What is Celiac

12/8/08
Check out this website from the United Kingdom, Gluten Free Life. They do a great job with the width and depth of the Gluten Intolerant issue.

11/11/08

Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign

From the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
A service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH

Did you know? Celiac disease can negatively affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
Read more about it here.

Welcome to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign

Celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. An estimated 1 percent of all Americans suffer from celiac disease, though many have never been diagnosed and are not receiving treatment.

The Awareness Campaign provides current, comprehensive, science-based information about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy.

Through the Awareness Campaign, you can access:

The NDDIC is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse

2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3570
Phone: 1-800-891-5389
TTY: 1-866-569-1162
Fax: 703-738-4929
Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov

7/9/08
For a very thorough article about the whole Gluten problem, check out this very informative article located at http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-options/treatment-information/gluten-free-and-casein-free-diet/.

2/3/08
Your brain on gluten: Should you lay off the gluten before it's too late?
This is interesting. ..gluten can actually cause UBO's (unidentified bright objects) on the brain that show up in MRI scans. It can also cause "pins and needles" or "crawly-like" feelings all over the body...something a lot of us struggle with. - PH -- Read the whole article......

3/31/08
Doctor Rodney Ford (MD. MB. BS. FRACP. ASM, Professor, Professional Speaker) has a very intersting website which discusses in some detail this “Gluten Thing”. What is going on when you get off gluten and you feel better even if you don’t have celiac disease? What testing is necessary to properly diagnose your condition.

Doctor Rodney Ford is also known as “Doctor Gluten” because of his expertise in diagnosing and looking after children (and adults) with The Gluten Syndrome. He graduated with honours from the University of New South Wales, Sydney in 1974. He is a pediatrician, a prolific author and an international professional speaker with a career in food allergies

Reactions to foods has been his center of attention in medicine over his 30 year career. He has studied food allergy and intolerance problems throughout the world. He was the Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Otago University, New Zealand. He now runs a busy private allergy, gastroenterology and nutrition clinic.

Gluten affects the brain and nerves in addition to the lower GI track....it affects the whole body.

Visit http://www.doctorgluten.com for an informative read of the issues.

Contact: Robyn Steiman
Demos Medical Publishing
Phone 800-532-8663
Fax 212-683-0118
rsteiman@demosmedpub.com

(New York, New York) August 13, 2007

One Out of Every 133 Americans Suffers From Gluten Intolerance
Celiac Disease is Difficult to Diagnose and More Complicated to Live With

Celiac Disease, also known as gluten intolerance, was thought to be a rare condition until only recently. Now it is thought that Celiac Disease may actually affect three million Americans. According to the NIH the disease is present in 0.5 to 1% of the U.S. population, ten times higher than previous estimates. The Celiac Disease Foundation estimates that 2 million adults, children, and infants have celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance.

While many cookbooks and dietary manuals on gluten intolerance exist, Celiac Disease: A Guide to Living with Gluten Intolerance is the only book to educate individuals on how to live fully and richly while maintaining a gluten-free lifestyle. Not only does it advise readers how to set up and maintain a gluten-free kitchen, but it also provides strategies for tackling emotional issues, nutrition and dietary guidelines, handling dining outside the home, and parental advice on raising a celiac child. In addition, a chapter on medications and a list of educational resources will aid readers in their transition to a gluten-free lifestyle.

This is the first book on this important topic co-written by a nurse, a dietician, and a clinical pharmacist. The authors’ diverse backgrounds ensure complete and clear information on all aspects of this disease, including symptoms, diagnosis, management, complications, and current research. The main author, Sylvia Llewelyn Bower, RN, lives with celiac disease and has been a practicing nurse for 43 years. Celiac Disease: A Guide to Living with Gluten Intolerance is an indispensable guide for patients, dieticians, nutritionists and medical professionals working with celiac patients.

To receive a free sample PDF chapter of Celiac Disease: A Guide to Living with Gluten Intolerance for your newsletter, website, or group, please contact: Robyn Steiman at rsteiman@demosmedpub.com.

