Going gluten free? Beware the corn


Gluten has become public enemy number one, right up there with carbs.  More and more people are finding that they are gluten sensitive, or gluten intolerant.  They are finding that skipping that big bowl of pasta, or breakfast muffin leaves them feeling less bloated, more energetic, and clear headed.

I cut out gluten for one week to see how it would feel.  I never thought I had a sensitivity, but I found that my energy levels stayed high, and the usual brain fog that would gather force as the day progressed, was gone as if with a wave of a magic wand.

Encouraged by such positive effects I began to scan the store aisles for gluten free products, trying to keep it as real as possible.  I found gluten free pasta made with rice and corn instead.  It tasted good and held up well in cooking.  It looked and felt just like wheat pasta. 

Activists in France uproot genetically modified corn on May 2, 2014,

after highest court and Senate confirm existing ban. 

But, alas, the corn was genetically modified.  All corn used in commercial food will be genetically modified unless it is labeled as non-GMO.  By 2012, 88 percent of the corn in the US was genetically modified.  So, anything that has corn in it, high fructose corn syrup (in all kinds of candies, chocolate and sauces like ketchup), corn starch, is GMO.

What is so bad about GMO corn?  Pretty much everything. 

The Institute for Responsible Technologies states that mice fed GMO corn and soy in the long term had fewer and smaller babies.

The International Journal for Biological Sciences published a study has found that three varieties of Monsanto GMO corn affected the liver and kidneys.

It is especially unsafe for children and babies. 

GMOs have the potential to lead to the super bugs.

There has only be ONE human trial done regarding GMOs, and it was not even a long term study.  And, the results showed danger.  The American Academy of Environmental Medicine is now asking physicians to advise patients to avoid GM food.  “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food.”   Some of these risks include:  infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.

To read more about the dangers of GMOs, this is a summary by Jeffery Smith from his book Genetic Roulette.

Moral of the story:  If you are going gluten free, don't replace the wheat with corn.
 

Laser Physio

I finally had my first session of laser with physio.  Although I was apprehensive about laser heating up my brain and not just my muscles. But, the laser portion of the treatment was only five minutes.  The rest was manual manipulation, which was tough, but hopefully will do the trick.  I went in with a headache.  I left with a headache. But, happily, by the late afternoon my headache was gone and stayed gone for the next 36 hours.  Bliss.

Grrrr...headache

My most recent headache has mutated from just a headache, to more of a way of life. A more grumpy, painful, throbbing filter of reality.

I have had the same recurring headache for ten years.  I go through very long spells of little to no headaches when I am working out and eating right.  But, four months ago I hit a rock while digging in my garden, felt a twinge in my neck, and it has been downhill since.

Four sessions of my beloved and usual go-to acupuncture with massage did nothing.  The chiropractor that charged me 1000 Dhs (I only knew the price after the appointment, and never thought it would be that much), had a positive effect for only three days.  Then the neurologist took an MRI, found nothing wrong and gave me a bunch of anti-depressants.  The pills kept the headache at bay, but they wrecked my life (and this blog).  I feel for people who have been taking them for years.  It should be a criminal offence to keep people on them for long periods of time without seeking alternatives.

In the meantime I am experimenting.  My dentist made me a wonderful little night guard for clenching while sleeping, which has helped a lot.  And a new diagnosis has termed my condition as occipital neuralgia.  The treatment is physio with laser, which I have never heard of, and I am not sure I want to cough out more money to "experiment" with yet another treatment.

Usually I know exactly what is wrong and what to do. But, this time I am stumped, and have been running at full speed towards what turn out to be walls.  Walls of stubborn doctors and money hungry therapists.

A New Online Resource

If, like me, you are always up for new tips and trick about wellness, health or a holistic lifestyle, check out: wellness-media.com. This is a new site that brings together top bloggers in health all in one place.  There are articles about nutrition, fitness, DIY, natural living, etc.  If you are looking to see what is buzzing in the wellness world, it is worth a read.