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Symptoms of Celiac Disease

July 7th, 2010 Dan Hicks No comments

In this day and age, medical advances have helped us find and cure some of the diseases our ancestors used to fear but the ones that have truly transcended time would be those that our ancestors passed on to us which are in the form of hereditary diseases. It is a disease that affects the small intestine or rather the villi that help us absorb nutrients into the body. It has many sources but one known fact is it can be genetically passed down from our forefathers and change the way we live our lives. People who suffer from the symptoms of celiac disease – swollen stomachs, vomiting, tiredness, odorous stools and the possible symptoms of gluten intolerance, usually have difficulty with foods containing gluten which creates so many internal problems since their auto-antibodies are forced to destroy the villi more than they help protect it.

A gluten-free diet is needed to handle this type of disease as it is the only way to fully avoid complications that may occur in advance to the symptoms of food allergies and lactose intolerance occur. The body can become a network of random diseases that may function all at once due to just one internal problem. Celiac disease is usually noticed when symptoms of Crohn’s disease occurs- which is an inflammation of the small intestine that could cause ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome that could be result to the two diseases working together, making it painful for the person.
The main symptoms that are known to give clues to a person with Celiac Disease are:

1. Anemia – a lack of iron in the blood.

2. Weariness or extreme Fatigue – People who suffer from this type of disease are usually drained of energy and suffer tiredness.

3. Arthritis – pains in the bodies joints.

4. Osteoporosis – bone loss.

5. Depression

6. Anxiety – Some people may suffer a different reaction which makes them more anxious than depressed.

7. Numbness in hands and feet

8. Seizures- this is the most dangerous clue of all the symptoms among people with Celiac Disease.

9. Missed menstrual periods.

10. Infertility

11. Recurrent miscarriages

12. Canker sores

13. Dermatitis Herpetiformis – An itchy rash on the skin.
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All of these are the main symptoms of occur in adults and teenagers alike except for those that are above the age of puberty. The handling of a child is different from an adult because the child can possibly develop even more terminal diseases if not taken care of at an early age compared to an adult who may have a chance by keeping to the gluten-free diet. The only valid treatment for is to uphold a strict gluten-free diet and make sure the person does not indulge in food with a lot of gluten such as wheat, rye or barley. In the case of those with added symptoms of lactose intolerance, they must be careful not to trigger both symptoms of food allergies that are the Celiac Disease and Lactose Intolerance.

Celiac disease. Gluten Allergy

March 2nd, 2010 Dan Hicks No comments

Celiac disease is a digestive disorder. Once thought to be a rare condition affecting only children, it is now known to be more common, affecting as many as two million Americans alone. It is a genetic disease and those with a close family member with a gluten allergy are at increased risk of it. For some individuals, the disease is latent until triggered by an event such as pregnancy, childbirth, surgery or extreme stress.

In a nutshell, individuals with this condition have a gluten intolerance. If they are exposed to gluten, it triggers an allergic reaction in which the body attacks itself, damaging and sometimes destroying the villi that line the small intestines.

Symptoms of a gluten allergy are much like those experienced with other food allergies, but can vary widely between individuals. Digestive problems are common with celiac disease, especially in infants and children. They may include abdominal pain and bloating, vomiting, constipation, chronic diarrhea or pale, fatty, or foul-smelling stools. Weight loss is common in children as a result of these symptoms. Gluten intolerance may also lead to defects in growth and development.

In adults, symptoms may be more varied. Many symptoms can be attributed to other conditions, which is why it may not be diagnosed right away. Symptoms may include bone and joint pain, arthritis, unexplained iron-deficient anemia, fatigue, bone loss or osteoporosis, seizures, tingling or numbness in the extremities, canker sores or dermatitis herpetaformis, an itchy skin rash. Women may also experience reproductive problems such as missed menstrual periods, miscarriages or infertility.

Left untreated, gluten intolerance can lead to more serious symptoms. Because the body’s response to a gluten allergy is to attack the villi of the small intestine, the body has a decreased ability to absorb nutrients from food. This can lead to malnutrition. Liver diseases or digestive cancers can also result.

Many people with celiac disease have other conditions in which the body attacks itself. These may include Type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, autoimmune liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Addison’s disease or Sjogren’s syndrome. These conditions may bring additional symptoms.

Symptoms of these conditions may include frequent urination, vision disturbances or problems, slow healing time, weight loss or gain, jaundice, joint stiffness, muscle weakness or fatigue, irritability or increased occurrence of infections. Many of these conditions have similar symptoms to gluten intolerance, which may mask the underlying gluten allergy.

Because of the varied symptoms that come with celiac disease and the probability of more serious conditions also being present, you should talk to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis. A food journal may be helpful in diagnosing the condition if you can link gluten with symptoms. Keep in mind that gluten, while generally found in food, is also sometimes found in places you might not expect, including vitamins, medicines and lip balms.

