Can Sleep Apnea Cause Celiac Disease?

[Guest guest]

http://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-apnea-cause-celiac-disease/comment-page-1#comment-18617

December 30, 2009

I know that the topic of this post may inflame a lot of readers out

there, but please hear me out.

Celiac disease is a well-defined autoimmune condition that was originally

described in children with chronic, severe gastrointestinal symptoms

(diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and bloating). It’s known to exist in

around 1/100 people in this country (97% don’t know they have it), and

it’s responsible for various non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including a

specific skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, ADHD,

numbness, depression, chronic fatigue, and seizures. Others have reported

a link between celiac disease and migraines, PCOS, and infertility. Only

1 out of 6 people have classic abdominal and gastrointestinal symptoms.

For unexplainable reasons, the incidence has increased 4 time in the past

50 years.

The theory behind this widespread condition is that the in susceptible

people, antibodies in the small intestines attack gluten, a common

protein in wheat-based food. Humans don’t have the enzyme to digest

gluten, so it passes harmlessly, but in people with celiac, an immune

response is created which causes severe inflammation in the small

intestines, leading to the classic symptoms. The only known effective

cure is to avoid eating anything that contains wheat, in favor of

alternatives such as rice, flax, oats, quinoa, teff, and

buckwheat.

People who are eventually diagnosed and who go gluten free have

remarkable success stories, with more awareness within the medical

community and the lay public. One proposed explanation as to why this

condition is so underdiagnosed in the US compared to other developed

countries is that there’s no pharmaceutical drug that treats this

condition, and that in other countries with centralized medical systems,

prevention is stressed, rather than just treating the symptoms.

So far, pretty basic information, right?

Here’s my take on celiac disease: For the past few years, whenever I see

patients with known celiac disease who come to see me for various ear,

nose and throat symptoms, they all have various degrees of

sleep-breathing problems. Almost invariably, they have small jaws, cold

hands, can’t sleep on their backs, are tired all the time, and have at

least one parent that snores heavily. If you look at the space behind the

tongue, the airway is extremely narrow. I’ve always suspected that

there’s a link between celiac disease and a sleep-breathing disorder such

as upper airway resistance syndrome, but I’ve been waiting to accumulate

enough studies and evidence before adding celiac disease to my

sleep-breathing paradigm.

Various other gastrointestinal conditions have been linked to

sleep-breathing problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, Chron’s and

ulcerative colitis, so why not celiac? Remember that with upper airway

resistance syndrome (UARS), repeated micro-obstructions and arousals

prevents deep sleep, which causes a chronic low-grade physiologic stress

response. Stress shuts down blood flow to the intestines, which leads to

the food just sitting in your intestines without proper digestion and

nutrient absorption. After a while, the food becomes an irritant, which

causes an inflammatory reaction, creating antibodies in the process, and

food being rapidly expelled in the form of diarrhea. Chronic low-grade

stress heightens your nervous system and immune system, where your body

tends to over-react to normal stimulants or irritants. Just like in the

nose, not only will you have an allergic reaction, you’ll also have a

nervous system reaction (since your gut has a lot of nerves).

It’s no surprise that every symptom that you see with celiac disease is

also seen with upper airway resistance syndrome, including

hypothyroidism, migraines, PCOS, dizziness, low blood pressure, and cold

hands. There’s even anecdotal evidence that

breastfeeding lessens the chance that you’ll develop celiac, which is

consistent with what I’ve been saying about how bottlefeeding can

increase your risk of upper airway resistance syndrome and

obstructive

sleep apnea.

I’m not discounting the significant strides made in celiac disease

research. There needs to be more awareness and more screening to treat

this all-too-common condition. However, even when people go on completely

gluten-free diets, they continue to have many of the various other

non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including chronic fatigue, migraines, and

poor sleep. The way I see celiac is that it’s kind of like a bad allergy,

where your main reaction occurs in the intestines. Removing gluten

definitely can help, similar to removing a cat from your house if you’re

strongly allergic. But ultimately, you’re not treating what’s making you

allergic in the first place. Celiac is possibly one of the early signs of

an underlying sleep-breathing disorder, just like hypertension, ADHD,

depression and heart disease. In modern medicine, we only tend to treat

the end result, rather than the cause.

