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Does gluten intolerance mean I have Celiac disease?

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Posted 3/5/2011 12:58 AM (GMT 0)
My naturopath said I need to be 100% gluten free(she's tying it to my low thyroid problems.
So I'm probably having Celiac disease, isn't it the same thing? or is that only proved by an actual blood test?

Okay, so does that mean I cannot eat sweets at all? I mean are most candy containing gluten too?
Posted 3/5/2011 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
You can try your questions on our Celiac forum. But from what I understand, there is gluten intolerance and then there is allergy (Celiac). In order to find out if you have it, you need to see a doctor and have testing. If you have a gluten intolerance, you might get away with eating some things with gluten (in moderation) but with Celiac, ALL gluten needs to be eliminated from your diet.
Posted 3/5/2011 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
First you take a Blood test and then if the Blood work tells the doctor your levels are high then you have a biopsy. It is the only way to tell you if you have Celiac. Celiac is an auto-immune desease not an allergy. From experience I have gone through tons of tests and when I went on a 100% gluten free diet thats what worked for me. If you still have D. after all that then get tested for Bile Salts D. Good Luck
Don't forget there is gluten is alot of things, most grains and things like lotions, salad dressing, vitamins, ketchup, soy sauce etc. Google gluten free foods and this will help.
Posted 3/5/2011 9:06 PM (GMT 0)
You must NOT go gluten free before testing or the tests can be negative, even the biopsy. A few more days will make no difference, and you need to get a true diagnosis before you run around massively changing your diet. You need to see a gastroenterologist. The blood test for celiac is not highly accurate, but often shows positive in advanced cases. The "gold standard" is the little biopsy of the villi in the small intestine. If they're really small or gone all together it's celiac. Celiac is like an allergy as far as you are concerned, but as Finenow said, it's an autoimmune condition.

Then there's gluten intolerance and wheat intolerance and wheat allergy. Best to see a good allergist to help sort this out if the biopsy comes back negative.

I wouldn't be worrying about gluten in foods until you get a diagnosis from a physician. You can help with the diagnosis though, by keeping a food log and writing down the times you eat or drink anything, your symptoms and the time they occur.
Posted 3/6/2011 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Check out http://www.theglutenfile.com/ for info on the different kinds of problems with wheat/gluten. There can be allergy (immediate type or delayed type), sensitivity (non-Celiac, but may be immune reactivity of a different type than Celiac), intolerance (insufficient digestive enzymes - usually this is a pancreas issue), or Celiac (autoimmune injury to small intestine caused by gluten).

Unfortunately, people - doctors and others - intermix all the above terms and that makes it really confusing for everyone.
Posted 3/7/2011 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
Bile Salts D. Don't know what that is about?

I just know my Nautropath said go gluten free now, because I'm so sick and I have so many autoimmune type symtoms and hashimotos. NO, I don't have a bunch of money to do more extra testing right now. I will just push to get the money out for an autoimmune panel soon. Maybe they will show it? Not sure.
Posted 3/8/2011 12:40 AM (GMT 0)
Autoimmune won't show celiac. Scratch tests may or may not pick up wheat allergy, depends on the type.
Maybe you could at least get the blood test for celiac before rushing about changing your entire life going gluten free.

If you haven't had GI problems like D all your life, I'd bet on an allergy or intolerance first. New allergies and intolerances often show up in adults, even seniors. Celiac shows up in little kids if you know what to look for. After a pasta meal you can end up in the ER. The D makes people lose huge amounts of fluid.

I'd take one thing out of the diet at a time, logging it in the food diary. Try it for a week. I'd start with lactose before wheat. It's easier. You should be able to tell within a couple of days. Keep on with the lactose-free milk, but no cheese, regular milk, ice cream, yogurt, cream, creamer.

And hold the magnesium.

Bile salts are made from cholesterol by the liver to aid in digestion of fats.
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