Celiac disease is a scary diagnosis and many people initially feel overwhelmed, confused, uninformed, and alone.

There are so many people, including some medical practitioners, who do not understand celiac, which makes everything more difficult.

The purpose of Suddenly Celiac is to help people understand celiac disease and to help navigate the process once diagnosed.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease (CD) is not an allergy. It is an autoimmune disease that causes an immune reaction to ingesting gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.

more about what CD is, from Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF)

Over time, the immune reaction to eating gluten creates inflammation that damages the small intestine’s lining. You may hear the phrase damaged, or blunt, villi which are tiny projections in the small intestine whose function is to absorb vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

If you have celiac disease, there will be malabsorption of some nutrients, which leads to other health complications.

Celiac disease at a glance from BeyondCeliac

Another common ailment is Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS), or intestinal permeability. LGS creates gaps in the intestinal walls that allow harmful bacteria and toxic substances to escape into the bloodstream.

LGS also causes similar symptoms to CD, and can make you feel very sick. To improve Leaky Gut, the first step is to heal your gut by avoiding inflammatory foods, like gluten.

Getting a food allergy and/or food intolerance test will help you know what other foods to avoid.

It is important to be diagnosed with celiac disease as the damage can be detrimental to your health. It is a simple blood test to identify celiac markers. Please ask your physician for a test if you have any symptoms! Why? Over 80% of ppl with celiac disease are undiagnosed!

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Next up: how it takes on average about 7 years to get diagnosed with celiac disease