To confirm a diagnosis of a gluten allergy, your doctor may run blood tests or order an intestinal biopsy. The blood tests look for specific antibodies which elevate in patients with gluten intolerance. If blood tests indicate celiac disease, the biopsy is generally done to confirm the diagnosis. The doctor will remove small pieces from the small intestine to look for villi damage.

Hyperthyroid Diet

December 3rd, 2009 Dan Hicks No comments

If you are one of the many sufferers of hyperthyroidism you have probably been told that you must use a hyperthyroid diet to control its affects. This condition is caused when the thyroid becomes overactive and makes much more thyroid hormone than the body can deal with. When the body gets an overdose of this hormone your metabolism speeds up and you can suffer from significant weight loss, depression, anxiety and numerous other problems.

But what how can diet affect hyperthyroidism? When you follow a diet that is low in carbohydrates, fiber, and iodine, you can alleviate many of the symptoms. While there is no diet or diet program that can affect your chances of developing hyperthyroidism, a hyperthyroid diet can help by removing substances that aggravate the problem.

One big problem in diet for those who have this condition is iodine. There are some cases that doctors believe that hyperthyroidism has actually been caused by the presence of too much iodine and reducing the amount of iodine that the body ingests can actually reverse, to some extent if the amount of iodine ingested is reduced significantly.

One solution to reducing iodine intake is to reduce salt intake. A list of other foods that can contain excess iodine follows:

• Seafood
• Eggs
• Dairy products
• Plants grown in iodine rich soil
• And of course sea salt or iodized salt
• Multivitamins with iodine

It has been suggested that hyperthyroidism can be the cause, or one of the causes of celiac disease. Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that restricts your ability to properly absorb nutrients. People with Celiac disease cannot eat gluten, which is a protein found in starch. If hyperthyroidism can be linked to Celiac disease restricting your diet again by not ingesting wheat, rye and barley products can also have a beneficial affect.

While hyperthyroidism can cause significant weight loss and make gaining weight troublesome because of the high metabolism caused by hyperthyroidism, how much or how little that you weight won’t cause the disease. Adding extra calories to your diet with protein rich foods will however help you keep your weight from dropping to low.

Using a hyperthyroid diet will not reverse or help manage this condition alone. If you do have hyperthyroidism you will need other treatments like hormone therapy to help control it.

The Most Common Gluten Intolerance Symptoms

November 3rd, 2009 Dan Hicks No comments

Gluten intolerance symptoms, be they mild or severe, affect just under a sixth of the US population. Gluten, found in wheat, rye and barley, is a type of protein which some individuals cannot tolerate in their system. In extreme cases, people may suffer from what is known as celiac disease, where body’s immune system undergoes a severe allergic reaction to the presence of gluten. Most people with an intolerance of gluten suffer from much milder symptoms. Either way, whenever the body reacts negatively to a particular food, especially one which can make up a significant part of one’s diet, there is always the possibility of a degree of malnutrition coming into the picture.

Gluten intolerance symptoms are not always easy to pinpoint. They cover a fairly broad range, and the symptoms themselves can often come from other causes. Gluten intolerance therefore, can at times be quite difficult to correctly diagnose. A person suffering from a chronic iron deficiency, chronic fatigue, or a gastrointestinal infection will exhibit many of the same symptoms experienced by the person allergic to foods containing gluten. One way to test for this intolerance, is to test for certain antibodies which will be present if a patient ingests food containing gluten, and does not have a tolerance for the protein. The presence of the antibodies help to isolate gluten intolerance as the cause of whatever symptoms are being experienced.

To the extent the immune system is involved, common symptoms include unexplained changes in weight over time. This can either be weight loss or weight gain. The patient may suffer from gastrointestinal problems, including fat in the stools. This is due to the fact that the body is not processing foods containing gluten properly. As food is not being processed efficiently, chronic fatigue, periods of exhaustion, headaches, and bouts of depression may occur. These symptoms can in turn lead to behavioral changes, such as irritability. Some symptoms are the direct result of gluten intolerance, while others are secondary, with other gluten intolerance symptoms being a root cause. More severe symptoms are aching joints, skin disorders, such as outbreaks of eczema, and cramping. Effects on women can include irregularity in the menstrual cycle and infertility. This intolerance symptoms even include incidences of miscarriage.

It’s important to have tests taken for gluten intolerance if any of these symptoms are present, even when they are mild in nature. Even a mild case of gluten intolerance is an indicator that the body is not properly processing all the food being eaten, and nutritional problems can therefore arise. Food intolerance can lead to other problems over a period of time, including cancer and diabetes. If gluten intolerance symptoms are diagnosed early on, many potentially more serious health problems may be avoided, or at least more effectively treated. You should be able to make a transition to a gluten free diet or a diet better fitted to your individual needs without too much of a problem.