William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 58

Wheat Belly Redux: Dramatic facial skin changes

With this Wheat Belly Blog post, I begin an occasional series of posts from the earlier days of the Wheat Belly experience that nonetheless provide some powerful lessons on the effects of this lifestyle.

Here is a post from Dawn from 2014 that perfectly illustrates what wheat and grain consumption can do to skin health.

“Left = summer, 2013. Right = today. Started Wheat Belly March 20th, 2014. Lost 25 lbs by July and have maintained ever since. I can’t say enough about this lifestyle.

Beyond the 25 pound weight loss, what I find striking are the changes in Dawn’s skin: the redness is gone and there is visibly less facial edema. Dawn looks dramatically different minus wheat and grains.”

We see this with some frequency around here and it reflects the loss of body-wide inflammation, most readily evident on the skin. Inflammation on the skin is often paralleled by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and elsewhere. Though she doesn’t elaborate, I’d be willing to bet that Dawn also experienced some important improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms, especially acid reflux, bowel urgency, and bloating.

Regardless, you can appreciate just how dramatic the change has been for Dawn’s appearance. This is yet another example of how eliminating wheat and grains from the diet does not just achieve substantial weight loss, but also yields outsized improvements in health–because they never belonged in the human diet in the first place.

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Natural Answers for Depression

If you experience depression, you will typically be prescribed an antidepressant, an SSRI or other agent, and have to endure the common side-effects such as weight gain, aggression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and erectile dysfunction. If you consult a psychologist or counselor, the underlying psychological underpinnings (if any) are explored, strategies devised to cope. But there will almost never be talk about your diet, nutritional deficiencies that amplify dark moods, or the microbiome.

Yet there are very powerful strategies available that have potential to substantially lift mood. Such solutions won’t, of course, erase the effects of childhood trauma or grieving from personal loss, but they can help smooth the emotional impact of such life events, elevate the hormones of mood, and make life easier naturally and inexpensively.

Among the most powerful nutritional and natural mood lifters:

Wheat and grain elimination–By removing such foods, you are removing mind-active opioid peptides that derive from the gliadin protein of wheat and related proteins of other grains. These opiates exert a variety of effects, depending on individual susceptibility, ranging from paranoia in people with schizophrenia, to mania in people with bipolar disorder, to impulsivity in children with ADHD, to food obsessions in those prone to bulimia and bine-eating disorder, to depression in people prone to depression. The solution: remove the sources of gliadin-derived opioids, wheat and grains. For some people, the mood improvements with wheat/grain elimination are profound.
Vitamin D restoration–Even before I implemented wheat and grain elimination in patients in my cardiology practice, I added vitamin D at doses sufficient to achieve 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood levels of 60-70 ng/ml (typically 4000 too 8000 units per day in oil-based gelcap form). I witnessed marked improvements in mood, particularly that associated with shortening daylight cycles in fall and winter, though the mood benefits are not confined to this seasonal effect.
Fish oil–for its omega-3 fatty acid content of EPA and DHA. For serious benefits, we use serious doses. I therefore never advocate less than 3000 mg EPA + DHA per day (not of fish oil, but the EPA and DHA contained within), ideally 3600 mg per day (total), divided in two. Higher potency preparations are required to achieve this dose, e.g., 750 mg EPA + DHA or more per capsule, or high-potency liquid fish oil.
Cultivation of bowel flora–Not just a  probiotic, but a purposeful program of reseeding the bowels with preferred species with a high-potency, multi-species probiotic, enthusiastic consumption of fermented foods (e.g., kimchi, kombucha, kefir, yogurt, fermented veggies), then nourishing and cultivating them with a program of prebiotic fibers. Bowel flora influence mood hugely, as well as clarity, thought content, sleep, and dreams.
Tryptophan supplementation–Supplementation with the amino acid tryptophan enhances both brain serotonin that enhances mood and melatonin that enhances sleep. Because of the melatonin effect, I prefer to use this at bedtime in doses of 500 mg increments, e.g., 1000, 1500, or 2000 mg at bedtime. Alternatively, it can taken in similar doses but spread throughout the day, though the sleep enhancing effect may not develop.
Methylfolate supplementation–The common genetic variant, MTHFR C677T, that impairs folate (vitamin B9) metabolism is readily remedied by supplementing the methyl form of folate, typically at a dose of 15 mg per day. (Vitamin B12 status should also be assessed before starting methylfolate.)
Exercise–Exercise is not easy to accomplish when depressed, so make your goals modest. For instance, just a walk or casual bike to start, even gardening or playing with kids or grandkids. Let it expand from there as the above strategies take root and you feel empowered and less held back and find that dancing, yoga, a walk interspersed with a quick sprint all make you feel even better.
Laughing–Recall your laugh triggers–movies that made you split your sides, friends you find entertaining, thrilling activities like riding a roller coaster that make sadness almost impossible–and do them. The effect may not be durable but it can provide the impetus for doing more.
Lactobacillus reuteri yogurt–The oxytocin boost you obtain by consuming our powerful L. reuteri yogurt does not help alleviate depression per se, but it cultivates feelings of empathy and connectedness with other people, feelings typically lacking in people who are depressed.

