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Showing results for tags 'stress'.
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Hello! I would like to preface this by saying I’m experiencing a lot of brain fog and gluten ataxia while writing this so I really apologize if this post seems disorganized. Also I’m a 24 year old woman to give this post some context. For a very long time now I’ve always had very very bad digestive issues that have only gotten worse over time. I was diagnosed with POTS when I was 14 and my doctor always told me my gut problems are from my pots. I also was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis at age 22. But I looked into celiac and have read so many articles and a few books about it and I realized I had so many symptoms in common with celiac. So I decided to cut gluten out of my diet and a week later my entire life changed. I didn’t have any digestive problems at all, my brain fog was cleared, I no longer felt uncoordinated, my arthritis was so much better, and all my pots symptoms vanished. It was incredible. But about a month and a half later I started feeling symptoms I’ve never felt before. I constantly felt nauseous and hungry at the same time, my head is constantly hurting, my digestive issues are worse than they’ve ever been, I’m constantly fatigued, my arthritis is so bad and crippling, my anxiety and depression are back and I have panic attacks every night and really struggle falling asleep. It’s complete and utter hell. I share a kitchen with my family and I do everything in my capacity to make sure my food doesn’t get cross contaminated. I’ve completely cut out dairy recently but it doesn’t seem to make a big difference. I can no longer function especially with my gluten ataxia and brain fog. Is this normal for symptoms to reappear in the healing process? I do everything in my power to make sure I don’t get anything cross contaminated and double triple check ingredients lists to make sure it doesn’t contain gluten or is processed in any facility with gluten. I don’t even eat at restaurants and cook everything at home. I’ve also checked medications, skincare products, and vitamins and supplements to make sure I’m not getting gluten from that. -
Celiac.com 08/07/2019 - Could childhood stress and trauma help drive the development of celiac disease in adulthood? New findings by a team of researchers at McMaster University show a strong correlation between childhood stress and trauma, and the presence of celiac disease in adults. In their opinion, the findings indicate a need for psycho-social assessments in clinical gastroenterology practice. Such assessments could help researchers to better understand the factors driving the development of celiac disease and lead to improved care of celiac patients. The data showed that substance abuse among family members during childhood, and neglectful parenting were significantly more common in people with celiac disease, compared to healthy controls. The analysis also showed a small, but significant, correlation between early-life events and the severity of constipation. The data showed no connection between early-life events and diarrhea, abdominal pain or extra-intestinal symptoms, say the researchers. Although preliminary, the data indicates that psychological treatment could benefit some people with celiac disease. Not every celiac disease patient has severe symptoms, but severe symptoms may be an indication that something else is going on, says Dr. Noejovich. University of Chicago celiac expert, Dr. Stefano Guandalini, says that early-life stressors likely interact with genetic factors, including "delivery by C-section, frequent viral infections in the first couple of years of life, use of antibiotics, a large amount of gluten in the first two years, and a diet rich in red meats, fats and refined sugars. It is not clear exactly how early life trauma might actually contribute to celiac disease development or severity, but, says Dr. Guandalini, "one may speculate that in this case, too, perturbances of the gut microbiota related to the stress may be at play. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the findings, but Jason Tye-Din, MD, PhD, the head of the celiac research laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, in Parkville, Australia, called the findings intriguing. He says that psychological factors like "anxiety and depression are well reported in patients with established celiac disease, and there is good evidence to support a role for psychological counseling, although this tends to be underdone in real-world practice." He ads that, "If confirmed, this would set the scene for interesting future research to define the specific trigger and how the adverse [celiac disease] effects are mediated." Source: Canadian Digestive Diseases Week (abstract A149) -
Celiac.com 01/13/2014 - Researchers have documented stress in patients with various immune-mediated diseases but little is known about stressful life events and the onset of celiac disease from a patient's perspective. Using the standardized interview of Paykel, a team of researchers set out to examine the relationship of stressful events in patients diagnosed with celiac disease, and to compare them with a control group of gastroesophageal reflux patients. The research team included C. Ciacci, M. Siniscalchi, C. Bucci, F. Zingone, I. Morra, and P. Iovino, of the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Salerno in Italy. They found that 186 adults (67.2%) with celiac disease reported more frequent and more severe life events in the years prior to the diagnosis, compared with 96 control patients (37.5%, p < 0.001, mean Paykel score 11.5 vs. 13.4, p = 0.001, respectively). Overall, the time lapse between the event and the diagnosis was about the same for celiac patients (5.5 months) as it was for control patients for (5.7 months). A total of 20.3% of celiac women considered pregnancy a negative event , but no control women defined pregnancy as a negative event.. Repeat analyses subgroup of patients of both groups with diagnosis made within one year of onset of symptoms confirmed these findings. Data indicate that, before diagnosis, people with celiac disease faced stressful events that were more frequent, but less severe than in the control group suggesting that life events may impact the clinical appearance of celiac disease or accelerate its diagnosis. Source: Nutrients. 2013 Aug 28;5(9):3388-98. doi: 10.3390/nu5093388. -
Celiac.com 11/10/2020 - Around 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, making it one of the more common (yet under diagnosed) autoimmune disorders in the world. This illness can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life and often results in other detrimental knock-on effects, such as stress and anxiety. For those people who struggle with a chronic illness, invisible or otherwise, practicing meditation can offer huge rewards for both body and mind. The Effects of Celiac Disease on Everyday Life For those suffering from celiac disease, the effects of their illness can be uncomfortable at best and debilitating at worst. As opposed to gluten sensitivity, from which people may only experience more mild symptoms, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder which can ultimately lead to malnutrition and other serious health problems. There is no known cure for celiac disease; instead, people must just try to follow a strict gluten-free diet to minimize the symptoms and prevent any long term complications. The impact of this disease on daily life cannot be underestimated: those suffering with celiac disease can live in constant fear of food, with the continual need to check food labels and plan meals in advance, coupled with the perpetual worry of visiting restaurants with friends for fear of getting sick. All this can take an enormous strain on the person’s health and wellbeing—not just physically of course, but also emotionally and mentally. This isn’t to say, of course, that people with celiac disease can’t lead a happy and healthy life—they simply encounter more challenges in doing so. One such challenge is learning how to manage the stress and anxiety of living with a chronic condition, and protecting their wellbeing in a sustainable and holistic way. The Link Between Celiac Disease and Stress Stress, which has been classified as “the health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization and can be experienced as a result of celiac disease, can actually contribute towards making an autoimmune disease even worse than it already is. It has long been established that stress is a key factor in the experience of many illnesses, and appears to have an especial impact on those with chronic conditions. This is because when we feel intensely stressed, we can experience symptoms that are extremely similar to the symptoms of celiac disease (such as fatigue and digestive issues), exacerbating an already difficult situation and triggering fear that we will suffer from a flare up. Some people even believe that their celiac disease was triggered by a stressful life event, such as divorce, and may find their body is less cooperative when they anxious and unhappy. This vicious cycle of stress, intensified symptoms and more stress can feel like an inevitable, exhausting loop which a person suffering with the disease may never see themselves breaking from. There is a way to help the situation though—through the practice of meditation. How Can Meditation Help? Meditation is an invaluable tool that can be used to help ease the stress of living with celiac disease. While there needs to be more research, some consider meditation to be a completely natural way to regulate our immune system (and evidence certainly does suggest it improves immune function). It also provides a wealth of other scientifically-backed health benefits, along with being hugely helpful in dealing with stress. We only need to practice for 20 minutes a day to be able to see the results, so long as we make the time to do so on a regular basis (every day is best). A simple mantra-based meditation we can try requires us to repeat the word “beeja’ over and over in our minds whilst trying to quiet the noise of other thoughts. By focusing on this one word, we train our brain to connect the mind and body, and be present in the moment without worrying about other things happening in the past or future. The significant restorative effects of meditation can bring harmony between our body, mind and nervous system—thereby providing our body with the opportunity to reset and rest on a profound level. During meditation, our levels of rest and stillness are so deep that our brain is able to rewire itself to provide a more balanced and adaptive response to the challenges we face. Brain imaging technology suggests that just 3 months of meditation shrinks the amygdala (a.k.a the “stress center”) and boosts our grey matter, making us both calmer and more mentally resilient. This is particularly beneficial for those suffering from the stress that living with a chronic condition can cause, as the ‘fight and flight’ response is no longer so easily triggered. The experience of stress, and the fear of flare ups, is a common issue for those living with celiac disease, so learning ways to dissipate stress naturally can be genuinely life-changing. Anecdotally, many people find meditation eases the symptoms of autoimmune disorders, and it is theorized that the time spent meditating (plus the relaxed state of being that follows a meditative session), soothes an over reactive immune response so our body is more able to distinguish the difference between what might harm us and what won’t. Furthermore, if we can control stress through meditation, then we can certainly consider it as an anti-inflammatory exercise. Meditation using mantras can help us to manage our stress response, so that our immune system becomes less hyperactive, and has the potential to reduce symptoms of inflammation and discomfort. Conclusion If you suffer with an invisible chronic illness, such as celiac disease, then meditation can help you to remain naturally optimistic, and approach your physical and mental health with a practice that provides relief from stress, anxiety and depression—therefore equipping you with the tools to better cope with your autoimmune illness. Think of it as a self-care ritual—you can even just do it whilst you’re waiting for the kettle to boil—and view it as a daily healing practice rather than a destination towards which you must strive. The journey will be well worth it. -
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Celiac.com 03/20/2020 - Food hardly ever entered my mind. In the past, I practiced intuitive eating. If I was hungry for a burger, I had a burger. Pasta, then I had pasta. I felt what I wanted and I got it. Simple as that, without stress or worry. Most people are accustom to eating this way, but things changed dramatically this past week, with rapid rise of COVID-19 cases. Intense emotions are swirling around buying food. Shelves are empty and people fear they won’t be able to buy the essentials, let alone their favorites. Please stop worrying, I have you covered. You see, I am a celiac. Life changes with the onset of disease. Celiac disease was my game changer because it thrust me into a life of food preoccupation. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered when people eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley). Ingestion of gluten causes an immune response. In essence, the body begins an attack on its small intestine and prevents nutrients from being absorbed. If left untreated, the symptoms are terrible, but if a gluten-free diet is strictly followed, those same awful symptoms go away. Notice the word strictly. Without strict adherence, the symptoms come right back. It is the strictness of the gluten-free diet in the life of a celiac that makes food so central in our lives. Running errands and grabbing quick fast food is out of the question. Grocery shopping requires an hour reading every label because gluten hides in everything. With celiac disease, food goes from a thoughtless pleasure to a chronic worry. When you leave your home, there might not be food available that you can eat. Herein lies the overlap with COVID-19. You have to think strategically about food rather than relying on it being available. People with celiac cannot assume restaurants or dinner parties will have food free of gluten, nor should we. It is our responsibility to feed ourselves in a way that does not harm our bodies. I regularly bring my own food to the mall or to a potluck. Popping my own popcorn and smuggling it into the movie theater is my move. All of this gluten-free preparation takes time and necessitates the sacrifice of other activities. Sundays involve hours of food prep for the week. I think about my upcoming plans and I strategize. On the go means tuna pouches, dried fruit and protein bars. Time at home allows for fresh fruit and vegetables. I think about where I am, what I have, and how to eat in the healthiest way given the combination of the two. The point is, I think about it. What I have learned as a celiac is that food is not easy and it certainly is not automatic. There are even times when it is unavailable. To cope, I am flexible and make adjustments within the confines of my dietary requirements. It seems hard at first. It is normal to be angry or despairing when what you want to eat is no longer an option. But the mind’s greatest achievement is to accept what cannot be changed. It seems we are destined to live under these strange circumstances for the foreseeable future. In this new world, restaurants might close and the grocery store might not be stocked. It’s okay. Embrace the world of canned and frozen goods, experiment with sauces and spices, and spend time thinking about how your food can be different and healthy. It’s a challenge flung your way. Treat it as such and you will learn to be grateful for what you have rather than sad about what you have lost. I coped with the loss of gluten in my delicious Chicago-style pizzas but discovered the joy of avocado on just about anything. You too will cope with what you are losing now, but maybe you will remember the deliciousness of canned peaches.- 1 comment
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Whos Afraid of a B Vitamin You needn’t Bee? An FAQs on Niacin(amide) and how to take Niacinamide and why you would want too in the first place. The very definition of a Vitamin is a Vital (life giving) nutrient needed in a minimum amount without which we become sick. This is especially so for B Vitamins since the body does not have good way to store more than 3 months’ worth on average. STRESS makes us low! If you had Cancer and someone told you a Vitamin could help would you try to take it? Most people I dare say would – probably readily. While unfortunately this is not the case for Cancer but what if you had Beri Beri, or Anemia or (Pellagra misdiagnosed as Celiac Disease anyone) and the doctor’s didn’t know or recognize it in a clinical setting see and you were told a Vitamin could help you. Would you try a B-Vitamin? All these (Beri Beri, Anemia, Pellagra) are diseases (and others not mentioned here like Scurvy and Rickets etc) are disease’s that a Vitamin could/does help? And possibly Celiac Disease if you are in the majority of those Pellagra Patients who present as Celiac Disease or NCGS presenting as IBS or have Pellagra misdiagnosed. Your disease profile might differentially be called something else. It is a standard practice of medicine called: A Differential Diagnosis. You hear this a lot but don’t think about it probably when someone is giving a horrible diagnosis such as cancer we say “I am going to get a 2nd Opinion” on that right. Well you have asked for “A Differential Diagnosis” of the diagnosis of the disease you have been said to have. Often today Common Vitamin deficiencies are thought to be “cured” in the modern world by enriching our foods presenting/revealing as Celiac Disease and/or GERD/ Heartburn. When stressed you often lack enough of certain B Vitamins to function properly hence disease develops. If a Vitamin could be taken to reverse this disease (STRESS) why wouldn’t you want too or at least try? We don’t think of STRESS in these terms often but High Blood Pressure is often the first sign of a Folic Acid deficiency – the beginning of disease. That really is what UN-controlled stress /inflammation is in the body. It is disease or will become disease if left unchecked. What if there was a Vitamin that helped us regulate STRESS in the body. Well there is! It is called Niacin (Vitamin B-3) regulates our fight or flight responses. All of this requires massive amounts of energy when a shock/trauma affects our system. Our body functions break down. And disease develops’. This is what happens when someone develops GERD/IBS/NCGS/Celiac Disease (Pellagra in disguise I believe – a Niacin deficiency/dependency). The longer or more deficient (lower) you are in this cornerstone nutrient (Vitamin) the more of your body stop functioning. Yet few people are willing to believe (take) a Vitamin that might help their bodies function better? I ask again who’s afraid of a (water soluble) Bee Vitamin that is known to regulate stress in the body? Ok great? A B-Vitamin can help me. How do I take it and how much? Here is where I have been conservation and have recommended (anyone who has read my other posterboy posts) 500mgs of Niacinamide. This is for 2 reasons mainly. 1 The Niacinamide version does not flush the way higher doses of Niacin does. So it is inherently easier form to take without feeling you have “overdosed” (Flushed) on this Vitamin (Which is a misnomer) -- Flushing when understood properly is a healthy response to the Vitamin. Niacin is a natural vasodilator allowing more oxygen into our capillaries indicating a sufficient dose of the vitamin has been achieved to cause capillary relaxation. (This is most pronounced on an empty stomach) But since people mistakenly take this as an adverse reaction and why I emphasize the Niacinamide form it is the Non-Flushing Amide form of Niacin. 2 Since 500mg is the most commonly found size of Niacinamide I recommend(ed) it out of defense mainly. Smaller doses work as well indeed -- As a matter of fact smaller more frequent doses works 40 percent better than larger one time doses. And the reason I am writing this FAQs about Niacin. B-Vitamins by their nature are hard to store by the body so even in larger doses (500mg) as much as half the dose is essentially wasted by the body – excreted through the kidneys’ since the body has no long term way to store excess amounts of B-Vitamins. And why smaller more frequent doses help 2X to 3X times quicker because the Vitamins serum level’s are maintained for longer periods thus enhanced absorption. It is not the size above about 250mgs that is important but the frequency of the Vitamin. If Niacinamide was widely available in smaller doses 100mg I would of have recommended that instead. Niacin is available in100mg doses but can still mildly flush at that dose (especially on an empty stomach without food to compete for absorption) and again why by default I recommend the Niacinamide form. Medical doctor’s know this and use the smaller doses more frequently when treating Pellagra. See this link from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/1/218.full See their “subjects” paragraphs on how smaller doses effectively treated the symptoms’ of Pellagra. Quoting “The patients were treated according to the standard local clinical protocol and received a 100-mg nicotinamide supplement and a B complex tablet 3 times daily for 17 d if an adult or a 50-mg nicotinamide supplement and a B complex tablet 3 times daily for 15 d if aged <15 y. In addition, all patients received a weekly food supplement—400 g of a fortified blended food (corn soy blend, oil, and sugar)—for 3 wk. Families of the pellagra patients were also eligible for a food ration from the World Food Programme, which was distributed monthly for 3 months.” **** Note: This is a much shorter time than I often (have) advocate(d) because I want to be absolutely 100 percent sure these symptom’s will never EVER come back (unless you have more STRESS more on that later). But as you can see much lower doses for a much shorter time than 4 to 6 months can works as well. I/posterboy say conservatively 3 months (see the time a rich niacin and protein rich food plan was provided) to avoid remission because that is the time your body can store most B-Vitamins. But the amount is not important it the FREQUENCY that is key! By being conservative (some might say aggressive) with how long I recommend to take it (Niacin(amide)) (and the amount see above about why I recommended this amount in the first place) people are reluctant to take Niacinamide at ALL. And this in turn leads to disbelief that taking a B-Vitamin can help people with GI problems. But we see in this study (above link) by the American Journal of Nutrition that even low doses in divided doses as quickly as (or as little as a month’s time) can dramatically help people with the trifecta of Pellagra symptom’s. Note: Read the whole article for yourself when you get a chance because it explains in detail how to have your doctor check your Niacin levels’ and why this can confirm your diagnosis (but taking the Vitamin can too! As confirmed by clinical remission in less than a month on/of divided 100mgs doses) But instead Pellagra 3 D’s are diagnosed as separate diseases today. See their discussion section (a great read for anyone doing nutritional/medical research) the discussion section is most always the “real story” and not the headlines (title) often. Whatever you are researching beeeeeeee! sure to get all the facts of the story not just the headlines by reading the discussion section. The American Journal of Nutrition (AJN) summarizes Quoting “The lack of knowledge about pellagra was slightly surprising given the endemic nature of the disease. However, it may be that the symptoms of severe niacin deficiency are so diverse that people do not understand them as a single disease and account for them separately using other terminology.” And I believe that is why Pellagra explains most of the symptom’s of a Celiac Disease patient experiences today because of the “Lack of Knowledge” about how Niacin treats digestive problems today! But you won’t know if you are not willing to try it and the reason for the Who’s Afraid of a B-Vitamin post or this FAQ blog post on Niaicin and the best way to take Niacin(amide) I hope this is helpful. By all means please check with your doctor before taking megadoses of any Vitamin even when you think it might help. But what could a relatively low dose of Niacinamide 250mg (if you can find it) or Niacin 100mg with food hurt when it used in much higher doses (500mg day to start titrated up to 3 grams a day in divided doses) to treat Cholesterol already by doctors. See this link by the mayoclinic that discusses dosing recommendations for Niacin(amide) http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/niacin--niacinamide/dosing/HRB-20059838 People regularly are prescribe/take Niacin for over a year with no side effect (see Mayo clinic link) and often for twice that time or longer. So I hardly think taking Niacinamide in divided dosages for 1 to 3 months is mega dosing but I understand why people think it is. I am not trying to diagnose of treat your condition(s) I am only trying to share/educate you on what helped me. For to Educate is to truly free! How can you know (learn) these things (about Pellagra) or how/why Celiac Disease could be being diagnosed as Pellagra today if you do not hear! And if it helps (your symptoms’) improve in as little as a month (in divided doses) up to 3 to 4 months (to be conservative) then you had Pellagra Co-Morbid and now at least your Pellagra is in remission and you can concentrate on just getting one disease better. But you say I don’t live in Angola (how does this affect me)???? I am glad you asked! Remember what I said about STRESS https://www.celiac.com/articles/23506/1/Stress-Common-Before-Celiac-Diagnosis/Page1.html Stress makes us low! Think car accident, surgery, pregnancy, divorce, medical emergency etc. and so it goes. Anything traumatic can lower our B-Vitamin levels and cause us STRESS! Some of us which will/do not recover from without eating nutrient rich Niacin foods or supplementing with Niacin(amide) as they did in the Pellagra outbreak discussed. And the doctors have forgotten the old phrase “STRESS KILLS” and surely war kills people but many (most) of those who die don’t die immediately from a gunshot or wound but stress of surviving has harmed them. But we forget before STRESS kills us it maims us first. So too does it (harm/ maim) us first us too the same way! In our doctor’s eyes they see the same thing. It is just stress you will live. But not recognizing this condition soon enough can lead to death in time. See this link that discusses why this is commonly misdiagnosed in most doctors’ office’s today. http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/19624986 Quoting from the Dermatology Online Journal "Pellagra is a nutritional disease caused by the deficiency of niacin. It presents with a photodistributed rash, gastrointestinal symptoms, and neuropsychiatric disturbances. In the Western world, this disease is mostly confined to alcoholics or the impoverished. However, this condition must be recognized in other clinical settings because it is easily treated and can be fatal if not identified." And this great summary of Pellagra and the 4 D’s which I think now are the 3 D’s of Celiac Disease. http://blogs.creighton.edu/heaney/2013/11/18/pellagra-and-the-four-ds/ YOU will only know if you are not afraid of a B-Vitamin. You needn’t Bee! And by writing this (if) I put this dosage information all in one post maybe I won’t have to write it again and again in each thread I comment on. I repeat for(e) emphasize. For to Educate is to truly free! How can you know (learn) these things (about Pellagra) or how/why Celiac Disease could be being diagnosed as Pellagra today if you do not hear! Good luck on your continued journey. I could write many more pages on this topic because it has helped me soooooo! much but need to quit so as to not bore you too much and it is getting longer than I planned. (sorry about the formatting every time (I try to import a post it messes up my formatting) and thank you in advance for anyone who reads this. I truly hope it helps you the way it did me! Praise bee to God! 2 Corinthians (KJV) 1:3,4 3) “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4) who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (starfish those still suffering), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” **** This is not medical advice and should not be considered such. Results may vary. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your medical regimen. 2 Timothy 2:7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” this included. Posterboy by the Grace of God, -
Celiac.com 02/19/2018 - It's very important that people with celiac disease maintain a gluten-free diet. Still, there has been some data to suggest that some people with celiac disease may be "hyper vigilant" in their approach to a gluten-free diet, and that such extreme vigilance can cause them stress and reduce their overall quality of life. Can a more relaxed approach improve quality of life for some people with the disease? A team of researchers recently set out to determine whether "extreme vigilance" to a strict gluten-free diet may increase symptoms such as anxiety and fatigue, and therefore, lower quality of life (QOL). The research team included Randi L. Wolf, Benjamin Lebwohl, Anne R. Lee, Patricia Zybert, Norelle R. Reilly, Jennifer Cadenhead, Chelsea Amengual, and Peter H. R. Green. They are variously affiliated with the Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Program in Nutrition, Teachers College Columbia University New York USA, the Department of Medicine, Celiac Disease Center Columbia University Medical Center, Harkness Pavilion New York, USA. The team assessed the influence of QOL with energy levels and adherence to, and knowledge about, a gluten-free diet. For their cross-sectional prospective study, the team looked at 80 teenagers and adults, all with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease, living in a major metropolitan area. They assessed QOL using celiac disease-specific metrics. The team based dietary vigilance on 24-hour recalls and an interview. They based knowledge on a food label quiz. They used open-ended questions to describe facilitators and barriers to following a gluten-free diet. Overall, extremely vigilant adults had greater knowledge, but significantly lower QOL scores than their more relaxed counterparts. Both teens and adults who reported lower energy levels had much lower overall QOL scores than those with higher energy levels. To maintain a strict gluten-free diet, hyper-vigilant celiacs were more likely to avoid eating out, to cook at home, and to use internet sites and apps. For hyper vigilant eaters, eating out was especially challenging. Being hyper-vigilant about maintaining a strict gluten-free diet can cause stress and adverse effects in both teens and adults with celiac disease. Doctors may want to look toward balancing advocacy of a gluten-free diet with promoting social and emotional well-being for celiac patients. In some cases, allowing a more relaxed approach may increase well-being and, thus, make dietary adherence easier. Obviously, people would need to tailor any relaxation in their gluten-free vigilance to make sure they weren't suffering preventable symptoms or doing themselves any harm. Source: Dig Dis Sci (2018) -
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Celiac.com 08/20/2018 - Following a gluten-free diet is critical for people with celiac disease. However, the factors that influence gluten-free diet success for people with celiac disease are not well understood on a population-wide scale. A team of researchers recently set out to assess the factors that influence gluten‐free diet adherence in patients with celiac disease. The research team included E. P. Halmos, M. Deng, S. R. Knowles, K. Sainsbury, B. Mullan, and J. A. Tye‐Din. The team asked celiac patients to complete an online survey that included the validated Celiac Dietary Adherence Test, along with questions on demographics, details of diagnosis and management and assessment of diet knowledge, quality of life and psychological distress. The team then reviewed the survey data for predictors of adherence and quality of life. There were a total of 7,393 survey responses, with 5,310 people completing the Celiac Dietary Adherence Test, and 3,230 of whom were following a gluten‐free diet. Multivariate regression showed that predictors of gluten-free dietary adherence included older age, being male, symptoms severity after gluten consumption, above average gluten-free food knowledge, and lower risk of psychological distress. People with celiac disease who followed a gluten-free diet also reported better quality of life. Respondents who reported having poor food knowledge were more likely to wrongly identify gluten‐free foods, though they could still recognize gluten‐containing foods. This indicates that poor overall food knowledge may lead people with celiac disease to over‐restrict their diet. Poor understanding of gluten‐free diet and stressful psychological well-being were the main modifiable risk factors for failure to follow a gluten‐free diet in patients with celiac disease. From these responses, the team concluded that access to a dietitian and mental health care professional, in cases of psychological stress, is likely necessary to improve gluten-free dietary observation, and thus to improve overall patient health and well-being. Read more at: Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeuticsdoi.org/10.1111/apt.14791 The researchers in this study are variously affiliated with the Department of Gastroenterology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Parkville, Victoria, Australia, the Department of Gastroenterology, Central Clinical School, Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the Cartovera Pty. Ltd. in Adelaide, SA, Australia, the Department of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, the Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne in Parkville, Victoria, Australia, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, the Health Psychology & Behavioural Medicine Research Group, School of Psychology, Curtin University in Bentley, WA, Australia, the Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Parkville, Victoria, Australia, and the Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne in Parkville, Victoria, Australia. -
Celiac.com 08/13/2018 - It’s not uncommon for people to have psychiatric reactions to stressful life events, and these reactions may trigger some immune dysfunction. Researchers don’t yet know whether such reactions increase overall risk of autoimmune disease. Are psychiatric reactions induced by trauma or other life stressors associated with subsequent risk of autoimmune disease? Are stress-related disorders significantly associated with risk of subsequent autoimmune disease? A team of researchers recently set out to determine whether there is an association between stress-related disorders and subsequent autoimmune disease. The research team included Huan Song, MD, PhD; Fang Fang, MD, PhD; Gunnar Tomasson, MD, PhD; Filip K. Arnberg, PhD; David Mataix-Cols, PhD; Lorena Fernández de la Cruz, PhD; Catarina Almqvist, MD, PhD; Katja Fall, MD, PhD; Unnur A. Valdimarsdóttir, PhD. They are variously affiliated with the Center of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland; the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland; the Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland; the Centre for Rheumatology Research, University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland; the National Centre for Disaster Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; the Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; the Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; the Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden; the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; the Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; and the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. The team conducted a Swedish register-based retrospective cohort study that included 106, 464 patients with stress-related disorders, 1,064 ,640 matched unexposed individuals, and 126 ,652 full siblings to determine whether a clinical diagnosis of stress-related disorders was significantly associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease. The team identified stress-related disorder and autoimmune diseases using the National Patient Register. They used Cox model to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs of 41 autoimmune diseases beyond 1 year after the diagnosis of stress-related disorders, controlling for multiple risk factors. The data showed that being diagnosed with a stress-related disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, and other stress reactions, was significantly associated with an increased risk of autoimmune disease, compared with matched unexposed individuals. The team is calling for further studies to better understand the associations and the underlying factors. Source: JAMA. 2018;319(23):2388-2400. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.7028 -
I enjoyed this article from Mark's Daily Apple. It's good advice for those of us dealing with our health during a time of crisis: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cultivating-health-during-crisis/#axzz2yDxYRwlB
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Celiac.com 12/15/2010 - A small study in Swedish children has found no association between early childhood psychological stress and later development of celiac disease. Previous studies have shown links between psychological stress and a number immunological diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease. A team of researchers sought to look more closely at the connection between psychological stress in families and biopsy-proven celiac disease in children. The team included Karl Mårild, Anneli Sepa Frostell, and Jonas F. Ludvigsson. Their measure of psychological stress included factors such as serious life events, parenting stress, and parental worries. Using a questionnaire data from the ABIS study (All Babies In southeast Sweden), the team collected data on 11,000 children at one-year, and on 8,800 at two-years old. They confirmed celiac disease though observing of villous atrophy in small intestinal biopsy, and confirmed the diagnosis through patient chart data. Their data showed that no association between future celiac disease and a serious life event in the family in the child's first 1 or 2.5 years after childbirth (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.45; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.01–2.65; P = 0.72; and OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 0.43–3.05; P = 0.64, respectively). They also found no association between celiac disease and parenting stress at age 1 year and at 2.5 years (OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.01–2.38; P = 0.73 and OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.01–4.56; P = 1.00, respectively). No children exposed to parental worries at 2.5 years were diagnosed with celiac disease before end of follow-up, compared to 25 diagnosed out of 8082 children not exposed to parental worry (OR = 0.00; 95% CI = 0.00–2.34; P = 0.64). Nor was there any associations between the combined measures of stress and celiac disease. This particular study found no association between celiac disease in Swedish children and psychological stress early in life. However, a wider and more statistically robust study is needed to entirely rule out any possible associations between early psychological stresses in children and later development of celiac disease. Source: BMC Gastroenterology. 2010;10(106)
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