If you have celiac disease, ask yourself the following:

1. Do you prefer to sleep on your side or stomach?

2. Are you tired, no matter how long you sleep?

3. Do you have cold hands or feet?

4. Do you get frequent sinus headaches or nasal congestion?

5. Do either of your parents snore heavily?

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

Very interesting, Marilyn. I wonder what it means in terms of auto immune syndromes - Iguess it's more of a systemic illness. Marahttp://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-apnea-cause-celiac-disease/comment-page-1#comment-18617 December 30, 2009I know that the topic of this post may inflame a lot of readers out there, but please hear me out.Celiac disease is a well-defined autoimmune condition that was originally described in children with chronic, severe gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and bloating). It’s known to exist in around 1/100 people in this country (97% don’t know they have it), and it’s responsible for various non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including a specific skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, ADHD, numbness, depression, chronic fatigue, and seizures. Others have reported a link between celiac disease and migraines, PCOS, and infertility. Only 1 out of 6 people have classic abdominal and gastrointestinal symptoms. For unexplainable reasons, the incidence has increased 4 time in the past 50 years.The theory behind this widespread condition is that the in susceptible people, antibodies in the small intestines attack gluten, a common protein in wheat-based food. Humans don’t have the enzyme to digest gluten, so it passes harmlessly, but in people with celiac, an immune response is created which causes severe inflammation in the small intestines, leading to the classic symptoms. The only known effective cure is to avoid eating anything that contains wheat, in favor of alternatives such as rice, flax, oats, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat.People who are eventually diagnosed and who go gluten free have remarkable success stories, with more awareness within the medical community and the lay public. One proposed explanation as to why this condition is so underdiagnosed in the US compared to other developed countries is that there’s no pharmaceutical drug that treats this condition, and that in other countries with centralized medical systems, prevention is stressed, rather than just treating the symptoms.So far, pretty basic information, right?Here’s my take on celiac disease: For the past few years, whenever I see patients with known celiac disease who come to see me for various ear, nose and throat symptoms, they all have various degrees of sleep-breathing problems. Almost invariably, they have small jaws, cold hands, can’t sleep on their backs, are tired all the time, and have at least one parent that snores heavily. If you look at the space behind the tongue, the airway is extremely narrow. I’ve always suspected that there’s a link between celiac disease and a sleep-breathing disorder such as upper airway resistance syndrome, but I’ve been waiting to accumulate enough studies and evidence before adding celiac disease to my sleep-breathing paradigm.Various other gastrointestinal conditions have been linked to sleep-breathing problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, Chron’s and ulcerative colitis, so why not celiac? Remember that with upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), repeated micro-obstructions and arousals prevents deep sleep, which causes a chronic low-grade physiologic stress response. Stress shuts down blood flow to the intestines, which leads to the food just sitting in your intestines without proper digestion and nutrient absorption. After a while, the food becomes an irritant, which causes an inflammatory reaction, creating antibodies in the process, and food being rapidly expelled in the form of diarrhea. Chronic low-grade stress heightens your nervous system and immune system, where your body tends to over-react to normal stimulants or irritants. Just like in the nose, not only will you have an allergic reaction, you’ll also have a nervous system reaction (since your gut has a lot of nerves).It’s no surprise that every symptom that you see with celiac disease is also seen with upper airway resistance syndrome, including hypothyroidism, migraines, PCOS, dizziness, low blood pressure, and cold hands. There’s even anecdotal evidence that breastfeeding lessens the chance that you’ll develop celiac, which is consistent with what I’ve been saying about how bottlefeeding can increase your risk of upper airway resistance syndrome andobstructive sleep apnea.I’m not discounting the significant strides made in celiac disease research. There needs to be more awareness and more screening to treat this all-too-common condition. However, even when people go on completely gluten-free diets, they continue to have many of the various other non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including chronic fatigue, migraines, and poor sleep. The way I see celiac is that it’s kind of like a bad allergy, where your main reaction occurs in the intestines. Removing gluten definitely can help, similar to removing a cat from your house if you’re strongly allergic. But ultimately, you’re not treating what’s making you allergic in the first place. Celiac is possibly one of the early signs of an underlying sleep-breathing disorder, just like hypertension, ADHD, depression and heart disease. In modern medicine, we only tend to treat the end result, rather than the cause.If you have celiac disease, ask yourself the following:1. Do you prefer to sleep on your side or stomach?2. Are you tired, no matter how long you sleep?3. Do you have cold hands or feet?4. Do you get frequent sinus headaches or nasal congestion?5. Do either of your parents snore heavily?— Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 Darn Good SCD Cook No Human Children Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

At 09:41 PM 12/31/2009, you wrote:

I wonder what it means in terms

of auto immune syndromes - I guess it's more of a systemic illness.

