I know it seems that I am obsessed with poop—but trust me, all the answers to life’s problems lie in the poop. Well, OK, not all of them, but certainly all digestive ones. A stool test can be the single most important test you can take, for instance when determining celiac disease.

If you are sensitive to gluten this may in fact be the beginning stages of celiac, as they really are one and the same—just different degrees of reaction within the body. Gluten sensitivity implies that a person’s immune system is intolerant of gluten in the diet and as a result forms antibodies or displays some other evidence of an inflammatory reaction. When these reactions cause small intestinal damage (visible on a biopsy), the syndrome is then called celiac sprue, celiac disease, or gluten sensitive enteropathy. Research shows that as many as 30% of Americans are gluten sensitive, and 1 in 225 of those has progressed to the stage of celiac disease. A simple stool test will determine if you are truly gluten sensitive or if you have celiac. You can get the scoop by visiting enterolab.com.

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celiac, celiac disease, celiac sprue, gluten, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitive, stool test

IBS can be depressing, literally and figuratively! A lot of people who may be suffering from a type of digestive disorder such as crohn’s, colitis, IBS or even chronic constipation, many times also suffer from mood disorders such as anxiety, depression or irritability.  Now, I know that not feeling well can make you cranky, but there’s a lot more to it than that. The link between between the gut and the brain is very real. Serotonin, know as “the feel good hormone” is produced in the gut. One reason for depression could be the lack of serotonin because the gut is out of balance.

Without getting too technical, the same type of cells and neurotransmitters found in our brain are also located within the digestive system – which by the way is the largest part of our immune system.  When we get any type of intestinal irritation, inflammation, bacterial or viral infection our “intestinal” immune system reacts by producing proteins called cytokines. These cytokines tell our body what type of reaction to have, such as swelling, stiffness, pain etc…It has now been shown that these cytokines will travel a very unique pathway from the gut to the brain, setting into motion a chemical reaction that results in the breakdown of the neurotransmitters involved in mood stability.

 So, this is a two-way street. When your digestive system is out of balance, you feel depressed and when it’s in good shape you feel good. This may be why we often get a sense of euphoria after a really good dump – you know what I mean.

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Summary:
In this video blog I discuss Celiac Disease. In a recent study performed by the Mayo Clinic they found that celiac disease is more common today than it was 50 years ago? What is celiac disease? Why is it more common today than 50 years ago. Tune and in find out…

Full Script:
I recently read an article about the incidence of celiac disease today compared to the 1950’s. According to findings of a Mayo Clinic study celiac disease is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago. It now affects about one in one hundred people.

For those of you who do not know – Celiac disease is when the presence of a protein called gluten from grains such as wheat, barley or rye triggers an immune system attack upon the small intestine. This can cause severe damage and result in long term health problems.

A Dr. Murray of the Mayo Clinic study stated “Something has changed in our environment to make it much more common. ….we don’t know why”

Is it really that hard to figure out? How about correlating it with the huge increase in processed carbohydrates people eat today compared to the 1950’s. Wheat gluten is a major, if not the worst, food irritant to the digestive system. It is an ingredient in a huge number of products on the market, not just bread, as some may think. If a product contains wheat, it contains gluten.

I challenge you to take a look in your cupboards for this ingredient or how many food items you have that contain wheat. Look at the packaging label on the products your about to purchase. Those already on a wheat and gluten free diet know how tricky it is to find gluten free products. Luckily, most health food stores have an entire section dedicated to just these type of foods.

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Brenda Watson, celiac disease, digestive system, gluten, gluten diet, health problems, immune system, mayo clinic, processed carbohydrates, wheat free diet, wheat gluten