clear, but so do the related fertility problems. 

Lauersen contends that diet does make a huge difference with endometriosis - with or without a gluten allergy.

"It's important to recognize that this condition does respond to diet and vitamins - and any diet that would reduce inflammation would be effective, " he says.
Additionally, it's important to point out that it's not just women who can be affected by a gluten allergy or sensitivity. Indeed, some studies show that men who are sensitive to gluten also experience problems with sperm production - including producing sperm that are misshapen or in other ways defective. And this too can often contribute to a couple’s diagnosis of unexplained infertility.

Gluten Allergy And Recurring Miscarriage 
In addition to making it harder to get pregnant, if you do happen to conceive, a gluten allergy can also increase your risk of recurring or chronic miscarriage. How does this occur?

One theory links the problem to a blood protein known as antiphospholipid antibodies. Normally, the membranes of all your cells contain molecules called phospholipids. Some of these molecules contain a glue-like substance that actually helps the cells of your placenta ( the sac that surrounds and nourishes your baby in the womb) to fuse together and grow. When the body produces antibodies to phospholipids, it causes tiny blood clots to form within the placenta, thus blocking nutrients from your reaching your baby. When your baby can't be nourished, growth and development can become so restricted, a miscarriage results.

In women who have Celiac disease, Dr. Shikhman says the production of these antibodies can soar - along with the risk of miscarriage.

“There is a very strong link between antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and gluten intolerance - and consequently, an increased risk of miscarriage,” he says.

Fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen adds that when a mother has poor nutrition, before and right after pregnancy, studies show that the risk of miscarriage increases.

" So it stands to reason that if you are not absorbing the proper amounts of nutrients from your foods or your prenatal vitamins, then your baby will not be receiving the proper nourishment necessary to survive and thrive. So even without the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, still, your risk of miscarriage would naturally increase, " says Lauersen.

Hoe een glutenallergie je vruchtbaarheid kan aantasten (1)

The hidden food allergy that causes infertility







The problem is Celiac's disease - an allergy to wheat, rye and barley that some experts say is responsible for up to half of all cases of unexplained infertility and may even cause recurrent miscarriage.. Here's what you need to know . . . 

by Colette Bouchez
If you and your partner are one of millions of couples worldwide grappling with a diagnosis of “unexplained Infertility” then you already know how frustrating this condition can be. While doctors are quick to pinpoint that “something “ is wrong - they seldom can tell you what, or what can specifically help you to get pregnant.

Now, however, a growing body of evidence has begun to shed light on a new diagnosis of unexplained infertility - and one that just might put you on the fast track to conception.

The problem is Celiac disease - otherwise known as a “gluten “ allergy. While once thought to be a rare, inherited genetic condition, it is now been believed to affect over 2 million people in the United State alone - and many more may be undiagnosed.

“Approximately 3 million suffer needlessly, undiagnosed
with this condition - most never realizing that a change
in diet could change their life ”, said Alice Bast,
Executive Director of the National Foundation for
Celiac Awareness
in a recent interview.

Of those couples affected by unexplained infertility,
experts say that for almost half, gluten allergy may be
the cause or a significant contributing factor.

And while for some the symptoms are easy to recognize
(including a history of gastrointestinal upsets, diarrhea,
gas and bloating) for many others signs are
much more vague making the condition much harder to
recognize. Indeed, problems can be as diverse as
headaches, joint pain, “brain fog”, fatigue, loss of energy, irregular menstrual cycles, anemia, and in many instances, unexplained infertility.

Indeed, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness reports that on average it can take 10 years -or sometimes more - for people to get the correct diagnosis.

Understanding The Link Between Celiac disease & Infertility 

In order to absorb nutrients from food, your intestines come equipped with tiny hair-like projections called villi. Think of these as tiny pond-fronds moving back and forth, helping to pull the nutrients from foods and send them into your blood stream.

In those who have Celiac disease, eating products rich in gluten (a type of protein commonly found in rye, wheat and barley) ignites an immunologic firestorm that causes the body to produce toxins. It is these toxins that damage the villi, causing them to lie flat. When this happens nutrients are not properly absorbed - including those from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals and in some cases even water and bile salts.

