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31st May 2012
Earlier this month I had the great please of meeting and interviewing cardiologist Dr William Davis who was speaking at a dietary conference in the US.
Dr Davis has written a fabulous book called Wheat Belly, which has become a New York Times best seller. Although the book argues for the elimination of wheat for both weight loss and cardiac health, he also observes how many patients had improvement in their asthma. I guarantee that if you read it, you will want to share it and recommend it to many friends who are seeking better health.
I was lucky to be able to interview Dr Davis during the conference. He details how wheat has changed over the decades and its inflammatory effects. He argues that there is good reasons for an asthmatic to do a 4 week wheat-free trial and no reason (other than inconvenience) not to.
His book Wheat Belly is highly recommended. It is available in hardcover, Kindle and audio CD. Here’s the Amazon link.
His web site www.wheatbellyblog.com is a great resource.
I look forward to your comments about the interview or the book.
Eat well – breath well.
Jamie
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What’s up, constantly i used to check website posts here in the early hours in the break of day, as i like to find out more and more.
Hi hivvids and others,
Although I am passionate about bringing this information to you, I am a newbie when it comes to running a blog. Please be patient as I respond and bring new information and interviews.
Jamie
I have the Wheat Belly book and have been wheat free for over a year. Before being wheat free when I wanted to go out and run I had reactive airway problems. I would get a constricted spot in my windpipe about where it would divide to go into the lungs. I would often have a croupy type cough for hours and sometimes days after even a short run. In the winter I would develop the cough even without exertion of any kind. I can tell you now that I can do a 3 to 4 mile run and depending on energy levels do a 11 to 14 minute mile and never develop that cough. Having only experienced 1 winter wheat free — I can say I definitely did better though we had a very mild winter, however, that being said my allergy symptoms were easily controlled by over the counter meds that I would normally take and for the first time in 3 years I did not get a sinus infection. And that is just the breathing related issues! There are so many other positives!
Thanks for sharing Heather. I hope you keep your Asthma meds up to date just in case. Be careful running past freshly mowed lawns. Some may find wearing a simple dust mask helps moisten air when the air is dry. You may want to test it on dry days and judge if it helps.
Excellent, Heather!
I went wheat free in January and have not had to use my asthma meds since then. I did not even refill them, Albuterol and Flovent. I am 58 and have had asthma since age 5. My BP is normal now, and I have lost 8 or 9 pounds. I would like to lose 5 more.
I can’t stress enough the importance of Dr Davis’ findings about wheat.
Loreen
Loreen,
I know he will be pleased to read about your improvement. Please keep emergency meds up to date. Next time you visit your doctor, I’ll be keen to hear what comments they make.
Jamie
Fabulous, Loreen!
Your experience is a wonderful example of the widely varied phenomena that can emerge from consumption of modern wheat: The weight gain effect of the opiate, gliadin, in wheat that stimulates appetite; the asthma/airway disruptive effects of the unique alpha amylase inhibitors in wheat. And that’s just the stuff that shows itself!
I’m a physician with an 8 year old who has been asthmatic since toddlerhood. When she started having her usual springtime exacerbations (she has grass allergies), she decided to try a wheat free diet.
Within 48 hours she stopped waking at night with cough and
wheeze and was able to run without eliciting symptoms. She’s been symptom free for several weeks now, has dropped her controller medication, and hasn’t needed albuterol with the exception of one time in which she broke her diet for piazza at school.
Merideth,
I’d be keen for your assessment as to what is going on and why. You didn’t mention whether you had read Dr Davis’ book Wheat Belly or what gave you the idea to try going off wheat. I’d be keen to hear or read more. Its great news about your daughter.
Jamie
Dr. Meredith–
That’s absolutely wonderful!
It’s continuing examples like your daughter’s that convince me there is a real link between exposure to modern wheat and asthma. The data would suggest that it might be the new and altered alpha amylase inhibitor polypeptides that might underlie some, if not most, of the increased instances of asthma in children.
As Jamies Hayes would quickly point out, we really, really need to formally document these phenomena!
I stopped eating wheat almost 3 weeks ago and have not had to use my Albuterol inhaler in over a week. Prior to the elimination of wheat I was using the rescue inhaler five times per week along with the frequent use of Nasacort, Zyrtec and Sudafed for my asthma…as well as various herbal remedies. I am 47 years old and my physician told me my asthma and allergy symptoms were aggravated by hormonal changes. I have suffered with seasonal allergies all of my life but the night time asthma appeared within the last 3 years. It is scary to wake up gasping for breath. When I looked back in my journal I noted that the asthma symptoms were worse on Sunday and Monday nights. I usually eat low carb during the week but on Sundays I would eat whatever I wanted and I wanted pasta and bread! This past week I have slept through the night without asthma or even sinus congestion. Amazing. For the past few years I experimented with various OTC meds, pharmaceuticals and supplements, thinking that some magic potion would relieve my symptoms. But the remedy is not something added on. The remedy is something taken away. Wheat. I am grateful to Dr. Davis and I am recommending Wheat Belly to all my clients and friends. This information is a life saver.