It’s been 7 years so far that I’ve been living with celiac disease. 💚 Since my diagnosis I’ve been asked several times how does it happen? How can you be “X” age and only know now? How long have you had it? 💚 I’ve also seen this question or variations of it, lately around SM. So I thought I’d talk about it a little. 💚 1. You can be diagnosed at any age 2. It does have a hereditary/genetic component. 3. Just because you have the genetic susceptibility doesn’t mean you will develop celiac disease. But does increase your risk. 💚 The primary genes involved are part of a family of genes called Human Leokocyte antigen complex, or HLA complex. The HLA complex helps the immune system distinguish between our body’s own proteins and invaders such as viruses and bacteria. 💚 These genes are HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 💚 I’m really big on following Functional Medicine/Holistic/Naturopathic medicine because I don’t believe we need a “pill for every ill.” And celiac disease currently has no cure and n...