Our immune system is ever vigilant, ready to mount an attack
against invaders. It uses inflammation to contain and destroy microbes
and other substances that it recognizes as foreign, or not belonging to
the body. Have you ever had a splinter in your finger and not removed it
right away? The area around the splinter turned a bit red, swollen, and
maybe a little warm to the touch. That was your immune system working,
using inflammation to contain any harmful microbes before they could
invade your body.
In autoimmune diseases something horrible
happens. Your body makes a huge mistake! It identifies part of itself as
an enemy and mounts an inflammatory attack against itself. Scientists
believe that autoimmune diseases are caused by genes we inherit, and
environmental exposures that trigger the genes to express themselves.
There are at least eighty autoimmune diseases that have been identified,
with more being added to the list. Different autoimmune diseases affect
different parts of the body. For example type1 diabetes affects the
insulin making cells in the pancreas, psoriasis affects the skin and
sometimes joints, autoimmune thyroid disease affects the thyroid,
rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of the joints, and celiac
disease affects the small intestine.
Although celiac disease is an
autoimmune disease that damages part of the digestive tract, not all
the signs and symptoms at first appear to be related to digestion. When a
person who has celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, as found in
wheat, rye, and barley, their immune system responds by attacking the
small intestine, the site where most nutrient absorption takes place.
Without proper absorption of nutrients, a person can eventually develop
many symptoms and disorders including additional autoimmune diseases,
anemia, osteoporosis, infertility, or cancer. Delaying diagnosis or
consuming any gluten products will increase damaging inflammation.
Celiac disease can develop at any age from infancy to adulthood.
Given
that celiac disease occurs in genetically predisposed persons, a
genetic test can help rule out the possibility of developing the
disease. Even if a person does carry the genes that are related to
celiac disease, it does not mean that they will develop the disease.
Genetic variants that seem to increase the risk of celiac are found in
30 percent of the general population, but only 3 percent of persons with
the gene variants develop celiac disease. Scientists believe exposure
to something in the environment, and changes in other genes, may trigger
the development of celiac disease.
A PubMed study found that a
number of autoimmune connective tissue diseases may be associated with
exposure to drugs, chemicals and environmental factors.
Living with celiac disease is not easy but can be easily improved by following the 5 following tips:
- Eliminate all toxic chemicals from your home
- Supplement your alimentation with probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis)
- Make sure your diet has enough Omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation
- Choose gluten-free personal care products (especially lipstick and lip balm)
- Take gluten-free fibre supplements to make sure you get enough prebiotics and fibres that are usually deficient in gluten-free diets
We do not have control on weather or not we carry the
gene. Or any other gene for that matter. But we do control our
environment and exposure to toxic chemicals that can trigger the
development of autoimmune diseases like celiac, or many other severe
health problems.By
Sophie Gratton
