Celiac disease made a splash with the gluten-free diet craze. Gluten is now almost a household word, however celiac disease continues to be underdiagnosed in the US and around most of the world. Celiac disease is a common condition effecting 1% of the population, yet in the United States we have only diagnosed an estimated 15%-20% of all celiacs.

Research is robust on celiac disease and the complexities continue to be revealed. Dr Shaver will guide you on an update of the recent research on celiac disease with brief mention of the non-autoimmune disorder of non-celiac gluten sensitivity, in the areas of pediatrics and adolescents, Research on pharmaceutical treatment advancements in celiac disease will be discussed.

Autoimmune disease is growing at epidemic proportions. Standard interventions are based on symptom control and immune suppression. This presentation with review a proactive integrative, systems biology, approach for the naturopath to address disease prediction, prevention and treatment, including various evidence-based modalities. The role of the GI microbiota, food immune reactions, stealth infections and molecular mimicry in autoimmune disease pathogenesis will be explored along with how these may serve as leverage points for naturopathic clinical interventions. The hygiene hypothesis and changes in early environmental antigen exposure will also be explored. New opportunities for proactive screening for at-risk subjects for autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and others using qPCR molecular methods of assessing the GI microbiota, as well as emerging predictive antibody testing, will also be reviewed and discussed from the perspective of the naturopathic doctor.