Celiac disease is a very common autoimmune digestive disorder. It results from the inability to tolerate gluten, a protein found primarily in wheat, rye and barley, but also exists in hundreds of other foodstuffs. Ingestion of gluten (primarily from breads and pastas) actually damages the small finger-like projections of the small intestine (villi) and thus interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Not only is gluten found in many foods that we eat every day, it can also be found in stamp and envelope adhesive, medicines, and vitamins!

When someone with Celiac Disease eats foods or uses any products which contain gluten, their immune system literally begins to attack their own body and damages the small intestine. Since most digestion and absorption take place in the small intestine, people with Celiac cannot absorb food properly into the bloodstream to be utilized by the cells. Therefore, a person becomes malnourished, regardless of the quantity of food eaten.

Generally, Celiac disease is hereditary and is usually discovered during childhood. However the disease can occur later in life as it is triggered by some physical or emotional stress.

Celiac disease does not always present with the same symptoms for each person. They can occur in the gastro-intestinal system or elsewhere in or on the body and may include one or more of the following:

• gas
• chronic diarrhea
• recurring abdominal bloating and pain
• constipation
• weight loss or weight gain
• fatigue
• anemia
• joint pain
• mood changes
• tingling or numbness in the legs from nerve damage

Additional symptoms include:

• osteoporosis, osteopenia
• muscle cramps
• seizures
• missed menstrual periods
• infertility, recurrent miscarriage
• delayed growth
• pale sores inside the mouth
• itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis

A person with celiac disease may have no symptoms at all, but may still suffer from complications of the disease which includes malnutrition. As malnutrition continues, the risk of health problems associated with malnutrition increases.

Celiac disease symptoms are very similar to those of other diseases and can therefore be difficult to diagnose by symptoms alone. However, recently it has been discovered that people with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain autoantibodies in their blood. Testing consists of measuring the levels of · Immunoglobulin A (IgA), anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA), and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA) in the blood to confirm the diagnosis.

A negative test does not always indicate a person is free from Celiac disease. If one is tested while on a gluten-free diet, the results of the test may be negative for Celiac even when the person has it. So it's important to keep eating gluten containing foods for testing purposes. Another way of testing for Celiac is via a small intestine biopsy taken during an endoscopy.

The only current treatment for Celiac disease is to follow a completely gluten-free diet. There's a wealth of information on the web and sources of gluten-free foods are on the rise. A dietitian or health care professional who specializes in food and nutrition might be extremely beneficial.

For most people, following a gluten-free diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvements begin within days of starting the diet. The small intestine is usually completely healed in 3 to 6 months in children and younger adults and within 2 years for older adults. Complete healing means a person with Celiac now has fully functional small intestine villi that absorb nutrients from food into the bloodstream. But, in order to stay well, people with Celiac disease must avoid gluten for the rest of their lives. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage the small intestine.

Some people with Celiac disease show no improvement on the gluten-free diet. This condition is called unresponsive Celiac disease. The most common reason for poor response is that small amounts of gluten are still present in the diet.

Rarely, the intestinal injury will continue despite a strictly gluten-free diet. People in this situation have severely damaged intestines that cannot heal. Because their intestines are not absorbing enough nutrients, they may need to receive nutrients directly into their bloodstream through a vein, or intravenously.

Regardless of which type of Celiac disease one has, complete nutrition that is readily available at a cellular level is very important. Since the intestines take time to heal before nutrient absorption is completely restored, a micro-complexed, complete, liquid, organic source of plants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids is extremely beneficial. Effective and smart supplementation with intraMax, intraMin and/or intraKid would be very helpful.

Once again thank you for reading. I hope this has been of some benefit.

Until next month, I remain in your service,

Dr. Mike