Celiac disease is one of the great mimics in gastroenterology in particular and medicine in general. Of 100 patients with celiac disease, just over 10% present with classical overt symptoms of malabsorptiom. About 10% are incorrectly diagnosed for some length of time. 40% present in an atypical manner, which leads to lengthy delay in diagnosis. About 33% of “patients” have clinically silent disease and 7% have latent celiac disease (no symptoms, no small bowl lesion, but will develop celiac disease later, or had disease at an early age.....)”
C. Robert Dahl, M.D.

Despite only a small pool of research on celiac disease and the skin manifestation, dermatitis herpetiformis, celiac disease is being diagnosed more frequently in the United States. The increase is due to less invasive screening methods and higher awareness of the clinical manifestations by physicians.

The incidence of celiac disease in the United States, just released in the study of Fasano and Catassi, is 1 in every 133. Testing for celiac disease is now recommended for people with the following diagnosis:

Down syndrome
Insulin-dependednt diabetes
Short stature or delayed puberty
Cerebella ataxia

Osteopenia/osteoporosis
Unexplained anemia
Infertility
Miscarriage(s)

Celiac Disease may emerge at any age in people who:

Have a genetic predisposition
Are exposed to a “trigger” - such as surgery, virus, or stress
Consume a diet containing specific proteins in wheat, rye, barley and to a lesser degree in oats.

Note: The material above courtesy of Lifeline, Celiac Sprue Association USA, Inc. Spring 2003 issue, Volume XXIII No. II

WINS RADIO HEALTH REPORT
The most listened to radio station in the NY metropolitan area:

Jan 21, 2004 4:16 pm US/Eastern, Dr. Brian Mc Donough
It's called Celiac Disease and it may be one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in this country. Celiac is a disorder that causes problems when you eat gluten (wheat, barley, rye and oats). Gluten actually is like a poison to the intestines of people with Celiac. In fact, the damage to the intestines significantly impairs the body's ability to take in many of the nutrients from the food we eat. Symptoms of Celiac Disease include weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and because of the poor nutrition, it ultimately leads to anemia, and even osteoporosis. Over one and a half million Americans suffer needlessly because they don't have the diagnosis. There is no cure or medication for Celiac Disease, but it can be controlled by not eating gluten. In fact, you can reverse some of the damage with the diet. The key is diagnosis. We now have several ways to confirm it including a blood test.

Resources on Celiac Disease and Medications

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) have teamed up to create two educational pamphlets directed to pharmacists and consumers pertaining to Celiac Disease and Medications. Two A.S.P.E.N. members are noted in the pamphlets: Steven Plogsted, PharmD, BCNSP, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH and Carol Rees Parrish, R.D., M.S., University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA. Steven is the webmaster / author of "Gluten Free Drugs" ( http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com ) and the author of an article in Practical Gastroenterology (January, 2007) on "Medications and Celiac Disease-Tips from a Pharmacist". Carol is the Series Editor of The Celiac Diet in Practical Gastroenterology. Access these articles at:
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/digestive-health/nutrition/resources.cfm. The educational pamphlet directed to pharmacists is available at:
http://www.ashp.org/s_ashp/docs/files/PS_Celiac_Flyer.pdf .

Want MORE, Click on this link.

Are you still wondering, “What is it and what are the Symptoms?” Check out the following links: Celiac Sprue Association Website Directory and the Gluten Intolerant Group Website.

Print the Guide for your Dentist and give it to your Dentist. He will appreciate it.

Traveling and wonder how to survive without fasting, check out Gluten Free Success for the Traveler.

A news article to print and take to your doctor from American Family Physician.posted 12/15/07.

Also look at WebMD’s Learning to Live With Celiac Disease

A very interesting article by Dr. Joseph Mercola discusses celiac and a new enzyme with promise.

This lifelong disease requires early diagnosis and strict compliance to a gluten-free diet for a return to normal health and quality of life.

There is even a link between Heart Disease and Celiac disorder. Check out the December 2006 article in Practical Gastroenterology entitled “Heart Health and Celiac Disease”. It’s a very good article you might find helpful. http://www.practicalgastro.com/pdf/December06/DingaArticle.pdf

Check out two new books on Amazon:
Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous to Your Health by James Braly M.D., Ron Hoggan M.A. and

Going Against the Grain,
How Reducing and Avoiding Grains Can Revitalize Your Health by Melissa Diane Smith