Gluten Sensitivity a Nerve Disease,
Not a Gut Disease, NZ Doctor Says

by Melissa Diane Smith

Gluten sensitivity is much more than celiac disease: It is ten times more common than celiac disease and it is a brain and nerve disease, not a gut disease, New Zealand’s Dr. Rodney Ford said at the Southern Arizona Celiac Support Group general meeting in Tucson on November 7th.

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What You Probably Haven’t Heard
about the Flu

by Melissa Diane Smith

Turn on the TV and flip through various news stations these days and you likely will be bombarded with information on flu and H1N1 (swine) flu vaccines and antiviral drugs as defense against a devastating flu pandemic. The news we hear about getting vaccines (and antiviral drugs at the first signs of flu) seems so relentless and definitive, it must be based on solid, universally agreed-upon science, most of us think. But the news we don’t hear is that some top flu experts have serious questions about the use of vaccines and antiviral drugs. We also don’t hear much about nutritional and natural ways that may boost immunity as a defense against flu because companies and health professionals who convey that information get warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not to.

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HMF - One More Reason to Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup

The list of hazards associated with high-fructose corn syrup continues to grow. The refined liquid sweetener found in soft drinks, candy and countless foods in our food supply has been implicated in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Earlier this year, mercury, a metal toxic to human health, was found in close to half of tested samples of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and nearly one-third of tested foods with HFCS in its top ingredients. (See the Nutrition News & Notes story on that.) Now new research shows that when HFCS is heated, it forms hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a chemical that can kill honey bees and is linked to DNA damage in humans.

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‘Dr. Gluten’ of NZ to Speak in Tucson
about New Theory on Gluten Sensitivity

by Melissa Diane Smith

Dr. Rodney Ford, who is known as “Dr. Gluten” because of his expertise in gluten sensitivity, will present evidence to support his breakthrough idea that gluten sensitivity is caused by neurological harm, not gut damage as is commonly thought, at the Southern Arizona Celiac Support Group meeting in Tucson, Arizona, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2009. The event will take place at the Pima Community College District Office Campus, 4905 E. Broadway, Building C, and it is free and open to the public. To view a map of the location, click here.

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Think You Need to Exercise Harder
to Lose Weight? Think Again

by Melissa Diane Smith

Are you exercising like crazy and still not losing excess weight? That may be because you’re following a strategy that doesn’t work.

Contrary to what we’ve been told the past few decades, exercise doesn’t help people lose weight. In fact, it can lead to weight gain. What we eat matters much more in shedding unwanted pounds than exercise, according to the August 17th TIME magazine cover story, “The Myth About Exercise.”

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Reminder about Coaching Special,
Food Slide Show, Other Odds & Ends

A reminder: My Coaching Program Special continues through October 31, 2009. When you purchase any nutrition coaching program on or before that date, you will get an extra 45-minute coaching session over the phone (a $100 value) absolutely free. That is in addition to a free online Going Against the Grain Group membership (a $24.99 value) and a free Healthier Holidays Going Against the Grain E-book (a $15.95 value). The E-book is perfect for getting you prepared for the upcoming holiday season.

Still wondering about nutrition coaching? Here is a testimonial from one of my new coaching clients who has recently taken advantage of the Coaching Program Special:

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SPECIAL REPORT: Nutrition Missing
from the Health Care Debate;
Make Your Own Health Insurance

by Melissa Diane Smith

(Opinion) - Confused about the health care debate? Or have a strong viewpoint on one side or another? Either way, consider this: The health care debate really is a disease care debate because nutrition, the key factor that affects our health and prevents disease, isn’t part of anything that is being discussed.

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Paleolithic Diet Improves Glycemic Control, Cardiac Risk Factors Better
Than Standard Diabetes Diet

by Melissa Diane Smith

In the first study to compare the Paleolithic hunter-gatherer diet and the conventionally recommended diabetes diet in people who have type 2 diabetes, the Paleolithic diet improved glycemic control and HDL-cholesterol and lowered blood pressure, weight, and waist circumference better than the diabetes diet over a three-month study period.

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Free Coaching Session with Any Nutrition Coaching Purchase Through Oct. 31

If you’ve been thinking of signing up for a nutrition coaching program, now is the perfect time to do it. When you sign up for any nutrition coaching program from now through October 31, 2009, you will receive an extra 45-minute coaching session absolutely free. That’s a $100 value! The offer is good for the Get Started Personal Attention Nutrition Coaching Program, the Rebuilding a New You Nutrition Coaching Program, or the Diet and Lifestyle Makeover Nutrition Coaching Program. (New clients, click here. Clients who have worked with me before, click here.)

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Gluten Sensitivity May Be a Factor
in IBS, Researchers Suggest

by Melissa Diane Smith

People with gastrointestinal symptoms who test negative for celiac disease have long known that they are apt to get a diagnosis of “irritable bowel syndrome” (IBS) from a doctor rather than a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity. But gluten sensitivity provides a trigger that can explain at least part of the spectrum of symptoms that constitutes IBS, a group of doctors from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute in Canada and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota propose.

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