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Welcome to the second of a two part post created to inform you about Celiac disease. In the first post, I talked about celiac disease, the symptoms and how it is associated with other autoimmune diseases. In this post I will talk about the ways it is diagnosed, and successful naturopathic treatments to heal the body and alleviate the symptoms. So let’s get started.
One of the major challenges with celiac disease is getting the correct diagnosis. Since the symptoms can involve so many parts of the body it goes misdiagnosed so often. As a result of the misdiagnosis, many people can live with symptoms for years before it is identified.
A good first step is to have blood test run to check for antibodies in the blood. Antibodies are produced by the immune system to protect the body against things that cause damage to the body. I generally start with anti-alpha-gliadin antibodies (AGA). I have a colleague that may run anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA), or anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA).
These antibodies are higher in patients that have celiac disease and with high levels, it is appropriate to start treatment for celiac. The definitive test, however, is to perform an endoscopic procedure to get intestinal tissue to see if the villi has been damaged by the disease process.
The treatment for celiac disease is very straightforward. All food containing gluten and gliadin must be eliminated from the diet. Once these foods are removed, the intestine walls can begin to heal and as long as these foods are not reintroduced, the body will continue to heal and symptoms will be alleviated.
What are the foods that generally contain gluten and gliadin? All wheat, rye and barley products have gluten and gliadin. Some experts recommend the elimination of oats, as well. For my patients, wheat seems to be one of the most difficult products to eliminate because that means all breads, pasta, pizza, and the like from all mainstream establishments.
Wheat is also hidden in many other foods that people don’t think about like soy sauce, salad dressings, gravies, canned soups, processed meats, reduced-fat products, ice creams that have cookies in them, certain food colorings and emulsifiers. The list is amazingly long and if you eat foods that you are not aware have gluten or gliadin in them, you will continue to damage the intestinal wall and continue to have symptoms. The good news is, there are products and cookbooks for those living gluten-free that can make your life a whole lot easier.
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.org
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.amazon.com or www.healthydaes.org
Dr. Dae's Bio:
Daemon "Dr. Dae" (pronounced Dr. Day) Jones is a Naturopathic Physician who completed her training at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. She is certified as a General Practitioner by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE). Dr. Dae provides tailored treatment to meet the unique needs of every individual she sees in her practice. She also provides specialized support for persons challenged by nutritional deficiencies, weight problems, hormonal and reproductive system disorders, attention deficit disorder and those experiencing chronic diseases. Dr. Dae is an adjunct faculty member for Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts. She is the author of Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living, The Healthydaes Newsletter, and is a regularly featured writer for the Elite GoogleNews Website empowher.com where she shares her personal and professional vision for living whole and living well. To learn more about Dr. Dae, her products and services, please visit her on the Web at www.Healthydaes.org
Add a Comment1 Comments
My sister-in-law suffers from Celiac Disease and had a terrible time dealing with it. She gained an extraordinary amount of weight early on while her body was traumatized and became depressed about her condition. Now that she has learned to adjust her eating regimen and become more physically active, she says she is doing better and has shed a little of the weight.
One of my son's school mates has Celiac and his mom was constantly on the search for proper foods that he could eat. 20 or so years ago, we didn't have the abundance of gluten-free products available, and only a couple of health food stores where one could find spelt flour, millet, and other suitable grains to use for baked goods.
It's a tough situation, but, as your article suggests, it's manageable.
August 10, 2009 - 7:58pmThis Comment