Some key points we discussed…

• Inflammation is part of most major diseases: cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, IBS. Will affect most people at some point in life
• With Cardiovascular disease, Depression, ADD, and dementia, there’s no physical pain, but there can be “silent”  inflammation.
• Certain blood tests: anti-nuclei test for lupus, C-reactive protein, coronary calcium scan, Rheumatoid factor, thyroid levels.
• Is there good inflammation?
• Julie’s top supplement recommendations.
• How to make a permanent life change.
• What Julie does daily to avoid inflammation and maintain optimal health.

Julie’s Bio

Julie Daniluk is the host of the Healthy Gourmet on OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network. She is a health expert for the Marilyn Dennis Show and has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows including The Dr Oz Show, CTV’s Breakfast Televition and Wylde on Health. Television viewers also recognize Julie from her “busted” segments on The Right Fit (OWNetwork) where she examines the foods people need, to stay healthy, acting as a nutrition encyclopedia. She is a regular contributor to Chatelaine Magazine and is a recent best-selling author of the book Meals That Heal Inflammation: Embrace healthy living and eliminate pain, one meal at a time. For more information go to JulieDaniluk.com.

Enjoy!

- Josh

I’ve outlined a few examples of such mergers. You might be surprised by some of these combinations.

Melatonin and Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is a popular treatment for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. It works by blocking the receptor, estrogen would normally bind to. The goal here is to block estrogen because estrogen promotes growth of breast cancer.

Cancer drugs are usually extremely toxic to the body, as they work by trying to kill the cancer without killing the patient. Thus, therapies that potentiate drug therapies are a valuable adjunct.

Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland. It helps with our sleep and wake cycle and has powerful antioxidant capacity. Low levels have been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer.¹

Melatonin is a valuable addition to tamoxifen therapy because it increases the effectiveness of tamoxifen without causing any added side-effects.²

Sweet Wormwood and Mefloquine

Sweet Wormwood Harvest

Parasites are resilient creatures and often require strong drugs to eradicate them from the body. One such drug is mefloquine which is used to treat malaria.

When mefloquine is combined with artemisinin (an extract from the herb Sweet Wormword, Artemisia annua) studies showed more rapid parasite clearance and fever reduction.³

Probiotics and Antibiotics

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives ever since they were first used in the 1930s. They are potent agents that kill bacteria and help restore bacterial balance in the body.

Unfortunately, antibiotics are not smart enough to only kill the bad bacteria,  they kill our good bacteria (probiotics) too. As a result, unwanted side-effects are experienced by many people. Side-effects include; yeast infections, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, thrush, and leaky gut syndrome, to name a few.

What many prescribing practitioners don’t realize is that adding probiotics both during and after antibiotic therapy greatly enhances the antibiotic therapy itself and prevents side-effects.⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸ In my opinion, this should be standard practice whenever an antibiotic is prescribed.

Final Thoughts

In a recent article I discussed the power of combining the best of medical therapies with the best of natural therapies. It is truly a combination that could result in the best patient outcome.

If you are taking a pharmaceutical to manage a condition, I encourage you to explore natural therapies to support and possibly improve your outcome. There are usually a plethora of therapies that can be added to your regimen that reduce side effects, prevent future illness, and improve the effectiveness of the drug.

- Josh

They have great value in the treatment acute ailments, life threatening conditions, and in pain control. They fall short however in the treatment of chronic conditions, many of which are due to poor diet and lifestyle.

In the US about 50% of people are on at least one prescription drug and the numbers are rising.(1) (Canadian numbers are similar)

The number two top selling selling drug goes by the trade name Nexium. It grossed 6.3 billion (the “b” is not a typo) dollars in sales in 2010.(2)

Nexium is indicated for erosive esophagitis, a condition that involves injury to the esophagus due to acid reflux (sometimes referred to as GERD – Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disorder).(3) However, it is often prescribed when a patient complains of any upper GI discomfort, usually a result of LOW stomach acid.

I have come across this many times in practice, when a client is complaining of reflux and too much acidity. They usually present with the following symptoms: bloating, burning, sense of fullness, indigestion, allergies, flatulence. This is usually a sign that there is actually not enough stomach acid begin secreted. I treat them for low stomach acid and they experience a complete recovery.

