Guest Blog Contributed by Chamber Member Dr. Liz Sedlak of Willamette Integrative Health

Humans have eaten wheat for about 8000 years. But until recently (within the last 100 years or so), nearly all bread was made sourdough-style, with starter cultures rich in lactobacilli as well as some other bacteria and yeasts. These bacteria pre-digested most of the gluten protein for us.

Our pancreatic enzymes digest proteins into small peptides or single amino acids. Gluten has a high content of the amino acid proline which puts many “kinks” in its structure and therefore prevents human digestive enzymes from cutting it into tiny pieces. The largest fragment of gluten left over is 33 amino acids long. There are at least 50 toxic fragments of gluten; these have been mapped to specific domains in α-gliadin: cytotoxic activity (aa 31-34), immunomodulatory activity (aa 57-89), zonulin release and gut-permeating activity (aa 111-130 and 151-170), and IL-8 release in celiac disease patients (aa 261-277).… Read the rest

Guest Blog Contributed by Chamber Member Kyle Bunch American Family Insurance

Float On With These Boat Safety Tips

Does a wave of anticipation wash over you before each day on the water? With common sense boat safety training, there can be less worry and more excitement.

Are You the Captain?

The captain of the boat is the leader on the water. Knowing how to avoid incidents and having a plan if something does happen will give all your passengers peace of mind.

Completing a boater’s safety course before embarking will help you understand state laws and brush up on first aid. State links can be found at boat-ed.com.

Keep your distance. Staying 100-150 feet from shores, docks, buoys, other boats, swimmers, and mooring or swimming fields is required.… Read the rest