Tag Archives: Symptoms

“I only cheat once in awhile. You know, like twice a week…”

If you have celiac disease, you damage your body EVERY TIME you ingest gluten. That may sound bad, but it gets worse.

You can DIE from celiac disease in a variety of ways. None of them are fun. Some take longer than others. Some may not kill you per se, but rather they may stop you from enjoying life, make you suffer from chronic pain or limit your potential.

Celiac disease is a deadly serious condition caused by eating what is essentially a poison to susceptible people – gluten proteins in wheat, barley, rye and oats.

Here are just 6 examples how celiac disease from gluten ingestion can kill you: Read More »

The frequency of intestinal overgrowth by candida albicans is increased in people with celiac disease. In fact, infection by this common organism, also called C. albicans or candida, appears to be a trigger in the onset of celiac disease.1 Candida is yeast, a budding type of fungus, capable of fermenting carbohydrates. Albicans identifies this particular yeast from many others.

Candida albicans usually maintains a tiny appearance in our intestinal tract unless conditions change to favor its growth. It can thrive and invade if the intestinal lining becomes inflamed or damaged, the composition of normal flora becomes disrupted, immune defenses become diminished or malnutrition reduces our health. Candida albicans infection is characterized by superficial, irregular white patches with a red base. Invasion of the bloodstream is possible and would be life-threatening. Read More »

Celiac Disease Symptoms: The Gluten Free Works Symptom Guide

Could my symptoms be related to celiac disease?

This is a common question people ask in the face of a bewildering array of possible celiac disease symptoms. The Celiac Disease Symptom Guide will help you identify possible symptoms and health problems that you can present to your doctor.

Here is the list of over 300 Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders and Complications directly or indirectly resulting from celiac disease.

Gluten Free Works, Inc. was the first organization in the world to publish this information in its comprehensive book, “Recognizing Celiac Disease.” This list is now being used by celiac disease centers, national celiac organizations and health organizations worldwide. Read More »

Dentists can be the first identifiers of celiac disease. Up to 89% of people with celiac disease exhibit dental enamel defects. Dental enamel defects are characterized by alteration in the hard, white, dense, inorganic substance covering the crowns of the teeth. These defects may include demarcated opacities (white spots), undersized teeth, yellowing, grooves and/or pitting on one or more permanent teeth.(1)

A study of 128 patients on a gluten-free diet revealed that changes in the permanent teeth may be the only sign of an otherwise symptomless celiac disease.(1) It should also be noted that calcium and vitamin D deficiencies are common in celiac disease. Deficiencies of these nutrients lead to cavities.

“Dentists mostly say it’s from fluoride, that the mother took tetracycline, or that there was an illness early on,” said Peter H.R. Green, M.D., director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. “Celiac disease isn’t on the radar screen of dentists in this country. Dentists should be made aware of these manifestations to help them identify Read More »

We have some very important information to share with you today.

While we were at Columbia University’s Topics in Gastroenterology, Dr. Steven Lobritto talked about cirrhosis of the liver and how he has actually seen people who were on the liver transplant list heal enough to be taken off once they started a gluten-free diet.

According to our new book, “Recognizing Celiac Disease”, 3.4% of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have SILENT Celiac Disease. Most patients DO NOT have gastrointestinal symptoms.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver is a non-inflammatory hepatic (liver) disorder characterized by degenerative changes in the liver secondary to excessive accumulation of lipid in hepatocytes.

The good news is that studies showed liver enzymes normalize after 6 months on a gluten-free diet.

If you have patients or family members with non-alcoholic fatty liver (cirrhosis), who are not diagnosed with celiac disease, give them this information so they can get tested.

Related medical studies are referenced in “Recognizing Celiac Disease.” www.recognizingceliacdisease.com.

Celiac disease is a multi-system, hereditary, chronic, auto-immune disease estimated to affect 1% of the human population (3 million in the US) that is caused by the ingestion of wheat, barley, rye and oats. It is treated by removing these items from the diet. Signs, symptoms, associated disorders and complications can affect any part of the body and removal of the offending foods can result in complete recovery.  

You can definitely die from celiac disease, in a variety of ways:

1. Dehydration – Extreme damage to the intestinal lining can lead to death through dehydration.  In this case, the lining that is supposed to hold water in your body no longer functions.  The gut actually pulls water from your body.

2. Malignancies – Malabsorption of nutrients or consistent damage to cellular structures leads to cancers: lymphoma, leukemia, intestinal, esophageal, etc.

3. Pregnancy complications – Nutrient deficiencies can lead to cardiomyopathy in the mother or birth defects in the fetus from folic acid deficiency, protein deficiency, etc.

4. Immunodeficiency – A weakened immune system can allow common illnesses to become deadly – the flu for example.  Other illnesses normally fought off, are not.

5. Autoimmune diseases – Celiac disease, if not diagnosed and treated early, causes the body to react to other things in the body.  As the body tries to unsuccessfully attack and remove gluten (because the person keeps eating it), the immune system stays on a heightened alert and starts attacking other things.

6. Malnutrition – Any health problem that comes from malnutrition of any one or more nutrient that can lead to death can be caused by celiac disease.

Here are just 6 examples of how celiac disease can kill you.  It is a deadly serious condition caused by eating what is essentially a poison to susceptible people – people with celiac disease.

