V Is For Villous Atrophy

V - VILLOUS ATROPHYOK, I admit it – I live in a bubble of sorts.

The bubble I speak of revolves around Functional Medicine, which is always focused on learning the root cause of your illness – versus a conventional approach, which only looks at symptoms.

Looking at your body as a whole makes perfect sense to me.

After all, it’s made up of closely interconnected parts – including your immune system, your neuroendocrine system and so forth.

First and foremost is your Digestive System.

This last one, alone, is typically at the root of whatever ails you – with the usual dietary culprits being Dairy, Sugar, and Gluten.

It’s what I focus on throughout A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z – although I also share plenty about your immune system, leaky gut and lots, lots more.

But why gluten – specifically?

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Do You Have A Shag Carpet?

Close up of shag rugWarning: while it’s true that I’ve been known to dabble in interior design, this is NOT a post about choosing the best carpet for your home.

Just saying.

Rather, it’s about those little soldiers that line the entire surface of your small intestine – that have the appearance of little shags because they literally look like shag carpeting!

The medical term for those little soldiers is “villi”, a key part of the immune system in your gut.

Their job is to be super vigilant about any intruders that might enter your digestive tract, and dispose of them immediately.

When they’re doing their job properly, they’re readily visible – waving about in the breeze.

However, as most anyone with Celiac Disease can tell you, what’s happened is that those villi have completely worn down – and totally atrophied.

So now you have Berber.

Berber carpeting is flat – when this happens, the villi are no longer able to do their job.

[Read more…]

Do You Have A Shag Carpet?

Close up of shag rugWhile it’s true that my background is interior design, this is not a post about how to choose the best carpet for your home.

Rather, it’s about those little soldiers that line the interior of your small intestine – the ones that have the appearance of little shags. In other words, they literally look like shag carpeting!

The medical term for those little soldiers is “villi”.

Their job is to be super vigilant about any intruders that might enter your digestive tract, and dispose of them immediately.

When they’re doing their job properly, they’re readily visible – waving about in the breeze.

However, as most anyone with Celiac Disease can tell you, what’s happened is that those villi have completely worn down – as in totally atrophied. Which means they are no longer able to do their job.

The only cure is strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.

That’s the good news!

While the condition is not permanent, it does require vigilance.

If you are struggling post-diagnosis to adhere to a gluten-free diet, you might want to consider working with someone who can provide support and accountability during this challenging time.

But wait – there’s more good news!

Options for bringing out change are available to you – and it makes no difference where in the country you are located.

(The hardest part is simply finding the time in your busy schedule).

Do You Have A Shag Carpet?

While it’s true that my background is interior design, this is not a post about choosing the best carpeting for you home.

Rather, it’s about those little soldiers that line the interior of the small intestine, that have the appearance of little shags – literally like shag carpeting.

The medical term for those little soldiers is “villi”.

Their job is to be vigilant about any intruders that might enter the digestive tract, and dispose of them immediately.

When they’re doing their job properly, they’re readily visible – waving about in the breeze.

[Read more…]