Not foolproof, of course, but effective for the majority in improving mood while costing next to nothing and empowering health in so many other ways with no concerns about weight gain, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or erectile dysfunction.

Why aren’t such solutions the default answer from psychiatrists, psychologists, and primary care physicians with drugs and counseling held in reserve should such natural solutions not provide full benefit? I am generalizing, of course, recognizing that the breadth of human experience cannot be remedied with a single solution. But the reluctance to embrace natural solutions is not unique to mental and emotional health; it afflicts all areas of healthcare, an over-reliance on drugs and procedures, dismissal of the power of natural methods, and an underlying assumption of your constitutional weakness.

We don’t stand for such disempowering ideas around this neighborhood.

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Tom Naughton’s Fat Head Kids movie now available!

Tom Naughton, filmmaker of the brilliant and hugely entertaining movie, Fat Head, and author of the book Fat Head Kids, is now back with the movie version of his book: Fat Head Kids.

Tom’s special gift is to make science and nutrition fun and interesting, the story told with cartoon characters (all drawn by Tom’s wife, Chareva) and plenty of funny moments—genuinely laugh-out-loud funny moments. Because Tom spent many years as a stand-up comedian, he knows how to weave an entertaining story while informing kids (and adults).

All of Tom’s creations recount his own struggle with weight and health, at first not understanding why he was overweight and unhealthy despite following dietary guidelines. Once he came to understand why the proliferation of carbs—grains, sugars, soft drinks, processed foods—in the diet was the culprit, he finally lost the weight and reversed all his health struggles. And that ignited his mission to help educate everyone, adults and children, on the mistakes made by official dietary guidelines. And he does it with humor, cartoon characters, and a genuine understanding of the issues.

Tom also practices what he preaches. Having moved his family from Los Angeles to a farm in Tennessee, Tom tells me about the wonderful life his own children enjoy among the goats and chickens, garden, and trees, a return to a life the way we are all supposed to be living.

If you want/need a way to educate the kids, if you are a parent, grandparent, or schoolteacher with a desire to get the kids to understand that current dietary trends are disastrous and that better answers are available, I can’t think of a better way to inform, educate, and laugh than with the educational tools that Tom and his wife have created.

 

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Sign up for the Wheat Belly/Undoctored Caribbean Cruise!

Join us for a glorious week at sea with elegant tropical ports, incredible food compatible with our lifestyle, and plenty of discussions and workshops on the Wheat Belly and Undoctored lifestyles. In addition to two educational paths to choose from, this year we host new lessons such as our L. reuteri yogurt-making demonstration in which we give you the tablets to take home to make it on your own! We will also discuss SIBO, new insights into skin health, REAL heart health without statins.

PRICES STARTING AS LOW AS $1099 USD BEFORE TAXES AND PORT FEES. More information here.

