Celiac Disease

Authors Note: I have celiac disease and I wanted to know more about it. I wrote this to hopefully get a better understanding of it.  I hope you learn as much as I did. 

Have you ever had unexplained bloating or weight loss? You might just have Celiac disease. It affects about one in every 133 people(Adams). Although it is rare, it can be fatal.

I bet your wondering what Celiac disease really is, it is an auto-immune disorder. It is not an infectious disease. It is an auto immune disease, caused by a missing/extra gene. Because of its effects on the digestive system it is classified as a gastrointestinal disorder. The villa in your intestines shut down, fall off, or the body kills them as though if they were bacteria. “The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats,” says the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia(Celiac disease - sprue). People with Celiac have to avoid food containing any of those ingredients-you’d be surprised at how much gluten there is in the normal humans diet(Adams). Even some beverages contain gluten, mostly only alcoholic beverages like beer or whiskey.

It really annoys me that this forced lifestyle is becoming a fashion trend. Yes, I like the fact that my food are more available, but come on! If you don’t have it why hog all the food needed by some, just because you think you have SOME of the symptoms. Okay, I am sorry I got off track, continue reading and just ignore this paragraph.

Anyone  can get it, at any age. I have had it since I was born, although it is more common in the adolescent or young adults(Celiac disease). Women have a higher chance as well as Caucasians and those who are of European decent. Like all auto-immune disorders, it comes from a messed up gene, once it is in the genetics, it is passed down through the generations. So if you have it your children are at risk of getting it or another auto-immune disorder.

Being the nerd I am, I have to bring in science-fiction. In Star Trek when they evolved after going through warp ten, it looked like a big issue. It was, but only because he was evolving at a faster pace than normal; thousands of years faster than he should have been. In my theory, all the things that doctors say are wrong with you, is exactly what is right. It happens for a reason, and that reason might just be evolution. (Wait, do I have to cite this too?)

Okay, review time. Celiac is a genetic issue, it can be fatal, or just annoying. People have many questions about it, and most aren’t answered. The answer to all of them might just be evolution. Well, I had a great time writing and researching this and I hope you had fun reading this. Live long and prosper! 

 

 Bibliography

Adams, Scott. "A Sumary of Ceiliac Disease and Gluten Intolerance." 26 July 1996. Ceiliac.com. 19 April 2012 <http://www.celiac.com/articles/572/1/A-Summary-of-Celiac-Disease-and-Gluten-Intolerance-by-Scott-Adams/Page1.html>.

Celiac disease. 13 September 2011. 23 April 2012 <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319>.

Celiac disease - sprue. 20 January 2010. 16 April 2012 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001280/>.