Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Celiac disease in America affects three million citizens, but only one out of every hundred of its sufferers has been diagnosed. The average American has never heard of the disease, and it doesn’t occur to the average American doctor to test for it.
There are several organizations in the United States which are researching the disease and working hard to raise celiac awareness and support. One such organization is the Celiac Disease Research Center at Columbia University, headed by Dr. Peter Green, MD, a Professor of Medicine at the University. He is personally responsible for the diagnosis of 2,400 people with celiac disease every year and is dedicated to increasing the celiac diagnosis rate in the United States.
A higher rate of diagnosis yields a higher rate of support, Dr. Green says. This means more and more grocery stores and restaurants offering gluten-free foods and gluten-free cooking to gluten-intolerant consumers. Abroad, there are more gluten-free options available because there are more people diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. For instance, every pizzeria in Sydney, Australia offers gluten-free pizza, made with gluten-free flour.
Why is America way behind in celiac awareness? It probably has something to do with the fact that celiac disease is the only autoimmune disease that the government doesn’t support with research grants. Centers such as Dr. Green’s Celiac Disease Research Center are one-hundred percent dependent on charitable donations or university funds. Even though diagnosis is slightly up for celiac adults, this isn’t enough to raise awareness and bring relief for the three million people who suffer from celiac disease, nearly ninety-seven percent of whom don’t even know the cause of their painful symptoms. With increased diagnosis, we will surely see increased support, and soon the celiac community will be able to enjoy the same quality of life and food and cooking options which is enjoyed by, for instance, the lactose-intolerant community.
Tina Turbin
Tags: celiac diagnosis, celiac disease, Celiac Disease Research Center, Columbia University, Dr. Peter Green, gluten free, gluten-free awareness, Tina Turbin
Posted in Autoimmune Disorders, Celiac Disease Center, Children, Dr. Peter Green, Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Helpful Information, Kids Illnesses, Medical Research, Tina Turbin | 2 Comments »
Monday, August 9th, 2010
As more and more people are diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, awareness for the disease will increase, leading to more and more proper diagnoses. It is estimated that only three out of every hundred sufferers of celiac disease has been correctly diagnosed. In addition to increased diagnoses, the availability of gluten-free foods will increase. Gluten-free cooking and gluten-free recipes are becoming more and more prevalent in the United States, leading to gluten-free substitutes for foods like pasta, soy sauce, flour, and breakfast cereals. In countries where celiac diagnosis is high, it is common for restaurants to serve gluten-free foods as well. For example, in Sydney, Australia, every single pizzeria serves gluten-free pizza. As diagnosis increases in the United States, there will be more celiac and gluten-free support by restaurants, as well.
Tina Turbin
Tags: celiac awareness, celiac diagnosis, celiac disease, gluten allergy, gluten awareness, gluten intolerance, gluten-sensitive, Tina Turbin
Posted in Autoimmune Disorders, Celiac Disease Center, Dr. Peter Green, Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Helpful Information, Kids Illnesses, Medical Research, Tina Turbin | 5 Comments »
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
This true story was sent in by this young woman to help others by simply sharing her path to discovering the truth to her physical troubles which were not getting resolved. Please read on:
“My brother was diagnosed with celiac about 8 years ago, and because of that I went for a blood antibody test at that time, and it was negative. I did not seem to have symptoms, so I put it out of my mind.
Then about 3 1/2 years ago I developed seborrhic dermatitis ( defn #1) all over my scalp. The dermatologist said they had no idea what caused it, and gave me medicated shampoo which sort of worked halfway, but never got rid of it. Then a year ago I suddenly developed terrible heartburn out of the blue which just would not resolve and mild antacids were no help at all. A few months after that, I started having diarrhea every day for no reason I could detect. I felt more rundown than before, and started craving high fat foods. My weight started going up.
I should have made the connection, but I had thought that my negative blood antibody test years before meant I just did not have celiac. When my brother’s son was diagnosed with celiac several months later, a lightbulb finally went off in my head and I said to myself — Oh my god, that’s why I might have diarrhea all the time! Duh.
After doing a little reading, I learned that blood antibody tests often give false negatives, so after some research I decided to be tested at Enterolab, with the stool antibody test. Since my daughter was having a lot of trouble with bad stomach aches and fatigue, I sent her stool for testing too. Results came in positive for both of us. To confirm the Celiac condition, I sent stool for a further malabsorption test to rule in or out intestinal damage. Results came back well into the “severe” range with large amounts of undigested fats in the stool, thus explaining the craving for fatty foods!
Both myself and my daughter went gluten free right away. My diarrhea and heartburn vanished instantly, and the seborrhic dermatitis was totally gone in a week! I have lost 10 pounds. My daughter’s stomach aches disappeared, and within a week she had renewed strength and vanishment of fatigue. She has lost about 8 pounds.
