Naturopathic Treatments For Celiac Disease

If you have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, or suspect you might have it, the path ahead may feel overwhelming.

Celiac disease occurs when your body has an autoimmune response to eating gluten.

You might not notice how prevalent gluten is in the foods we eat today, but it can feel hard to escape.

Wheat, barely, and rye are in everything from obvious things like bread and beer to the sneakier treats like malt chocolate or soy sauce.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start, it might be a good idea to find a gut health special interest naturopathic doctor like me, Dr. Sheila Dyer, naturopathic doctor in Toronto.

For now, let’s talk more about celiac disease and how to navigate it.

What Is Celiac Disease

Celiac disease, sometimes also known as gluten sensitive enteropathy, is an immune response to eating gluten.

Gluten is a protein most commonly found in wheat, though it’s also contained in barley and rye.

If you have celiac disease your small intestine reacts when you eat gluten.

This immune reaction causes damage to your small intestine, which is the organ that absorbs most of the nutrients from the food you eat.

As the lining of your small intestine becomes more damaged, your body may start to struggle to absorb the nutrients it needs, which can lead to a host of problems including malnutrition.

Celiac Disease Vs Gluten Intolerance

Gluten intolerance describes when someone has a reaction to eating gluten but doesn’t test positive for celiac disease.

While for a long time a reaction to eating gluten was thought to be an all or nothing phenomenon, it is increasingly understood that that might not be the case.

People who are gluten intolerant will still have both the gastrointestinal and non – gastrointestinal symptoms typical of a reaction to gluten.

If you’ve tested negative for celiac disease but have noticed you feel markedly better when you’re not eating gluten, there’s a chance you could have gluten intolerance.

Celiac Disease Symptoms

Celiac causes the villi, or hairlike pieces in your small intestine, to become damaged.

Because villi are what absorb the nutrients in the food you eat, them being damaged can mean your body has more difficulty absorbing nutrients.

This makes Celiac disease a particularly complicated one with many different symptoms.

It can be hard to diagnose because it presents so differently in different people.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of celiac disease:

• Frequent diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Bloating and gas
• Abdominal Pain
• Weight loss or weight changes
• Brain fog
• Chronic fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Skin rashes
• Headaches
• Joint pain
• Depression and moodiness
• Changes in sleep quality
• Thinning hair
• Nutrient deficiencies

What Causes Celiac Disease?

We don’t currently know what causes celiac disease.

However, here’s what we do know.

Celiac can be genetic, which means you might inherit it if you have family with celiac disease.

Researchers also suspect gut bacteria, infections in the intestine, and infant feeding practices could be factors, though we don’t yet know how much they might contribute.

There are several other conditions that may increase your likelihood of having celiac disease as well.

Celiac is more common in people with:

• Addison’s disease
• Type 1 diabetes
• Down syndrome
• Turner syndrome
• Microscopic colitis
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Graves’ disease

Naturopathic Treatments For Celiac Disease

As of right now, there is no known cure for celiac disease.

However, there’s good news – celiac symptoms can be managed in naturopathic ways.

There’s no medical intervention for celiac disease, but by changing your eating habits and addressing concerns from before you were diagnosed, you can be on your way to feeling better.

Let’s take a look at a naturopathic approach to this autoimmune condition.

1. Follow A Strict Gluten Free Diet

You’ll have to avoid gluten completely if you want to manage your celiac disease symptoms.

That means reading ingredient labels carefully to make sure they don’t contain wheat, barley, or rye.

Be careful, because even a small amount of gluten can cause a reaction, and cross contamination can occur in pre packaged foods and busy restaurants.

This might be frustrating, but it’s the only way to prevent celiac flare ups.

2. Address Any Nutrient Deficiencies

If you’ve been dealing with celiac disease for a while, it’s likely you have some nutrient deficiencies.

If that’s the case, you’ll want to take supplements that will help you fix the deficiencies that malabsorption caused in your body.

While you could be deficient in any nutrient with celiac disease, the following are the most likely culprits:

• Iron
• Zinc
• Calcium
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B9
• Vitamin B12

It’s complicated, though – your villi being damaged may lead you to have trouble absorbing these nutrients.

Speak to your naturopathic doctor to find out how you can work around this.

3. Address Damage To Your Skin, Bones, or Digestive System

If you’ve been undiagnosed for a long time, you may have issues with joint inflammation or bone density.

It might be a good idea to ask for tests so you can know if you need to address these concerns.

Usually if your body is inflamed or you have skin issues from your celiac disease, the symptoms will clear up when you switch to a strict gluten free diet.

Book Your Appointment With Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, Today

Do you have more questions about how to manage your celiac disease?

Managing celiac is a lifelong endeavor, and it can be intimidating to embark on your gluten free journey.

But I’m here to help.

Book your appointment with me, Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, today to get started.