Monday, February 16, 2009

Celiac Disease Information - Diarrhea Symptoms

Chronic Diarrhea? You Could Have Celiac Disease
By Wendy Addams

Celiac disease was once thought to be an extremely rare condition which only occurred in children. Only recently has Celiac disease come into the light, and it is now recognized as being quite common among both children, and adults.

Celiac disease refers to a persons inability to properly digest gluten, also known as gluten intolerance. When gluten is ingested by someone with celiac disease, antibodies are released into the blood which attack healthy cells and tissue. Most of the damage happens within the small intestine, which are lined with villi, tiny hairlike structures on the inner wall of the small intestine. Villi are responsible for absorbing nutrients from food into the body, when they become damaged, a person may suffer from malnutrition, even if they are eating a well balanced diet.

The symptoms of celiac disease can vary wildly from person to person. Symptoms that children normally experience are vastly different than those of adult sufferers. Children normally have digestion related symptoms, while adults can experience symptoms that are seemingly unrelated to digestion.

Some of the symptoms that children may experience are bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, malnutrition, weight gain, cramping, tooth defects, and pale foul smelling stools.

Adults can experience an even wider range of symptoms including depression, anxiety, weight loss, weight gain, seizures, malnutrition, weakness, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, gas, missed menstrual periods, recurring miscarriage, and infertility.

It is because of the wide range of symptoms, that it is commonly confused with something else and misdiagnosed. If you have these symptoms, and think you may have been misdiagnosed, talk to your doctor about doing a blood test for celiac disease.

Wendy Addams and her family know a lot about celiac disease. To learn more, please visit http://www.celiac-symptoms.com for more information on symptoms, diagnosis, and free recipes.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Addams
http://EzineArticles.com/?Chronic-Diarrhea?-You-Could-Have-Celiac-Disease&id=1832722

Celiac Disease Information

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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Celiac Disease Information - Diet Rules

Diet Rules For Celiac Disease
By Tricia Ryan

If you have celiac disease, you are going to have to go on a special diet, making sure that your intestines are protected. When you are dealing with celiac disease, your body can't absorb gluten, which can lead to a variety of other health problems as well. Dealing with the gluten free diet can be difficult in the beginning, but as you learn more about it, it becomes a bit easier. Are you wondering where you are supposed to begin with the diet? Well, here are some of the diet rules for celiac disease that you are going to need to follow.

Rule #1 - Stop Eating Wheat - First of all, the number one diet rule of a gluten free diet is to stop eating wheat. The covering that is on the grain of the wheat is gluten. So, the last thing that you should be eating is anything that has wheat in it. There are other choices you can go with, just stay away from the wheat.

Rule #2 - Go with Other Whole Grains - While you are not to eat wheat, there are other whole grains that you can have. You can't go with bran and barley, because they have the gluten covering on them as well. However, there are some other whole grains that you may be able to eat, such as corn or oats, although some people dealing with celiac disease are not able to eat them.

Rule #3 - Go with Gluten Free Breads - Although you are not able to eat breads that are made with wheat products, there are other breads that you can eat that don't have gluten in them. One good bread choice that you can try is potato bread, which is usually a gluten free bread. You can also make your own bread gluten free or purchase mixes that are gluten free to make bread with.

Rule #4 - Eat Plenty of Fruits and Veggies - Another important rule of a celiac diet is to make sure that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. These are foods that are not going to exacerbate your problem. They are also very good for you, especially when you have celiac disease. You can cook them, bake them, or even eat them raw. However, if you add anything to your fruits and veggies, make sure that it is gluten free.

Rule #5 - Get Protein from Meats - Getting protein is important and fairly easy, even when you are dealing with celiac disease. Most meats are fine to eat, since they do not contain gluten. Soy based products are fine, as are eggs and peanut butter. Just make sure that no gluten is added to the peanut butter when it is being processed.

These rules are important if you are supposed to be eating a celiac diet. Once you learn these rules you'll be able to improve your health. While it may seem difficult at first, over time you'll find that following this diet becomes easier and easier and it will make you feel better too.

Don't feel trapped by celiac! Become empowered and learn how to live an active life with healthy foods that won't leave you feeling deprived. Visit http://glutenfreesnacksforme.com/ for celiac information, gluten free recipes, and restaurant tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tricia_Ryan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Diet-Rules-For-Celiac-Disease&id=1902652

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What is Celiac Disease - Information Please!

What is Celiac Disease
By Donovan Baldwin

Recently, a relative of mine became aware of a health condition known as Celiac Disease. Also called coeliac disease, this is a condition in which the body becomes unable to effectively make use of certain nutrients. It is generally considered to be a genetically acquired autoimmune disorder of the small intestine.

Celiac Disease is commonly believed to be caused by the body's reaction to wheat gluten, primarily, although other, similar proteins, such as barley and rye, may produce the same reaction. Due to a modification of the protein, the immune system reacts with bowel tissue resulting in an inflammatory reaction leading to an atrophying condition (villous atrophy) which interferes with the absorption of nutrients.

Thus far, the only known immediate and effective treatment is to adopt a gluten-free diet.

Symptoms of Celiac Disease are varied, but the primary three are diarrhoea, weight loss, and fatigue. However, the disease does not always display any or all of these symptoms. In fact, the diagnosis of the disease is made even more difficult in that malabsorption of nutrients, which could be caused by a myriad of unrelated factors, can result in a wide range of symptoms, including the main three listed above!

In fact, some people who have had bariatric surgery, which results in malabsorption of nutrients, have reported symptoms similar to those of Celiac Disease.

Over the next few months, I hope to be placing pieces of Celiac Disease Information on this blog.

There is a great deal of information out there, but it does tend to be scattered. One place which has attempted to gather a wide range of celiac disease information in one spot is Celiac.com, and I recommend anyone interested in learning more visit that website as well.

As I am not a researcher or a doctor, I cannot guarantee that all celiac disease information placed on this blog will be absolutely fact, but I will pass the information on after I have reviewed it to the best of my ability and made an attempt to verigy it, at least superficially.

Thank you and best of luck to you.

Celiac Disease Information

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