Well, to be honest, I find myself wondering if it's a chicken or an egg

syndrome.

Does sleep apnea cause celiac?

Or does celiac create the conditions for weakened throat muscles which

causes apnea?

And could it be a vicious cycle of its own?

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

Thanks for posting this article. I find it interesting that celiac also leads to

autoimmune problems. Everything seems related to food intolerance at some level.

I think that is why SCD is so helpful. I also think it is chicken and egg.

Perhaps the sleep problem stems from subclinical celiac- and as it progresses

the GI symptoms become more obvious. The man is an ENT, so he would see the

sleep issues first.

PJ

> >I wonder what it means in terms of auto immune

> >syndromes - I guess it's more of a systemic illness.

>

> Well, to be honest, I find myself wondering if

> it's a chicken or an egg syndrome.

>

> Does sleep apnea cause celiac?

>

> Or does celiac create the conditions for weakened

> throat muscles which causes apnea?

>

> And could it be a vicious cycle of its own?

>

>

> — Marilyn

> New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

> Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

> Darn Good SCD Cook

> No Human Children

> Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

>

[Guest guest]

Marilyn,

My DH is usually skeptical regarding 'weird' illness like sleep apnea. Never

considered myself celiac, but noticed that once I started SCD I ceased having

water retention problems. Recently, last few years, I have noticed that I don't

sleep well. I almost never feel rested when I wake. I always thought it was

just getting older and thyroid problems (1/2 of my thyroid was removed about 7

years ago due to an encapsulated cyst). After reading your post, I about

flipped when I got to the bottom. All five of those things peg me to a 'T.' I

casually mentioned it to my DH this morning while having coffee/tea. Started

with myths about who has sleep apnea and that slim, younger, non-snoring people

can have it too. I then said, I know I don't snore, but....and DH stopped me

and said that I did very much snore! I was so surprised. This was going to one

of those few occasions where my 'weird' medical wanderings sounded plausible to

my DH! Don't know what I can do about it at this point as we are in the UK and

moving soon to India, but found it extremely interesting that your impromptu

posting regarding sleep apnea may have alerted me to the root of my unrestful

sleep!

Happy New Year to all!

Amelia

Husband UC 9 years, SCD 18months

LDN 3mg, prednisone 5mg

>

>

>

http://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-apnea-cause-celiac-disease/comment-page-1#\

comment-18617

>

>

> December 30, 2009

>

> I know that the topic of this post may inflame a

> lot of readers out there, but please hear me out.

>

> Celiac disease is a well-defined autoimmune

> condition that was originally described in

> children with chronic, severe gastrointestinal

> symptoms (diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and

> bloating). It's known to exist in around 1/100

> people in this country (97% don't know they have

> it), and it's responsible for various

> non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including a

> specific skin rash called dermatitis

> herpetiformis, migraines, ADHD, numbness,

> depression, chronic fatigue, and seizures. Others

> have reported a link between celiac disease and

> migraines, PCOS, and infertility. Only 1 out of 6

> people have classic abdominal and

> gastrointestinal symptoms. For unexplainable

> reasons, the incidence has increased 4 time in the past 50 years.

>

> The theory behind this widespread condition is

> that the in susceptible people, antibodies in the

> small intestines attack gluten, a common protein

> in wheat-based food. Humans don't have the enzyme

> to digest gluten, so it passes harmlessly, but in

> people with celiac, an immune response is created

> which causes severe inflammation in the small

> intestines, leading to the classic symptoms. The

> only known effective cure is to avoid eating

> anything that contains wheat, in favor of

> alternatives such as rice, flax, oats, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat.