(Per person based on double occupancy. Start a conversation with our travel partners to confirm accommodation, pricing, and perks.)

SET YOUR INTENTIONS AND SET SAIL!

This vacation is designed to help you experience the best of the Wheat Belly and Undoctored lifestyles to deliver as much life- and health-empowering information in as short a time as possible. Helping you achieve not average health, but SUPERIOR health, weight loss, and freedom from prescription medications are among our goals, all delivered in a beautiful, warm, tropical setting with glorious—and healthy—foods to celebrate the process.

We deliver the cumulative wisdom gained throughout years of lessons learned from the worldwide Wheat Belly experience. We now fold in the emerging and greater individual health empowerment of the new Undoctored message: the power of new and rapid information dissemination, collaboration, and health tool tracking. Our goal is to help you achieve the knowledge and confidence necessary to help you and those around you reclaim health on a scale you may not have thought possible. We have collaborated with the cruise line’s chefs and event planners to create a dining program that is decadent, imaginative, and grain-free. You can eat like a king, without worrying about getting “wheated.”

This cruise is all about health empowerment. Join Dr. William Davis and special guests as they guide you through a rich program designed to help deepen your understanding of the Wheat Belly and Undoctored lifestyles and give you the tools you need to succeed.

Join the Cruise Facebook group here.

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

Featuring highly informative seminars and break-out sessions our vacation programs are designed to be supportive of you no matter where you are on your health journey. We will touch on every part of this lifestyle: from the science behind Dr. Davis’ insights to their practical day-to-day application. You will come away armed with the information and inspiration that you need to enjoy the many benefits of this lifestyle. We’ll even explore the nitty-gritty details of recipes, baking tips, holidays, social situations, family and kids!

FIND YOUR TRIBE

Something wonderful happens when we gather together to share knowledge, experience, questions (and recipes), we all stand to learn a great deal from one another. Often we find the information or inspiration that we have been missing and we are empowered to break through our own barriers and plateaus.

REDISCOVER A HEALTHY LOVE OF FOOD

The program includes live cooking and baking demonstrations, a chance to swap recipes with other participants, and inspired wheat free cuisine provided by the ship’s culinary team. We even host a L. reuteri yogurt-making demonstration, complete with probiotic tablets that you’ll need to make the yogurt at home on your own!

UNDOCTOR YOUR HEALTH

Whether your health goal is to lose weight, get more energy, improve cardiovascular or bone health, get off prescription medications, or find relief from inflammation from skin rashes to sore joints, the Wheat Belly, and now Undoctored, lifestyles have helped thousands of people, and it can help you too!

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUR GOALS

This is a rich program with lots of opportunity to learn and have fun. But don’t feel like you have to do all of it! Choose the parts that are best for you and your health journey. We want this to work for who you are and where you are RIGHT NOW. You’ll also have ample opportunities to enrich your experience through various self guided activities and excursions.

NEW: TWO TRACKS TO CHOOSE FROM!

1) Wheat Belly / Undoctored: Healthy Home Track

An Undoctored Home is a happy, healthy home—and we mean health on a scale you may have thought was unattainable. Manage your family’s health with the confidence and clarity that comes with knowing this program inside and out!

This is a program that will inoculate your family against the scourge of predatory pharmaceutical, agricultural, and “healthcare” industries while enjoying health, slenderness, and energy that you may have thought you’d lost long ago And you can share this experience with the entire family.

2) Professional Development / Continuing Education

Not everyone is able to follow the concepts on their own and many desire expert supervision. This program is designed to empower any healthcare professional by providing the science and rationale underlying this powerful approach to health.

Counseling people on navigating these concepts can stack the odds in favor of minimizing or reversing a long list of common, as well as uncommon, health conditions.

For more information on the cruise, the ship, ports of call, prices, etc. go here.

 

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The Horrors of Gluten-Free Food

It continues to happen: I run into people who say to me “I follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle. I eat gluten-free!” When I ask them what that means, they tell me that they only eat gluten-free bread, pasta, pizza, cookies, etc.

