Celiac Disease

Celiac Disease
(Celiac Spure, Nontropical Spure, & Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy)
by Carolyn J. Dean, Advanced Wellness Consultant

What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac Disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People who have Celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly in oats. When people with Celiac disease eat food-containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Specifically, tiny fingerlike protrusions, called villi, on the lining of the small intestine are lost. Nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream through these villi. Without villi, a person becomes malnourished—regardless of the quantity of food eaten.

Because the body’s own immune system causes the damage, Celiac disease is considered an autoimmune disorder. However, it is classified as a disease of malabsorption because nutrients are not absorbed.

How do you get Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a genetic disease, meaning that it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered----or becomes active for the first time-----after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.

What are the symptoms?
Celiac disease affects people differently. Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults. Symptoms also may or may not occur in the digestive system. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person has irritability or depression. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. Symptoms of Celiac disease may include one or more of the following:

Some people with Celiac disease may not have symptoms. The undamaged part of their small intestine is able to absorb enough nutrients to prevent symptoms. However, people without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of Celiac disease.

How is Celiac disease diagnosed?
Diagnosing Celiac disease can be difficult because some of the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis, intestinal infections, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. Primarily all testing is done through blood testing by measuring levels of antibodies. If the tests and symptoms suggest Celiac disease, the physician may remove a tiny piece of tissue from the small intestine to check damage to the villi.

What is treatment for Celiac disease?
The one and only treatment for Celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet----by avoiding all foods containing gluten. For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal exiting intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvements begin within days of starting the diet, and the small intestine is usually completely healed----meaning the villi are intact and working----in 3 to 6 months. (It may even take up to 2 years for adults.)

The Gluten-Free diet
The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage the intestine. This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all foods that contain wheat (including spelt, triticale, ad kamut), rye, barley, and possibly oats----in other words most grains, pasta, cereal and many processed foods.

Whether people with Celiac disease should avoid oats is controversial because some people have been able to eat oats without having a reaction. Scientists are doing studies to find out whether people with Celiac disease can tolerate oats. Until the studies are complete, people with Celiac disease should follow their physician or dietitian’s advice about eating oats.

What are the complications of Celiac disease?
Damage to the small intestine and the resulting problems with nutrient absorption put a person with Celiac disease at risk for several diseases and health problems.

This article on Celiac disease is being written due to concern for the increase of people who have Celiac disease and are unaware of what they have. We are seeing more food shelves with foods marked “gluten free”. Following a gluten free diet can be challenging, especially in our world that produces so much processed foods. If you feel you may have symptoms of Celiac disease, make sure to follow up by having a blood test and seek professional help on how to stop the damaging effects of this disease.

It’s encouraging to learn that the symptoms of Celiac disease may be eliminated through a gluten-free diet. Due to the fact, that a carefully designed gluten free program is essential, many have benefited greatly by following an Advanced Wellness Program for Celiac disease. Such programs are carefully designed to rebuild the immune system and provide essential nutrients that are easily absorbable to help repair and rebuild the health of the individual. In order to learn how to live gluten free for life, you will appreciate how much you will need mentorship and understanding when making such a lifestyle change, especially if there are family members who have Celiac disease. Since this disease can have serious side effects, we encourage any who have Celiac disease or the symptoms of, to begin the repairing process today.

Carolyn J. Dean, Advanced Wellness Consultant and owner of Advanced Wellness Center at
BODYWORKS BY CJ can be reached at 951-765-1484. Free consultation with this article.


