Celiac Disease
Functional medicine support tailored to uncover the root cause of complex symptoms.
Consult with our care team to understand next steps and build a personalized plan.
Serving Denver Metro, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs.
About This Condition
Celiac disease is a chronic, immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by dietary gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. It is characterized by small intestinal mucosal injury and malabsorption, with a broad clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic disease to severe malnutrition and extraintestinal manifestations.
Typical presentations include chronic or intermittent diarrhea, steatorrhea, abdominal pain or bloating, weight loss, and signs of nutrient deficiencies such as iron deficiency anemia, osteopenia or osteoporosis, and fatigue. However, many patients present with non-classic features, including isolated anemia, elevated transaminases, neurologic symptoms, or infertility, and some are detected through screening because of associated conditions.
Diagnosis rests on compatible serologic testing and characteristic small intestinal histology in the appropriate clinical context, usually followed by clinical and biochemical response to a gluten-free diet. Untreated or unrecognized disease is associated with persistent malabsorption, skeletal complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and an increased risk of certain malignancies, including enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma.
Common Symptoms
- •Chronic or intermittent diarrhea or steatorrhea
- •Abdominal pain, bloating, or distension
- •Unintentional weight loss or poor weight gain
- •Fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance
- •Iron deficiency anemia or other micronutrient deficiencies (for example folate, vitamin B12, vitamin D)
- •Osteopenia or osteoporosis with or without fracture
- •Dermatitis herpetiformis in a subset of patients
- •Neurologic or neuropsychiatric symptoms such as peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, or mood changes in some individuals
Conventional Treatment Options
Gluten-free nutrition
Gut repair
Nutrient repletion
Our Functional Medicine Approach
Gluten-free is the start. It's rarely the whole plan.
Most patients leave their celiac diagnosis with one instruction: avoid gluten. That's necessary — and often not enough. Persistent symptoms after going gluten-free are common and usually driven by gut barrier damage that hasn't healed, micronutrient deficiencies (iron, B12, folate, zinc, vitamin D), secondary food sensitivities, dysbiosis, or hidden gluten exposure. Untreated, the autoimmunity can target tissues beyond the gut.
How Spire works the root cause
Our Autoimmune Care Pathway includes serial antibody monitoring (tTG-IgA, DGP), micronutrient repletion, structured gut healing with targeted supplementation, dysbiosis evaluation, and a real conversation about cross-contamination and hidden exposures. We screen for the autoimmune conditions that commonly travel with celiac (Hashimoto's, type 1 diabetes, etc.) so they get caught early.
Who this is for
Adults with diagnosed celiac who still don't feel well on a gluten-free diet, patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity who want a structured workup, and family members of celiac patients who want screening before symptoms appear.