I’m not entirely sure why this misinterpretation of the Wheat Belly message is so common. Let’s talk about this important distinction, as being gluten-free can be an absolute health and weight disaster, unlike the magnificent health and weight loss we enjoy on the Wheat Belly lifestyle when done right.

It’s perfectly fine to be gluten-free, i.e., avoiding wheat, rye, and barley that contains the gliadin protein within gluten responsible for celiac disease and other gliadin-induced reactions. People with celiac disease often argue “But I have to be gluten-free!” But the problem comes when food manufacturers try to get a slice of the action and recreate gluten-free breads, rolls, pizza crust etc. using one or more of four ingredients:

Cornstarch
Rice flour
Tapioca starch
Potato flour

Wheat and related grains raise blood sugar to high levels, higher than table sugar, due to the unique digestibility of amylopectin A. Very few foods raise blood sugar higher than wheat. So what foods raise blood sugar even higher than sugar, higher than wheat? Yup: cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato flour. Eat any gluten-free foods made of these ingredients and you will experience sky-high blood sugars. Do this repeatedly and you develop insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. But it doesn’t end there.

What else do gluten-free replacement ingredients do to the hapless consumer who eats them thinking they are healthy and safe? Plenty. Among the effects of gluten-free foods are:

Glycation reactions—High blood glucose alters the proteins of the body via a process called glycation, an irreversible reaction that essentially generates cellular debris. While you can detect glycation via the common HbA1c test (glycated hemoglobin), you won’t detect glycation of the proteins in the lenses of your eyes until they accumulate as cataracts, or in the kidneys until you develop kidney failure, or the heart as small glycated LDL particles accumulate as atherosclerotic plaque and heart attack, or in the brain that contributes to Alzheimer’s dementia.
Zein corn protein mimics gliadin—The zein protein residues in cornstarch, while present in only small quantities, can act like gliadin in people with celiac disease and gliadin sensitivities (e.g., cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, gastric autoimmune parietal cell loss). In other words, gluten-free foods can reactivate celiac disease and other conditions.
Wheat germ agglutinin in rice—Although it’s in rice, it’s still called “wheat” germ agglutinin because the structure is identical to that in wheat. While also present in small quantities, there is enough to disrupt the intestinal lining in celiac-like ways (direct toxicity, rather than then indirect immune-mediated path of celiac).
Weight gain—The sky-high blood sugars generated by gluten-free ingredients also provoke sky-high insulin that, in turn, leads to insulin resistance that, in turn, causes visceral inflammatory fat to accumulate. This is why people who consume gluten-free foods grow a “spare tire” around their waist that reflects accumulation of fat around abdominal organs and heart.
Ignite inflammation—High insulin levels and visceral fat accumulation cause inflammation to increase, trackable as increased C-reactive protein, Il-2, TNF-alpha and other measures. Inflammation underlies numerous health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and dementia.
Disrupt hormonal status—As visceral fat accumulates, a variety of hormonal disruptions develop that cause, for instance, men’s breasts to enlarge and their testosterone to drop. It causes women to develop higher estrogen levels that correlate with increased risk for breast cancer. In women with PCOS, testosterone rises, blood sugar and blood pressure rise, and infertility develops.
Dysbiosis and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth(SIBO)—Highly-refined carbohydrate-rich flours like gluten-free flours are like putting a trail of breadcrumbs out for ducks: they will follow the path of crumbs. Consuming the highly-digestible carbs of gluten-free foods is a setup for inviting colonic microbes up into the small intestine, the situation that defines SIBO. It also changes the composition of bowel flora species in unhealthy ways.
Tooth decay—The amylopectin A carbohydrates of some gluten-free flours such as cornstarch hugely amplify potential for tooth decay, just as wheat does.

You get the idea? Gluten-free foods made with common gluten-free flours shouldn’t even be sold. Or at least should be recognized as no better than eating sugar out of a bowl. Nobody on the Wheat Belly lifestyle should be eating such foods with their disastrous consequences.

