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Email a friendLeg Cramps May Signal Celiac Disease
Newspaper Columns, Pharmacy Q&A August 1, 2007
Q. I have been diagnosed with celiac disease. One of the early symptoms was leg and foot cramps, often screamers, early in the morning. The tonic water was by my bed at all times, just in case, as it would provide quick relief. Mustard helps too, if nothing else is available.
I started taking extra calcium, magnesium and zinc to prevent the cramps. That helped, but it wasn't until I went on the gluten-free diet that I found reliable relief.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease by finally becoming anemic due to improper absorption of iron. The person who wrote to you about terrible leg cramps should be checked for this possibility. Celiac disease reduces normal absorption of a lot of necessary minerals.
A. Thanks for sharing your story. Doctors are discovering that celiac disease is not nearly as rare as they once thought. It occurs in almost 1 percent of the population, which means millions of people are affected.
Celiac disease is an inability to digest gluten, a protein found in barley, rye and wheat. When people with celiac disease eat foods with gluten, their bodies react and cause damage to the lining of the small intestine. This can interfere with the absorption of many crucial nutrients.
To learn more about the subtle symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease, readers can request a CD of our radio show on the topic. It is an hour-long interview with one of the country’s leading experts.
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
© 2007 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Reader Comments
I found out that I was celiac a year ago. For five years, I also had leg and foot cramps. The only relief I have found is with a gluten-free diet. People kept telling me that leg and foot cramps aren't possible with celiac. It is nice to know that someone else has the same problem.
Posted by: Regina Fink | August 5, 2007 9:05 PM
I use butchers broom herb for leg and foot cramps. It seems to help. Anyone else using it?
Posted by: bt | August 9, 2007 1:52 PM
I have been suffering serious leg cramps for the past few years, but extra calcium and magnesium didn't help. It was getting so bad that I would have residual pain in my left calf for days.
However, since going on a gluten-free diet, all of the pain has gone away. I tested allergic to wheat as a child, so I elected to go gluten-free without testing for celiac. My husband had celiac as a child, so we are now both gluten-free and feeling wonderful.
Posted by: Bonnie B | August 17, 2007 11:03 PM