Celiac Disease
Sayer Ji is a widely recognized researcher, author, and lecturer, an advisory board member of the National Health Federation, and the founder of the world’s most widely referenced, evidence-based natural health resource of its kind. He founded greenmedinfo.com in 2008 to provide the world an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. This evidence-based resource has presented over 20,000 articles through which the potential or actual therapeutic value of vitamins, minerals, herbs and foods can be reviewed.
The Tip of the Iceberg
In this essay, entitled The Dark Side Wheat, Sayer Ji first discusses celiac disease and compares it to an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg he equates to those diagnosed with classical celiac disease:
“Celiac disease was once considered an extremely rare affliction, limited to individuals of European descent. Today, however, a growing number of studies indicate that celiac disease is found throughout the world at a rate of up to one in every 100 persons, which is several orders of magnitude higher than previously estimated.”
Classical celiac disease is characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, malabsorption, and malnourishment and is confirmed with an intestinal biopsy that demonstrates atrophy of the intestinal villi. In the classical western medicine perspective, if there is no positive biopsy, then there is no disease at all.
The Middle Section of the Iceberg
What Sayer Ji points out is that the middle section of the iceberg includes those that do not have a positive biopsy but do have positive antibodies in their blood work against gluten, the protein in wheat that causes celiac disease. He states,
“The submerged middle portion of the iceberg is largely invisible to classical clinical diagnosis, but not to modern serological screening methods in the form of antibody testing. This middle portion is composed of asymptomatic and latent celiac disease as well as out of intestine varieties of wheat intolerance.”
The Base of the Massive Iceberg
Finally, at the base of the massive iceberg are approximately 20-30% of the world’s population who carry a genetic susceptibility of celiac disease. These people carry the HLA-DQ 2 locus and have sensitivities to wheat and may present with either intestinal or outside the intestine symptoms.
Whether a person is in the smaller percentage of people that are truly diagnosed with celiac disease or not, there is a way for anyone to test themselves and empower themselves to know if wheat and/or gluten is a problem for their health. This way is through an elimination diet. An elimination diet allows the body to detoxify or decrease the level of antigen or irritating substances in our blood stream as well as antibodies down to a quiet level so they can see how much better they can feel. After detoxifying and quieting the system, wheat and other foods can be systematically rechallenged to see if they act as an antigen and cause an immune reaction and kick up symptoms.
My Detox Plus Program will guide anyone through this process. It involves detoxing oneself of multiple foods that typically can be toxic or irritating to our immune systems for three weeks and then systematically re-challenging each food one at a time to assess your response. The Detox Plus Program includes:
- An overview of The Detox Plus Program
- An Elimination Diet Guidebook
- Detox pathways and supplement suggestions to optimizeyour detox
- Stress reduction and detox enhancement education
- Step by step information on how to systematically re-challenge foods to assess for food sensitivities
- Suggestions on what to do once you finish the program
- An individual health coaching visit to answer your questions and get you started
Learn more about the Detox Plus Program
Discover Health Podcast Episodes about food sensitivities, detox, and
- What are FODMAPs, and Why Should I Care?
- Does a Gluten-Free Diet Help with Weight Loss and Chronic Pain Management?
Dr. Trish Murray is a highly accomplished physician certified in internal medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, energy medicine, and functional medicine. In addition, she is a best-selling author and the Health Catalyst Speaker. She is the founder of Discover Health Functional Medicine Center in Conway, New Hampshire and has collaborated with four other wellness professionals to create Discover Health Movement Membership.
Contact Discover Health Functional Medicine Center:
- Website: discoverhealthfmc.com
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