But that's not the only problem that occurs. Increasingly research suggests these same toxins create body-wide inflammation capable of affecting your health from head to toe - including your fertility.

* Currently, researchers at Molinette Hospital in Turin Italy report that early findings of a study of women with Celiac disease indicate the rate of “unexplained infertility could be as much as 3.5% higher than in the general population. They also suggest Celiac disease increases the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies.

* In another study doctors from Tampere University Hospital and Medical School at the University of Tampere, in Finland found that the rate of celiac disease among women reporting infertility was 4.1%.

* In a study conducted by physicians at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia doctors found that the rate of recurring pregnancy loss is four times higher in women with Celiac disease.

Moreover, in a meta- analysis study conducted jointly by doctors at the Technion School of Medicine in Haifa, Israel and St. Luke's Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City, doctors concluded that not only is there a strong association between Celiac disease and infertility, it also remains a condition continually overlooked by many obstetricians and even fertility doctors.


bron: http://www.gettingpregnantnow.org/Articles/Celiac_Disease_And_Infertility_.html 

Safe uses of cortisol

Safe Uses of Cortisol door William McK Jefferies MD

Recensie door Jeffrey Dach MD

Safe Uses of Cortisol door William McK Jefferies MD is een medische klassieker, en samen met zijn medeklassieker Hypothyroidism, the Unsuspected Illness door Broda Barnes, zou het op de verplicht lezen lijst moeten staan van iedere medische student en arts en zou het een prominente plaats in iedere medische bibliotheek moeten innemen. Ik heb beide boeken meerdere keren gelezen en herlezen. En ik ben van plan ze allebei nog eens te lezen.

Dit boek bevat een condensatie van klinische kennis van de carrière van een medische gigant en een rijkdom aan kennis die nergens anders gevonden wordt en is compleet met referenties naar medische litteratuur, case histories, laboratoriumstudies en doseringen.

In dit dunne boek, Safe Use of Cortisol, wijst Dr. McK Jefferies op een belangrijk verschil dat niet algemeen bekend is bij de gewone arts of het publiek. Dit is de distinctie tussen de lagere en geheel veilige, fysiologische doseringen cortisol en de gevaarlijk hogere farmacologische doseringslevels die door gewone artsen gebruikt worden om reumatoíde artritis en andere auto-immuunziekten te behandelen.

Terwijl de lagere doseringen cortisol die onder de 40 mg per dag liggen veilig zijn, is er boven dit niveau een toegenomen risico op bijniersuppressie en een toegenomen risico op negatieve bijwerkingen zoals een volle maangezicht, osteoporose met spontane fracturen, dunner worden van de huid met snelle beschadiging, striae, onderhuidse bloedingen, vochtretentie met oedeem en cataracten.

Cortisol is alom verkrijgbaar als het goedkope Cortef in de apotheek om de hoek en is het bio-identieke hormoon dat door de bijnieren afgescheiden wordt. Omdat het een natuurlijk hormoon is kan er geen patent op genomen worden hetgeen het gebrek aan fondsen voor onderzoek door de farmaceutische bedrijven verklaart.

Hoofdstuk 4 behandelt algemeen geaccepteerde gebruiken van cortisol te beginnen met het meest logische gebruik wanneer er bijnierinsufficiëntie is, ook wel de ziekte van Addison genoemd. McK Jefferies behandelt echter ook milde bijnierinsufficiëntie hetgeen gewoonlijk niet erkend wordt door reguliere artsen terwijl dat wel zou moeten. Andere gebruiken van een lage dosering cortisol zijn disfunctie van de ovaria met onvruchtbaarheid, chronische vermoeidheid, allergieën en auto-immuunziekten.

McK Jefferies vertrouwt op de Cortrosyn ACTH stimulatietest om de bijnierfunctie te beoordelen evenals cortisol metabolieten in de urine en serumcortisoltesten. Hij richt zich ook op de schildklierfunctie als deel van het hele klinische beeld; vandaar de connectie met Broda Barnes en de verder steun van het werk van McK Jefferies aan het Broda Barnes Instituut.

