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Celiac Disease Signs and Symptoms

Celiac disease is a fairly common autoimmune disorder of the digestive tract.  Celiac Disease is also known as Celiac Sprue or Gluten Intolerance, is a chronic disease of the digestive system that causes damage to the intestine because of an allergic reaction to gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat, rye, and possibly oats. Eating these foods causes damage to the mucosal lining lining of the intestine, resulting in inflammation and the inability to properly digest and absorb nutrients.

In severe cases, celiac disease causes malnutrition and wasting syndrome, and until proper diagnosis and management of the disease was developed, celiac disease was often fatal.  We have put together a list of common signs and symptoms of celiac disease below.

The Most Common Signs and Symptoms of Celiac Disease include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal bloating and cramping
  • Excessive and explosive gas
  • Frothy, watery, odorous stools
  • Weight loss
  • Growth retardation in children
  • Fever
  • Muscle pain
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Skin lesions on the elbows, knees and buttocks
  • Bone pain
  • Tingling in the extremities
  • Absence of menstrual periods
  • Infertility
  • Impotence
  • Low blood pressure


Diagnosis of Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is diagnosed often through the presenting symptoms.  Other tests for a diagnosis of celiac disease include blood tests for anemia, autoantibody tests to gliadin, and a small bowel biopsy.  Some patients are put on a gluten-free diet and their symptoms are evaluated before and after the diet.  Many people are misdiagnosed as having irritable bowel syndrome, a common digestive condition that is not treatable with a gluten-free diet, though symptoms in some patients may improve.  Celiac disease often appears in infants when they are first fed gluten-containing foods.  The symptoms of celiac disease often disappear during adolescence, only to reappear again in adulthood.


Recommended – Test for Heavy Metals and Mineral Imbalances using Hair Tissue Analysis

Hair Tissue Analysis Report

Hair Tissue Analysis Report

We suggest getting a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) to help you determine accurately what your body needs more of in terms of essential trace minerals and needs to eliminate in terms of toxic heavy metals and toxic mineral ratios. Toxic mineral ratios and toxic metal accumulation following long term or acute exposure can contribute greatly to degenerative conditions like Celiac disease.

Essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium and sodium all have important metabolic functions. However, too little or too much of any of these essential minerals can have an adverse affect on the human body and it’s ability to recover.

How can a hair analysis help me achieve better health? If we consider that diet is what we consume and nutrition is what we retain, then we can see that discovering what your body needs when it needs it is a valuable tool in creating health.

The dangers of exposure to toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum have been well documented over the years. Levels of heavy metals in the body can only be accurately measured using a hair tissue analysis or a chelation challenge test (which can be expensive and have serious side-effects). Blood or urine tests give information about your metal or mineral levels at the time of the test only.

Testing for minerals in the urine measures the minerals that are being excreted from your body – not necessarily what has been absorbed as fuel for your body. So blood and urine tests are like snapshots whereas a hair analysis is the video of your mineral retention.

A hair analysis provides a biological profile of the past 2 – 3 months of intracellular activity revealing a unique metabolic world, which cannot be seen through most other tests. The hair mineral analysis gives you or your healthcare professional much-needed information about mineral deficiencies and chemical imbalances in your body, especially if you’re suffering from symptoms of any disease or disorder, including Celiac disease.

For FAQ’s about hair analysis, please click here.

For an overview of what is covered in a comprehensive hair analysis report (by Trace Elements, Inc.), please click here.

Hair Analysis Graph Results 1

Hair Analysis Bar Graph Results 2

Bar Graph Results

shopping cart icon To purchase a comprehensive Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (by Trace Elements, Inc.) from Evenbetternow Natural Health Solutions, please click here.


Books For People With Signs and Symptoms of Celiac Disease

Celiac Disease For Dummies
Ian Blumer MD
The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed
Jules E. Dowler Shepard


Celiac Disease (Revised and Updated Edition): A Hidden Epidemic
Rory Jones
Celiac Disease: Safe/Unsafe Food List and Essential Information On Living With A Gluten Free Diet
Jaqui Karr C.S.N.

Celiac Disease Resources

General Patient Resources

  • Celiac Disease Foundation

Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) is a highly-regarded national organization recognized throughout the world.

http://www.celiac.org/

  • Celiac . com

Provides gluten-free diet information. Includes articles, menus and a shopping cart for gluten-free foods.

http://www.celiac.com/

  • Celiac Sprue Association

“Celiacs Helping Celiacs” – CSA is a non-profit organization and includes information on the disease, gluten-free cooking, a product listing, and Cel-Kids network.

http://www.csaceliacs.org/



Medical Resources

  • Pub Med Health

Discusses causes, symptoms, treatment, risk factors, prevention and prognosis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001280/

  • Medicine Net . com

Learn about celiac disease (sprue) symptoms such as diarrhea, foul smelling flatulence (gas), abdominal pain, fatty stools, weight loss, anemia, easy bruising, and more.

http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/article.htm