If you’re one of the 18 million people experiencing persistent symptoms of gluten intolerance, you can find help at Digestive Disease Care. With six convenient New York offices in Babylon, Lake Success, East Setauket, Mineola, and Jericho in Long Island, and Forest Hills and Jamaica in Queens, the experienced medical team offers diagnostic testing and customized treatment plans to reduce the severity of bloating, diarrhea, and other symptoms of an intolerance to gluten. Schedule a consultation for gluten intolerance by calling Digestive Disease Care or by booking an appointment online today.
Gluten is a protein prevalent in grains, like barley, rye, and wheat. When you eat foods containing gluten but have an intolerance to the protein, you can experience a variety of digestive issues that may be serious enough to interfere with your quality of life.
Gluten intolerance is sometimes mistaken for Celiac disease, which is an allergic condition. In Celiac disease, your body’s immune system overreacts to gluten and can trigger a variety of symptoms, such as chronic intestinal inflammation.
Symptoms of gluten intolerance can be similar to an allergy, but your body doesn’t produce the same antibodies or suffer from intestinal damage.
When you ingest foods containing gluten, you may experience a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms like:
You may develop headaches and have difficulties concentrating, known as brain fog. Gluten intolerance can also cause numbness in your arms and legs.
There are no standard tests to confirm gluten intolerance. However, the medical team at Digestive Disease Care can identify gluten intolerance by reviewing your medical history, your diet, and the severity of your symptoms.
Your provider may recommend testing to rule out celiac disease. This may include blood work to determine if you have antibodies that occur due to allergies.
The Digestive Disease Care team also offers breath tests to analyze gases your body produces to confirm or rule out other conditions that may be triggering your symptoms. Testing for Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori), bacteria in the inner lining of your stomach that causes chronic inflammation, can determine if you have an allergy or an intolerance to gluten.
If testing rules out celiac disease, your provider can recommend a treatment plan for reducing the frequency and severity of gluten intolerance symptoms.
The goal of treating gluten intolerance focuses on eliminating foods that contain gluten from your diet. Your Digestive Disease Care provider can help you create a nutritional diet plan that ensures you get what you need to stay healthy while avoiding gluten. You also need to avoid other substances that contain gluten, including some medications.
Your provider offers resources for substituting all varieties of wheat, barley, and rye for gluten-free ingredients, such as:
To ensure the elimination of gluten from your diet is reducing your symptoms, your Digestive Disease Care provider may request several follow-up visits.
If you have symptoms of gluten intolerance, schedule a diagnostic evaluation by calling Digestive Disease Care or by booking an appointment online today.