Nexium is a class of drug called a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). PPI’s work by shutting down the cells (parietal cells) that pump hydrochloric acid (HCl) into the stomach. As a result, HCl production is decreased by  99% which results in various issues.

Issues With Taking Acid-Blockers

• HCl is needed to digest proteins by activating important protein-digesting enzymes. If proteins are not properly digested you are at greater risk of developing food allergies.
• In order to absorb minerals you need to secrete large amounts of HCl. If you cannot absorb minerals then you will not be able to maintain bone density. So the drug company writes in the their monograph, “Several published observational studies suggest that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy may be associated with an increased risk for osteoporosis-related fractures of the hip, wrist, or spine.” (4)
• The production of HCL in your stomach is important as a first line of defence to  micro-organisms that you consume. Without this defence you are more prone to infection. In fact, people who take PPIs are three times more likely to develop a severe form of diarrhea called pseudomembranous enterocolitis.(5)

Imagine you went the gym everyday and worked out the same muscle. Eventually you would get tired, then weak, and then injured. The digestive system is the same way in that if you over-stress it, it gets tired, then weak, and possibly injured.

Restoring Digestive Capacity

1. Digestive Bitters: Bitters have been one my greatest tools in alleviating acid reflux and improving digestion with clients. There is a full description of digestive bitters here.
2. Betaine Hydrochloride: If you are low in stomach acid, taking Betaine Hydrochloride can give your stomach the break it needs in order to start producing enough stomach acid on its own. (Consult a qualified practitioner to assess whether you are deficient and how to dose HCl)
3. Lemon juice or apple cider vinaegar: Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar prime the stomach for digestion.

- Josh

References:

1. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db42.pdf

2. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. The use of medicines in the United States: review of 2010. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics Web Site.  www.imshealth.com/deployedfiles/imshealth/Global/Content/IMS%20Institute/Static%20File/IHII_UseOfMed_report.pdf. Published April 2011. Accessed April 23, 2011.

3. http://www.rxlist.com/nexium-drug.htm

4. http://www.rxlist.com/nexium-drug/warnings-precautions.htm

5. S. Dial, J.A. Delaney, A.A. BArkun, and S, Suissa. “Use of Gastric Acid-Suppressive Agents and the Risk of Community-Acquired Clostridium difficult-Associated Disease.” JAMA 294(23) Dec. 21, 2005: 2989-2995.

The history of margarine begins in the 1800′s when Napolean III was looking for a cheap source of fat (cheeper than butter) for the poorer people in the country. The result was a concoction that consisted of beef fat (suet) and skim milk which tasted awful.

Since then, the story of margarine has been two-fold: experiments to concoct a much better margarine; and an effort to make an image shift, from margarine being the “poor-man’s butter” to, margarine being a heart-healthy food choice.

“Big Food” succeeded on both fronts.

The New Heart-Healthy Product

In comes Becel, the #1 margarine brand in Canada. A company which claims its product is good for your heart. (Remember what I said about health claims in this post?)

The question is, is it good for your heart?

Lets look at the ingredients:

• Canola and sunflower oils 74%, water, modified palm and palm kernel oils 6%, salt 1.8%, whey protein concentrate 1.4%, soy lecithin 0.2%, vegetable monoglycerides, potassium sorbate, vegetable colour, artificial flavour, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3, alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E).

Ingredient Breakdown

Canola oil: It was discovered in the mid-1900s that rape seeds contain high amounts of a fat called erucic acid, which causes fatty degeneration of the heart, kidneys, adrenals, and thyroid in rats. Geneticist therefore bred a new seed that only contained 5% erucic acid, and renamed is Canola (name derived from “Canadian Oil”).

Sunflower oil: Both sunflower oil and canola oil are high in  omega-6 essential fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids can be converted into pro-inflammatory compounds which promote heart disease.

(What are essential fats? There are two essential fats, omega-3 and omega-6. They are essential because we cannot make them in the body and therefore must get them from the diet. If we get these two fats in the diet, we can make every other fat the body needs from them.)

