Celiac diseaseCeliac Disease is a serious autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive system. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. This can damage the lining of the small intestine, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food.
Celiac disease is a hereditary condition, meaning it runs in families. It is also more common in people of European descent. People with celiac disease may have no symptoms or experience abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, and weight loss. Celiac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test and confirmed with a small intestine biopsy.
There is no cure for celiac disease, but the only treatment is to follow a strict gluten-free diet. This can be difficult, as gluten is found in many common foods such as bread, pasta, and cereal. People with celiac disease need to be careful to read labels and avoid products containing gluten.
If you think you may have celiac disease, visit our wellness center so you can be properly diagnosed and treated. Left untreated, celiac disease can lead to serious health complications such as malnutrition, osteoporosis, and cancer. But with a gluten-free diet, most people with celiac disease can lead healthy, everyday lives.
If you think you have celiac disease, the first step is to see your functional medicine doctor.We will will likely do a blood test to check for specific antibodies in people with celiac disease. If the blood test comes back positive, they may also do an endoscopy to take a biopsy of your small intestine. This will help confirm the diagnosis.
If you are diagnosed with celiac disease, the only treatment is to follow a strict gluten-free diet. This means avoiding all foods that contain gluten, including bread, pasta, cereal, and many processed foods. It can be challenging to stick to the diet, but avoiding the severe health complications that can occur if you continue to eat gluten is essential.
Celiac disease and a gluten allergy are two very different conditions.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine. When people with celiac disease eat foods that contain gluten, their immune system reacts and damages the small intestine. This can lead to many problems, including malnutrition because the body cannot absorb nutrients from food properly.
A gluten allergy, on the other hand, is a reaction to the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. People with a gluten allergy may experience stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting after eating foods containing gluten. Unlike celiac disease, a gluten allergy does not damage the small intestine. Likewise, allergy to gluten may be addressed by therapy on allergy termination.
If you have celiac disease, the only treatment is to follow a strict gluten-free diet. This means avoiding all gluten-related foods, including wheat, barley, and rye.
While there is no cure for celiac disease, following a gluten-free diet and following the advice of the physicians at Revive Integrative Health, you can find relief of your symptoms and improve your overall health. It may take some time to get used to a gluten-free diet, but with some planning and effort, you can make it work.
