When a patient is told their unpleasant stomach symptoms are caused by Celiac Disease, one of their first questions is often about how, or why, or where they caught the disease This is not surprising as most diseases like measles, or malaria, or even the common cold are described as being caught.
These diseases I would describe as illnesses and the patient will hopefully recover from them after a period of time.
Celiac Disease is different.
I would describe it as a condition, because it has been caused by a change in the way your body functions.
It is not some sort of bug you have caught and it can not be cured.
As it is a condition, the patient has to learn how to adapt to the new way of life, after understanding the 'rules' the condition has imposed on them.
So what is happening? Where has this condition come from, and why that particular person? The patient often says "Why Me".
Firstly, there can be a genetic reason.
There have been studies done that show Celiacs, (Those people wh are suffering from Celiac Disease) often have certain common genes in their system So, if, at conception, their particular gene pattern, inherited from the two parents included these particular genes...
they would be a possible candidate for Celiac Disease sometime in their life.
The onset of Celiac Disease is usually triggered by the immune system.
The immune system is a sort of firewall to protect you as an individual.
It senses out anything that it thinks will attack your body's means of functioning.
Once it has decided that something is an 'enemy' it takes action to, in theory, exterminate it and protect the person's body.
Celiac Disease does not fit totally with that simplistic pattern, but the immune system has decided that gluten is a danger to your body, and cant be tolerated.
The effect is to destroy the fingerlike projections that grow on the wall of your small intestines that are called villi.
That stops the body absorbing the protein known as gluten.
The unfortunate side effect is that without the villi the body cant absorb the other nutrients that it needs to grow and thrive.
The good news is that if you remove every trace of gluten from your diet, the immune system will be happy and the villi will be able to re-grow,and your body will be able to absorb the nutrients you need.
This is a very simplistic view, but I hope it will help you to start the process of learning about the new way of life you are going to have to take on permanently.
I am a psychotherapist who has worked with patients in the same position as you, for many years.
I have written a special report, which you can download for free by clicking the report's title at the end of this article.
After reading it I would welcome your comments and questions, as I want to help you achieve a healthy and comfortable way of life, now you know you have this condition known as Celiac Disease.
I look forward to meeting you very soon through the information you will receive in the free report entitled You are Lucky if you have been Diagnosed with Celiac Disease