Tag Archives: Symptoms

Celiac disease awareness is desperately needed – now more than ever. 

While the gluten-free diet has exploded in popularity, celiac disease remains massively under-diagnosed.

Why? Two Reasons: 

1. The public has shifted its focus to the gluten-free diet and away from celiac disease due to the media. The media likes diets. Diets sell. Oddly named diseases that are difficult to describe in catchy sound bites don’t sell.

2. Doctors do not have the information they need to recognize, diagnose and treat this common disorder. The information exists but there is no authority that actively ensures Read More »

Do you recognize this circular hair loss pattern? It is called alopecia areata. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, “no FDA approved treatment or cure exists yet.”

No cure, eh? It is amazing how many times I hear this “no cure” declaration when I KNOW people who have been cured of the condition in question, in this case, alopecia areata. Maybe they mean no DRUG exists that cures it.

I was recently shopping at a department store to pick up some new exercise shorts when the security guard walked past me.

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Gluten makes people sick, through celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or allergy. But, where do you find the medical research that proves it, especially to skeptics? This short video shows you where to go.

The Gluten Free Works Health Guide Newsletter is out!

This week focuses on gluten and how it affects the muscles.

Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease affect the muscles in a number of negative ways. What may seem like “normal” aches and pains can be a symptom of an underlying nutrient deficiency or health condition that can be improved nutritionally or treated by a doctor. Discover the various ways gluten impacts the muscles below. Then, read the Tip that follows to find out how to fix muscle problems.

Click here to read more!

Have you been told that along with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, you also have Fibromyalgia? If you have, you’re not alone. What exactly is Fibromyalgia? Well, there are certainly a lot of theories out there about what it is, and how it should be treated. Up until recently, it was considered an “invisible disease” (much like Celiac), and doctors would often diagnose it if they couldn’t find anything else wrong with you. In other words, instead of telling you, “you’re a hypochondriac,” they would say, “You have Fibromyalgia,” and give you an anti-depressant like Cymbalta, to help ease your symptoms.

I just received an email from the Celiac Disease Research Center at Columbia University regarding a study showing a possible association between a blood pressure medication and villous atrophy. The blood pressure medication is called olmesartan and it is also known as Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor, and Olmetec.

According to this article, the three-year study was conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and it included 22 patients who had symptoms of celiac disease, but antibody blood tests did not support that diagnosis. During this study patients improved with discontinuation of the drug, while a gluten-free diet had had no impact on their Read More »

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karen Cranford, the president of our very own Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) chapter in Denver. I’ve known Karen now for about 7 months.  We met when I became involved in the chapter and she helped me become the secretary.  However, I feel that during this interview, I got to REALLY meet Karen and get to know her, which was such a joy.  She has been the president of CSA for over two years and has helped, along with her many board members, build such a strong organization that has helped bring Denver to the top of the list in Celiac Awareness.  She has helped the chapter bring the  ‘Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food Fair™’ to Denver as well as worked hard to get incredibly knowledgable speakers, such as Dr. Ford, Dr. Fasano, and Dr. Wangen, to Denver to educate us all on Celiac disease and gluten intolerance.  We all get the joy of experiencing the hard work she puts in on a volunteer basis to make living gluten free easier on all of us, but now we get the special treat of actually getting to know Karen.

Interview

Jenn: How old were you when you were first diagnosed?

Karen: So it’s been 7 years, when I turned 50.  I’ve always laughed and said “Turn fifty…get celiac disease!”

Jenn: How long were you having symptoms before receiving a diagnosis?

Karen: Well, it’s easy to look back and say maybe I was having symptoms for a long time.  I started having migraines around 22, and now I wonder if that was a symptom.  But, I was probably really sick for about Read More »

Haley is the mother of 21 month old Wyatt, who was diagnosed with Glutaric Acidemia Type 1 (GA-1) through newborn screening. Doctors have been unable to explain why a gluten free diet seems to be making such a positive difference to his health. Here is Wyatt’s story…

I thought I would share some interesting news with you all, in case there is a child out there like my son. We started my son on a gluten free diet in April and since then, his glutaric acid and 3-hydroxy glutaric acid levels have Read More »