Celiac disease

[Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.]

This ailment has only started to be recognized fully in the medical community since the late 70s or early 80s, although, of course, it has existed forever, since it largely seems to have a genetic basis.

Briefly, it's a sensitivity to the protein in wheat, barley and rye that causes destruction of the vili in the small intestine, resulting in malabsorption, GI distress of various kinds, a nasty eczema-like eruption on all the pressire bearing surfaces (for most people, the back of the head, the cervical area, the buttocks, the bends of the elbows and knees, and the calves/ heels), and often a generalized rheumatic pain syndrome. It can cause all kinds of other symptoms as well, from the nutritional deficiencies resulting from malabsorption, but those are the basic ones that are generally noted in some combination. It can ultimately lead to the person developing intestinal cancer or lymphoma of the abdominal lymph nodes.

I have been able to find little information on clinical experience in treating it homeopathically. Robin Logan mentions the dermatitis in the introductory section of his book on treating eczema, but doesn't then pursue its treatment. I've seen once one mention of using Nat-s as a remedy for this condition. And that's it. Tub or Med may be indicated, because the person often has lifelong "eczema." Interestingly, the main allopathic treatment for the eruptions is Dapsone, an antibiotic that's used mostly to treat leprosy!

Obviously one needs to follow the symptoms to prescribe -- but it's an extremely difficult condition to treat effectively with remedies, even when the person is doing his or her best to avoid all sources of gluten (this is extremely difficult because there are so many hidden sources in our food supply -- including, apparently, beer and ice cream!!)

I was wondering if anyone has clinical experience treating people with this condition, and what remedies have seemed effective.

I know the various rubrics about the eruptions, bread agg, farinaceous agg, etc... However, I'm sure these rubrics aren't complete. For instance, based on a symptom picture, I've had one patient show a really positive response to Caps, which has nothing about bread or any related food in its food symptoms. Its eruptions also don't match those that are typical of the dermatitis herpetiformis eruptions. So clinical experience would be very helpful to learn about. The Gi symptoms and the fact that the person is always <<< from exposure to spices and pepper were the deciding factors in the prescription, and the effects were surprisingly positive. This of course after a frustrating series of really well indicated remedies that did nothing.

Perhaps also someone has found a rubric that clearly corresponds and seems to target the right set of remedies? I know -- dream on! It's always worth asking.

Thanks!

Rosemary

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[Dr. Joe Rozencwajg, NMD]

It is complicated to treat because, in my experience and opinion, it is not
a disease but a permanent, chronic intoxication/poisoning.
The sensitivity to gluten is in fact an inability to digest it, to
catabolise it in the gut where it then destroys the mucosa and leads to the
picture you described. That is because we are not meant to ingest it! We are
not supposed to be cereal eaters and certainly not in the amount we do and
with cereals that have been selected over the centuries to be loaded with
gluten..........those of us who can tolerate it have maintained some ability
to digest it at least partially.
Even without any of the related symptoms and without any remedy, each and
every patient I have put on a gluten-free diet has seen an amelioration of
his symptoms, no matter what they were!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I tell to the patients who complain of celiac "disease" that in fact they
have no disease, that they are the ultimate evolution of the human being,
but chronically poisoned by a substance they are not meant to introduce in
their body. You should see the relief on their faces............then it
becomes a lot easier to talk about natural, human diet..... And finish off
with a remedy addressing the residual symptoms, if any...........removal of
the maintaining cause........
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

[Ginny Wilken]

I absolutely agree with this assessment! I can't say how many
symptoms of mine became better when I swore off grains of all kinds,
in addition to Solanaceae and legumes, which also carry toxins in
high concentrations. The remaining symptoms led me to homeopathy,
which, I feel, cannot do its best unless poor diet is eliminated as a
maintaining cause. The problem is that most folks do not understand
how inappropriate most of our diet items are, even the so-called
healthy ones.

