Celiac disease

Celiac disease, also known as sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food containing gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease affects between 1 in 300 Americans. Symptoms range from the classic features, such as diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to latent symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies but no gastrointestinal symptoms. The disease mostly affects people of European descent, and occurs more rarely in black and Asian populations. Celiac disease is a genetic condition and runs in families. It is generally thought that close relatives of a person with celiac disease have about a 5-10% chance of developing celiac disease themselves. The disease affects both sexes, and it can begin at any age, from infancy to later life. The onset of the disease seems to require two components: genetic predisposition and some kind of trigger. Sometimes, even if the genetically predisposed people have eaten wheat, rye, oats, or barley, celiac disease may not develop the condition until a "trigger factor" starts the abnormal immune system response. After exposure to gluten, intestinal damage may develop within a few months or may be postponed for several years. Most people with celiac disease accept a lifelong ban on the foods made from whole-grain or processed wheat flour. Celiac patients are two times more likely than the norm to develop cancer of the small intestine.

Celiac disease affects people differently. Symptoms may or may not occur in the digestive system. Irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. 
Typical symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following: 

When using any commercial food product, the list of ingredients must be read carefully. Any product containing even the smallest amount of gluten must be avoided. Any ingredient of unspecified grain origin should be assumed to contain gluten. Similarly, some restaurants have ingredient lists for their products, either posted within the restaurant or available upon request.

SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MEASURE:
Avoid foods containing Gliadin (Gluten) e.g., wheat, rye, barley etc.

Celiac disease occurs as the inside lining of the small intestine (mucosa) is damaged after some people ingest wheat, rye, oats, or barley, the grains that are harmless to most people. How it damages the intestinal mucosa in people with celiac disease remains uncertain. Some research suggests it stems from a deficiency of an enzyme that digests gluten. Other research points to a defect in the immune system that causes certain cells to attack the intestinal mucous membrane when gluten is present in the diet. This immune reaction may be similar to the rejection of transplanted organs by the body. Because the immune system is controlled partly by heredity, it is not surprising that celiac disease runs in families. 

The normal intestinal mucosa is not smooth but organized into a series of ridges termed villi. Many digestive enzymes are present on the surface of these villi. Exposure of the intestinal mucosa to gluten-containing proteins in a person with celiac disease destroys the villi along with the digestive enzymes. As a result of the loss of digestive enzymes and reduction in surface area for absorption, foods of all types tend to pass through the entire intestinal tract undigested. 
An adherence to a gluten-free diet can prevent almost all complications caused by celiac disease. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all products that contain wheat, rye and barley, or any of their derivatives. Foods not allowed include the following: 

Grains, Breads, Cereals, Pastas. Anything made with or containing wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt and kamut. Breads or cereals containing wheat starch contain small amounts of gluten; as do cereals and crackers containing wheat and oat bran, graham, wheat germ, and bulgar. Cereals or breads containing malt flavoring of unspecified origin should be avoided. So should regular spaghetti, macaroni, and noodles. 

Vegetables. Avoid products containing thickening agents. Thickening agents often contain wheat flour and may utilize food starches and stabilizers with gluten. 

Fruits. Avoid prepared fruits containing thickening agents found in fruit pie fillings. 

Meats. Prepared meats including luncheon meats, sausages, and canned meats containing grain and starch fillers with gluten. 

Dairy Products. Cheese foods including spreads, soft cheeses, and dips often contain gluten. Some ice creams may contain gluten ice cream stabilizers. 

Salad Dressings. Salad dressings containing grain vinegars including distilled, white vinegar or if the type of vinegar is not stated. Some contain emulsifiers and stabilizers with gluten. 

Condiments and Additives. Many soy sauces contain gluten. Products with grain vinegar including catsup and mustard. Soups or broths containing bouillon. Unspecified texturized or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, vegetable gum from oats and any other product containing an unspecified flour or cereal additive. Barley malt. Wheat starch. Caramel candy may contain gluten. Read labels on margarine to check for flour additives. Flavorings made with alcohol.

Because of the broad range of symptoms celiac disease presents, it can be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms can range from "mild weakness, bone pain, and aphthous stomatitis to chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and progressive weight loss.3" If a person with the disorder continues to eat gluten, studies have shown that he or she will increase their chances of gastrointestinal cancer by a factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population4. Further, "gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease3." It is therefore imperative that the disease is quickly and properly diagnosed so it can be treated as soon as possible. Based on the figures mentioned above, we can extrapolate the total possible number of people in the United States with this disorder from the total population (283,425,6075). If we do so we end up with somewhere between 1,889,504 and 1,113,702 people with celiac disease! An average of these two numbers leaves us with approximately 1,464,239 people in the United States who have the disease in its classic or latent form. It is very important that doctors understand just how high these numbers are, and to test their patients when there is any possibility that they might have the disease. Testing is fairly simple and involves either screening the patient's blood for antigliadin (AGA) and endomysium antibodies (EmA), or doing a biopsy on the areas of the intestines mentioned above, which is the still the best way to diagnose the disease.

Eat plenty of salads and raw onions as onions contain sulfur and promote healing. Try to eat foods with active bacteria cultures such as yogurt or buttermilk. Vitamin C can be obtained from foods such as broccoli, cantaloupe, bell peppers, cabbage and cranberry juice. Identifying foods that can cause initiate the creation of canker sores and removing them form the diet would lead to a marked improvement. Pineapples, tomatoes, lemons and walnuts are some of the foods that cause such allergic reactions. At the same time, avoid eating sugar, citrus fruits, coffee, nuts, fish or meat. Animal protein produces body acid, which can aggravate the ulcers.

As mentioned gluten free diet is the best remedy.

As with all diseases the aspect of mind and body is very important. If the will power is strong you can beat just about any disease.