Scientists have discovered that Celiac Disease Can be the Root Cause of most Neurological Disorders

We all know that celiac disease is a problem of the small intestine, but most of us are probably unaware that it could actually be the root cause of a whole host of neurological problems from brain fog, to tingling and numbness sensations in your extremities, to developmental delays and learning disorders, autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, movement disorders like ataxia, and even psychological issues from irritability or depression to schizophrenia. You may think these claims sound like nothing more than a bunch of smoke and screens coming from greedy alternative medicine self-help sites designed to sell you the latest vitamin and mineral supplements and get you on their own personal and highly costly gluten-free product bandwagon, but there are real scientific studies supporting these claims. In addition, there are a whole host of forums filled with people that have made recoveries from a variety of diseases and disorders by avoiding gluten.

I hesitated to write this article. I sat on it actually for quite some time. The claims sound so incredulous, how could anyone actually believe this stuff? I tried to put myself back into my own shoes a little over a year ago– back before things got so crazy around our house, back before we ever stepped foot into a Whole Foods store, or went to Trader Joes for anything other than gourmet cheese or those awesome appetizers in the freezer section. That me would have read the title of this article and thought, “What an extremist nutzo.” Then I would have picked up the phone and speed dialed the local pizza joint for dinner, too.

So what has happened to me since then?

In late September of last year my son received his preschool vaccinations. Within three weeks he became a real behavioral problem at school, and by six weeks we saw his first tic. By the time the Christmas holidays rolled around he was nearly impossible to take anywhere as he was an emotional time-bomb in the making and so ticcy that it was hindering his daily activities. We kept him home from preschool for a couple weeks to limit his stress, but it didn’t work. Then came the insomnia. He would just lie awake blinking for hours. I used to sit in his room and choke back the tears. To comfort him I fed him more of his favorite foods: pizza, mac and cheese, Christmas cookies, etc…. How did I know that the very things I was doing were actually making his condition worse?

I visited his pediatrician, the pediatric neurologist, a naturopath, a general practitioner, an ophthalmologist. We had a CBC, titer test, EEG, eye exam, acupuncture, you name it. I even went as far as giving him a pyramid-scheme all natural remedy with no scientific basis for cure other than the sales pitch I got from the supplier. Crazy, I know. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Then I found a forum about tics and a wonderful person by the name of Mary opened my eyes for the first time since this whole crisis began. She claimed that a Gluten-free and Casein-free diet helped cure her son. Intrigued, I ordered a white blood cell food intolerance test. Low and behold I discovered that my son was also intolerant to wheat. Is he celiac? Well, technically no. But I will say this much, he no longer has any symptoms of a chronic tic disorder now that he is gluten-free. Is he cured? I wouldn’t say he is cured. I would much rather use the term “recovered”. Any exposure to an offending food will trigger mild tic symptoms such as a nose twitch, and of course a bit of irritability, but the constant ticcing is definitely a thing of the past, and so are a whole host of other symptoms that we thought were just a part of his personality. In addition to going gluten and corn free (his other main intolerance), we use vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. I have done a lot of research on cerebral allergies, particularly gluten intolerance, and this is some of what I have found:

K. Mustalahti, of the Pediatric Research Centre, University of Tampere, Finland states: “Recently, a growing body of distinct neurologic conditions has been connected to untreated celiac disease, mainly in middle aged adults. These manifestations are usually chronic, such as occipital lobe epilepsy with cerebral calcifications, cerebellar ataxia, progressive leukoencephalopathy and dementia. Seven per cent of all untreated celiac disease patients are diagnosed on the basis of various neurological symptoms. Although earlier studies reported neurologic disorders in patients with classical gluten enteropathy, some recent studies report neurologic symptoms in otherwise asymptomatic celiac disease patients. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurological disorders remain obscure, but immunological mechanisms are implicated. In few cases neurological symptoms seem to be alleviated by gluten-free diet but mostly the disorders are permanent” (712). The current criteria for celiac disease may give the false impression that celiac disease is purely a gastrointestinal disorder with manifest small-bowel mucosal lesion” (713). Excerpts taken from: “Unusual Manifestations of Celiac Disease” Indian Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 73, August 2006.

Nathanel Zelnik, et al states, “Although in the past celiac disease was primarily considered to be a gluten enteropathy, during the past two decades, its clinical concept has been expanded, and it is now considered a multisymptom autoimmune disorder, with most of the patients being asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic, or present with extraintestinal manifestations. Among these extraintestinal manifestations, there is a growing body of publications that report neurologic conditions that are associated with celiac’s disease (1672).” Zelnik et al concluded that, “the spectrum of neurologic disorders in patients with celiac’s disease is wider than previously appreciated and includes, in addition to previously known entities such as cerebellar ataxia, epilepsy, or neuromuscular diseases, milder and more common problems such as migraine headache and learning disabilities, including ADHD” (1675). Excerpts taken from: “Range of Neurologic Disorders in Patients with Celiac Disease” Pediatrics, Volume 113, June 2004.