>

> People who are eventually diagnosed and who go

> gluten free have remarkable success stories, with

> more awareness within the medical community and

> the lay public. One proposed explanation as to

> why this condition is so underdiagnosed in the US

> compared to other developed countries is that

> there's no pharmaceutical drug that treats this

> condition, and that in other countries with

> centralized medical systems, prevention is

> stressed, rather than just treating the symptoms.

>

> So far, pretty basic information, right?

>

> Here's my take on celiac disease: For the past

> few years, whenever I see patients with known

> celiac disease who come to see me for various

> ear, nose and throat symptoms, they all have

> various degrees of sleep-breathing problems.

> Almost invariably, they have small jaws, cold

> hands, can't sleep on their backs, are tired all

> the time, and have at least one parent that

> snores heavily. If you look at the space behind

> the tongue, the airway is extremely narrow. I've

> always suspected that there's a link between

> celiac disease and a sleep-breathing disorder

> such as upper airway resistance syndrome, but

> I've been waiting to accumulate enough studies

> and evidence before adding celiac disease to my sleep-breathing paradigm.

>

> Various other gastrointestinal conditions have

> been linked to sleep-breathing problems such as

> irritable bowel syndrome, Chron's and ulcerative

> colitis, so why not celiac? Remember that with

> upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), repeated

> micro-obstructions and arousals prevents deep

> sleep, which causes a chronic low-grade

> physiologic stress response. Stress shuts down

> blood flow to the intestines, which leads to the

> food just sitting in your intestines without

> proper digestion and nutrient absorption. After a

> while, the food becomes an irritant, which causes

> an inflammatory reaction, creating antibodies in

> the process, and food being rapidly expelled in

> the form of diarrhea. Chronic low-grade stress

> heightens your nervous system and immune system,

> where your body tends to over-react to normal

> stimulants or irritants. Just like in the nose,

> not only will you have an allergic reaction,

> you'll also have a nervous system reaction (since

> your gut has a lot of nerves).

>

> It's no surprise that every symptom that you see

> with celiac disease is also seen with upper

> airway resistance syndrome, including

> hypothyroidism, migraines, PCOS, dizziness, low

> blood pressure, and cold hands. There's even

> anecdotal evidence that

> http://doctorstevenpark.com/bottlefeedingdangers>breastfeeding

> lessens the chance that you'll develop celiac,

> which is consistent with what I've been saying

> about how bottlefeeding can increase your risk of

> upper airway resistance syndrome and

> http://doctorstevenpark.com/obstructive-sleep-apnea>obstructive sleep apnea.

>

> I'm not discounting the significant strides made

> in celiac disease research. There needs to be

> more awareness and more screening to treat this

> all-too-common condition. However, even when

> people go on completely gluten-free diets, they

> continue to have many of the various other

> non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including chronic

> fatigue, migraines, and poor sleep. The way I see

> celiac is that it's kind of like a bad allergy,

> where your main reaction occurs in the

> intestines. Removing gluten definitely can help,

> similar to removing a cat from your house if

> you're strongly allergic. But ultimately, you're

> not treating what's making you allergic in the

> first place. Celiac is possibly one of the early

> signs of an underlying sleep-breathing disorder,

> just like hypertension, ADHD, depression and

> heart disease. In modern medicine, we only tend

> to treat the end result, rather than the cause.

>

> If you have celiac disease, ask yourself the following:

>

> 1. Do you prefer to sleep on your side or stomach?

>

> 2. Are you tired, no matter how long you sleep?

>

> 3. Do you have cold hands or feet?

>

> 4. Do you get frequent sinus headaches or nasal congestion?

>

> 5. Do either of your parents snore heavily?

>

>

> — Marilyn

> New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

> Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

> Darn Good SCD Cook

> No Human Children

> Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

>

[Guest guest]

At 06:48 AM 1/1/2010, you wrote:

Thanks for posting this article.

I find it interesting that celiac also leads to autoimmune problems.

Everything seems related to food intolerance at some level. I think that

is why SCD is so helpful. I also think it is chicken and egg. Perhaps the

sleep problem stems from subclinical celiac- and as it progresses the GI

symptoms become more obvious. The man is an ENT, so he would see the

sleep issues first.

<grin> Specialists tend to view things from their specialty's

perspective!

