I have been successfully treating the seizures associated with idiopathic epilepsy using the GARD (diet) for over 15 years now. The response to this elimination diet has been nothing short of miraculous. Although I have been fielding emails from owners of epileptic dogs and cats (and parents of epileptic children) and doing consultations on this subject, I have never created a blog that allows the reader to leave their comments and personal testimonials directly on the site. To be honest, I have simply been too busy.

However, the time has come for you to be able to leave your comments and have others in the community read and respond to them. I will be sending out an email to my Friends of DogtorJ specifically requesting those who have employed the GARD for seizures to comment.

I hope this will help those who are seeking help and answers for their epileptic loved ones, whether they be two or four-legged.

Dogtor J 

“Secondary food intolerance” is the term I am currently using to describe the situation that arises when a food intolerant individual consumes meat of an animal that was fed gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye), soy, corn or even dairy products and is negatively affected by it. Perhaps there is a better term, such as “level two food intolerance” or “type two food intolerance” but for now, “secondary intolerance” or “secondary glutenization” works for me.

And sadly, this is a very real issue. I suspected this was so ten years ago when I started down this path of discovery and recovery, reading everything I could get my hands on in the way of celiac literature. Why wouldn’t we react to these lectins (antibody-sized glycoproteins), knowing that they enter the body and do harm to the cells of sensitized individuals. They are in the flesh – that’s how they do harm. Could an individual be so sensitive to gluten, soy or corn that they would react to the presence of these tiny proteins in the chickens cattle and even fish that are fed these items.

The answer is “Yes!”. Although this may be hard for some to believe, all we have to do is think “peanut allergy”. Most know that there are individuals out there who are so incredibly peanut allergic that, when kissed by or even breathed upon by someone who just ate peanuts, they could have an anaphylactic reaction or even die from this minimal exposure. Wow! Yes, some are that sensitive to the proteins from peanuts and we can be just as sensitive to those from corn, soy, gluten grains and dairy.

Read more…

I thought I would start this blog to discuss your successes – and failures – using The GARD as part of your recovery process from whatever your malady may have been. Although seizure control has been my special interest, the development of GARD began with the control of my own symptoms related to gluten intolerance, namely chronic fatigue, heartburn, IBS, allergies, headaches, insomnia, joint pain, fibromyalgia, and simply suffering from “ain’t doin’ right syndrome”.  

As I discovered in my case, most people find that the diet works well…and quickly…to improve their medical issues. It is truly a universal diet because there is nothing from which we suffer that cannot be directly tied to the “big 4” foods – gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye), dairy products, soy/legumes and corn – and the harm they do to the intestinal lining (“leaky gut syndrome”) and every tissue in the body once their lectins (tiny glycoproteins) enter the bloodstream.

I focus on neurological problems because the brain has been shown to be the most afflicted organ of the body other than the lining of the intestinal tract (villi) when it comes to the harm done by gluten, et al. Epilepsy is simply one of the best examples of a serious neurological problem that can turn around quickly with the proper elimination diet but the use of The GARD is certainly not restricted to seizures. All neurological conditions can benefit from the elimination of these neurotoxic proteins and the other harmful things that they contain (e.g. glutamic acid, estrogens).

The less serious symptoms of heart burn, IBS, allergies, fatigue, lowered pain threshold, insomnia and the like often resolve very quickly once The GARD is instituted. As I like to explain, these signs disappear quickly to tell us that the more serious ones can also go away. It’s just that in the case of advanced neurological disorders (e.g. MS), the afflicted individual have to be much more vigilant and continue to do the right thing for a long enough time. The brain and spinal cord heal much more slowly than other tissues. Minor mistakes can lead to major setbacks.

So…please post your successes and your failures. We are always encouraged by reading about the achievements of others, but I also want to help you with your struggles. There are often very good explanations for an incomplete response to these dietary changes.

Dogtor J

“Is the Pet Food Industry in the Business of Population Control?”

By Dogtor J

This is the title of one of my first articles…after I discovered the truth about the ingredients in pet food. Does that question seem like a totally absurd notion? Is it possible that the manufacturers of our pet’s food are so out of touch with the animal’s nutritional requirements that they make their formulary blunders by accident ? After studying the effects of gluten, dairy, soy, and corn on the health of people and their pets for the past seven years and reading what researchers have known for years, I have come to the conclusion that there is something seriously wrong in Mudville.

