Actress Jennifer Esposito is sharing her journey with celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that triggers an immune response when consuming gluten. In a recent interview, Esposito discussed how her health began to decline while working on the ABC comedy ‘Samantha Who?’ and how she was eventually diagnosed with celiac disease.

Years of Misdiagnosis

Esposito recalled experiencing alarming physical symptoms, including losing her hair and fingernails, and even having a tooth fall out while filming a scene. She was misdiagnosed several times, with doctors considering conditions such as multiple sclerosis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Desperate for answers, Esposito began attending a non-denominational church in an effort to ‘feel recharged.’ She also started to suspect that her physical and mental health symptoms could be connected to nutrition. After years of struggling with her health, Esposito was finally diagnosed with celiac disease.

Recovery and Newfound Appreciation for Life

Esposito immediately eliminated gluten from her diet, but her recovery was grueling. She was severely deficient in vitamin D and developed welts when exposed to sunlight. However, with time and proper treatment, Esposito has made significant progress and now lives a dramatically different pace of life. She no longer experiences panic attacks and has adopted a healthier lifestyle.

Esposito views her diagnosis as something that changed the trajectory of her life, saying ‘Celiac disease saved my life. One hundred percent.’ She believes that the years of stress and living in ‘fight or flight’ would eventually have taken an even greater toll had her illness not forced her to change course.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.