Tag Archives: Celiac disease

I have thought for a long time about this very question.  Who would suggest such a thing?

I would. The main reason I would dare to make such a statement is because we have been so negligent in recognizing and treating people with celiac disease.  Not a day goes by that I don’t hear about or speak to someone directly who has suffered needlessly for years.  The other main point I want to make is that NONE of the currently available testing is 100%.

The blood tests and endoscopic biopsies are great tools if they are positive. If they are negative, I have heard of too many people tell me ‘I don’t have celiac disease, my blood test/biopsy was negative’.  This is a major cause for concern to me.  Both of these tests do not confirm you don’t have, or will never develop celiac disease.  First, neither test is 100% reliable.  Second, both tests are simply a snapshot Read More »

 

Here's me at 1 year gluten-free

 This Holiday Season I am especially thankful for the health I now enjoy… it’s been a long journey these past 10 years or so…but I am so thankful for the knowledge I’ve gained about living a Gluten-Free lifestyle…the benefits that have come from it, and that after 10 years, I can finally say that I feel like “me” again. :) 
 
I’ve never really shared my entire experience, and normally don’t write posts that are too personal… but perhaps this can help someone out there who is wondering if they might have Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease… or someone who has been diagnosed  and wonders if it is really a “big deal” if they HAVE to go gluten-free or not. I can tell you from personal experience that it WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! It changed mine… and here’s how: 

It all started back in junior high and high school. I just felt “tired” all the time. I can’t even tell you how many times a day someone would come up to me and say, “What’s wrong? You look tired.” I even remember someone saying to me once, “You look dead.” (ouch!) It seemed like maybe I was just depressed or Read More »

This week’s gluten free soapbox comes from the personal archives. I’m absolutely certain that I’m not the only one who has encountered this, but it doesn’t seem to get talked about much…

Often times, it seems that people who are on strict gluten free diets get viewed as high maintenance, or picky. The constant need to check and double check ingredients tends to bother some people. The reports of contamination and reactions go unbelieved, and people give that knowing look when “gluten free” is mentioned.

I even had a doctor say that the worst that could happen with Celiac Disease is diarrhea, so not to Read More »

Holy donations!  Congratulations to Dr. Alessio Fasano and the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland Medical Center on receiving a $45 million private donation from the family of a grateful patient. 

The donation marks the largest single gift ever given to the university system and will be used to expand the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research and study other autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes. Read More »

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center is holding its annual free blood screening for celiac disease on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Celiac is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. A gluten-free diet is the only treatment. 

But most people with celiac don’t know it, and a child will visit an average of eight pediatricians before Read More »

On Sunday, October 10th, 2010, arena football kicker, Craig Pinto, will be kicking field goals for 12 straight hours, from 7:30am-7:30pm, with two goals in mind. First, he will be attempting to set a world record for most field goals kicked within that time frame, by having to make 500 field goals, from 40 yards out, but Craig’s main focus is to raise money and awareness for Celiac Disease.

KICKING 4 CELIAC was born out of the desire to show children and adults alike, that living with Celiac Disease will not Read More »

Editor’s note:  

In this study, researchers investigating the absorption of copper in untreated patients who had damage to their duodenum found anemia in 3 out of 10 of these patients that was due to copper deficiency.  They gave all the study subjects a solution of copper to drink that was equal to a daily dose then tested their blood level.  Read More »

This just in from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness…

Whether you’re a dietitian ready for new information or a celiac in need of
quality gluten-free tips, this Webinar will put you in the know!

“Veggies & Beyond: Why Celiacs Need a Nutritionally Dense Diet”

Thursday, October 7 at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific Time

Join NFCA as GREAT Dietitian Melissa Marek, RD, from Axxya Systems Read More »

Editor’s note: This important study demonstrated that short chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in stool samples were abnormal in participating children with celiac disease, with and without treatment with gluten-free diet. SCFAs are healthy energy byproducts produced by microflora (beneficial organisms) in the colon during fermentation of undigested carbohydrates arriving from the small intestine. SCFAs nourish the colonocytes, cells that line the colon, to maintain normal function. They also help absorb salts and water from stool.  

“Gut Microflora Associated Characteristics in Children with Celiac Disease”

Tjellström B, et. al.

Microbiology and Tumour Biology Center, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Am J Gastroenterol. 2005 Dec;100(12):2784-8.

Background and aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the Read More »

 Editors’ note: This study investigating the value and safety of Candin for clinical use in children demonstrated effectiveness and safety.  Candin is a reagent or skin test for sensitivity to Candida albicans, a yeast microorganism that can cause infection.  The study recommends using Candin in combination with other reagents in infants with anergy to see if they react to antigens other than Candida albicans.  Anergy is described in Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary as the impaired or absent ability to react to common antigens administered through skin testing. Antigens are markers on the surface of cells that stimulate production of antibodies.  In this study, Candin was tested at the same time as a skin test for tuberculosis (purified protein derivative tuberculosis) for comparison of results. Read More »