Allergy - Wheat Pasture Bloat That Kills Cattle Linked to Wheat Gluten Obesity And Bloating Epidemic?

Wheat fed to cattle sometimes die from a bloating disorder known as wheat pasture bloat, feedlot bloat, free-gas bloat or frothy bloat. Wheat and barley are fed to cattle because they are a cheap source of high protein grains. These grains result in rapid weight gain for finishing cattle off for slaughter. However, if too much wheat or barley is fed to cattle, especially high gluten containing wheat, the cattle can die. In pasture bloat, the stomach or rumen as it is called in cattle, accumulates excessive gas putting pressure on the heart and lungs leading to death. I have patients who tell me that they feel like they are dying because of the pain and bloating they experience. Some have even said they wish someone could puncture their stomach to let all their gas out. Most no longer feel that way after starting a gluten-free or wheat-free diet. Their bloating is gone. My wife grew up in rural Missouri. Her family had cattle. When I asked her if she had ever heard of pasture bloat she told me a story of trying to help the local veterinarian save one of their cows that developed pasture bloat. Despite puncturing the cow's stomach letting the gas escape, the cow died anyway. Recently, while horseback riding with my daughter, the guide complained about how the horses kept stopping to pass gas and loose green stools, blurting out "we think it's the hops". The ranch gets discarded hops from the local beer brewery that they feed to their horses. Gluten containing hops are giving the horses gas and loose stools! Many of my patients also complain about being unable to lose weight. Yet a diet history reveals that, like most Americans now, they are getting more than 20% of their daily calories from carbohydrates containing gluten. If the cattle industry knows that wheat and barley grains rapidly fatten cattle we should not be surprised at the obesity epidemic in our grain and carbohydrate heavy diet. In contrast, overweight and obese people on a gluten-free diet frequently lose weight. Many people who have celiac disease are overweight or obese. Unfortunately their diagnosis is usually missed because of the misperception that you can't have celiac disease if you are overweight. This is false. Many people with undiagnosed celiac disease are overweight as well as constipated. They usually do have severe bloating symptoms though. The low carbohydrate diet, by nature a low gluten diet, is so successful because people lose weight and they note that their headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, brain fog and bloating are better. They lose weight and they feel better. They are therefore motivated to continue. However, reintroduction of carbohydrates, especially those that are high in gluten, results in weight gain and feeling well. However, giving up gluten can be difficult. There are cultural issues, increased cost, and other inconveniences that have to be overcome. Also, gluten has addictive properties. Gluten is broken down into morphine like proteins called gliadomorphins or gluten exorphins. These well-characterized chemicals have many effects including addictive properties and function impairment. My GI training led me for years to advise people, especially those with irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis, to eat plenty of whole grains and to take fiber supplements. This is also the recommendation of the U.S. government in our Food Pyramid. I eventually stopped pushing whole grains and some fiber supplements because so many patients complained of increased bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort. As an expert on celiac disease, I realize that recommendations of whole grains and gluten containing fiber supplements are not only unhelpful to but also harmful to many people. Feedlot bloat usually results in a slimy frothy coating of the cattle stomach (rumen). I frequently see this mucus or slimy coating on the surface of the small intestine of my patients when doing endoscopy. I suspect this may be due to excess carbohydrates in the diet. The accumulation of intestinal gas in cattle is due to their inability to eructate (burp). Some cattle become some ill they must be slaughtered early. Increased bacteria production has been implicated. Fermentation of these grains is also believed to be involved. Excess protein content of some wheat like winter wheat high gluten, is also to blame. Wheat is fermented faster and much more than barley, sorghum or corn. So, why is wheat given to cattle? It is inexpensive. It produces very fast weight gain and more weight gain than other grains. However, great care must be exercised in using wheat for fattening cattle. Supplements are required because wheat alone can result in low calcium levels that can cause grass tetany, a form of muscle spasms or paralysis. An exclusive or very high wheat diet can cause a ruminant acidosis (high levels of acid in the blood) that is also fatal to cattle. Is your diet consisting of large amounts of calories derived from wheat and gluten containing carbohydrates? Are you overweight and constantly feeling bloated, experiencing unexplained muscle cramps and aches, headaches, balance difficulties, and abdominal pain? Maybe you should learn from the cattle industry since the doctors are not likely to tell you the truth about the dangers of a grain-based diet. My goal as the Food Doc is to help empower you with the knowledge you need for a healthy gut, healthy life . References: A review of bloat in feedlot cattle. Cheng KJ et al. J Anim. Sci 1998. 76:299-308. The Food Doc, Dr. Scot Lewey, is an expert medical doctor specializing in digestive diseases and food related illness, especially food allergies, celiac disease and colitis. Dr. Lewey's expert reputation as the Food Doc is established by a foundation of formal training in internal medicine, pediatrics, and gastroenterology (diseases of the digestive tract), his personal and family experience with gluten and milk sensitivity, and over two decades as a practicing physician, clinical researcher, author and speaker. http://www.thefooddoc.com. The Food Doc, "Healthy Gut, Heathy Life" Learn more at www.thefooddoc.com > Copyright 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved. http://www.theFoodDoc.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Scot_Lewey Allergy - Finding An Effective Allergy Treatment You cannot relate to the discomfort that allergies do cause to people, unless you have experienced it yourself, having a negative reaction to a certain substance. Such reactions to different elements can make a person feel extremely miserable. When people are suffering they start looking for a rapid cure for their problems, but there are some things that have to be taken into consideration, before starting a treatment for your allergies. As well as for everything else, prevention is the best cure, and that applies for the allergies too. The best thing to do is to try avoiding any triggers that can cause such a reaction in your body. In case you have an allergy to dust, then just leave dusting the house and vacuum cleaning to someone else. There is no reason to take that risk if you can easily avoid doing that. Definitely you need your environment kept clean. And of course the treatment of avoiding dust is not realistically applicable at all times, but still you can take a few precautions for helping yourself to breathe easier. In case you know that there is a chance for you to be exposed to dust, just wear a protective mask. The embarrassment of looking silly for a short while is not as important as protecting your own health. Another step you can easily undertake is to ensure good ventilation of the area you are dusting. Food allergies unfortunately are very dangerous and people who have such need to entirely avoid certain foods like eggs, strawberries or peanuts that trigger their reactions. In some of the cases reactions are so severe that it becomes a matter of life and death. In such cases of severe allergic reactions especially to foods it is very dangerous and unwise to try taking care of them at home. And what should be actually done in such cases is not to waste any time but get the person to the hospital where best treatment can be provided to him/her. There are though some weaker reactions with milder symptoms. Those can be taken care of with allergy treatment from the local pharmacy. Your doctor can offer an effective nonprescription drug that can help in such situations and you can even get a stock of it so that in case it happens you won't have to rush out searching where to get it from. Benadryl is one of the most popular medications for allergic reactions. It is a nonprescription medication, but still it has to be taken with caution. It can affect your reactions and impair the driving abilities or make you feel drowsy. It also affects concentration and the ability to work and it is not advisable to take it for more than only a few days in row. The most effective way to treat allergic reactions is by taking medication, but you definitely must take into consideration all the side effects such medication can cause, and decide if they are worth the temporary relief especially of milder symptoms. As some people in fact react to drowsiness worse than to their congestion or ithcings.