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Why should people think about Celiac Disease and Gluten
Intolerance?
It could be reasonable to ask why people should worry about a condition that is assumed to be uncommon and is assumed to be generally mild. However, gluten intolerance causes expensive and disabling chronic health problems in tens of millions of Americans. Celiac Disease is common and Misdiagnosed Celiacs have a higher death rate than smokers![1]
Thanks to recent studies in Europe and the U.S., it is now known that Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance are very common, but are rarely diagnosed by well-meaning doctors who were taught that these were rare conditions. A proper diagnosis may greatly improve quality of life and prevent disease and complications for many millions of people. Many chronic conditions have no cure or safe treatment except for elimination diets like the gluten free diet.
What are Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance?
Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance are a different sort of food allergy than most people are used to thinking about. Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance are a delayed, milder, and subtler allergic reaction to wheat. Unlike anaphylactic shock type allergies where your throat swells up and you drop dead, the delay between eating wheat and the celiac type reaction may take many hours, days, or longer. The development of some obvious symptoms may start only after months or decades of eating wheat. This delay factor has made it difficult to recognize and appreciate the role of delayed food allergies in disease. For more details, please read The Basic Factors of Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease.
Who should think about Celiac Disease and Gluten
Intolerance?
Anyone in any one of the following situations, either personally or in relatives, should think about Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance. Yes, this is a wide range of symptoms, but they can all be linked to wheat allergies or other related delayed food allergies in some form:
A diagnosis of Irritable Bowel
Insomnia, fatigue and/or irritability,
Any food intolerance
Emotional or behavioral problems / referral to psychiatric counseling
Any autoimmune condition, even if you weren’t told it was an autoimmune condition (diabetes, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, and many, many more).
Diarrhea and/or constipation, again and again and again…..
Repeated episodes of bad gas and/or foul, burning, and ropey stools
Pain, burning, or numbness in skin, joints, hands, feet, and/or muscles
Seizures
Bad teeth
Obesity or emaciation
Frequent headaches
Frequent colds
…and many, many more
For more a complete lists of symptoms and some discussions about how they relate to Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance, please see the Annotated List Of Symptoms And Health Problems Associated With Gluten Sensitivity.
How are Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance diagnosed?
With experience, sometimes you can look at a person or listen to their health complaints and you can make a safe bet that the person is seriously gluten intolerant, and sometimes not. But, a medical diagnosis requires clinical tests, which are described in the Test Essay on this site.
When does Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance happen?
Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance may occur at any time in a genetically susceptible person’s life. Certainly, it is well known that gluten intolerance can start in infancy or early childhood and possibly fade over the period of adolescence. It can appear or reappear any time in adulthood and in many different forms – reports of significant changes in symptoms around age 40 are common. Serious symptoms or complications may not appear until late adulthood.
Where to find out more about Celiac Disease and Gluten
Intolerance?
This site has a collection of links to Celiac Support Sites. This site also has collections of symptoms, essays, and other links.
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