silent germ

“silent germ.” It can inflict lasting damage without your knowing it. Beyond calories, fat, protein, and micronutrients, we now understand that food is a powerful epigenetic modulator—meaning it can change our DNA for better or worse. Indeed, beyond simply serving as a source of calories, protein, and fat, food actually regulates the expression of many of our genes. And we have only just begun to understand the damaging consequences of wheat consumption from this perspective. Most of us believe that we can live our lives however we choose, and then when medical problems arise, we can turn to our doctors for a quick fix in the form of the latest and greatest pill. This convenient scenario fosters an illness-centered approach on the part of physicians as they play their role as the purveyors of pills. But this approach is tragically flawed on two counts. First, it is focused on illness, not wellness. Second, the treatments themselves are often fraught with dangerous consequences. As an example, a recent report in the prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine revealed that postmenopausal women who were put on statin drugs to lower their cholesterol had a nearly 48 percent increased risk of developing diabetes compared to those who weren’t given the drug. 2 This one example becomes even more critical when you consider that becoming diabetic doubles your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. These days, we are seeing an ever-increasing public awareness of the effects of lifestyle choices on health as well as disease risk. We often hear of the “heart smart” diet or recommendations to increase dietary fiber as a strategy to reduce colon cancer risk. But why is precious little information made available about how we can keep our brains healthy and stave off brain diseases? Is it because the brain is tied to the ethereal concept of the mind, and this erroneously distances it from our ability to control it? Or is it that pharmaceutical companies are invested in discouraging the idea that lifestyle choices have a profound influence on brain health? Fair warning: I’m not going to have kind things to say about our pharmaceutical industry. I know far too many stories of people abused by it than helped by it. You’ll be reading some of these stories in the pages ahead. This book is about those lifestyle changes you can make today to keep your brain healthy, vibrant, and sharp, while dramatically reducing your risk for debilitating brain disease in the future. I have dedicated more than thirty-five years to the study of brain diseases. My workday centers on creating integrative programs designed to enhance brain function in those afflicted with devastating disease. On a daily basis I meet with families and other loved ones whose lives have been turned upside down by illness. It’s heart-wrenching for me as well. Each morning before I start my day, I visit with my ninety-six-year-old father. A former brilliant neurosurgeon trained at the prestigious Lahey Clinic, he now resides in an assisted-living facility located across the parking lot from my office. While he may or may not remember my name, he almost never forgets to tell me to make sure I make rounds on each of his patients. He retired more than twenty-five years ago. The information that I will reveal to you is not just breathtaking; it’s undeniably conclusive. You’ll be shifting how you eat immediately. And you’ll be looking at yourself in a whole new light. Right about now, you might be asking, Is the damage already done? Have you doomed your brain from all those years of having your cake and eating it too? Don’t panic. More than anything, I intend this book to be empowering, equipping you with a remote control to your future brain. It’s all about what you do from this day forward. Drawing on decades of clinical and laboratory studies (including my own), as well as extraordinary results I’ve seen over the past thirty-odd years in my practices, I’ll tell you what we know and how we can take advantage of this knowledge. I’ll also offer a comprehensive action plan to transform your cognitive health and add more vibrant years to your life. And the benefits don’t stop at brain health. I can promise that this program can help any of the following: ADHD anxiety and chronic stress chronic headaches and migraines depression diabetes epilepsy focus and concentration problems inflammatory conditions and diseases, including arthritis insomnia intestinal problems, including celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and irritable bowel memory problems and mild cognitive impairment, frequently a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease mood disorders overweight and obesity Tourette’s syndrome and much more Even if you don’t suffer from any of the above conditions, this book can help you preserve your well-being and mental acuities. It is for both the old and the young, including women who plan to become or are pregnant. As I write this introduction, yet another study has emerged showing that babies born to women who are sensitive to gluten live with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders later in life. 3 That’s a huge, chilling finding that all expectant moms need to know. I’ve seen dramatic turnarounds in health, such