Ik vond hoofdstuk 5, Gonadal Dysfunction en Infertility, het meest fascinerende en klinisch meest bruikbare hoofdstuk. McK Jefferies gebruikte lage dosering cortisol om met succes duizenden jonge vrouwen te behandelen die leden aan onregelmatige cycli, ovariële disfunctie, hirsutisme (gezichtsbeharing en acne, beide symptomen van verhoogd testosteron). Tegenwoordig krijgen teenagers met onregelmatige menstruele bloedingen routinematig de anticonceptiepil met synthetische hormonen om hun cyclus te reguleren. De synthetische hormonen in anticonceptiepillen worden in verband gebracht met negatieve bijwerkingen en behandelen niet de onderliggende vruchtbaarheidsproblemen.

Onbekend voor de reguliere medici wordt de juiste behandeling van onregelmatige menstruele bloedingen in dit klassieke medische boek gevonden namelijk lage dosering cortisol en schildklierhormoon hetgeen op succesvolle wijze menstruele cycli normaliseert en vruchtbaarheid herstelt. Dr. McK Jefferies suggereert dat de oorzaak van onvruchtbaarheid en onregelmatige menstruaties gewoonlijk een overproductie door de bijnieren van ofwel androgenen (PCOS) of oestrogeen is, en de lage dosering cortisol dient ter onderdrukking van deze overproductie van hormonen door de bijnieren en laat een normale ovariumfunctie toe.

De nu erkende meest algemene genetische aandoening in de bevolking, (CYP21A2) non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiëntie, wordt geassocieerd met menstruele onregelmatigheden, hirsutisme en acne door verhoogd testosteron. Meer dan lage dosering cortisol is de huidige praktijk om een eveneens lage dosering dexamethason te geven (See the 2006 review in J Clin Endo & Metab Vol. 91, No. 11 4205-4214, by Maria I New). Misschien zou non-classical 21-OH het McJefferies Syndrome moeten heten om de toekomende eer te geven aan deze grote clinicus.

McJefferies legt er ook de nadruk op dat normalisatie van de schildklierfunctie ook nodig is voor menstruele regelmatigheid en vruchtbaarheid. Broda Barnes is het eens met McK Jefferies over het belang van de schildklier voor het normaliseren van menstruele cycli en beide behandelen met schildkliermedicatie zelfs wanneer de schildklierbloedtesten helemaal normaal zijn. Ze hebben ontdekt dat bloedtesten onbetrouwbaar zijn. Dit is een verschil met de reguliere medische praktijk die dogmatisch vasthoudt aan de schildklierbloedtesten. De meeste reguliere artsen zouden weigeren om schildkliermedicatie aan te bieden tenzij er een gedocumenteerde “buiten de normaalwaarde” labuitslag is.

Hoofdstuk 9 behandelt het gebruik van lage dosering cortisol voor virale infecties zoals influenza. Ofschoon er wat initiële bezorgdheid was dat een lage dosering cortisol op een bepaalde manier de immuniteit zou verminderen was Dr. Mc Jefferies verbaasd te ontdekken in zijn klinische praktijk dat zijn patiënten vaak minder gewone verkoudheden en andere virale ziekten rapporteerden dan hun familieleden hetgeen een verbetering van de immuniteit suggereerde. Een andere behandeling die hij gebruikte was de cortisoldosering te verhogen wanneer patiënten een gewone kou of een virale influenza aan voelden komen. Hij ontdekte dat dit de patiënt in staat stelde de ziekte af te houden of om er sneller van te genezen. Hij wijst er uiteraard ook op dat te hoge doseringen cortisol het tegenovergestelde effect zouden hebben en de weerstand tegen infecties zouden doen verslechteren.

De laatste hoofdstukken van het boek behandelen het gebruik van lage dosering cortisol voor reumatoïde artritis, allergieën, auto-immuunaandoeningen en chronische vermoeidheid.