Really: Get the Wheat Belly lifestyle right and you will be rewarded with astounding health, weight loss, and youthfulness.

 

 

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Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox: Day 11 and Beyond

With the latest Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge that begins Wednesday, December 5th, we are introducing a new way to help you succeed on the program that we call “Day 11 and Beyond.”

Thousands of people have succeeded in losing weight, reversing numerous health issues, and getting off prescription medications starting with the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox. But, once people complete the 10-day program, we continue to receive this question: “Once I complete the 10-day detox, what comes next?” In other words, many participants desire continued support, encouragement, and resources to help them succeed day-to-day.

In response to this, we set up our Day 11 and Beyond program, a series of small group coaching sessions via two-way video in which a health coach can answer your questions, offer suggestions, direct you to resources, etc., all designed to help you achieve the huge success you are hoping for. Each weekly meeting is hosted by the health coach of your choice with each coach deeply familiar with the ins and outs of the Wheat Belly program. Most of you are already familiar with April Duval, the main administrator for the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Facebook page, who is also a health coach. Jennifer is a health coach on our Undoctored Inner Circle and she will also be available as a health coach for Day 11 and Beyond.

To sign up for the Day 11 and Beyond coaching sessions, go here and choose your coach and meeting times.

 

Here’s a little about April and Jennifer:

 

April:

“I have restored my health and lost substantial weight by following the Wheat Belly lifestyle and will help you navigate the key strategies of the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox.

If you are not entirely confident on how to choose healthy foods, how to best prepare them, how to deal with family members uninterested in making this change, how to time your nutritional supplements and other common stumbling blocks on the program, I invite you to join our live small group sessions.

“Food is medicine or poison and we get to make that choice each bite, each meal, each day!”

 

Jennifer:

“I am passionate about helping people regain control over health and weight. Having worked with Dr. Davis on a number of projects, I am intimately familiar with all the ins and outs of the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox program. I can tell you that getting the program right yields enormous benefits. I also have a special interest and expertise in gut health. My goal is to help you enjoy magnificent success and achieve all your health and weight loss goals.

“As a mother and master athlete, I am extremely passionate and joyful about food and cooking. I love sharing these passions with my clients!”

To sign up for the Day 11 and Beyond coaching sessions, go here and choose your coach and meeting times.

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Tammy Talks About Her Wheat Belly Success

 

I previously shared Tammy’s Wheat Belly success story that illustrates just how far you can take back health and reverse numerous chronic health conditions. Besides losing over 70 pounds in weight, she also:

Reversed type 2 diabetes, reducing HbA1c from the diabetic range of 8.4% to 4.9%—an ideal level.
Reversed hypertension
Reversed gastroesophageal reflux
Reversed irritable bowel syndrome
Reversed rheumatoid arthritis

She has also been able to discontinue a list of toxic medications, including metformin, Prilosec, and Remicade. And, as you can readily see, turned the clock back 20 years in appearance. Here is my interview with Tammy to get some of the details.

Transcript:

Dr. Davis: Tammy, thank you very much for taking the time to share your story. Your story was so over-the-top spectacular and it got so many wonderful comments. In particular, I think what caught everyone’s eye was the astounding age-reversing effects you enjoyed. I want to hear from you, in your own words, what exactly brought you here and what you experienced.

Tammy: I was headed down a really bad road of diabetes. I also was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 24 years ago, and because of the medications that I was taking and everything, I suffered with IBS. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I was pretty much a metabolic mess. My triglycerides were off the charts, and my HDL was bad. My LDL was bad — everything.

My doctor friend suggested that I read Wheat Belly. As a matter of fact she wouldn’t even support me with anything, unless I read the book. So, of course I got the book and, … I’m a tad dyslexic, so I had to reread and reread and reread. Cutting out all breads and pastas, and all the stuff that we had to start, all of us, that are on this way of eating, have to do. Then she started helping me with the supplements.