as the twenty-three-year-old man whose crippling tremors vanished after a few easy changes to his diet, and the countless case studies of epileptic patients whose seizures ended the day they replaced grains with more fats and protein. Or the thirtysomething woman who experienced an extraordinary transformation in her health after suffering from a litany of medical challenges. Before coming to see me, she not only experienced crushing migraines, depression, and heartbreaking infertility, but also had a rare condition called dystonia that contorted her muscles into strange positions and nearly incapacitated her. Thanks to a few simple dietary tweaks, she allowed her body and brain to recover back to perfect health… and a perfect pregnancy. These stories speak for themselves and are emblematic of millions of other stories of people who live with unnecessary life-depleting conditions. I see a lot of patients who have “tried everything” and who have had every neurological exam or scan available to them in the hope of finding a cure for their condition. With a few simple prescriptions that don’t involve drugs, surgery, or even talk therapy, the vast majority of them heal and find a path back to health. You’ll find all of these prescriptions in this book. A brief note about the book’s organization: I’ve divided the material into three parts, starting with a comprehensive questionnaire designed to show you how your daily habits might be affecting the function and long-term health of your brain. Part 1, “The Whole Grain Truth,” takes you on a tour of your brain’s friends and enemies, the latter of which render you vulnerable to dysfunction and disease. Turning the classic American food pyramid upside down, I’ll explain what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients like wheat, fructose (the natural sugar found in fruit), and certain fats, proving that an extremely lowcarbohydrate but high-fat diet is ideal (we’re talking no more than 60 grams of carbs a day—the amount in a serving of fruit). This may also sound preposterous, but I’ll be recommending that you start swapping out your daily bread with butter and eggs. You’ll soon be consuming more saturated fat and cholesterol and re-thinking the aisles in your grocery store. Anyone who’s already been diagnosed with high cholesterol and prescribed a statin will be in for a rude awakening: I’m going to explain what’s really going on in your body and tell you how to remedy this condition easily, deliciously, and without drugs. In compelling detail, backed by science, I’ll put a new spin on the topic of inflammation—showing you that in order to control this potentially deadly biochemical reaction that lies at the heart of brain disease (not to mention all of our degenerative illnesses from head to toe), your diet will need to change. I’ll show you how your food choices can bring inflammation under control by actually changing the expression of your genes. And it’s pointless to consume antioxidants. Instead, we need to eat ingredients that turn on the body’s own powerful antioxidant and detoxification pathways. Part 1 includes an exploration of the latest research on how we can change our genetic destiny and actually control the “master switches” in our DNA. The research is so captivating that it will inspire the most exercise-averse fast-food junkie. Part 1 ends with a more indepth look at some of our most pernicious psychological and behavioral disorders, such as ADHD and depression, as well as headaches. I’ll explain how many cases can be remedied without drugs. In part 2, “Grain Brain Rehab,” I present the science behind the habits that support a healthy brain, which includes three primary areas: nutrition and supplements, exercise, and sleep. The lessons gained in this part will help you execute my monthlong program outlined in part 3, “Say Good-bye to Grain Brain.” Included are menu plans, recipes, and weekly goals. For additional support and ongoing updates, you can go to my website at www.DrPerlmutter.com. There, you’ll be able to access the latest studies, read my blog, and download materials that will help you tailor the information in this book to your personal preferences. For example, you’ll find a “day at a glance” and “month at a glance” calendar with ideas on how to create your meals and plan your day, recipes included. Some of the lists in this book (e.g., “The Gluten Police”) will also be accessible online, so they will be easy to pin up in your kitchen or on your refrigerator as a reminder. So exactly what is “grain brain”? I think you already have a clue. It can best be understood by reflecting back on an old news bulletin. If you were paying attention to advertising in the mid-1980s, you might recall the public service announcements for a large-scale anti-narcotics campaign that featured an egg in a frying pan with the memorable tagline This is your brain on drugs. The powerful image suggested that the effect of drugs on the brain was like that of a hot pan on an egg. Sizzle, sizzle. This pretty much sums up my assertion about our brains on grains. Let me prove it to you. Then it’s up to you to decide if you’ll take this all seriously and welcome a brighter, more disease-free future. We’ve all got a lot to lose if we don’t heed this message, and a lot to gain if we do.