MKSAP: 21-year-old woman with a rash in the lower extremities
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 21-year-old woman is evaluated for a 3-week history of painful nodules and a rash in the lower extremities, along with pain and swelling of the wrists, knees, and ankles. She reports a low-grade fever and a 2.7-kg (6.0-lb) weight loss since the onset of symptoms. She has taken naproxen with some relief. History is significant for gastroesophageal reflux disease and acne. Medications are over-the-counter famotidine as needed and minocycline.
On physical examination, temperature is 38.2 °C (100.8 °F), blood pr...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 26, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
No folate fortification for the grain-free
Advocates of wheat and grain consumption claim that multiple nutritional deficiencies will develop if we eliminate them from our diet. Not true. Let’s explore this question.
Folates are a B vitamin necessary for multiple cell processes, including assembly of DNA and RNA. Folates are therefore especially necessary during pregnancy, as the fetus requires this nutrient to assemble and grow its own genetic code.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for folates and folic acid, which are lumped together as Dietary Folate Equivalents, is 400 mcg per day in adults (male and female), 600 mcg per day in pregnant females. (1 ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 22, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle folates gluten grains vitamins Source Type: blogs
Rebecca’s journey to health and youthfulness
Rebecca shared her photos and experience living the Wheat Belly lifestyle:
“Eliminating wheat has made such a huge difference in my health and, surprisingly, my appearance. I am 42 and have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I’m also a single mom of four and was told that it was ‘normal’ for me to be tired. But I was miserable. I was so tired it hurt despite having thyroid levels that were in the normal range. I also had brain ‘fog,’ anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping. Doctor after doctor kept prescribing me more medicine: medicine for my mood, medicine to help me sleep. And despite a...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - December 3, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories anti-aging anxiety Armour autoimmune Depression hashimoto's hypothyroid Inflammation insomnia leaky gut sleep Weight Loss youth Source Type: blogs
Matthew’s incredible Wheat Belly transformation
Remember Matthew? I previously shared his story and photos, including his 80-pound weight loss and change in cholesterol values.
But there is much more to his story that he has been sharing on the Official Wheat Belly Facebook page. Because the changes he described were so extensive, I’ve collected his comments here. Put together, Matthew’s health transformation is nothing short of astounding. He previously told us that hypertension and pre-diabetes have reversed with now normal blood pressure and blood sugars. But just read on and see how much more happened.
Matthew’s experience is a terrific example of ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - November 27, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories acid reflux allergy asthma cholesterol cramps gerd gluten grains heartburn IBS indigestion spastic colon Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Matthew’s impressive Wheat Belly success
Remember Matthew? Here was his original Wheat Belly success story describing how he obtained relief from near-diabetic blood sugars, asthma, sinusitis, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, skin rashes, and daily headaches.
Here is Matthew’s latest update. “Down a total of 77 pounds since May 1. Wheat Belly rocks!! Have incorporated more ketogenic principles and eat-stop-eat intermittent fasting into the mix.”
Even better, Matthew shared some recent lab work:
The drop in triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, and HbA1c (reflecting Matthew’s prior blood sugars over 90 days) show a dramatic r...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - November 19, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories acid reflux asthma bmi cholesterol fatigue gluten grains IBS sinusitis triglycerides Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Moving numbers
By following the Wheat Belly lifestyle, you can observe such wonderful effects as loss of belly fat, reversal of facial skin rashes and edema, and relief from acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
But, because we have all been told to “cut fat and eat more healthy whole grains” that triggers a domino effect of metabolic and health distortions, most people also typically start their Wheat Belly journey with high blood sugars, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, dysbiosis, inflammation, and other abnormal patterns, the abnormalities that drive billions of dollars of drug prescriptions every ye...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - November 16, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle blood tests bowel flora cholesterol fish oil hypothyroid Inflammation labs lipoproteins magnesium microbiota omega-3 vitamin D Source Type: blogs
Clay no longer skinny-fat, but skinny-skinny
Clay shared his 3-month Wheat Belly photos.
“This was from August 1st, 2015 to November 1st, 2015: 3 months. I also exercised by walking about 26 miles per week.
“I have more energy and stamina. I no longer have to use nasal strips to prevent snoring. I sleep better, my food tastes better, my acid reflux has improved, my LDL amd HDL are headed in the right direction, as is my blood glucose. Also my blood pressure is now easily managed.”
You can see the dramatic reduction in tummy fat, the visceral fat that drives inflammation, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and increased risk for heart disease, ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - November 11, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories abdominal acid reflux blood pressure blood sugar cdl diabetes Fat gluten grains heartburn hypertension insomnia LDL sleep sleep apnea visceral Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
The Courage to Refuse
Last week I attended a talk and panel discussion at Brookings, in which Roger Lowenstein discussed his new book on the Fed’s origins. I have much to say about that book, and I eventually plan to say some of it here. But for the moment my concern is with another book, this one concerning, not the Fed’s origins, but its recent conduct. I mean Ben Bernanke’s The Courage to Act.
