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Elephant: Bringing Mindfulness to Medicine

Dr. Susan Blum discusses the importance and connection of meditation between patients and healing. “Estimates are that stress is a contributing factor for 80 percent of all chronic illness in our country, and numerous studies have shown the power of various types of meditation and mind-body skills to reduce the effects of stress in the body, and in many cases, reverse illness…Meditation also cultivates a self-awareness that is a crucial part of any health program.”

Read the article in its entirety, here: www.elephantjournal.com.

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Scarsdale10583.com: The Miracle Worker?

Can Rye Brook functional medicine Dr. Susan Blum’s immune boosting plan actually help you to reverse the effects of autoimmune dysfunction? Take a journey with Sharon Dizenhu, contributor to Scarsdale10583.com, as she explores Dr. Susan Blum’s methods of not just treating pain but finding and treating the source of the pain, as well. Dizenhu, in the midst of potentially developing an autoimmune disorder of her own, says it best: “My gut tells me I just have to give it a shot!”

Read the article in its entirety, here: www.scarsdale10583.com.

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ZocDoc: What Doctors Need to Know About Detox

Dr. Susan Blum shares with ZocDoc what fellow doctors need to know about detox, and how they can help their patients make informed decisions in the market.

“As doctors we need to be in a position to help patients sort the science from the salesmanship.”

Read the full article here: www.thedoctorblog.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Challenge 365: Day 111 – Sunday Edition, Review of Susan Blum’s Immune System Recovery Guide

Dr. Susan Blum’s book, The Immune System Recovery Plan, was reviewed by the blog “Challenge 365.”

“It is really comprehensive and has workbook sections to help you on your health quest.  Where so many books and resources on healing look at one or two aspects of your health, this book brings you through four very important steps to optimizing your health.”

For the review in its entirety, click here.

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The Immune System Recovery Plan: Triumph Dining Book Review

From Triumph Dining’s review of Dr. Blum’s new book, The Immune System Recovery Plan:

“Her book systematically explores how the immune system is affected by what we eat. She delves into the issues on a deeper level, offering practical solutions to healing damaged guts and rebuilding our systems’ natural protective abilities.”

To read the full book review from Triumph Dining, click here: www.triumphdining.com.

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Does Gluten Cause Disease?

It seems like everywhere you look there’s another food package labeled “gluten-free”. Is this the latest food fad or is this really a healthy choice for you?  And what is gluten free, anyhow?  There is a lot of confusion in both the media and the grocery aisle, and as you read on, I hope to shed light on this important topic.

In my new book, The Immune System Recovery Plan, I focus on using food as medicine as one of the 4 steps to treat autoimmune disease, specifically focusing on gluten and answering the question:  What is Celiac disease and how is it different from gluten intolerance?  And can you get sick from gluten even if you don’t have Celiac disease?  The answer? Absolutely.

Celiac disease is a very specific autoimmune illness that is defined by damage to the villi of the small intestines.  The trigger for this damaging immune reaction is gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, spelt, rye and kamut.  The conventional dogma is that if you don’t have this intestinal damage you don’t have a gluten problem.  Wrong!  It turns out that gluten can trigger other immune reactions and symptoms without any damage to the small intestine, thus you can test negative for Celiac, but still be gluten intolerant.  And there is good evidence that gluten is associated with other autoimmune diseases as well, like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves disease.

In the United States, wheat has been hybridized over the past 50 years so that it no longer is genetically the same as the wheat our ancestors ate. Wheat contains lots of gluten, and these genetic changes have increased the amount of gluten in the wheat we consume. Gluten is very hard for the body to breakdown, and doesn’t always get digested completely. When partially digested gluten particles get into our blood stream, they can trigger an immune reaction causing vague symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, inflammation and achiness in muscles and joints. Some people also have obvious gut symptoms like gas and bloating which are clear signs of gluten intolerance.

How do gluten particles get into your blood stream? First, certain conditions damage the lining of the intestinal tract. For example, antacids, antibiotics, severe prolonged stress, not enough good bacteria, and too much bad bacteria or yeast (a condition called dysbiosis) are all conditions that cause leaky gut syndrome. This means the intestinal lining becomes “leaky” and the gluten protein sneaks into the body, causing an emergency reaction from the immune system.

To make matters worse, the gluten protein “looks” like our tissues, so the immune system can get confused, attacking the body and causing an autoimmune disease.   This is called “molecular mimicry” and is one of the ways you can get sick from gluten.

For this reason, I always recommend that you remove gluten during a detoxification program, for treatment of autoimmune diseases or for treating irritable bowel syndrome or digestive symptoms.  You can do the experiment yourself: remove gluten for three weeks, and then eat it as a test to see if you notice any reaction. Be very mindful when you reintroduce it, paying attention to the appearance of symptoms of any kind. Sometimes you just feel puffy from the inflammation.  These are classic gluten intolerance symptoms, and if you react this way, you should adopt a gluten free lifestyle.

There are many gluten-free products on the market. Be careful to choose breads and crackers that are made from whole grains and that are rich in fiber. Sometimes gluten-free products are made with processed rice flour or potato starch and this makes them high glycemic—increasing your blood sugar in a bad way—so it’s best to avoid these. Some tips:

  • Go to a health food store or a healthy market like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s to select items.  You can also find good quality gluten-free products online.
  • I love quinoa and buckwheat. You can also get pasta made from these ingredients.  If you opt for rice, be sure to choose brown instead of white.
  • Even if you don’t remain gluten-free, it is good to eat less of it.
  • All of the recipes in my book, The Immune System Recovery Plan, are gluten-free so you can learn to cook other delicious ancient grains like quinoa and millet to add more variety to your diet.
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Utica Observer Dispatch: Dr. Blum’s Book Available

Dr. Susan Blum’s book, The Immune System Recovery Plan, is now available at the Smyrna Public Library.

“With significant increases in autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, Crohn’s, celiac and lupus, check out “The Immune System Recovery Plan” by Dr. Susan Blum…”

Read the full article, here.