Modified palm and palm kernel: These oils have had some of their saturated fat removed to make them smoother with a better texture.

The rest of the ingredients are added for flavour, texture, colour, as a preservative, and for added nutrition (which butter would have anyway).

Bottom Line

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in North America. (More on Cardiovascular Disease prevention here). It is a complex disease process that involves many factors. The fats we choose to eat can either promote or prevent heart disease. The high omega-6 content of Becel is a precursor to pro-inflammatory compounds that promote inflammation and thus heart disease. Most people need more omega-3 fats which can only be converted into anti-inflammatory compounds.

 The Alternative

Organic Butter! It has been used for thousands of years. Didn’t great-grandma eat butter, and every generation before that?

A Medical Research Council survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine.(1)

- Josh

References:

Erasmus, Udo. Fats That Heal Fats That Kill. Alive Books: 1993.

1. Nutrition Week Mar 22, 1991 21:12:2-3

The current medical standard of care is well equipped to handle acute cases, and in this application, is extremely successful. There is no place I’d rather be than in the hospital if I were in a life-threatening emergency state. In fact, the medical system has saved my life at least once.

This, however, begs the question of how effective the health care system is at preventing illness and addressing chronic conditions. With many of us personally dealing with a chronic health condition, or aiding in the care of a loved one, it quickly becomes clear that the healthcare system is ill equipped to disseminate the appropriate care and information to support healing and build optimal health. It simply wasn’t set up for this.

The future of healthcare involves aligning with both a medical practitioner, and an integrative healthcare team. This ensures access to the best of both worlds. The medical system offers outstanding acute care and advanced testing, while integrative practitioners offer prevention strategies and less invasive immediate and long-term solutions. The future of healthcare can happen right now, but it is up to the patient to put it into action.

For example, consider a situation in which a patient requires antibiotics. Antibiotics are a highly effective treatment for killing pathogenic bacteria. The downfall with this treatment is that these drugs also kill the good bacteria. Probiotic supplements, which help to reinstate these good bacteria, have been shown in studies to increase the efficacy of the antibiotic and help restore health after the therapy.

A recent study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology including 3,164 subjects, concluded that using probiotics to prevent antibiotic therapy side-effects is an effective therapy.(1)

Most medical doctors are not educated on the beneficial effects of using probiotics with and after antibiotic treatment. Integrative healthcare practitioners, however, work to restore the body back to the optimal state. They might opt for a course of probiotics, as well as a digestive healing protocol while ensuring that there are no interactions with the medical treatment.

It is clear that a serious paradigm shift needs to take place in the healthcare system. It is a system that is designed for damage control rather than prevention. A solid understanding of how modern medicine can integrate with natural therapies can change the efficacy of healthcare.  Both systems have their role and their place, and when combined in a complementary treatment plan, the rate of success is dramatically increased.

As a society showing dramatically increased rates of chronic degenerative health challenges,  it is not a question of choosing one over the other, but instead understanding how both systems of healthcare can work together. That is the future of healthcare.

- Josh

References:

1. McFarland LV. Meta-analysis of probiotics for the prevention of antibiotic associated diarrhea and the treatment of Clostridium difficile disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2006 Apr;101(4):812-22.

The downfall of having supplements readily available, is that many people think that they can self-prescribe correctly.

I often hear people say that “natural health product didn’t work for me”. With further investigation I find out that they did not take the product at the right time, or in the correct dosage or form, for their body type.

Many people believe that since these products are so accessible and don’t require a prescription, they must be simple to use. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

I have spent countless hours studying which supplements are the best. Also, when I put a personalized nutritional protocol together for a client, it takes me about ten hours of research before I make a single recommendation of what to take.

One of the most popular supplements on the market is the multi-vitamin Centrum. What many people don’t realize is that this multi-vitamin is probably doing more harm than good.

A Few Centrum Facts

• Centrum is a product produced by the company Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
• The dosages of most of the nutrients in Centrum are negligible and not even close to therapeutic levels.
• The forms that the nutrients are provided in are the cheapest and the least absorbable forms.
• Supplements that come in tablet form are often hard to digest and contain binders and fillers (more on this below).
• Water-soluble nutrients (vitamin C and the B-vitamins) are either used or excreted within about 4 hours. Thus, a one-a-day multi is completely useless and a sure sign that it is of pour quality.

