Chiropractor & Functional Medicine Headquarters
Dr. Steve Alukonis DC, DABCO
CONTACT US:
Melbourne Office
401 N Wickham Road Suite U
Gluten Facts...
Gluten is one of the biggest culprits in causing an autoimmune thyroid that i see in my office. Therefore, it is EXTREMELY important to be tested properly for gluten sensitivity. In our office, we run a food sensitivity test. It is a test for sensitivity to gluten, soy, yeast, milk and egg.
Gluten is the protein in wheat, barley, rye and oates. the reason that so many people across the country are gluten-sensitive is that we've been eating genetically-engineered wheat since the late 1940's. Our bodies were not made to eat genetically-engineered wheat. Our bodies were not made to eat chemicals and thats exactly what we are consuming!
Our Gluten free practitioner can help you eliminate gluten from your diet without comprimising your health, while keeping the foods you love in your breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
In order for you to be healthy, one of the best things that you can do is to avoid gluten. If you are sensitive to gluten, it will cause your immune system to attack your body, whether it's your thyroid, your joints, your pancreas, whatever. Remember we talked about an active antigen a while back*, an active antigen can be something that causes your immune system to run amuck or attack.
Your T-cells are attacking your body and the cause for your T-cell attack can be a parasite, fungi, yeast, mold, virus, bacteria, and it can also be gluten. It could also be dairy, yeast, soy and/or egg. This is not a guessing game, you need to be tested and the tests should include a DNA swab, where you're taking a swab of your left cheek and right cheek.
Usually, gluten testing with a medical office for gluten sensitivity is not done with a DNA component--you really don't know if you're gluten-sensitive or not. there has yet to be an autoimmune Hashimoto's thyroid patient walk in my office that is not gluten-sensitive, and they could very well be sensitive to dairy, egg, soy and yeast too!
How Gluten Triggers Leaky Gut
According to some experts interviewed in the featured video,“Gluten: A Gut Feeling”, including Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Celiac Research in Massachusetts, mankind did not evolve to eat gluten and therefore cannot digest it properly.
Research suggests the human gut views gluten as a foreign invader against which it must mount an immune response, and Fasano believes this is true for everyone.
However, that doesn’t mean everyone must avoid gluten. Most people, he says, can handle gluten without clinical consequence. Others are not so lucky. People with autoimmune disorders are particularly at risk for complications.
Sixteen years ago, Fasano and his team found that gluten can stimulate a molecule in your gut called zonulin — a protein that triggers the opening of junctures between the cells in your gut lining.
In essence, it makes your gut more permeable, allowing food particles to escape into your bloodstream, causing inflammation, immune reactions and raising your risk of various autoimmune disorders. This is known as leaky gut syndrome, and you don’t have to have celiac disease to suffer the consequences of leaky gut.
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Space Coast Advanced Health - Proudly and successfully treating the Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island and Melbourne area.
*an active antigen can be a parasite. It can be a virus, bacteria, mold or fungi. It can be a food protein, such as gluten.
Gluten: "A Gut Feeling"
Dr. Steve Alukonis DC, DABCO
**NEW OFFICE LOCATION**
Merritt Island Office
2235 North Courtenay Pkwy Suite 4A
Merritt Island FL, 32952