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Celiac Disease (Celiac Spure, Nontropical Spure, & Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy) by Carolyn J. Dean, Advanced Wellness Consultant What is Celiac Disease? Celiac Disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People who have Celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly in oats. When people with Celiac disease eat food-containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Specifically, tiny fingerlike protrusions, called villi, on the lining of the small intestine are lost. Nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream through these villi. Without villi, a person becomes malnourished—regardless of the quantity of food eaten. Because the body’s own immune system causes the damage, Celiac disease is considered an autoimmune disorder. However, it is classified as a disease of malabsorption because nutrients are not absorbed. How do you get Celiac Disease? Celiac disease is a genetic disease, meaning that it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered----or becomes active for the first time-----after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress. What are the symptoms? Celiac disease affects people differently. Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults. Symptoms also may or may not occur in the digestive system. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person has irritability or depression. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. Symptoms of Celiac disease may include one or more of the following: Recurring abdominal bloating & pain Chronic diarrhea Weight loss Pale, foul-smelling stool Unexplained anemia (low count of red blood cells) Gas Bone pain, muscle cramps Behavior changes Fatigue Delayed growth Failure to thrive in infants Seizures Joint pain, tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage) Pale sores inside mouth, aphthus ulcers Painful skin rashes called dermatitis herpetiformis, eczema Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel Infertility, missed menstrual periods Some people with Celiac disease may not have symptoms. The undamaged part of their small intestine is able to absorb enough nutrients to prevent symptoms. However, people without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of Celiac disease. How is Celiac disease diagnosed? Diagnosing Celiac disease can be difficult because some of the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis, intestinal infections, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression. Primarily all testing is done through blood testing by measuring levels of antibodies. If the tests and symptoms suggest Celiac disease, the physician may remove a tiny piece of tissue from the small intestine to check damage to the villi. What is treatment for Celiac disease? The one and only treatment for Celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet----by avoiding all foods containing gluten. For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal exiting intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvements begin within days of starting the diet, and the small intestine is usually completely healed----meaning the villi are intact and working----in 3 to 6 months. (It may even take up to 2 years for adults.) The Gluten-Free diet The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage the intestine. This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all foods that contain wheat (including spelt, triticale, ad kamut), rye, barley, and possibly oats----in other words most grains, pasta, cereal and many processed foods. Whether people with Celiac disease should avoid oats is controversial because some people have been able to eat oats without having a reaction. Scientists are doing studies to find out whether people with Celiac disease can tolerate oats. Until the studies are complete, people with Celiac disease should follow their physician or dietitian’s advice about eating oats. What are the complications of Celiac disease? Damage to the small intestine and the resulting problems with nutrient absorption put a person with Celiac disease at risk for several diseases and health problems. Lymphoma & Aden carcinomas are types of cancer that develop in the intestine. Osteoporosis is a condition, which the bones become weak, brittle, and prone to breaking. Poor calcium absorption is a contributing factor to osteoporosis. Miscarriage and Congenital Malformation of the baby, such as neural tube defects, are risks for untreated pregnant woman with Celiac disease because of malabsorption of nutrients. Short Stature results when childhood Celiac disease prevents nutrient absorption during the years when nutrition is critical to a child’s normal growth and development. Children who are diagnosed and treated before their growth stops may have a catch up period. Seizures, or convulsions, result from inadequate absorption of folic acid. Lack of folic acid causes calcium deposits, called calcifications, to form in the brain, which in turn cause seizures. This article on Celiac disease is being written due to concern for the increase of people who have Celiac disease and are unaware of what they have. We are seeing more food shelves with foods marked “gluten free”. Following a gluten free diet can be challenging, especially in our world that produces so much processed foods. If you feel you may have symptoms of Celiac disease, make sure to follow up by having a blood test and seek professional help on how to stop the damaging effects of this disease. It’s encouraging to learn that the symptoms of Celiac disease may be eliminated through a gluten-free diet. Due to the fact, that a carefully designed gluten free program is essential, many have benefited greatly by following an Advanced Wellness Program for Celiac disease. Such programs are carefully designed to rebuild the immune system and provide essential nutrients that are easily absorbable to help repair and rebuild the health of the individual. In order to learn how to live gluten free for life, you will appreciate how much you will need mentorship and understanding when making such a lifestyle change, especially if there are family members who have Celiac disease. Since this disease can have serious side effects, we encourage any who have Celiac disease or the symptoms of, to begin the repairing process today. Carolyn J. Dean, Advanced Wellness Consultant and owner of Advanced Wellness Center at BODYWORKS BY CJ can be reached at 951-765-1484. Free consultation with this article.