The Ingredients In Centrum

Calcium Carbonate This is the least absorbable forms of calcium on the market. A very small percentage is actually absorbed.

Ferrous Fumarate This form of iron is incredibly constipating.

Pregelatinized Corn Starch This is used as a binder to hold all of the ingredients together. It most likely a genetically modified corn which presents a number of problems for sensitive people.(1)

DL-Alpha Tocopherol This is vitamin E and they are using two forms. The “D” form which is natural and the “L” Form which is synthetic. The “L”  form is used to “water-down” the more expensive more bioactive “D” form.

BHT Butylated hydroxyanisole has been shown to be toxic to the liver, thyroid, kidney, lungs, and affecting blood coagulation.(2) BHT can act as a tumour promoter.(3)

FD&C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake Why is there food colouring in a health supplement?

Gelatin Vegetarians watch out!

Hydrogenated Palm Oil Hydrogenating any oil turns the oil rancid and makes it into a strong free radical. Free radicals promote cancer and heart disease.

Nickelous Sulfate and Tin I have never come across any nutrition book discussing a nickel or tin deficiency. Have you? We most likely don’t need to supplement it.

Sodium Benzoate A preservative that may cause organ toxicity.(4)

Talc Has been shown to cause cancer. (5,6,7)

Sodium Aluminosilicate Used as a food additive for its anti caking effect.

One of my rules when shopping for nutritional supplements is to never buy supplements in a drug store.

Centrum is only available in drug stores and is advertised as the “#1-recommended doctor multivitamin” (doctors receive no more than 40 hours of nutrition training).

When it comes to a multi-vitamin I recommend going to a health food store and talking to to an employee about a good-quality multi-vitamin.

Tips For Choosing A Multi-vitamin

• Looks for a multi where the dosage is at least 2-3 capsules per day.
• You pay for what you get. The more expensive the multi is, the better the product.
• Don’t buy it if it says “doctor-recomended” on the label or if a pharmaceutical company distributes it.
• Consult with a certified nutritionist to determine the right multi-vitamin for you.

- Josh

Refernces:

1. http://www.responsibletechnology.org/health-risks

2. UNEP and OECD, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT) Screening Information Data Set: Initial Assessment Report (Paris: OECD, 2002),http://www.inchem.org/documents/sids/sids/128370.pdf.

3. Baur, A.K. et al., “The lung tumor promoter, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), causes chronic inflammation in promotion-sensitive BALB/cByJ mice but not in promotion-resistant CXB4 mice,” Toxicology 169, no. 1 (December 2001): 1-15.

4. Harvell, J., M. Bason and H. Maibach. Contact Urticaria and its Mechanisms. Food Chemistry and Toxicology 32(2): 103-112. 1994. (Table 2: Substances identified as capable of causing contact urticaria).

5.National Toxicology Program. “Toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of talc (GAS No 14807-96-6) in F344/N rats and B6C3F, mice (Inhalation studies).” Technical Report Series No. 421. September 1993.

6. Harlow BL, Cramer DW, Bell DA, Welch WR. “Perineal exposure to talc and ovarian cancer risk.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 80: 19-26, 1992.

7. Hollinger MA. “Pulmonary toxicity of inhaled and intravenous talc.” Toxicology Letters, 52:121-127, 1990.

Bacteria influence our health in hundreds of ways. Everyday there are new discoveries on how these microorganisms interact with human physiology.

Interesting Study

I recently came across an article in Nature showing that DNA can actually be transferred from bacteria to human cells.(1) It discusses how bacteria found on nori (the seaweed used to make sushi) have transferred their genetic material to Japanese people.  This gives Japanese individuals the ability to digest carbohydrates in the seaweed that North American individuals are not able to digest.

The benefits of consuming probiotics (“pro” meaning “for”, “biotic” meaning “life”) are truly abundant.