At first the gluten free diet seems scary, but there are so many wonderful things you can do with GF products on the market these days, and lots of alternatives can be found. If you can do some home cooking, you can have almost anything you want. Many chain restaurants such as Outback and Carrabas have gluten free menus which you can get if you ask for them. Other restaurants have seemed very accomodating, often sending the manager to the table to explain which meals they can make gluten free. Plus this diet is more healthy, leading you toward meats, eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables. It is well worth the benefits!”
I welcome your stories, your path to discovery or diagnosis, your doctors names that have helped, your labs you used etc. The more you can share to help others, the more this disease can get better known, and people can get diagnosed that much faster.
defn#1- Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, inflammatory skin condition that causes flaky, white to yellowish scales to form on oily areas such as the scalp or inside the ear. It can occur with or without reddened skin. Cradle cap is the term used when seborrheic dermatitis affects the scalp of infants.
Tags: autoimmune disorder, celiac, celiac disease, gluten free diet, gluten free foods, gluten free help, Gluten-Free Baking, Gluten-Free Desserts, Gluten-Free Products, Tina Turbin
Posted in Autoimmune Disorders, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Helpful Information, Real -True Stories | 1 Comment »
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Helen Sanders, owner of Little Bay Baking Company, has been living gluten-free since 1980 and spent 30 years recreating family recipes in the form of baking mixes that anyone can simply bake and enjoy.
These delicious recipes are casein-free and gluten-free. The directions on each box are simple and there’s no need to make substitutions.
My favorite perk is the versatility of each recipe. For example, the Little Bay Corn Bread and Muffin Mix enabled us to make true-to-taste hush puppies, coating for chicken tenders, Toaster Corn Pastries, Blueberry Banana Corn Muffins, and Corn Biscotti. I’m sure anyone creative in the kitchen can come up with many more recipes.
The company is considerate of consumers in using rice milk, soy milk, almond milk. The recipes have been well-tested before packaging the recipe directions, and the ones we tried were delicious.
The Little Bay Baking Waffle and Donut Hole Mix makes the most unique donut holes that to me tasted much like a funnel cake which I’ve always longed for and can’t have being celiac. I dusted them lightly with powdered sugar and satisfied that desire. Many testers agreed with me on this point.
Another favorite which came out most flavorful and left me wanting more was their recipe, Apple and Spice Bars, from their mix, Little Bay Baking Cookie Bar Mix. It was melt-in-your-mouth incredible. Just be sure to chop your apples very fine, as this was key. We all love this company’s many products and we found them very user-friendly.
Little Bay Baking is a member of the Gluten Intolerance Group and the Celiac Sprue Association of America, and it’s listed in the annual CSA gluten-Free Product Listing Guide.
Helen is proud to share her company’s products, which fulfill a need so that consumers don’t have to live without food that “tastes like you remember.”
Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.com
Tags: gluten free, gluten free diet, gluten free foods, gluten-free companies, Gluten-Free Cooking, Gluten-Free Desserts, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free Recipe, product reviews, reviews, Tina Turbin
Posted in Casein Free, Dining Gluten Free, Easy Recipes, Gluten-Free Flours, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Read About Company, Read About Products, Review- GF Companies | 51 Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Kendall Conrad has done a lovely job of recreating her gourmet recipes and customizing them to suit the principles which healed her child’s body- More Than 150 Delicious Specific Carbohydrate Diet(TM)-Compliant Recipes.
Author Kendall Conrad was faced with the fact that her youngest child’s gut and immune system had been severely compromised after her first ten months of life after being on many antibiotics to address severe ear infections. Her daughter finally needed surgery to drain her ears at only ten months old, which did resolve the ear troubles, but she was left with digestive troubles, wasn’t thriving, and wasn’t absorbing nutrients. Conrad spent a year visiting many doctors to no avail.
Conrad was introduced to a nutritionist who introduced her to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which eliminated virtually all starch and complex sugars. The result was that her daughter began to grow and feel much better. She is now a thriving healthy child.
This cookbook and its detailed introduction shares many aspects of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet’s effects on many people with Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, diverticulitis, and other digestive conditions—to incredible results.
The recipes in Kendall’s book are gourmet in every sense of the word, and your family and guests will have no clue that each one of them is a strict adherent to the SCD.
This cookbook is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended by me.
Tina Turbin
www.glutenfreehelp.info
Tags: autoimmune disorder, celiac disease, gluten free diet, gluten free foods, gluten intolerance, Gluten-Free Baking, gluten-free companies, gluten-free contest, Gluten-Free Desserts, Gluten-Free Doctor, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free Recipe, product reviews, reviews, Tina Turbin
Posted in 20 minute recipes, Allergies, Autoimmune Disorders, Baking, Best Home Made GF Flour Mixes, Book Reviews, Books To Read, Casein, Casein Free, Child Friendly Recipes, Children, Cook Books- GF, Cookbook, Cookies, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Eggs, Fiber, Flour Mixes- GF, Flour Substitutes, Fun Food, Gift Ideas, Gluten-Free Flours, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Health, Healthy Snacks, Helpful Information, Helpful Tips, Kids Illnesses, Main Dishes, Medical Research, One Dish Meals, Read About Products, Recipes, References, Substitute Mixes- GF | 2 Comments »
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
One of my favorite foods on planet Earth is carrot cake. Since being diagnosed celiac, I have not really enjoyed a GF carrot cake, until today.