So why bring up the Brookings event? Because, in the course of that Federal Reserve love-fest, someone made a passing reference to those crazy people who actually want to limit the Fed’s emergency lending powers. Having seen the Fed save the ec...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 31, 2015 Category: American Health Authors: George Selgin Source Type: blogs
Glyphosate: not JUST a carcinogen
One of the most potentially harmful aspects of genetically-modified crops, or GMOs, are that such crops are often engineered to be resistant to an herbicide. A farmer therefore can spray the herbicide to kill weeds, while the GM crop plant survives. But it means that the plant now has herbicide residues in it. So GMO crops pose a double-whammy: the crop itself with new genetically-programmed components, especially proteins, coupled with an herbicide.
Glyphosate is the most widely applied herbicide in the world, in part because GM corn and soy have been engineered to be glyphosate-resistant. So much glysphosate is being use...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - October 12, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle bowel flora gluten glyphosate gmo grains herbicide microbiota soy Source Type: blogs
What medications have you been able to stop on the Wheat Belly lifestyle?
I posed this question on the Wheat Belly Facebook page recently and received an overwhelming response. Here, I share a partial list of the responses: medications people have been able to stop by following the Wheat Belly lifestyle.
Just take a look at this incredible list: these represent medications prescribed by doctors to, in effect, “treat” the consequences of consuming wheat and grains. They prescribe drugs to treat the inflammation, swelling, skin rashes, gastrointestinal irritation, high blood sugars, airway allergy, and other abnormal effects all caused by wheat and grains.
The list includes anti-inf...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - October 6, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle asthma cholesterol diabetes drugs gluten grains hypertension prescription medication reflux Source Type: blogs
Allergy, asthma, rash, IBS, pre-diabetes, hypertension . . . all becoming a bad memory for Matthew
Matthew shared his 90 day Wheat Belly experience:
“I began my Wheat Belly journey approximately 90 days ago. At that time, I weighed 285 lbs, had really bad sinus/rhinitis/allergy issues, worsening asthma that depended on a rescue inhaler many times a day, high BP, high cholesterol, borderline Type II sugar levels, frequent IBS symptoms, frequent gastric reflux symptoms, the skin on my fingertips would dry, crack and bleed and had for 3 years, chronic hip, knee, and foot pain, and I had not gone home from work a SINGLE DAY in the last 15 months without a headache, and I had not slept a complete night through in 24 mo...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 23, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories acid reflux allergy anti-aging asthma gluten grains IBS irritable bowel skin rash Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Skin rashes, vomiting, and seizures: Wheat Belly followers share their re-exposure experiences
When you have eliminated wheat and grains from your life, odd things happen when you get re-exposed. First of all, you’ve lost the partial–partial, never total–tolerance to some of the adverse effects of wheat and grains, and they come back with a vengeance upon re-exposure. And it’s not just due to the “gluten.” Those of you hanging around here understand that there is far more to wheat and grains than gluten, such as reactions to the bowel toxicity of wheat germ agglutinin, or the mind “fog” of gliadin-derived opiate peptides, or allergic reactions to alpha amylase inhibito...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 19, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle abdominal pain anxiety bloating Depression diarrhea gluten grains joint pain rash re-exposure seizure vomiting Source Type: blogs
The Wheat Belly lifestyle BEGAN with heart health
Debbie posted this comment on the Wheat Belly Facebook page:
“I posted a few weeks back about our scare from our primary care doctor. My husband had a calcium score of 1200. We panicked! Messaged Dr. Davis and went the next day to a cardio doctor and had a stress test, ultrasound, and blood test (inflammatory markers). Got him on recommended supplements per Dr Davis.
“Latest update: Cardio doctor says, being as you started ‘Wheat Belly’ back in October, 2014, your score could have been higher and already started to improve, we don’t know. What we DO know is, because of this new way of eating,...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 15, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle calcium score cholesterol fish oil gluten grains heart disease iodine Thyroid vitamin D Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Why we NEVER “cheat” on the Wheat Belly lifestyle
I’ve heard this many times over the years: “I allow myself one cheat day a week.” Or “I allow myself a cheat every Friday night.” Or “I have a couple of slices of pizza every Saturday.” Or the comments from naysayers such as “A little bit can’t hurt” or “Everything in moderation.”
I urge everyone to never cheat, however. But it’s not because I’m a control freak or because I like to make arbitrary rules. There are many reasons to never allow yourself such a cheat. And it has nothing to do with the few calories ingested. The implications are ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 11, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle autoimmune blood sugar gluten grains Inflammation joint pain skin rash Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 115
Just when you thought your brain could unwind on a Friday, you realise that it would rather be challenged with some good old-fashioned medical trivia…introducing Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 115
Question 1
Dr Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald ran into trouble when she was stationed in Antarctica in 1999. What condition did she face and had to treat herself for?
+ Reveal the Funtabulous Answer
expand(document.getElementById('ddet1636854385'));expand(document.getElementById('ddetlink1636854385'))
Breast cancer.
Dr Fitzgerald had to perform a biopsy with the help of non-medical staff, and treated herself with chemothera...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - September 4, 2015 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Niall Hamilton Tags: Frivolous Friday Five appendicitis breast cancer dr Beecher Dr Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald FFFF Forssman morphine pink lady placebo saline vibrations Source Type: blogs
