Celiac disease is an allergic reaction to wheat, barley, rye, oats or oatmeal and corn. They cause an allergic reaction that destroys the villa in the small intestine resulting in the inability to assimilate foods which results in immune system dysfunction. Thus the whole body is diseased and results in almost every symptom possible. No one person will report to their doctor the same symptoms and it is one reason it is often overlooked by physicians.

It is fast gaining awareness and attention, by both the medical and the food industries. Three years ago restaurant help would look at you like you were crazy if you asked for gluten free food. Now most are aware of it, and even grocery stores have increased the availability of gluten free food.

Celiac's main physiological result is the destruction of the villa in the small intestine it may be related to the problems of Candida, Parasites and other diseases that affect the digestive tract.

Read the reports below for symptoms and treatments. Celiac can cause mental disorders, is linked to Autism, Diabetes, Intestinal Cancer, Candida, Liver problems, Gall Bladder and may cause Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. Since is is a disease that destroys the villa in the small intestine it causes assimilation and digestive problems. If the body is not absorbing, processing and eliminating food anything can and does go wrong and can cause different symptoms in different people. It is suspected that 1 out of 105 Americans have Celiac and most do not know they have it. (5,10) Thus they are seeking cures for the diseases caused by Celiac and taking drugs that add to the problems instead of getting better. Too few doctors look for Celiac often because it has the symptoms that doctors are taught is hypochondria.

From my research it appears that if one has Celiac disease, they will be highly probable to also have Candida. This is very logical, since Candida can only exist if the gut is out of balance. Celiac causes the gut to be out of balance so it is a no brainier to connect these two diseases. Thus it is logical to assume that one cannot cure Candida without first treating Celiac.

As my grandson reached age ten he stopped growing and was much smaller than his peers. Celiac can cause children to stop growing. Fortunately his pediatrician knew this and ran the Celiac tests. After several years on the Celiac diet he is now equal to his peers. His mother my daughter told me she suspected I had it, because I had the same symptoms. I researched it then began the diet. Several times after starting the diet, I got contaminated and within two days I became suicidal. Unlike most food allergies that produce a immediate reaction, gluten often will not cause a reaction for a day or two. This means one who has the reaction does not connect it to food eaten days previously. 90% of my former depression problems disappeared when I went on a Celiac diet. I still had problems, and eventually realized my oatmeal for breakfast was causing the problem. Some web sites claim oatmeal does not have gluten and some others say it does. Eliminating oatmeal for me helped.

There are only three ways to diagnose Celiac, (1) Go on a gluten free diet for a week, then reintroduce gluten and see if you have a reaction in a day or two. (2) The second way is a blood test.(3) The third and most conclusive way is to undergo an endoscope of the small intestine to see if the villa is healthy or non existent. Celiac destroys the villa. Note if you use option 1 before doing options 2 or 3 it will taint the findings. This means either forget options 2 and 3 or do them first.

1. Symptoms of Celiac Disease

2. Treatment Options "Celiac disease has no cure, but it can be effectively managed by avoiding foods containing gluten (found in wheat, barley and rye). After gluten is eliminated from the diet, the small intestine begins to heal." (Quote from Mayo Clinic web site see source)

3. Gluten Free Food List, Simplified

4. "personality changes (especially common in children with sprue; they become unable to concentrate, are irritable, cranky, and have difficulties with mental alertness and memory function); can also occur in adults; ..." http://paleodiet.com/autism/

5. " Coeliac disease From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Celiac disease Biopsy of small bowel showing coeliac disease manifested by blunting of villi, crypt hyperplasia, and lymphocyte infiltration of crypts. Coeliac disease (pronounced /'si?li.æk/; spelled celiac disease in North America[1]) is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward. Symptoms include chronic diarrhoea, failure to thrive (in children), and fatigue, but these may be absent, and symptoms in other organ systems have been described. A growing portion of diagnoses are being made in asymptomatic persons as a result of increased screening,[2] and is thought to affect between 1 in 1,750 to 1 in 105 people in the United States.[3] Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a prolamin (gluten protein) found in wheat, and similar proteins found in the crops of the tribe Triticeae (which includes other common grains such as barley and rye). Upon exposure to gliadin, and specifically to three peptides found in prolamins,[4] the enzyme tissue transglutaminase modifies the protein, and the immune system cross-reacts with the small-bowel tissue, causing an inflammatory reaction. That leads to a truncating of the villi lining the small intestine (called villous atrophy). This interferes with the absorption of nutrients, because the intestinal villi are responsible for absorption. The only known effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.[5] While the disease is caused by a reaction to wheat proteins, it is not the same as wheat allergy. This condition has several other names, including: cœliac disease (with œ ligature), c(o)eliac sprue, non-tropical sprue, endemic sprue, gluten enteropathy or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, and gluten intolerance." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease

7. "If you have celiac disease and eat foods with gluten, your immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley. It is found mainly in foods but may also be in other products like medicines, vitamins and even the glue on stamps and envelopes.Celiac disease affects each person differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body. One person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person may be irritable or depressed. Irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. Some people have no symptoms.Celiac disease is genetic. Blood tests can help your doctor diagnose the disease. Your doctor may also need to examine a small piece of tissue from your small intestine. Treatment is a diet free of gluten." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/celiacdisease.html

8. "More than 40,000 Americans are known to have celiac disease, yet many more cases go undiagnosed and unreported. Learn the diagnostic signs, and clinical manifestations of celiac disease" A PDF file http://celiachealth.org/pdf/celiac8.pdf

9. " Gluten is the name for proteins found in wheat, rye, barley, and other grains derived from them, including;"

10. "The cause of celiac is genetic, and it tends to run in families. It can be very mild or very severe, but it can lead to severe complications if not treated. Someone with celiac may have no symptoms at all or they may have symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, gas and abdominal pain. It is important to follow the diet prescribed by the nutritionist if you have celiac because the body's inability to absorb proper nutrients can cause fatigue, weight loss, anemia, osteoporosis and vitamin deficiencies. Up to 40% of people with celiac who do not follow the diet also have vitamin B deficiency, and this can cause numbness or pain in the limbs.The symptoms with celiac are often mistaken for other illnesses. This can be dangerous because the disease will raise the risk of eventually developing gastrointestinal cancer if the diet is not followed. The immune reaction your body has against the gluten causes damage to the villi in the small intestine. The villi are required for you to be able to effectively absorb nutrients.Although it has been known that celiac is common in Europe, it was just recently learned that it is just as common in the U.S. as well. More than 1.5 million Americans may be affected. The disease is present in one out of 22 people who had a close relative with celiac disease and in one out of a 133 people who were not at risk, and it may be present in as many as 1 in 20 people who have a relative who has type 1 diabetes." http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/clinic/celiac.htm

11. "...If you've got celiac disease, you have liver and gall bladder malfunction due to numerous intrahepatic stones and/or gallstones..." http://curezone.com/dis/1.asp?C0=80

12. "...Speed the Healing :The inflamation in the intestine won?t go away until you eliminate gluten, but you may be able to speed healing by taking an herbal combination of echinacea and goldenseal, says Dr. Stiles. These two immune system boosters are often packaged together in capsule form. Take one capsule three or four times a day, she suggests. If you use tincture, take 10 to 15 drops of each herb in water or juice three or four times a day, with or without food..." http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/23/78.cfm