The gluten-free diet is the elimination of gluten from the diet.  That is only the first step.  The next step is determining any health problems that have arisen and treating them.  The final step is ongoing identification of health problems that arise in the future to determine how to treat yourself.

-John Libonati

John Libonati is Vice President and co-Founder of Gluten Free Works, Inc. He can be reached at john.libonati@glutenfreeworks.com.

Acid reflux affects millions of people every day.

Heartburn is the major symptom of acid in the esophagus, characterized by burning discomfort behind the breastbone (sternum). Findings in gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)  include esophagitis (reflux esophagitis) — inflammatory changes in the esophageal lining (mucosa) —, strictures, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), and chronic chest pain. Patients may have only one of those symptoms. Typical GERD symptoms include cough, hoarseness, voice changes, chronic ear ache, burning chest pains, nausea or sinusitis. GERD complications include stricture formation, Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal spasms, esophageal ulcers, and possibly even lead to esophageal cancer, especially in adults over 60 years old.

Occasional heartburn is common but does not necessarily mean one has GERD. Patients with heartburn symptoms more than once a week are at risk of developing GERD. A hiatal hernia is usually asymptomatic, but the presence of a hiatal hernia is a risk factor for developing GERD.

Here is some interesting information about acid reflux drugs. In 2006, over 100 million prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors (acid reflux drugs) were filled at a cost of $13.6 billion.  It is true that acid reflux drugs definitely help in the short term.  They reduce acid.

Unfortunately, the more powerful acid blockers (omeprazole, esomeprezole) can interfere with calcium adsorption and can aggravate preexisting hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesemia which are more common in celiac disease. [1]

They can also cause problems for people with cirrhosis. Use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in patients with cirrhosis was associated with a risk of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and Clostridium difficile-associated disease, according to two retrospective studies. [2]

Finally, long term use can also lead to Vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency is already a common deficiency among people with celiac disease. The medications work by blocking acid secretion from the parietal cells of the stomach, but these cells also make a substance called intrinsic factor, which is critical for vitamin B12 absorption. Because proton-pump inhibitors such as Prilosec also reduce intrinsic factor secretion, long-term use can lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency. [3] 

Vitamin B12 deficiency is serious because it can lead to neurologic disorders. The neurologic symptoms of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency include numbness and tingling of the arms and, more commonly, the legs, difficulty walking, memory loss, disorientation, and dementia with or without mood changes. Although the progression of neurologic complications is generally gradual, such symptoms are not always reversible with treatment of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, especially if they have been present for a long time. [4]  

Here are some things what work well for acid reflux and won’t destroy your health:

Dietary Changes:

1) Maintain a 100% strict gluten-free diet.  The immune reaction to gluten starts in the mouth and works all the way through the gastrointestinal tract, so avoid it. 

2) Doctors also now suggest that heartburn sufferers keep a daily food diary, so they are better able to see what food triggers are present in their day-to-day life. Once a list of common triggers have been found, begin eliminating foods one by one. Common heartburn triggers include chocolate, fried and fatty foods, and spices.  [5]

3) While suffering heartburn, you’re advised to refrain from consuming alcohol, caffeine, over-the-counter pain relievers, and other stimulants, which change the acidity of the stomach, and irritate the lining of the stomach further. [5]

4) Decrease sugar intake.  Sugar causes acid reflux in some individuals. [5]5) Increase fiber. Consuming more fiber nutrient foods is another natural way to alleviate future suffering. Bulk foods help to absorb excess acid and gas, and allow your body to rid itself of toxins more quickly. For those who respond poorly to high fiber vegetables, fiber pills and beverages are an easy alternative. [5]

6) Drink more water. The more water you drink, the less likely you are to suffer the pains of heartburn. Drinking at least 8-glasses of water each day will rid the body of toxins and allow your body to expel acid naturally.

Remedies:

Here are some quick home remedies that can help. 

1) Baking soda – take a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and mix with 4 oz. of water.  Drink it.  Baking soda is a base and counteracts the acid almost immediately.  It also has another benefit in that it cuts the reaction of the gluten proteins that cause the reflux in the first place. (If you accidentally ingested gluten.) It works quickly and is about as cheap a remedy as you’ll find.

2) Alka Seltzer Gold – this is gluten-free and works quickly. 

3) Apple cider vinegar – this remedy was suggested Alisa Weeks,  a member of the Knoxville Celiac Support Group. “We use the apple cider vinegar with great success. We take about a teaspoonful with some juice.”

4) Food enzymes – which help to speed the digestive process often eliminate heartburn altogether. Papaya enzymes are sold in chewable capsule form, and are taken immediately following a meal with a full glass of water. Both ginger and digestive enzymes are not medically proven to help with symptoms. [5]

Sources:

[1] Robb-Nicholson C (2007). “By the way, doctor. I heard that taking a proton-pump inhibitor could cause hip fractures. I’ve been taking 20 mg of Prilosec every day for a year. Should I be concerned?”. Harvard women’s health watch 14 (7): 8. PMID 17396273.

[2] Bajaj JS, et al “Proton Pump Inhibitor Use is Associated with a High Risk of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis” Abstract 740 presented Nov. 4.

[3] http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/index.aspx?puid=f0ed5fe5-034e-4196-997b-f976c293a99c&p=1

[4] http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/

[5] http://heartburn.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=heartburn&cdn=health&tm=12&gps=89_111_1020_570&f=00&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//nhnh.essortment.com/heartburnhomer_rwel.htm