More people are finding improved health when they cut back or eliminate gluten from their diets. We shed light on this sticky subject. Also the latest on super-gluten.

Aren’t wheat allergies like the Snuggies of diseases? Everyone has one this year.
—Crosby Braverman in “Parenthood

If you’ve read about gluten-free diets or seen the gluten-free label added to everything from breakfast cereal to cold cuts, you too might be wondering if this is the latest fad in a long line of diet crazes. The reality is plenty of people need to cut gluten from their diet—not to lose weight, but out of medical necessity.

But are you one of those people? To figure it out, you might have to cut out gluten for a trial period and see how you feel. The good news is you don’t need a doctor’s prescription and you can start today.

What's it like to have a brain injury? Lori Mertz shares her personal story and offers resources for recovery.

February PechaKucha event at the State Room. One of the presentations has sparked a creative solution for a problem I’ve been grappling with a while. I don’t have paper in my purse, but I do have a pen—and some body limbs available for notes, which I take copiously. When the lights go up, my friends burst out laughing. I look like a fast tattoo artist had his way with me in the dark.

It takes a lot of work—intention—to keep this machine—me—running. I learned how to do this after a bicycle accident and subsequent traumatic brain injury (TBI) I sustained nearly 11 years ago. Because of this experience, I know where all my (metaphorical) Achilles tendons are. I learned about them, along with many other things, from my doctor, my speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, counselor and spiritual therapist, friends and family, and all the amazing others who have at one time or another comprised my health care team.

When I get tired or overwhelmed or overstimulated, or sometimes excited, as at the PechaKucha gathering, my short term memory gets worse. I’ve learned I have only a certain amount of space and energy and when it fills up or is exhausted, I panic. In an effort to remember, I compulsively write things down. As part of my success strategy I also filter what and who I’ll give my energy, attention and focus to.