On celiac disease in particular, I can say I have encountered quite a
few folks who have achieved relief by turning to a more prototypical
diet.
ginny
All stunts performed without a net!
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[Shannon Nelson]

On Nov 8, 2006, at 10:10 PM, Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD,NMD. wrote:
Just as a point of curiosity--I was told, and have found it to be
delightfully true, that sprouting the wheat makes it digestible; e.g.
Ezekiel bread (made entirely from sprouted grains) gives me no trouble
at all (and I gave up decades ago on any other form of wheat). Ditto
soybeans--for me they are quick poison (quicker than wheat), except
that sprouted or fermented seems to work just fine. Any thoughts?
Shannon

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[Robyn]

Most sprouted wheat still has gluten or gluten peptides remaining.

Some also say that proving the grain with yeast makes it more digestible -- which is the reason it
was added

A rough estimate of population with gluten allergy is conservatively 1%, but has been proposed that
the correct figure may be more like 20% --

My offering is that due to the onset of symptoms being possible at any stage of life, and not
particularly at any one, then what would be interesting to know would be what is the trigger? An
event?

Maybe the trigger is activating a gene --- removing gluten from the diet, which in most cases
removes symptoms, is not addressing the activation/trigger that sets it off in the first place.

There are people that happily ate bread prior to the onset.

There are people with symptoms with no evidence of blunted villi

I agree, that it is not a disease --- it is part of a response to something else.

Best

Robyn

Saalome gam naan ben uurda, gan njjber asaala hesporoona!

Peace be on Earth, and among all beings!

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Robyn,
Not for me!!!! And evidently also for a number of others; unless
perhaps a specific yeast problem is the issue, which I guess is
possible.

In some cases it *might* simply be that the "vessel of toxins" has
finally reached overflow (e.g. I now see that I can eat a certain
amount of wheat without apparent symptoms); and sometimes the symptoms
may begin early, but not be recognized for some time (my main symptoms
from wheat have to do with spaciness and focus issues, which in
retrospect were already evident in toddlerhood, tho connection with
wheat was not made until somewhere in high school). In some cases
perhaps the "trigger" is simply "the straw that broke the camel's back"
rather than having any specific, individual connection?

While I'm not sure about the idea of "trigger", the other part of your
thought here I agree with--palliating the symptoms is not necessarily
"cure". But I also suspect that in some cases, as Dr. R says, "cure"
is not going to happen, because the person is simply not constructed to
handle those substances well.

The whole question of "appropriate diet" is one I am very interested
in. Some say that "we" are constructed as meat-eaters, and
meat-and-veggies is the only appropriate diet; others insist that "we"
are constructed as fruit-eaters, or as raw-food eaters... There's a
book out called "The China Study", which talks about a study showing
that a diet heavy on rice and veggies, with a little bit of meat, makes
for ourstandingly healthy--Chinese people. Evidently the study was
conducted in rural China, on Chinese people eating the traditional
Chinese diet, and the authors evidently conclude that's the way
*everyone* should be eating... Methinks an Eskimo would not do so well
on that diet--perhaps not even if they were currently living in China.
Now would a Chinese person do well on an Eskimo diet, perhaps not even
if they were living in the Arctic.

I have similar skepticism about "raw foods diets", "Caveman diets",
vegan, vegetarian, whatever diets--I would think it must be awfully
hard to come up with *one* diet that works best for everyone,
everywhere, at every time?

But I do find the information and experiences with it very
thought-provoking!

Cheers,
Shannon
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[Theresa Partington]

Hi
I've noticed the sensitivity to wheat starting or becoming more apparent with menopause in women. I did read somewhere that there was a link between the allergy reaction process and the hormonal centring on the - pituitary? Does anyone know anything about this?
I always thought coeliac disease was something a bit different from intolerance to wheat, missing enzymes or something.
Theresa

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[Dr. Joe Rozencwajg, NMD]

I have not tried it but it would make sense as the gluten is used by the
fresh sprout for growth, hence disappearing.
It should be tried on a celiac patient........with blood tests for gliadin
antibodies that would reappear before symptoms show up.....interesing....
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, MD, PhD, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind".

[Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.]

It's interesting that no one seems to have had any good experiences with any
homeopathic remedies to help in treating this condition?

Rosemary

[Rosemary C. Hyde, Ph.D.]

Symptomatically, my experience is that sprouting helps but not totally. Dr.
R's suggestion about doing a formal experiment documented with blood tests
for gliadin antibodies is a good one.

Rosemary