D'ya know, I'm definitely not awake this morning. When I first read your

statement, " chicken and egg, " I wondered why you'd singled out

that specific poultry... and then realized, as my half-asleep brain

caught up to what was written, that you meant, " Which came

first? "

Which was my immediate thought on reading it -- does the celiac create

the situation for weakened throat which causes the apnea -- and does the

apnea then worsen the gut issues, which in turn worsens the

apnea?

It would also be interesting to see if people with gut issues were more

inclined to central apneas -- which are when the brain forgets to tell

you to breathe while you're sleeping.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

Amelia,

If it helps you to get to the root of your issues, then I'm really glad

that I made the post!

You have so much on your plate getting ready to change countries! You may

have already seen it, or you may have experience with living in India,

but I can highly recommend CultureShock: India to you. It's a

series of books intended for people moving to other countries. Gives a

little history, a lot of culture, a lot of " what to expect, "

and stuff like " How do I get a phone installed in Delhi? " and

so forth. I bought one of the books for something I was writing, and

found it so fascinating, I bought around 25 more in the series. Now I

just need the money to travel to all the countries I have books

for!

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

[Guest guest]

This is a really fascinating article. Ever since I got pregnant with my third

baby

(very stressful, unplanned pregnancy) I have developed a myriad of health

problems. Sleep issues, digestive issues, celiac, hypothyroidism. I hope the

list

stops growing.

I think that a lack of restful sleep (also due to 4 years, cumulative, of breast

feeding)

has led to adrenal fatigue which in turn probably led to sleep, thyroid and

digestive

issues. I literally woke up one morning when I was three months pregnant and

started to have extreme digestive distress. Prior to that, I had had mild

digestive

issues off and on, but nothing chronic or life altering.

To the questions, I would answer yes to all except having a parent who snores.

Thanks for the article, lin. Very interesting read.

-

>

>

>

http://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-apnea-cause-celiac-disease/comment-page-1#\

comment-18617

>

>

> December 30, 2009

>

> I know that the topic of this post may inflame a

> lot of readers out there, but please hear me out.

>

> Celiac disease is a well-defined autoimmune

> condition that was originally described in

> children with chronic, severe gastrointestinal

> symptoms (diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and

> bloating). It's known to exist in around 1/100

> people in this country (97% don't know they have

> it), and it's responsible for various

> non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including a

> specific skin rash called dermatitis

> herpetiformis, migraines, ADHD, numbness,

> depression, chronic fatigue, and seizures. Others

> have reported a link between celiac disease and

> migraines, PCOS, and infertility. Only 1 out of 6

> people have classic abdominal and

> gastrointestinal symptoms. For unexplainable

> reasons, the incidence has increased 4 time in the past 50 years.

>

> The theory behind this widespread condition is

> that the in susceptible people, antibodies in the

> small intestines attack gluten, a common protein

> in wheat-based food. Humans don't have the enzyme

> to digest gluten, so it passes harmlessly, but in

> people with celiac, an immune response is created

> which causes severe inflammation in the small

> intestines, leading to the classic symptoms. The

> only known effective cure is to avoid eating

> anything that contains wheat, in favor of

> alternatives such as rice, flax, oats, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat.

>

> People who are eventually diagnosed and who go

> gluten free have remarkable success stories, with

> more awareness within the medical community and

> the lay public. One proposed explanation as to

> why this condition is so underdiagnosed in the US

> compared to other developed countries is that

> there's no pharmaceutical drug that treats this

> condition, and that in other countries with

> centralized medical systems, prevention is

> stressed, rather than just treating the symptoms.

>

> So far, pretty basic information, right?

>

> Here's my take on celiac disease: For the past

> few years, whenever I see patients with known

> celiac disease who come to see me for various

> ear, nose and throat symptoms, they all have

> various degrees of sleep-breathing problems.

> Almost invariably, they have small jaws, cold

> hands, can't sleep on their backs, are tired all

> the time, and have at least one parent that

> snores heavily. If you look at the space behind

> the tongue, the airway is extremely narrow. I've

> always suspected that there's a link between

> celiac disease and a sleep-breathing disorder

> such as upper airway resistance syndrome, but

> I've been waiting to accumulate enough studies

> and evidence before adding celiac disease to my sleep-breathing paradigm.