I went to my rheumatologist, oh, I want to say it was probably four months into it, and I had already taken off like 30 pounds. My blood work — she agreed to help me follow. At that time I was on Remicade® (infliximab) infusions once a month, which were not only horribly bad for my body, but horribly expensive.

Anyway, a couple months later it was phenomenal. My lab work started coming back. I was starting to edge closer to within normal limits of everything, and I had taken off 20 more pounds. So, she is totally on board (my rheumatologist). The good news is I just saw her in November, and my inflammatory markers, my SED rate, all that, are the lowest they’ve ever been in 24 years.

Dr. Davis: So Tammy, all the pain swelling of the rheumatoid arthritis is now gone?

Tammy: Gone

Dr. Davis: How about your diabetes?

Tammy: My diabetes … at the beginning of the year was 8.4 (% HbA1c). I just had an insurance person come and do a physical on me. They did another A1c and it was down to 4.9.

Dr. Davis: That’s fabulous. How about your irritable bowel syndrome?

Tammy: Gone. TMI, people, but I was on the toilet 24/7 prior to eating this way. I go once a day now. I don’t have the gut ache. I don’t have the cramping. I don’t have the swelling. It’s just been amazing. I was on Prilosec® (omeprazole) 40 milligrams a day — I don’t even have heartburn anymore.

Dr. Davis: That’s great

Tammy: If I eat something I shouldn’t, my body tells me immediately, within 24 hours. Then I do get a little bit of heartburn, or a little bit of diarrhea, or whatever. The one thing that I learned through eating this way is, you learn to listen to your body.

Dr. Davis: What’s been the reaction of family and friends, who now see you looking 20 years younger?

Tammy: They are amazed. Everybody keeps asking me: what did you do? what did you do? what did you do? That’s what everybody wants to know, but you know, the thing is, you’ve really gotta want it, and you really gotta stick to it. I mean, it wasn’t easy getting rid of bread. I’m a carboholic. Now I’m meat and vegetables; however, I’ve learned, through the recipes that are on your website and whatnot. Originally, it wasn’t about losing weight. That wasn’t part of what I wanted. I wanted to get healthy again.

Dr. Davis: Oh by the way, how much weight did you lose in total?

Tammy: I started out at 205 and I am now down to 115.

Dr. Davis: What’s become of your prescription medications?

Tammy: I am only taking Nature-Throid® (an NDT). I was on blood pressure medicine. I was on rheumatoid arthritis medicine, the Prilosec, antispasmodic type medicine — you know all those type of medicines. I don’t take any of that — metformin, all that. I don’t take any of it anymore.

Dr. Davis: That’s great. You look fabulous and tell me you feel fabulous. You’re doing what you should be doing, that is, helping spread the word by example. I love stories like yours, where not only are you slender now, and healthy, and off your medications, but you got 20 years back in appearance. People accuse me of putting up mother-daughter photos and calling them before-after. No. We don’t have to do that, because this is what happens on this lifestyle. People reclaim youthfulness. Thank you again Tammy. You look fabulous.

Tammy: Thank you.

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Tammy turns the clock back 20+ years living the Wheat Belly lifestyle

Not only did Tammy turn the clock back on aging and appearance by at least 20 years, she also lost 70+ pounds, reversed decades of rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux.

“My doctor had me start following Wheat Belly in January. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 24 yrs ago and ran the gamut of methotrexate to Remicade infusions, steroids—you name it. I no longer have to take anything and my inflammatory markers are lower than they ever were.

“My A1c was 8.4 and is now 4.9. I no longer have GERD. My BP has stabilized and the only real medicine I am currently on is Naturethroid.

“Oh, and my starting weight was 205 and I now weigh 134, an unexpected perk!”