Als toevoeging aan de ACTH stimulatietest die nog steeds in gebruik is vandaag de dag hebben we nieuwere, speeksel cortisoltesten waarvan ik zeker ben dat Mc Jefferies ze nuttig gevonden zou hebben. Wat zou hij geschreven hebben over speekseltesten voor cortisol? E zullen het helaas nooit te weten komen. Misschien zal een medische schrijven in de toekomst op het werk van McK Jefferies werk verder bouwen en speekseltesten en andere nieuwe ontwikkelingen erbij betrekken in een boek in de toekomst.

Ik heb een recensie geschreven van de derde editie die in 2004 gepubliceerd werd. De eerste editie werd in 1983 gepubliceerd. Andere boeken die naast dit boek aanbevolen zijn, zijn Adrenal Fatigue door James Wilson, Hypothyroidism, the Unsuspected Illness door Broda Barnes, From Fatigued to Fantastic: door Jacob Teitelbaum, Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy door Barry Durrant Peatfield.

Oestrogeenvervanging

Estrogen Replacement: The Untold Truth They Don't Want You to Know

 Dr. Mercola 

Estrogen has become a tricky problem for many women in the present day.

There are many conflicting studies — depression studies, dementia studies, menopause studies, and more. There are a number of different kinds of estrogen; pharmaceutical estradiol comes from plant molecules modified in a lab.

There's also Premarin and Prempro, which are manufactured from the urine of pregnant mares.

Writing in the New York Times, Cynthia Gorney, who teaches at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses her personal experiences and attempts to learn more about the hormone.

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Hormone replacement is a hot topic in medicine right now, largely because it holds the promise to relieve symptoms and slow down some of the signs of aging for menopausal women.

But this is a complex topic, one that threatens the health of many women who choose to take synthetic hormones to relieve hot flashes, mood swings and other menopausal symptoms.

First, it's important to realize that natural menopause is not a disease that requires treatment, as many would have you believe. It's a natural and normal event in every woman's life that occurs when you stop having your period.

Menopause is typically related to aging, and generally occurs around the age of 50. But it can also be due to a number of other circumstances. Surgically induced menopause, for example, occurs if you have your ovaries removed and typically requires bioidentical hormone replacement to resolve the acute loss of hormone support.. 

There are a number of symptoms associated with menopause, which makes it such an important topic for many women - probably the most debilitating of which are hot flashes and, for some women, depression. So it's important to have an effective strategy to deal with those symptoms.

But is hormone replacement the answer?

What Women Need to Know About Estrogen Replacement Therapy

 

You may not realize this, but after finishing my medical residency training in the mid-80s, I was a paid speaker for the drug companies. I was actually paid to lecture physicians about estrogen replacement therapy because, at the time, I was convinced it was a great strategy for menopausal women, since it was replacing their hormones.

I still believe replacing your hormones can be a good strategy. But in my journey of learning about and truly coming to understand health, I've realized that using synthetic hormones, and even natural hormones from animals, is not a wise choice — as have most of the conventional medical establishment, this is now common knowledge.

The following prescriptions now have black box warnings and need to be avoided:

1.            Premarin. Premarin is an estrogen extracted from Pregnant Mare's Urine. We now know it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

2.            Estrogen Therapy. Estrogen, which is extracted from Premarin, was effective in combating some menopausal symptoms but proved to have serious, negative side effects, such as the increased risk of breast cancer and an increase in insulin levels.

3.            Provera. This drug is a progestin or a synthetic form of progesterone, which probably makes it even more toxic than Premarin. Its well-documented, negative side effects include blood clotting

In addition, long-term usage studies revealed many other negative side effects of HRT, including high blood pressure and vaginal bleeding.

And a year after millions of women quit taking hormone replacement therapy, incidents of breast cancer fell dramatically – by 7 percent!

So clearly, you do not want to be on any one of these synthetic options to treat your menopausal symptoms — but there is an alternative option out there.

Natural, Bioidentical Hormones

 

Bioidentical hormones are natural hormones that are "bioidentical" to your own.