>

> Various other gastrointestinal conditions have

> been linked to sleep-breathing problems such as

> irritable bowel syndrome, Chron's and ulcerative

> colitis, so why not celiac? Remember that with

> upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), repeated

> micro-obstructions and arousals prevents deep

> sleep, which causes a chronic low-grade

> physiologic stress response. Stress shuts down

> blood flow to the intestines, which leads to the

> food just sitting in your intestines without

> proper digestion and nutrient absorption. After a

> while, the food becomes an irritant, which causes

> an inflammatory reaction, creating antibodies in

> the process, and food being rapidly expelled in

> the form of diarrhea. Chronic low-grade stress

> heightens your nervous system and immune system,

> where your body tends to over-react to normal

> stimulants or irritants. Just like in the nose,

> not only will you have an allergic reaction,

> you'll also have a nervous system reaction (since

> your gut has a lot of nerves).

>

> It's no surprise that every symptom that you see

> with celiac disease is also seen with upper

> airway resistance syndrome, including

> hypothyroidism, migraines, PCOS, dizziness, low

> blood pressure, and cold hands. There's even

> anecdotal evidence that

> http://doctorstevenpark.com/bottlefeedingdangers>breastfeeding

> lessens the chance that you'll develop celiac,

> which is consistent with what I've been saying

> about how bottlefeeding can increase your risk of

> upper airway resistance syndrome and

> http://doctorstevenpark.com/obstructive-sleep-apnea>obstructive sleep apnea.

>

> I'm not discounting the significant strides made

> in celiac disease research. There needs to be

> more awareness and more screening to treat this

> all-too-common condition. However, even when

> people go on completely gluten-free diets, they

> continue to have many of the various other

> non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including chronic

> fatigue, migraines, and poor sleep. The way I see

> celiac is that it's kind of like a bad allergy,

> where your main reaction occurs in the

> intestines. Removing gluten definitely can help,

> similar to removing a cat from your house if

> you're strongly allergic. But ultimately, you're

> not treating what's making you allergic in the

> first place. Celiac is possibly one of the early

> signs of an underlying sleep-breathing disorder,

> just like hypertension, ADHD, depression and

> heart disease. In modern medicine, we only tend

> to treat the end result, rather than the cause.

>

> If you have celiac disease, ask yourself the following:

>

> 1. Do you prefer to sleep on your side or stomach?

>

> 2. Are you tired, no matter how long you sleep?

>

> 3. Do you have cold hands or feet?

>

> 4. Do you get frequent sinus headaches or nasal congestion?

>

> 5. Do either of your parents snore heavily?

>

>

> — Marilyn

> New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

> Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

> Darn Good SCD Cook

> No Human Children

> Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

>

[Guest guest]

This article was a lot of " food for thought " . I had difficulty sleeping for many

years which I attributed to perimenopause. but I also tend to retain fluid which

I also thought was hormonal- Many of the things in this article could pertain to

me- and I'm a stomach sleeper too.

It would make sense to test anyone with GI problems for celiac. I was not

tested, but maybe it's not commonly done.

At any rate, SCD would be the best thing, and I do feel better all around on it.

Fascinating- thanks,

PJ

> >

> >

> >

http://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-apnea-cause-celiac-disease/comment-page-1#\

comment-18617

> >

> >

> > December 30, 2009

> >

> > I know that the topic of this post may inflame a

> > lot of readers out there, but please hear me out.

> >

> > Celiac disease is a well-defined autoimmune

> > condition that was originally described in

> > children with chronic, severe gastrointestinal

> > symptoms (diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and

> > bloating). It's known to exist in around 1/100

> > people in this country (97% don't know they have

> > it), and it's responsible for various

> > non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including a

> > specific skin rash called dermatitis

> > herpetiformis, migraines, ADHD, numbness,

> > depression, chronic fatigue, and seizures. Others

> > have reported a link between celiac disease and

> > migraines, PCOS, and infertility. Only 1 out of 6

> > people have classic abdominal and

> > gastrointestinal symptoms. For unexplainable

> > reasons, the incidence has increased 4 time in the past 50 years.

> >

> > The theory behind this widespread condition is

> > that the in susceptible people, antibodies in the

> > small intestines attack gluten, a common protein

> > in wheat-based food. Humans don't have the enzyme

> > to digest gluten, so it passes harmlessly, but in

> > people with celiac, an immune response is created

> > which causes severe inflammation in the small

> > intestines, leading to the classic symptoms. The

> > only known effective cure is to avoid eating

> > anything that contains wheat, in favor of

> > alternatives such as rice, flax, oats, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat.