Some Benefits of probiotics (2)

• Regulate the immune system
• Prevent diarrhea and constipation
• Decrease inflammation
• Reverse allergies
• Treat/prevent yeast infections
• Promote strong bones
• Prevent cancer
• Relieve acid reflux

Most indigenous cultures consume at least one fermented and/or cultured food. And chances are our great grandparents included cultured food as well.

Nowadays most people don’t even know what a fermented/cultured food is. Some examples are sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, pickles, kombucha, yoghurt, kefir, and some cheeses. These foods inoculate our digestive tracts with good bacteria (probiotics).

The cultured foods that are available are usually of the lowest quality and advertised to consumers through clever marketing. An example of one of these products is Activia yoghurt by Danone.

There Are parts of animal feces in my yoghurt

Activia uses a strain of bacteria known as Bifidobacterium Animalis (B. animalis) which they sometimes label as Bifidus Regularis (more on this in a moment). Just to give you a bit of background, bacteria species that are normally found in humans are not found in animals and visa versa. B. animalis (as the nomenclature suggests) comes from animals. In fact, it is found in the feces of rats, chickens, rabbits, calfs, and in sewage.(3)

So why, you may ask, do they add this particular strain to their yoghurt? The answer is, this strain helps humans to be more regular. This is why their marketing ploy involves suggesting consumers take on the “Activia challenge”. This involves consuming their product for 14 days to see if it helps get your digestive system “back on track”, or your money back.

Here’s the BIG catch, once you stop eating Activia, your digestion goes right back to the way it was. The reason is that since B. animalis is not a resident of the human digestive tract, as a result it eventually gets in eliminated. In addition, it displaces the resident probiotics that should be taking up residence in your gut.(4)

I regularly tell my clients that if a food has a label and even worse, a health claim, stay away from it. We have seen once again an example of this being true.

- Josh

References

1. Jan-Hendrik Hehemann, Gaëlle Correc, Tristan Barbeyron, William Helbert, Mirjam Czjzek & Gurvan Michel.Transfer of carbohydrate-active enzymes from marine bacteria to Japanese gut microbiota . Nature464, 908-912.
2. Tannis, Allison. Probiotic Rescue. Wiley: 2008.
3. Ishibashi et al. Bifidobacteria: their significance in human intestinal health. Mal J Nutr 3: 149-159;1997.
4. Salminen et al. Lactic Acid Bacteria: Microbiological and Functional Aspects. Third Edition. Marcel Dekker Inc.:2004.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is an umbrella term used for two separate diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. They have slightly different characteristics but very similar contributing factors, and thus treatment protocols.

I recently was asked to speak about IBD for the Canadian Society of Orthomolecular Medicine. I covered a wide variety of subjects including IBD risk factors, the cause of autoimmune disease, nutritional supplementation, healing diets, and the mind-body connection.

I pointed out that one of the biggest barriers to healing is failure to address the mind-body connection. It is the factor that is most often ignored.

The digestive tract is sometimes referred to as “the second brain”. Consider some of phrases we hear people say almost daily:

“There are butterflies in my stomach.”

“I have a gut feeling.”

“That made me sick to my stomach.”

We don’t pay much attention to the actual content of these phrases, but with further examination, we can appreciate that there is connection between feelings, and the anatomical location of the stomach.

What’s interesting is that there are more nerve endings in the gut than the whole spine. Also, ninety percent of all serotonin is made in the gut. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter we normally associated with the brain. In fact, one of the top selling class of drugs, antidepressant SSRIs, are based on the neurotransmitter.

What can we conclude from all of this? What the mind perceives, has a direct influence on the functioning of the gut.

It is important for people with IBD to try and engage in activities that promote relaxation. The relaxation response promotes healing and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Relaxation is a function of the “rest-digest-stop-and-think” (parasympathetic) nervous system. Versus the “fight-flight-fright” (sympathetic) nervous system that promotes the inflammatory response.

What does the research show?

A recent study by Mawdsley and Rampton published in Gut showed a direct connection between stress and IBD; a connection that was denied for many years. Here are a few of their conclusions:

• Chronic stress, adverse life events, and depression can cause a relapse in patients with IBD
• Adrenal function, gut flora, mast cell activation, and the hypothalamus mediate the effect of stress on inflammation in IBD
• The symptoms of IBD may be exacerbated by the effects of stress on gut motility and fluid secretion

Stress causes an increase in inflammation leading to increased IBD symptomatology.