The bioidentical that is prescribed 80 percent of the time is estriol. It's natural, not a drug, and you get it at compounding pharmacies.

Estriol has been used safely for decades, and I believe it's particularly useful when your ovaries have been removed or you've had a hysterectomy. Dr. Johathan Wright, who I've interviewed many times, is a pioneer in bioidenticals, and you can see what he has to say about their value in this short video.

Keep in mind that when it comes to administering bioidentical hormones, some delivery methods are clearly superior to others.

Oral supplementation is perhaps your worst option, as your liver processes everything in your digestive tract first, before it enters your bloodstream. Any method that bypasses your liver will therefore be more effective.

Hormone creams are one common alternative that achieves this. However, since hormones are fat-soluble, they can build up in your fatty tissues and lead to having too much in your body. This in turn can disrupt other hormones. It's also near impossible to accurately determine the dose when using a cream.

Sublingual drops seem to offer the best of both worlds, as it enters your blood stream directly and will not build up in your tissues like the cream can. It's also much easier to determine the dose you're taking, as each drop is about one milligram.

Beware of FDA-Approved "Knockoff"

 

You should know, too, that although not an FDA-approved drug, the FDA has proposed to allow estriol-containing prescriptions to be filled if they're accompanied by an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, if and when a physician believes it's in the patient's best interest.

However, the IND places a significant financial burden on physicians, most notably by requiring them to submit applications to an Institutional Review Boards (IRB).

This process effectively bans most prescriptions for estriol.

Meanwhile, the FDA is in the process of considering the approval of Trimesta, a knock-off of natural estriol. Clearly, the FDA has never been concerned with estriol being used in an unsafe manner — they were concerned that their drug-company buddies were not getting their fair share of the profits.

Aside from the obvious bias, this is even more troubling because Trimesta may not be a safe version of natural estriol.

What to do BEFORE Taking Hormones of Any Kind

 

Natural bioidentical hormones can offer relief from menopausal symptoms, but they should not be your first go-to option.

Treating hormone imbalances requires a whole-body approach; the best approaches are often preventive and involve diet, exercise and other lifestyle-based strategies.

For instance, both estrogen and progesterone are necessary in the female cycle, and their balance is key for optimal health. Many women have an imbalance of these hormones, regardless of their age. And if you have insufficient levels of progesterone to counter excessive estrogen, this imbalance can be further exacerbated by chronic stress.

So your answer might not necessarily lie in using hormones, but rather addressing your stress levels so that your body can normalize your hormone levels naturally.

Likewise, eating right for your nutritional type and exercising regularly can go a long way to keeping your hormones balanced as you age.

Refined carbohydrates, processed and heated fats, empty foods — and too much of it — all serve to raise your estrogen to abnormal levels, as much as twice the normal, which are maintained for the better part of the adult lives of most American women. This is a MAJOR contributing cause of menopausal symptoms in the first place.

Consuming plenty of phytoestrogens (plant-estrogens) such as licorice and alfalfa before menopause can also help moderate your day-to-day estrogen levels so that when menopause comes, the drop won't be so dramatic. (Beware, however, that soy is not a good option here.)

You'll also want to make sure your vitamin D levels are optimized, as this is a must for gene regulation and optimal health. For more information, I recommend you watch my one-hour video lecture on this essential nutrient.

Certain polyphenols have also been shown to have some HRT-like benefits without the drawbacks, and are associated with a lowered risk of heart disease. Royal Macha seems to be an amazing adaptogenic herbal solution for menopause that has helped many women. Be sure to avoid the inexpensive varieties, as they typically don't work. If you chose this option make sure to obtain the authentic version from Peru.

You'll also want to get plenty high quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil, and Black Cohosh may help regulate body temperature and hot flashes.

In many cases, these lifestyle strategies will be very effective in relieving menopausal symptoms, but in cases where it is not enough, bioidentical hormones may be able to help.

However, you'll want to make sure you get your hormonal levels checked properly before embarking on any kind of hormone supplementation program, and work with a knowledgeable health care practitioner who can guide you.