When Lizzie Selders was a student at Columbia Falls High School, she was sick constantly.

Headaches, fatigue, stomach aches and more kept her from living a normal teenage life. When she saw a doctor, she says he told her it was something she would grow out of.

When Selders dropped out and became bedridden, her mother finally came up with a possibility while researching medical books.

Selders had extreme gluten sensitivity as a result of celiac disease.

“Doctors don’t do diet,” she said. “They treat symptoms. Have some pain? Here are pain pills. We are all different with different body types, different blood types and we should be treated differently.”

Selders now visits a naturopath and uses other alternative medicine such as acupuncture and chiropractic care.

“I was sick all the time. Now I get colds maybe once a year,” she said. “I believe in more natural healing and working with natural medicine.”

Selders, who still lives in Columbia Falls, has written “The Girl in the Bubble’s Gluten Free Guide.” It is meant to help those with gluten sensitivity understand what sort of limitations one might have.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes its sufferers nutrient deficiency and a long list of other potential symptoms. Celiacs have difficulty absorbing nutrients in the small intestine when the food contains gliadin (a gluten protein found in wheat) or other similar proteins.

This lack of absorption can blunt the villi (small, finger-like projections along the intestinal wall which increase the absorption area in the intestines) and make a celiac sufferer absorb far fewer nutrients than a person with healthy immune systems.

The rate of sufferers in the United States is somewhere around one in 100, but Selders said she believes gluten sensitivity could be far more common.

Her guide, a small book that runs through what celiac disease is, informs readers how to avoid the gluten proteins that cause symptoms to flare up. Things such as glue, latex gloves and finger paints all use gluten and can aggravate the condition.

Not all sufferers have the same level of sensitivity. Selders said her level is extremely high.

“Everybody is different. Some people can deal with cross-contamination and some can’t,” she said. “I wear a face mask out in public. Even airborne gluten bothers me.”

Selders, 21, hopes to go to school to become a doctor, but the presence of so much food on college campuses can be a problem, she said. 

“It really limits where I can go,” Selders said. “It’s challenging.”

Celiac disease is a lifelong disease with no cure, but many sufferers are finding it is receiving more attention and there are increasing options for gluten-free food.

A Whitefish couple opened Sweet NO Wheat! Bakery in 2011 and many grocery stores carry gluten-free flours, such as those from Gluten Free Mama in Polson.

Selders said that she had a dramatic weight loss after switching to her new diet. Celiac disease made her retain water weight and become bloated and uncomfortable.

Since then, she has lost 30 pounds and is trying to get her body back to a healthy level.

Selders is selling her guide for $8 plus $2 shipping and handling. 

Inquiries or orders can be made at P.O. Box 2114 Columbia Falls, MT, 59912. 

For questions or advice, visit Selders’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thegirlinthebubble or email thegirlinthebubble1@outlook.com

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.