In 2006, Dr. Bruce Roseman, M.D. et al, created a brochure entitled: Pediatric Neurology and the Many Faces of Celiac Disease. In it he states, “We will present in our findings and show the need for all health care workers to be aware of the strong association between celiac disease and pediatric neurological problems in order to diagnose and treat children in a timely manner.” Here is an excerpt about a patient who tested positive for CD and presented with a progressive 6 week history of tics much like my son did:

“Case 4: An 11 yr male with IDDM who presented with a progressive 6 week history of neck tics. Patient would extend, flex, and rotate neck abruptly lasting for approximately 30 minutes. These movements were not associated with change of mental status. On review of symptoms patient complained of chronic abdominal pain, no nausea or vomiting. Patient had no recent history of Strep infection, excessive video game exposure or sleep deprivation. Irritable Bowel Syndrome diagnosed at 5 years of age. Paternal aunt had Celiac’s Disease. On physical exam patient had no focal neurological deficits. Investigation (revealed): Ig A level: <6 mg/dl; IgG: 1400 mg/dl; Anti-TTG IgA: <3, anti-gliadin Ig G: 19 U/ml, anti-gliadin Ig A, anti-reticulin Ig A and anti-endomysial: negative. Biopsy: flattening of villi.”

UPDATE: In Stavanger, Norway scientists completed a one year ADHD diet study in 1996:

The children in the Stavanger project all followed a strict casein-free diet the first year, and the results were overwhelmingly positive, Noedland says, pointing out that 22 of the 23 families reported clear improvements in their child’s behaviour and attention-span. The group set out to prove a theory by Oslo-based scientist Karl Ludvig Reichelt that a metabolic disorder making it difficult to break down certain proteins, including casein (the protein in milk that makes it possible to make cheese), could cause mental problems like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A number of the children have since stopped following the diet for different reasons and some were put on medication, but after eight years six were still strictly avoiding all milk products and several had also cut out gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, barley and to some extent oats. “We see a clear difference between those who stopped and those who stayed on the diet,” Noedland says.

I think my biggest initial disappointment with the medical community was the complete lack of knowledge about celiac disease and its possible neurological manifestations in children. We visited several specialists and no one ever suggested we look into dietary changes.

It wasn’t until we sought help from other parents struggling with their own child’s autoimmune disorders or neurological dysfunctions did we finally got the vital information we needed to make a life altering change for our son. We are on the cusp of new discoveries in neurological science as medical studies are trying to catch up with anecdotal testimonies, by testing the claims parents are making. It is my sincere hope that more and more medical professionals be made aware of the gut-brain connection and begin to look more closely at the values in trying a gluten-free diet before advancing to more serious treatments such as the use of drug therapy.

Sadly, a gluten-free diet does not always work in some cases, but it is certainly worth a try.

On a final note, I would just like to say that had it not been for lovely Mary, who took the time to console me and teach me about possibilities outside what our medical doctors understood and could offer us, my son would not have had the wonderful recovery that he had. The gluten-free diet has done so much more than diminish the tics, it has brought peace to our house, improved my son’s learning abilities, his mood, his overall sense of self. So thank you Mary, wherever you are.

If you are interested in trying a Gluten-free diet to help alleviate tics, visit our new forum!

If you would like to learn more about being gluten-free or other additional natural remedies for neurological disorders please visit the following forums:

Latitudes.org (An alternative treatment forum for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Tourette Syndrome)

Brain Talk.net

MDJunction.com (A gluten-free casein-free Autism support group)

Gluten Free and Beyond.org in association with The Gluten File, is a website about diseases related to gluten sensitivity.

Ataxia.org has a special thread in their toast forum that discusses Celiac ataxia.

You can also download and print this Gluten Syndrome/Celiac Symptom Circle for your convenience.

Update: View and forward the link to Dr. Ford’s two new educational You Tube videos about the Gluten Syndrome.

If you have additional resources you would like to share, please post a comment below.

Tags: ADHD, Autism, Autoimmune Disorder, Celiac, Depression, Gluten-free, Learning Disability, Neurological Dysfunction, Research, Tic Disorder, Tics

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Meet the Author

Caryn Talty

The editor of Healthy-family.org has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

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