I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2010. I had seen seven doctors over the span of seven years. Finally i found a doctor who actually listened and cared enough to ask questions. After a blood test and a Gene test performed by the Jefferson University Celiac Center in Philadelphia we discovered that i had this auto immune disorder called Celiac Disease.
At first my family members seemed to be very supportive. They were happy that i found the cause to why i was so ill and why i had lost so much weight. This also explained my mood swings, constant exhaustion and skin rashes. It seemed to be all good for awhile that is until i didn't get better as soon as i started eliminating gluten from my diet. Everyone who was supportive thought i had to be doing something wrong or that i must not have Celiac because they knew others that had gotten better "right away". They forget or just didn't realize that everyone is different and our body's react differently to things. Another thing that i started to realize is that no one seemed to understand the difference between an auto immune disorder and a gluten allergy.
An autoimmune disorder may affect one or more organs or tissue types. Organs and tissues commonly affected by autoimmune disorders:
- Blood vessels
- Connective tissues
- Endocrine glands like the thyroid or pancreas
- Joints
- Muscles
- Red blood cells
- Skin
Symptoms that often occur with autoimmune diseases:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- General ill-feeling
There was a study done to define the difference between Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity. According to the results, individuals with gluten sensitivity showed no signs of intestinal damage or increased permeability, but showed an increase in an innate immunity marker. This is different from the immune response seen in celiac disease, which is noted by an increase in an adaptive immune marker. Among gluten sensitive participants, this adaptive immune marker was lower than the level found in participants with celiac.
Researchers concluded that celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are “different clinical entities,” marked by unique immune responses. I quoted this information about this study from the NFCA so that i would be sure not to get it wrong. The article is very informative i encourage you to check it out at www.celiaccentral.org.
So for all those family and friends who think you just have to go gluten free and you'll be miraculously feeling great. It doesn't work that way. We ask you to please be understanding and patient with us and to understand that we are doing all that we can. The research that we are doing and all the information we're gathering about our condition isn't because we are hypochondriacs or because we are obsessing or even because we want to draw attention to ourselves. We are doing the research because we are trying to survive and being informed is vital to us in order for us to live a healthy normal life. We are trying to do everything possible to make our lives better and in effect you will benefit as well. Please keep these things in mind next time you want to make a comment that you may feel is supportive but actually comes across as patronizing, unfeeling or just not so understanding.
This made me start questioning why? Why are we having such a problem with gluten? First let me back up a bit. For those of you who may be new to gluten issues you may be asking: What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in Wheat, Barley, Rye, Spelt and although not found in Oats they are often cross-contaminted with wheat because of them being grown in and around the same area as wheat. Oats also seem to contain a specific protein that Celiacs may find themselves having a problem with because it acts similar to the protein gluten.
Now, as i did more and more research i started seeing that genetic engineering and hybridized food has caused us so many issues. Let's take wheat for example. Seeing as were talking about Celiac it only seems fitting. Something that i have learned about wheat and something that doctors are finally starting to realize is that wheat is not good for anyone really. Whether you want to believe it or not. This could be why people may still feel crappy even though they are "eating healthy" by switching to wheat products.
We can't properly digest it wheat. Why not? Back in the 1950's scientists began cross-breeding wheat in order to make it hardier, shorter and better growing. Todays hybridized wheat contains a toxin called sodium azide. I don't know about you but i get contaminated by enough toxins on a daily basis, why do i have to get it in my foods too? Todays wheat even goes through a gamma irradiation process during manufacturing. The hybridized wheat we eat today also contains proteins that aren't found in the plant or the parent and unfortunately for us it's very difficult to digest these, we just don't have the proper enzymes. Now some scientists are saying that gluten and other compounds found in todays wheat could be responsible for the rise in celiac disease and gluten intolerance and sensitivities in people in general. That's just great!!
All of this knowledge plus way more made me realize that we're screwing up our bodies and the damage that is being done in many cases is irreversible. Ugh! So, what to do? what to do? Well, we have to learn how and what to eat. (That's a subject for another time though).
Look for my article: What foods are safe? Why aren't all gluten free foods safe for us? coming soon.
If you are in need of more information about Celiac Disease here are some sites that I found very helpful:
www.celiac.org
www.glutenfreeworks.com
If you suspect you may have a gluten issue or even Celiac Disease please contact your doctor and ask for a series of specific blood tests. If you have Celiac you more than likely have family members that do too. Urge them to get tested.
Do not be surprised if you come back with a negative diagnosis this does not mean you don't have one of these issues. This disease can be tricky. If this is the case that it comes back negative it may be helpful to try a two week trial period of avoiding gluten and see how you feel. More than likely you'll be abe to feel a difference if you have a problem with gluten.
Check out my shop where i help to raise awareness about Celiac Disease and Gluten Issues:
Check out my shop where i help to raise awareness about Celiac Disease and Gluten Issues:
Disclaimer: Any information contained in this blog is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose nor is it meant to promote any product or company. I am not a doctor nor am I a homeopath. If you have any health issues that you need help with please contact your physician.
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