<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
More responses which I am sending on. Will have to send the
suggestions separately as the post was too long.
More good responses have come through so am sending them on:
RESPONSES:
1. The body is a complex system of inter-related chemical reactions
that requires a variety of vitamins, minerals, etc. Good health
requires that the necessary nutrients/chemical are available in the
correct amounts and being used up a prescribed pace. Deficiencies
result when diet or absorption don't provide adequate nutrition. It
can also occur when one system is using up resources at a faster-than-
normal rate. The "over-consumption" by one system means that other
systems don't have the resources to work as they should. Eventually
everything crashes....
If celiac isn't diagnosed on a timely basis, it's possibly that the
body may have used up all its resouces and there is nothing left to
fuel immune system function. Products designed to 'kick' the immune
system to work harder won't help as there is nothing left to give.
Those people will want to build up their immune systems...by
replenishing their nutritional reserves (zinc is one that's essential
for over 100 enzymes), along with reducing the load on the immune
system to give it a rest. That could include avoiding other problem
foods/allergens ("Eat Right For Your Type" book in interesting),
getting enough antioxidants including ascorbic acid/vitamin C,
maintaining optimal stomach acid which kills most pathogens in the
stomach, and adding Omega 3 fats which are anti-inflammatories.
Those with stil healthy but out-of-control immune system response
(sudden onset of celiac from a specific event/trigger), want to avoid
anything that makes the response stronger. Again, reducing the load
would help calm the system...Maintaining a strick g.f. diet is
essential.
Then there are those in the population who are IgA deficient and
don't make enough of the antibodies. It seems that it's something
like 1 in 200 in the general population, but they make up a larger
portion of celiacs. (1 in 20 comes to mind for some reason). IgA
antibodies are found in mucous membranes--gut as well as lungs &
throat. Those with IgA deficiency are lacking the first line of
defense against the air & food borne bugs and may seem to be sick all
the time with one thing or another.
2. An interesting tidbit from history to share. This is a little
off the wall.
There is another theory opposite Louis Pasteur's germ theory, called
the cellular theory. It is not well studied. Scientists argued over
it between about 1850 and the turn of the century in Europe. The
germ theory won the argument and research followed that direction.
But some of the cellular theories are coming true today. Antoine
Bechamp was one of the proponents of this idea.
Maybe both theories have some truth?
Anyway, folks who follow the cellular theory today probably would
suspect that colds, infections, flus etc, are a way the body uses to
clean up and clean out. So they would look beyond chronic drawn out
infections to what possible toxins, etc, the weakened body might be
attempting to get rid of. Likely they would support the body with
good nutrition etc. to give it the "machinery parts and pieces" and
strength needed to accomplish the job it is trying to finish.
3. On the question of under or over-active immune systems, ours is
definitely over-active. But that doesn't mean that we can't succumb
to particular problems, especially if we have weak lungs/asthma, have
growths of bad bacteria or fungi in our sinuses, etc. I once read an
interview with Dr. Fasano, where he said that he believed the tight
junctions in the gut, blood brain barrier, heart, and LUNGS are
compromised in celiac disease. One of the most associated secondary
problems occurring with cd is asthma. And many of us have not just
asthma, but chronic bronchial asthma. This is an area of weakness
for us. Many of us also have intractable sinus infections, present
from before we ever were dxed with cd. Researchers (sinus
researchers, not cd researchers) found, a few years ago, that people
with chronic sinus infections often have a particular fungus which
does not clear up with the usual antibiotic therapy (because it is
not a bacteria), nor with sinus surgery. It takes a specific
antifungal, taken for a specific time period, to clear it up. I now
forget the name of the fungus and the antifungal you have to take,
but one can research that online and find it. (I think it was
amphotericin-B.) But the point here is, this is another weak area
and it takes a doctor knowing (which many times they do not!) that
this resistant strain of fungus is associated with these "incurable"
sinus infections.
4. I'm no expert but I think we want to strengthen our immune
system and simmer down our immune response - we want it to respond
appropriately. Inflammation is the bad guy so reducing the body's
inflammation everywhere will allow the immune system to calm down and
respond appropriately. With Celiac it's T-cells that go on the
attack, but it's the intestinal inflammation that's the problem. We
beefed up our immune systems by taking vitamin C and all the B's,
D-3, etc., but also, my son had no cortisol production because his
adrenal glands were worn out from battling inflammation. He couldn't
catch a cold if he'd wanted...couldn't produce a fever because his
immune response was worn out. So, we reduced his inflammation levels
by gettting rid of candida overgrowth, he took small doses of
cortisol and herbal anti-inflammatories. the yeast was a problem. He
finally got a fever at one point, got a normal cold, and now his body
is back to being able to resist colds, etc. His food allergies are
gone, he responds "normally" to gluten exposure: stomach ache and
headache for a day or so, whereas before he'd be down for a week or
more w/ constant pain everywhere.
5. There's an article in the Autumn 2008 issue of Celiac.com's Scott-
Free newsletter titled "Is it Celiac or CVID?" CVID is Common
Variable Immunodeficiency Disease. Autoimmune disease is one
component of CVID and that's why it's often misdiagnosed, because
autoimmune disease is assumed to be from an over-active immune
system. Interesting article.
Mary in NH
*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC
|