> >

> > People who are eventually diagnosed and who go

> > gluten free have remarkable success stories, with

> > more awareness within the medical community and

> > the lay public. One proposed explanation as to

> > why this condition is so underdiagnosed in the US

> > compared to other developed countries is that

> > there's no pharmaceutical drug that treats this

> > condition, and that in other countries with

> > centralized medical systems, prevention is

> > stressed, rather than just treating the symptoms.

> >

> > So far, pretty basic information, right?

> >

> > Here's my take on celiac disease: For the past

> > few years, whenever I see patients with known

> > celiac disease who come to see me for various

> > ear, nose and throat symptoms, they all have

> > various degrees of sleep-breathing problems.

> > Almost invariably, they have small jaws, cold

> > hands, can't sleep on their backs, are tired all

> > the time, and have at least one parent that

> > snores heavily. If you look at the space behind

> > the tongue, the airway is extremely narrow. I've

> > always suspected that there's a link between

> > celiac disease and a sleep-breathing disorder

> > such as upper airway resistance syndrome, but

> > I've been waiting to accumulate enough studies

> > and evidence before adding celiac disease to my sleep-breathing paradigm.

> >

> > Various other gastrointestinal conditions have

> > been linked to sleep-breathing problems such as

> > irritable bowel syndrome, Chron's and ulcerative

> > colitis, so why not celiac? Remember that with

> > upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), repeated

> > micro-obstructions and arousals prevents deep

> > sleep, which causes a chronic low-grade

> > physiologic stress response. Stress shuts down

> > blood flow to the intestines, which leads to the

> > food just sitting in your intestines without

> > proper digestion and nutrient absorption. After a

> > while, the food becomes an irritant, which causes

> > an inflammatory reaction, creating antibodies in

> > the process, and food being rapidly expelled in

> > the form of diarrhea. Chronic low-grade stress

> > heightens your nervous system and immune system,

> > where your body tends to over-react to normal

> > stimulants or irritants. Just like in the nose,

> > not only will you have an allergic reaction,

> > you'll also have a nervous system reaction (since

> > your gut has a lot of nerves).

> >

> > It's no surprise that every symptom that you see

> > with celiac disease is also seen with upper

> > airway resistance syndrome, including

> > hypothyroidism, migraines, PCOS, dizziness, low

> > blood pressure, and cold hands. There's even

> > anecdotal evidence that

> > http://doctorstevenpark.com/bottlefeedingdangers>breastfeeding

> > lessens the chance that you'll develop celiac,

> > which is consistent with what I've been saying

> > about how bottlefeeding can increase your risk of

> > upper airway resistance syndrome and

> > http://doctorstevenpark.com/obstructive-sleep-apnea>obstructive sleep

apnea.

> >

> > I'm not discounting the significant strides made

> > in celiac disease research. There needs to be

> > more awareness and more screening to treat this

> > all-too-common condition. However, even when

> > people go on completely gluten-free diets, they

> > continue to have many of the various other

> > non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including chronic

> > fatigue, migraines, and poor sleep. The way I see

> > celiac is that it's kind of like a bad allergy,

> > where your main reaction occurs in the

> > intestines. Removing gluten definitely can help,

> > similar to removing a cat from your house if

> > you're strongly allergic. But ultimately, you're

> > not treating what's making you allergic in the

> > first place. Celiac is possibly one of the early

> > signs of an underlying sleep-breathing disorder,

> > just like hypertension, ADHD, depression and

> > heart disease. In modern medicine, we only tend

> > to treat the end result, rather than the cause.

> >

> > If you have celiac disease, ask yourself the following:

> >

> > 1. Do you prefer to sleep on your side or stomach?

> >

> > 2. Are you tired, no matter how long you sleep?

> >

> > 3. Do you have cold hands or feet?

> >

> > 4. Do you get frequent sinus headaches or nasal congestion?

> >

> > 5. Do either of your parents snore heavily?

> >

> >

> > — Marilyn

> > New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

> > Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

> > Darn Good SCD Cook

> > No Human Children

> > Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

> >

>