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Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity
Gluten can affect far more than the gut, including the brain, thyroid, and skin. We test properly before removing gluten and support full recovery afterward.
What you may be noticing
Bloating, loose stools, or constipation after bread or pasta. Fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, an itchy blistering rash, iron deficiency that keeps returning, mouth sores, anxiety, dizziness, or tingling in the hands and feet. Some people with celiac disease have no gut symptoms at all.
Why it is rarely one thing
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which gluten triggers the immune system to damage the small intestine. It can cause malabsorption of iron, B12, folate, vitamin D, and calcium, and it is linked with other autoimmune conditions, especially Hashimoto and type 1 diabetes.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is different: symptoms improve without gluten, yet celiac testing is negative. It is recognized in research, though its mechanisms are still being clarified, and other wheat components may contribute.
Gluten can also reach the nervous system. Gluten ataxia, an immune response affecting the cerebellum, and peripheral neuropathy are recognized neurological presentations. I think of it as a chain: gliadin activates the immune system, the intestinal barrier becomes more permeable, immune activation spreads through the body, and in some people it reaches the brain. The early links of that chain are well documented; how often it progresses to the nervous system is still being studied.
One important step: test for celiac disease before removing gluten, because the tests rely on ongoing gluten exposure to be accurate.
Patterns we look for
- Celiac antibodies, such as tissue transglutaminase IgA with total IgA.
- Genetic markers HLA-DQ2 and DQ8, useful to rule celiac disease out.
- Nutrient malabsorption: iron, ferritin, B12, folate, vitamin D, zinc.
- Intestinal permeability markers such as zonulin and actin antibodies.
- Reactivity to several wheat proteins beyond gluten alone.
- Thyroid autoimmunity.
- Cerebellar function and balance.
- Hidden gluten in kitchens, medications, cosmetics, and lip products.
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, a common reason for persistent symptoms.
- Other drivers of a permeable gut: dysbiosis, stress, mold, parasites, chronic infection, and past antibiotics.
How I evaluate it
A comprehensive functional neurological exam includes cerebellar testing, balance, eye movements, and peripheral nerve examination, catching neurological effects early.
Functional labs may include celiac serology with total IgA, genetic testing when helpful, detailed wheat and intestinal permeability panels, a complete blood count, ferritin, B12, folate, vitamin D, a thyroid panel with antibodies, and comprehensive stool analysis. Referral to a gastroenterologist for biopsy confirmation is recommended when serology is positive.
How we address it
- Confirm the diagnosis before removing gluten.
- Remove gluten completely when celiac disease is present, with celiac-grade kitchen practices: a dedicated toaster, colander, and cutting boards, label checks on medications and personal care, and no shared fryers.
- Ask your pharmacist to confirm that each medication is gluten free, and keep the same manufacturer once it is.
- Open drainage pathways and calm the nervous system first, so repair has a stable foundation.
- Repair the intestinal lining through my gut healing sequence, and address SIBO or dysbiosis.
- When symptoms persist despite strict avoidance, a time-limited elimination of other commonly reactive foods, followed by careful reintroduction one food at a time. Cross-reactivity between gluten and other foods is a working hypothesis, so we test it in your own body rather than assume it.
- Restore nutrients with targeted categories of support, and screen for related autoimmune conditions.
- Retrain cerebellar and nerve function with brain-based rehabilitation when affected.
Remove the trigger, repair the terrain, and the whole body can recover its footing.
Book your Comprehensive Functional Medicine Eval/Neurological Exam today to discover what the contributing root causes are that are underlying your health concerns.