What Can you do today?

As mentioned above, it is important to focus and stress-relieving activities to promote the relaxation response and consequently healing.

Everyone has specific stress-releiving activities that they enjoy doing. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

• Meditation
• Light Exercise
• Yoga
• Acupuncture, massage, bodywork
• Nature walks
• Music

- Josh

References

Lipski, Elizabeth. Digestive Wellness: 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill 2011.

Mawdsley J E, Rampton D S. Psychological stress in IBD: new insights into pathogenic and therapeutic implications. Gut 2005;54:1481-1491

The skin is our first line of defence against anything trying to damage our body: uv radiation, pathogens, sharp object.

Many people are surprised when they find out that one of the skin’s main purposes is detoxification. It releases about 2 pounds of waste per day. We thus need to be cognizant of what we put on the skin, and more importantly, how we nourish the skin from the inside-out.

True skin protection comes from what we put in our mouth day to day, year after year. No amount of expensive anti-aging cream can maintain the health of poorly nourished skin.

5 ways to ensure healthy, vibrant looking skin well into old age.

1. Remove problem foods Countless clients have had complete resolution of their skin problems by eliminating wheat, dairy, and sugar resulted in. Many people cannot digest these foods properly, and the as a result, the skin suffers.
2. Consume healthy oils Your skin maintains elasticity and moisture by hydrating from the diet with healthy oils. The best oils to consume for the skin are fish oils. Other great oils are flax oil, hemp oil, and chia oil.
3. Eat plenty of antioxidants UV light, temperature changes, and chemicals constantly threaten the skin. Antioxidants protect the skin from these threats. Berries are especially concentrated in antioxidants.
4. Take vitamin C Vitamin C is essential for collagen formation. Collagen is the protein that makes up the skin. Wrinkles are formed when collagen is damaged.
5. Pycnogenol Pycnogenol contains potent antioxidants that have been shown to rejuvenate the skin and protect it from UVB radiation.

- Josh

If the digestive system is not fully functional, every single process in the body is affected. This is why it is so important to “be kind” to your digestive tract and not stress it too much.

Things that stress the digestive tract are:

• Overeating
• Processed and refined foods
• Cold beverages, soft drinks, alcohol
• Stress
• Poor food combining
• Caffeine
• Low fibre diet
• Smoking
• Food allergies and sensitivities
• Chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, BPA, heavy metals)

The top 5 supplements for maintaining a healthy digestive tract and alleviating acute discomfort

1. Digestive Bitters Bitters have been used for thousands of years to stimulate and tone the digestive system. Typically in nature, plants that are poisonous have a bitter taste. As a survival mechanism our bodies ramp up all of our digestive processes to try and deal with the poison as effectively as possible to avoid getting sick. Herbalists observed this and used bitter herbs to afford a similar effect.
2. Digestive Enzymes Enzymes are the workers that help to break down the food that we eat. We have only one chance to break down food mechanically, accomplished by chewing. The rest is all carried out by chemicals that we secrete, enzymes. I always say, “you don’t have teeth in your stomach”.
3. Probiotics Probiotic means “for life”. These are the good bacteria that inhabit our digestive tract. We are outnumbered by probiotics ten to one. They are a key part of our immune system and have hundreds of beneficial effects in our body.
4. Fibre Fibre comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. They are both important for keeping us regular and keeping our insides clean. Cultures that have more bowel movements per day, have less degenerative disease.
5. L-glutamine Proteins are long chains of single amino acids. Amino acids are like different colored beads on a necklace. Each color is a different amino acid. L-glutamine is one amino acid and has a very important role along the digestive tract. It is the primary fuel for all of our digestive cells. Thus, it is extremely effective at healing an inflamed or damaged digestive tract like we see in people with Crohn’s, colitis, or ulcers.

- Josh

Come check out a public lecture on the evidence-based nutritional approach to Inflammatory Bowel Disease on  Wednesday March 21, 2012.