Experiences like Tammy’s are why I have to tell newcomers: This is not just a diet like paleo, or being ketogenic, or low-carb. The Wheat Belly lifestyle (and now Undoctored) are comprehensive programs that restore health. One of the principal reasons why the Wheat Belly approach is so powerful and alters appearance so much is because we reverse inflammation, a big part of the reason why Tammy now looks like the daughter of her “before” photo! Yes, she changed her hair color, but look at the contours of her face, around the eyes, and how her eyes are bigger. And, by reversing type 2 diabetes, she has added back something like 8 years to her lifespan.

Among the most shocking aspects of Tammy’s experience, however, is that a doctor advised her to follow Wheat Belly. While I don’t hold back on criticizing my colleagues, Tammy has a doctor who is clearly interested in health—they’re out there!

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Why does the Wheat Belly lifestyle reduce blood pressure so effectively?

We’ve seen it over and over again: Embark on the Wheat Belly lifestyle, particularly our complete program, as detailed in the Wheat Belly Total Health, Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox, and Undoctored books, and high blood pressure (BP) plummets sufficient to allow people to get off one, two, three, even four blood pressure medications.

The program is so quick and powerful that blood pressure medication(s) need to be reduced or eliminated immediately upon starting the program (one drug at a time), as we do not want to risk any low blood pressures (hypotension). And note that we achieve dramatic reductions in BP by NOT restricting sodium/salt—in fact, I encourage salt use, particularly during the initial 10 days or so as we lose inflammatory edema, but important long-term, also, as adding more salt generates benefits such as decrease in heart rate, further improvement in insulin resistance, reversal of several hormonal distortions—all part of the metabolic recovery that develops on this lifestyle.

But why is the Wheat Belly lifestyle so effective in reducing BP, usually to ideal levels? There are a number of reasons:

We reverse insulin resistance—Virtually everyone with high BP starts with fairly extravagant levels of insulin resistance that may manifest as high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, higher blood sugars/pre-diabetes/type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and visceral fat. By removing the amylopectin A carbohydrate of wheat and grain, adding vitamin D that restores insulin sensitivity, fish oil that subdues after-meal (postprandial) lipoproteins that would otherwise add to insulin resistance, supplementing magnesium needed for blood sugar/insulin responses, iodine to normalize thyroid status, and efforts to cultivate bowel flora, it all adds up to rapid and profound reversal of insulin resistance.
We do not limit salt—This further amplifies the reversal of insulin resistance, as well as reversing abnormally high levels of renin, angiotensin, aldosterone, and cortisol, hormones that contribute to high BP.
Inflammation recedes—This occurs rapidly and is so dramatic that it can be reflected on the face with reduced facial swelling and around-the-eye puffiness developing within days of starting the lifestyle. The inflammation from gliadin, gliadin-derived peptides, wheat germ agglutinin, hyperinsulinemia from amylopectin A and other factors all allow inflammation to reverse. Dropping inflammation allows BP to drop.
We lose visceral fat—Visceral fat is inflammatory fat that magnifies insulin resistance, exudes inflammatory mediators, and is responsible for hormonal distortions. As waists shrink, so do all these phenomena.
We build muscle—This explains why some people lose many inches off their waist and thighs unaccompanied by weight loss: they are gaining muscle with the reversal of body-wide inflammation.
We increase bowel flora metabolites—such as butyrate that mediate a reduction in BP. Increasing our intake of prebiotic fibers is the primary driver of this phenomenon.

There are other reasons, but those are the biggies. Add it all up and the Wheat Belly lifestyle frees the majority of people from awful prescription drugs used to reduce high BP. And here’s a dirty little secret: People who achieve a normal BP by taking medications do NOT eliminate risk for complications such as kidney disease and stroke, as there is still substantial risk, a phenomenon called “residual risk,” regardless of the quality or number of BP meds taken. If you achieve normal BP naturally, as we do in the Wheat Belly lifestyle, there is no residual risk—your risk reverts back to normal levels.

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The next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge begins Wed December 5th!

Put it off no longer: We are planning our next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge that starts on Wednesday, December 5th. This is your opportunity to seize control over health and weight, maybe even turn the clock back 10 or 20 years, look and feel better, be freed of numerous, if not all, prescription drugs.

