Drs: R.I.P Jackie Collins + Gluten-Free Debate, Just A Fad?

The Doctors: Jackie Collins Passed Away From Breast Cancer

In a Doctors Special Report, The Doctors reported that people everywhere are mourning the death of best-selling author Jackie Collins. She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer almost seven years ago, and went through a series of treatments including radiation and a lumpectomy. The British-born writer was the younger sister of Dynasty star Joan Collins. Over four decades, she wrote 32 books which sold more than 500 million copies.

In her final interview with People Magazine, Collins said “I’ve written five books since the diagnosis, I’ve lived my life, I’ve traveled all over the world. I have not turned down book tours and no one has ever known until now when I feel as though I should come out with it.”

A private memorial service was held in Beverly Hills and her family asks that instead of flowers, people in the U.S. donate to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Jackie Collins was 77-years-old.

The Doctors: The Gluten-Free Fad

The Doctors reported that gluten-free products made more than $23 billion in sales last year. Gluten is a protein found in many wheat products and even in some makeup, but gluten isn’t for everyone. In some people, gluten can trigger an immune response that attacks the lining of the small intestine in those with celiac disease. The Doctors wanted to know, however, if the gluten-free trend was overblown.

The Doctors welcomed Dr Alan Levinovitz, author of “The Gluten Lie” who explained that the “lie” is that we know exactly what is going in with gluten. He said some people will say gluten is evil, but real science is “slow, humble, and cautious” and doesn’t make people scare when they don’t have to be. He said the lie is that we should be scared, because the science isn’t there yet. Dr Alan said there isn’t a specific test yet for gluten sensitivity.

The Doctors: Is Everyone Gluten-Sensitive?

The Doctors also welcomed Dr Tom O’Bryan, a celiac disease and gluten intolerance specialist, who said there have been hundreds of case studies where when people go off gluten, they get better. He said there were three cases in published medical literature where when they were checked for gluten, their ALS went away. He said another paper just got published this year that shows every human, whether they have celiac disease or not, when exposed to gluten, develops intestinal permeability.

The Doctors: Gluten Debate

Dr Travis Stork said both of them made valid points, and a lot of the reason why people feel better when they cut back on gluten is because, especially in the U.S., we eat a lot of refined wheat products, which isn’t good. Obviously, you shouldn’t be eating those at all. Dr Stork said his issue was that Dr Tom was selling all kinds of supplements and making a ton of money by instilling fear in people over gluten. He said there are books out there as well as other products, that are capitalizing on people’s fears, which really bothers him.

Dr Alan said he when he was writing his book, he spoke to a lot of eating disorder specialists, and fear about food isn’t healthy. Fear of gluten can cause a lot of problems, which is why he said we should all just eat foods we get from nature, get exercise, and the majority of us will feel better. Dr Stork said there are certainly people who can benefit from cutting out gluten, but not every health problem is caused by gluten. Dr Tom said most people don’t have a gluten sensitivity, but just about anyone can benefit from it.

It all comes down to eating more natural, healthy foods and avoiding processed ones. How do you feel about the gluten-free fad? Have you seen benefits from going gluten free? Where do you stand on the issue?