Mar 9, 2020

Gluten-Free Is Medicine for Me

Imagine having a disease that can be treated entirely by the food you eat. Imagine not needing prescription medicines or having to deal with the side effects from medicine that can often be worse than the symptoms you are trying to treat. You have heard about the healing power of food, but have you heard of a disease that can be healed by only food? Does this sound too good to be true?

This is exactly the case with celiac disease. The only treatment for celiac disease is a lifelong 100% gluten-free diet. Celiac is an autoimmune disease where eating gluten damages the villi of the small intestine, resulting in malnutrition and any of over 300 possible health symptoms. Since tests for celiac disease are only accurate while still eating gluten, it is essential to get tested for celiac disease before trying a gluten-free diet. Ask your doctor to order the celiac disease panel, which is a simple blood test.

The great news is that there are so many choices for finding delicious gluten-free food. It does require vigilance to ensure the food you order at a restaurant or buy in a store is truly gluten-free and not impacted by cross-contamination. However, you will quickly learn the best questions to ask for your safety. Gluten-free is medicine for me. Is it your medicine too?

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