In addition to our Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Private Facebook page that provides videos, success stories, and plenty of feedback and answers to your questions, the next Detox Challenge will also include:

1) LIVE Facebook sessions with Dr. Davis and April Duval, our main Facebook page administrator. I will personally kick off the Detox Challenge on Dec 5th. And because April is herself an example of a fabulous Wheat Belly Detox success, she knows the ins and outs of this lifestyle like the back of her hand.

2) Free access to the Suggestic smartphone app for the first 7 days of the Detox–The Suggestic iPhone app helps you navigate the Wheat Belly Detox with even more recipes, daily suggested recipes, a restaurant locator to identify eating places consistent with our lifestyle with suggested menu items, the ability to track health measures such as water intake and sleep, and all personally customizable. It is your chance to get acquainted with the useful Suggestic app, while helping you succeed on your Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox.

Here’s what you do:

Visit wheatbelly.suggestic.com/challenge by Dec 5th
Sign up to get 10-day free access to my challenge on the Suggestic app
On Dec 5th, go to the app’s homepage and tap “start program” so we can start the challenge together

Our goal: to help you succeed in turning around your life and health and achieve all your health goals including weight loss, getting off prescription medications, and turning back the clock 10 or 20 years.

Why the Detox Challenge?

Through my New York Times bestseller, Wheat Belly, millions of people learned how to reverse years of chronic health problems by removing wheat from their daily diets. But, after reading the original Wheat Belly or the Wheat Belly Total Health book, or even using the recipes from the Wheat Belly Cookbook and Wheat Belly 30-Minute Cookbook, people still said: “I’ve read the books, but I’m still not sure how to get started on this lifestyle.”

That’s why I wrote the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox  and now help readers along in this Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox CHALLENGE. This is the quickest, most assured way to get started on regaining magnificent health and slenderness by adopting the Wheat Belly lifestyle.

We are kicking off the next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge on Facebook LIVE on Day 1: Wednesday December 5th, 12pm EST/11 am CST/10 am MT/9 am PT. Come join us on the private Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/52751...

You will also be given free access to the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Suggestic smartphone app for the first 7 days of the Detox!

The Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox supplies you with carefully designed meal plans and delicious recipes to fully eliminate wheat and related grains in the shortest time possible. Perfect for those who may have fallen off the wagon or for newcomers who need a jump-start for weight loss, this new addition to the Wheat Belly phenomenon guides you through the complete 10-Day Detox experience. And we will kick off this next Challenge with a live Facebook session with Dr. Davis!

In addition to this quick-start program, I’ll teach you:

How to recognize and reduce wheat-withdrawal symptoms,
How to avoid common landmines that can sabotage success
How to use nutritional supplements to further advance weight loss and health benefits

The Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox also includes:

Inspiring testimonials from people who have completed the program (and have now made grain-free eating a way of life)

Exciting new recipes to help get your entire family on board

To join the Detox Challenge:

Step 1

Get the book. And read it (at least the first 5 chapters).

Detox Challenge participants should be informed and active in order to get the most out of the challenge and private Facebook group. READING THE WHEAT BELLY DETOX BOOK IS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE. PLEASE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK or else the conversations will not make sense and you will not enjoy full benefit. It is a very bad idea to try and piece the program together just from our conversations. (Note that the Wheat Belly Detox program is NOT laid out in the original Wheat Belly book.)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JqzMea

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/wheatbelly10daygraindetox-bn

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1KwcFTQ

Step 2

Come join the Private Facebook Group.

http://bit.ly/WheatBelly-PrivateFBGroup

Step 3

Head back to the Private Facebook Group starting Tuesday, December 4th (the day before the official start of the Challenge) and onwards for tips, videos, and discussions to help you get through your detox and reprogram your body for rapid weight loss and health. Dr. Davis and site administrator, April Duval, will be posting video instructions and answers to your questions.

 

The post The next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge begins Wed December 5th! appeared first on Dr. William Davis.