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Gluten Free RN

Gluten Free RN, Nadine Grzeskowiak RN BSN CEN, talks about every aspect of celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten free lifestyle & diet, Paleo lifestyle, microbiome and all related issues.
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Now displaying: January, 2018
Jan 26, 2018

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!

What’s Discussed: 

The connection between gluten and hypoxia

  • Leaky blood-brain barrier leads to inflammation of brain, decreased oxygen flow

The shocking statistics around Americans and psychotropic drugs

  • Estimated 50% of US population on psychotropic medication

The potential relationship between mental health disorders and undiagnosed celiac disease

  • High instance of depression, anxiety, fatigue and paranoia
  • May have difficulty sleeping, headaches or seizure disorder
  • Nearly all experience brain fog

The health consequences of undiagnosed celiac disease

  • Malabsorption of nutrients
  • Damaged immune system
  • Neurological symptoms
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Neurotransmitter disruption

The findings of the landmark Cooke study in 1966

  • Ten of 16 patients with celiac disease had severe progressive neuropathy
  • All 16 had severe malabsorption

The conclusion of an editorial published in Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry

  • Celiac disease, NCGS is primarily neurological

How a gluten-free diet can resolve gastrointestinal and psychiatric symptoms

  • Celiac disease can manifest as depression, anxiety or psychosis
  • Research published in International Journal of Celiac Disease demonstrates gut/brain connection

Nadine’s experience with schizophrenia patients

  • Majority are gene positive for HLA-DQ2, HLA-DQ8

The increasing number of children diagnosed with anxiety disorder

  • May be caused by undiagnosed sensitivity to gluten

The concept of food as medicine

  • Body may read gluten as toxic, must remove from diet

Resources:

‘Gluten Sensitivity as a Neurological Illness’ in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry

‘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

‘Neurologic and Psychiatric Manifestations of Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity’ in Psychiatric Quarterly

‘Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Celiac Disease’ in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment

Connect with Nadine:

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

Jan 19, 2018

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!  

What’s Discussed: 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

  • Physiological, safety needs must be taken care of first
  • Difficult to achieve self-actualization with poor health

 Nadine’s health struggle the past 30 months

  • Inadvertently hit with gluten three times in a row
  • Symptoms persisted past usual ten weeks
  • Sinus congestion, DH, pulmonary edema and weight gain

 Nadine’s search for the underlying cause

  • Saw practitioner in Chiang Mai, damp rash lotion resolved symptoms
  • Naturopath in Oregon diagnosed myxedema (hypothyroidism)

 How Nadine is reclaiming her health

  • Taking T3 to resolve symptoms

 How a damaged thyroid gland impacted Nadine

  • Affected sleep, ability to do challenging physical activity

 The importance of support in getting your health back

  • Need relationships to support choices

Resources:

Whole30

Connect with Nadine:

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

Jan 12, 2018

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!

What’s Discussed: 

The frequency with which celiac disease is misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed

  • 94% of people with celiac disease are undiagnosed
  • Current estimate is 3% of US population
  • Takes average of 9-15 years for diagnosis

 The challenges around getting a diagnosis of celiac disease proper

  • Requires genetic test, celiac antibody test and documented villous atrophy
  • Celiac antibody test = 70% false negative in US

 The chronic nature of celiac disease

  • Patients must go 100% gluten-free for life

 The 300-plus signs and symptoms of celiac disease

  • Primarily a neurological disorder

 Why celiac patients must be tested for potential nutritional deficiencies

  • May need B12, Mg RBC, D3, Zn or I supplements

 The detrimental impact of undiagnosed celiac disease on fetal development, maternal health

  • 800-900% increase in miscarriage
  • Increased risk of stillbirth, premature birth and neural defects

 Where gluten is hiding

  • Medications, personal care products and food items

 Who should be tested for celiac disease

  • Patients with mental health issues, developmental delays
  • Anyone with an autoimmune disorder (e.g.: type 1 diabetes)
  • Family members of celiac patients

 Why one negative test doesn’t rule out celiac disease

  • Can seroconvert at any time

 How a gluten-free diet can benefit children with stunted growth

  • Growth resumes if diagnosed before epiphyseal plates seal

Resources:

Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity for Nurses

Recommended Labs

Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications by Cleo J. Libonati

Gluten Free Works

PubMed

Cyrex Labs

Connect with Nadine:

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

Jan 5, 2018

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!

What’s Discussed: 

Nadine’s wish for health, happiness and wellness

  • Reevaluate your choices and control what you can (sleep, food, activities)

 Why Nadine advocates for universal healthcare

  • Everyone deserves access to high-quality healthcare without financial strain

 The need for better comprehensive testing

  • Healthcare providers should be educated in ordering, interpreting labs

 Nadine’s hope for worldwide knowledge of celiac disease

  • Patients in US not diagnosed correctly for 70 years
  • Consider mini-mass screening of patients/family

 The importance of accurate media coverage

  • Stories not influenced by sponsors, pharmaceuticals, etc.

 Why friends and family should be tested every year

  • Early diagnosis important
  • Can be ruled in, not ruled out

 The value of nutritional information not influenced by food companies

  • Understand where food comes from, how processed

 Nadine’s aspiration for universal access to high-quality food

  • Organic, whole foods with minimal processing
  • Provides fuel today, building blocks of healing

 The need for appropriate follow-up care

  • Labs to address nutritional deficiencies, associated issues

 Nadine’s insight around celiac education

  • Seek information, evaluate with critical ear

 

Resources:

Rotten Documentary Trailer

Whole30

Nadine’s Recommended Labs

Columbia University Celiac Disease Center

PALEOf(x)

Connect with Nadine:

Instagram

Facebook

Contact via Email

‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube

Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine

Books by Nadine:

Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism

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