After this incredible pet food recall story, any pet owner with a functional brain has to be questioning why we feed dogs and cats the way we do. Notice that I did not include veterinarians in that last sentence. I am afraid that we have been too thoroughly programmed to look at this situation with the eyes of a child. And once again, I cannot throw stones here but simply make a point. When asked what to feed, I used to parrot back what we have all been led to believe: “Just stick with a good, name brand of pet food and stay away from the generic brands, especially those that spell it ‘Dog Fude’. Haha. And, do not add table food to your pet’s commercial diets because that will simply unbalance the formula that the pet food manufacturers have worked sooo hard to get right over their years and years of research and manufacturing.” Oh, how I hang my head in shame now that I know differently.

I have had this discussion with countless clients over the past 28 years of practice. It has only been the last seven that I have been awake to the reality of just how unscientifically these foods are formulated and produced. All one has to do is look at the ingredient list and compare it to what we know these pets would consume in the wild. It helps to know the history of what man has done to the grains and other ingredients that make them even more unnatural and harmful.

All of the grains are man-made, man-raised crops that we have cultivated for human consumption starting very early in our agricultural history. People love to point out that man ate wheat and drank milk in Biblical times so these things must be good and healthy. Even well-intentioned, Scripture-oriented books make this statement. But they leave out two very key points: The wheat we consume now is no longer “God’s wheat” and the milk we drink is no longer “God’s milk”. The original wheat was “pure in its generations” (no hybrids) and contained 4-5% gluten. This was changed forever by our Northern Germanic ancestors in the mid 400’s A.D. when they blended two other plants to “God’s wheat”, creating a hybrid and one that contained much more gluten, so much more that they were stricken with “coeliac disease” (gluten intolerance). This is historical fact. It is that new wheat, which we term “common wheat”, that became the ancestor of today’s wheat, which now contains as much as 55% gluten, a far cry from the 5% found in original wheat. Plus, our wheat is no longer pure in its generations, as it has become a mutant blend of multiple plants that man has continued to manipulate, especially in the recent past.

Read more…

“We have met the enemy… and he is us!”

New research into the origin of our medical woes has revealed something startling: As it turns out, we are our own worst enemy.

Yes, the Pogo quote of yesteryear found in the title of this article is quite accurate when applied to our medical lives. We love to discuss those things that we call “causes” of diseases even though we often have little clue as to how these things really cause illness. Even medical professionals can have difficulty grasping the true cause-and-effect. But that is understandable once some insight is gained into the true nature of medical training.

One would think that we are exposed to the gamut of current medical knowledge in medical school. But, in fact, we gain limited knowledge as to the true workings of pathogens, parasites, and chemical insults. Sure, we are often taught which virus or bacteria causes a certain disease state and then shown the established/accepted mode of therapy. But most of us never gain an appreciation for the circumstances that led up to that illness or why one individual has the condition while the next person remains healthy.

We are also not told why many of these “pathogens” are ubiquitous in the environment and yet only cause a clinical syndrome in a relatively small percentage of individuals. We refer to “immunity” but don’t delve into the fine points of why one pet or person lives to a ripe old age while the next one gets cancer or some catastrophic illness at a much earlier age. We usually rely on the old standby of “genetics” for the explanation.

As many of you know, I love to discuss “genetics”. Now I do not claim to be an authority on the subject, but I do love kicking it around. I like to ponder the logic behind scientists referring to certain diseases as “genetic” without their offering a good explanation as to why these “genes” wait so long to manifest.

Read more…

The blog of the new DogtorJ.com was created on May 15, 2010. I have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to take the gloves off and battle a few issues without the fear of wording or punctuating everything just so. On this blog, I’m gonna tell it like it is without restraint. My old blog was called “Blogtor J”, a name that pretty much said it all. But…I am thinking about calling this one DogtorJ – Unleashed. Maybe you can help me decide.

Dogtor J

Welcome to BlogtorJ – the blog of DogtorJ.com

by Dogtor J

Welcome to my blog. As is the case with most of DogtorJ.com, we will cover both veterinary and human medical issues that have become important to my readers. Want to vent about the biologically-inappropriate nature of pet foods? Feel free to let off some steam. Want to discuss how the specialization of medicine has killed the ability of the some doctors to see the big picture? Here’s your chance. Want to talk about the quality of health care the wide spectrum of competence displayed by the individuals practicing in each of the medical professions? Have at it. I certainly have my opinions on these issues but I know you do, too. I have been receiving your heartfelt comments across the exam table and by Email for years.

I also know that many of you are using facebook for this purpose. I do, too. It is my hope that you will find the time to come here and post a few comments every once in a while. We’re all related by our passion for health and desire to learn the truth about medicine. So…think of this blog as a family reunion.

Dogtor J