Ask Doctor Bob: Celiac disease, posture issues, hunger while dieting

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Dr. Bob Cassady from the South Bend Clinic joins us on 16 News Now at Noon every week to answer your medical questions.

Question #1 (from Mark): “My dad has celiac disease, and I think I may have it as well. How would I go about figuring out if I am gluten-free as well?

DR. BOB: Celiac disease is an immune disorder where the body reacts to gluten and causes inflammation.

Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, joint pains, and rashes. Furthermore, symptoms will typically resolve a few months after removing gluten from the diet.

There are blood tests that can help diagnose celiac disease. It is also possible to identify celiac disease with a scope of the stomach.

Question #2 (from Dawn): “No matter how hard I try to sit up straight, my posture is horrible. Is there anything I can do to improve it?

DR. BOB: Posture is in large part related to core strength.

If your abdomen is weak, your back must do a lot of the work of keeping you upright. This can be tiring and lead to poor posture, which in turn can cause chronic back pain.

The main thing to work on is your core strength. I would recommend searching for core strength exercises on the internet or consider talking with a trainer at a gym.

If you improve your core strength, it should be easier to keep good posture.

Question #3 (from Kathy): “I’m trying to cut back on calories, but I get so hungry in between meals. how do I stop the cravings?

DR. BOB: When we are trying to eat less to lose weight, feeling hungry is not something we can avoid entirely.

If our body is used to eating a certain amount and we take it away, the body will want more, and we will feel hungry.

A few thoughts about dealing with this:

The first is that it will get easier eventually. As your body gets used to less food, you won’t feel as hungry.

When you do feel hungry, consider eating very low-calorie snacks such as celery or water to help fill you up.

Finally, I would recommend making sure you are getting a lot of your calories from protein rather than carbohydrates. Protein takes longer to break down and may help you feel full longer.

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