October 22nd, 2013
By Craig Fear
While a little under 1% of the population is diagnosed with Celiac disease, an allergy to gluten, more are being diagnosed and self-diagnosed as gluten intolerant (aka gluten sensitive).
What’s the difference?
A food allergy is an immune reaction to a protein-based substance in a food. Celiac disease is an allergy to a specific part of the gluten molecule which is actually composed of two proteins - gliadin and glutenin.
A food intolerance is a reaction to a non-protein-based substance in a food. They’re often delayed meaning the person does not have an immediate reaction. But intolerances can also be a due to an inability to digest a food due to an underlying digestive weakness. For this reason, they can be trickier to diagnose. And in the case of a gluten intolerance, there are no agreed upon lab tests that can confirm it (as of yet). Just because a blood test comes back negative for Celiac disease doesn’t mean the person is not reacting to gluten. Keep Reading…
August 26th, 2013
By Craig Fear
Last week I made another appearance on Mass Appeal, a local morning talk show here in western MA.
It’s a quirky little show and I always get a kick (and an adrenalin rush) out of it.
I answered four basic questions about acid reflux: What is heartburn? What is GERD? Why is acid reflux NOT caused by too much acid? And why do medications for acid reflux cause long term health problems? Keep Reading…
August 19th, 2013
By Craig Fear
Big Mac + Zantac = Prozac
I love that quote by Dr. Alan R. Gaby. I think it captures so much that is wrong with modern society.
If the quote isn’t obvious in its meaning, let me explain.
Big Mac represents bad food.
Zantac is an acid blocker. Tens of millions of people take acid blockers (Prilosec, Prevacid, Pepcid, Nexium, etc.) to stop stomach acid from refluxing into their esophagus.
Contrary to popular belief, acid refluxes into the esophagus NOT because tens of millions of people produce too much acid. As I explain in my book, The 30 Day Heartburn Solution: A 3-Step Nutrition Program to Stop Acid Reflux Without Drugs, this is the myth that the pharmaceutical companies propagate. This myth sells A LOT of acid blockers. Keep Reading…
August 6th, 2013
By Craig Fear
Today I want to share with you a story that I share in the Introduction of my new ebook, The 30 Day Heartburn Solution.
Several years ago I gave a talk at a local library on acid reflux. This is a condition where stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus and burns the lining resulting in heartburn. If this happens chronically it can damage the esophageal lining. This is known as GERD (Gastro-esophageal reflux disease).
In my talk I explained in detail why heartburn and GERD are not caused by too much stomach acid, but in fact, NOT ENOUGH. Keep Reading…
