An estimated 50% of Americans are on some type of psychotropic drug. Half of the US population!
What is causing such widespread prevalence of mental health disorders? Prescription anti-depressants and sedatives don’t solve the underlying problem… So how do we get to the bottom of this?
The Gluten Free RN contends that there may be a connection between mental health and undiagnosed celiac disease. Today she explains how several disorders (anxiety, depression and paranoia, among others) have been linked to gluten, discussing how a leaky blood-brain barrier can lead to hypoxia, an inflammation of the brain.
Nadine walks us through the best research in mental health disorders and gluten sensitivity, sharing two landmark studies that emphasize the gut/brain connection and characterize celiac disease as primarily a neurological disorder. Nadine offers her insight around working with schizophrenic patients and the increasing number of children suffering from anxiety. Listen in to understand how gluten impacts your mental health, and learn how to eliminate brain fog, get off prescription meds, and enjoy a higher quality of life!
The connection between gluten and hypoxia
The shocking statistics around Americans and psychotropic drugs
The potential relationship between mental health disorders and undiagnosed celiac disease
The health consequences of undiagnosed celiac disease
The findings of the landmark Cooke study in 1966
The conclusion of an editorial published in Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
How a gluten-free diet can resolve gastrointestinal and psychiatric symptoms
Nadine’s experience with schizophrenia patients
The increasing number of children diagnosed with anxiety disorder
The concept of food as medicine
Resources:
‘Psychiatric Complications of Celiac Disease’ in the International Journal of Celiac Disease
‘Genetic Hypothesis of Idiopathic Schizophrenia: Its Exorphin Connection’ in Schizophrenia Bulletin
‘Markers of Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease in Bipolar Disorder’ in Bipolar Disorders
‘Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Celiac Disease’ in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
Two and a half years ago, Nadine was inadvertently hit with gluten—three times in a row. In the past, it had taken about ten weeks for her symptoms to resolve after an accidental exposure, but this time they stuck around. It started with feeling cold. Then she began experiencing abdominal distention and pain. Her dermatitis herpetiformis returned, she was plagued with sinus congestion, and she was gaining weight. Most concerning of all, she developed pulmonary edema, a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs.
Today, the Gluten Free RN is getting real, revealing the health struggles she has been dealing with since 2015. She explains the circumstances that led to her accidental gluten exposure and recounts the ten scary nights she spent in a recliner, forced to sit up in order to breathe.
Nadine takes us along on her global search for the answers that began with a practitioner in Thailand and a tiny container of damp rash lotion, and ended with a diagnosis of myxedema from a naturopath here in the States. Nadine discusses how those three consecutive hits of gluten targeted her thyroid gland and how T3 is working to resolve her symptoms. Listen in and learn how the Gluten Free RN is reclaiming her Superwoman status and how you, too, can reach your full potential with good health and wellbeing!
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Nadine’s health struggle the past 30 months
Nadine’s search for the underlying cause
How Nadine is reclaiming her health
How a damaged thyroid gland impacted Nadine
The importance of support in getting your health back
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
Celiac disease is messy. It can develop at any age, in any ethnicity, in both men and women, with any symptom or no symptom at all. Every patient is different, and each one presents differently. There is nothing cut and dried about celiac disease, except that a 100% gluten-free diet is necessary for healing.
Nurses are in a unique position to make sense of this chaos and advocate for patients, recognizing possible celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity and recommending appropriate testing when necessary. Today, the Gluten Free RN covers the basics of celiac disease for nurses, explaining the frequency with which the disorder is misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed for years. She walks us through the testing required for a diagnosis of celiac disease proper, who should undergo testing, and why one negative test doesn’t rule out the disease.
Nadine speaks to the 300-plus signs of celiac disease, reviewing the most common symptoms and the overlap between celiac disease and autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes. She also shares the discouraging statistics around the impact of undiagnosed celiac disease on fetal development and maternal health. Listen in to understand why Nadine encourages fellow nurses include celiac disease as part of their differential diagnosis, providing gluten-sensitive patients with a safe, gluten-free environment and a higher quality of life!
The frequency with which celiac disease is misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed
The challenges around getting a diagnosis of celiac disease proper
The chronic nature of celiac disease
The 300-plus signs and symptoms of celiac disease
Why celiac patients must be tested for potential nutritional deficiencies
The detrimental impact of undiagnosed celiac disease on fetal development, maternal health
Where gluten is hiding
Who should be tested for celiac disease
Why one negative test doesn’t rule out celiac disease
How a gluten-free diet can benefit children with stunted growth
Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity for Nurses
Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications by Cleo J. Libonati
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
As we ring in the New Year, many of us take the time to jot down our aspirations for the next twelve months. What are your hopes and dreams for 2018? Health and happiness? An opportunity to travel? Stronger relationships?
Whether you have big plans to hike the Grand Canyon this year, or you simply resolve to get a little more sleep, it’s likely that aspects of health and wellness are a big part of your vision for 2018. The Gluten Free RN wants you to be happy and healthy in the coming year, and today she is sharing her hopes and wishes around celiac disease for 2018.
Nadine offers insight on taking control of what you can, including the food you eat. She shares her wish for widespread access to high-quality food and nutritional information that is NOT influenced by corporations. She explains the need for universal healthcare, better comprehensive testing for celiac disease (performed annually), and appropriate follow-up care for patients with a celiac diagnosis. Listen in to understand why Nadine advocates for a global celiac education campaign and learn how to evaluate new information about the disease with a critical ear. Let’s get happy and healthy in 2018 so that we can pursue all of our hopes and dreams!
Nadine’s wish for health, happiness and wellness
Why Nadine advocates for universal healthcare
The need for better comprehensive testing
Nadine’s hope for worldwide knowledge of celiac disease
The importance of accurate media coverage
Why friends and family should be tested every year
The value of nutritional information not influenced by food companies
Nadine’s aspiration for universal access to high-quality food
The need for appropriate follow-up care
Nadine’s insight around celiac education
Columbia University Celiac Disease Center
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism