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Treatment of Celiac Disease

The only know treatment till date was a gluten-free diet but recent research by Zengen, Inc. gives a glimpse of hope for a medical celiac disease treatment but more about that later. The gluten-free diet has been the mainstay of celiac disease treatment these many years. Once a patient is diagnosed with celiac disease, treatment takes the form of avoiding all sources of gluten, be it wheat, barley, rye, soups thickened with flour, dark soy sauce and many other things that may insidiously carry gluten.

Treatment of Celiac Disease

Total avoidance of gluten may sound easy but is not exactly a cakewalk since so many diverse things may contain it. The patient undergoing celiac disease treatment by gluten avoidance has to learn to read labels very carefully. Though a number of stores carry foodstuffs that are gluten-free, they are not very common. The physician, while prescribing the gluten-free celiac disease treatment, may also recommend avoidance of lactose till the intestines heal. A registered dietitian may be able to recommend substitutes for gluten-containing foods as may local and national celiac disease support groups.

The physician may, in rare cases, resort to oral administration of steroids in conjunction with or in place of a gluten-free celiac disease treatment regime. This is usually in cases where an acute life-threatening episode occurs or the symptoms of celiac disease persist in spite of a gluten-free diet and other causes have been eliminated.

Most people who go on a gluten-free celiac disease treatment regime, find an amelioration of some of their symptoms within about 10-12 days after going gluten-free and most report that their symptoms disappear within about three months. The villi in the small intestine will take anywhere between two to eight months for repairing itself.

The National Institute of Health defines these six key aspects for celiac disease treatment:

(C)onsultation with a dietitian who is qualified to handle celiac disease treatment
(E)ducating people about the condition
(L)ifelong gluten-free diet
(I)dentifing and treating deficiencies of nutrition arising from malabsorption
(A)ccess to a support group
(C)ontinuous followup celiac disease treatment by a team with different specialities

Celiac Disease treatment may include compensating vitamin and mineral deficiencies with supplements, especially supplements for iron, folate, Vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin K and manganese.

Research at Zengen Inc. has found out that a-MSH (alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone) provides a strong anti-immune and anti-inflammatory response on the mucous tissues of the intestinal lining [1]. This discovery has provided new hope for celiac disease treatment.

References:

1.  "Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone in Celiac Intestinal Mucosa" Feb 20, 2003 issue of  the journal of the  International Society for Neuroimmunomodulation