The Grainless Baker has by far the best carrot cake, true to taste, frosting, and all that I’ve known of this dessert since my years of eating wheat prior to my celiac diagnosis. Lightly sweet, moist throughout, and with unbeatable texture, it simply just danced in my mouth until I just had to give in and swallow. Lucky for me there was another bite to follow.
The Grainless Baker carries a number of other products which I tested with my test teams in Florida and L.A. I also loved Twistix, which were very garlicky, salty, and having just the perfect texture warm or cold.
Jane Trygar was diagnosed with celiac sprue in 2001. After four treacherous years of symptoms, Jane in just two weeks dropped 20 pounds and felt miserable. Finally a doctor tested her. The diagnosis shed light on all her troubles, which started during her third pregnancy. I should also mention that her family had a bakery full of wheat!
Her husband, a chef, with his love of cooking and baking, was at a loss watching Jane research company after company for a good supply of GF foods. She couldn’t eat well. She missed her “family”-baked goods. So he set out to create great-tasting gluten-free breads, rolls, and pastries for Jane.
Soon his creations grew. They became aware that Jane wasn’t the only one with these needs, and so this company was started. Jane shares, “It’s become the passion of our lives.” They truly have a desire to help anyone with celiac sprue enjoy the flavors of items baked in a gluten-free environment. Their baked goods are incredible. They’ve now developed 10 categories of food, offering well over 40 delicious products.
Their website offers nutritional information freely on all of their products and is easy to navigate. Select items are unfortunately only available in stores at this time.
Tina Turbin
www.glutenfreehelp.info
Tags: gluten free, gluten free diet, gluten free foods, gluten free help, Gluten-Free Baking, gluten-free companies, gluten-free contest, Gluten-Free Desserts, Gluten-Free Products, product reviews, reviews, Tina Turbin
Posted in Allergies, Food Companies to Know About, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Helpful Information, Read About Company, Read About Products, Review- GF Companies | 45 Comments »
Friday, May 21st, 2010
Ther is a lot of specualtioas to what makes celiac disease symptoms ( or hidden symptoms) “flare up” in babeies and children of all ages. This is an intersting new article released May 18th, 2010- Health Day News – Children born by cesarean section may be more likely to develop celiac disease, a chronic digestive disorder, than children born vaginally, new research finds.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/news/view.aspx?id=639143
I welcome you to read this and get more informed. I sure am!
Tina Turbin
Tags: autoimmune disorder, celiac, celiac disease, Children, gluten free, gluten free foods, gluten intolerance, Gluten-Free Doctor, researcher, Tina Turbin, tina turbin author
Posted in Autoimmune Disorders, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Health, Helpful Information, Helpful Tips, Medical Research, References | No Comments »
Monday, April 26th, 2010
Medical researchers have noted for quite some time that osteoporosis and celiac disease commonly appear together. If you have either condition, it’s important to understand this link and to know what symptoms to look for. Being informed on this subject can have priceless health benefits.
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones to be less dense than they should be, making them more fragile and more likely to break. Many people with osteoporosis don’t realize they have the condition until they break a bone. Sometimes the fractures are major breaks, or there can be dozens or hundreds of tiny fractures. Loss of height with aging and a severely rounded upper back called the dowager’s hump are usually the result of many small osteoporotic fractures that have weakened the spine.
It is fortunate that osteoporosis is preventable. The reason why people with celiac disease are at high risk for osteoporosis has to do with the first two of these risk factors—insufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D. When people with celiac disease eat foods that contain gluten, the villi that line the small intestine become damaged. Malabsorption—improper uptake of nutrients by the body—results, particularly of the nutrients calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K, all of which are essential for healthy bones.
The American Gastroenterological Association recommends that all patients with celiac disease undergo bone density tests, often called bone density scans, bone mineral density (BMD) tests, or bone densitometry, to determine whether they have osteoporosis. These tests are quick, easy, and painless. Your doctor will need to give you a prescription for a bone density test.
If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis or celiac disease, consult your doctor about getting tested for the associated condition!
Tina Turbin
Tags: celiac disease, celiac research, gluten free, gluten free diet, osteoporosis, Tina Turbin
Posted in Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Helpful Information, Medical Research, Tina Turbin | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Kimberly Tesser, RD and LD, is a consulting dietitian in Brunswick, Ohio with a wealth of knowledge in her field of expertise and interest, celiac disease. She is no novice to the world of writing. She carries a history of published books of her own as well as has a co-authorship to her credits.
Tell me What to Eat is a book serving multiple purposes, helping those who have been clinically diagnosed as celiac to family members of celiacs, physicians, nurses, chefs, and health care professionals.
Celiac disease is well-described as well are solutions to embarking upon a new life of gluten-free eating. The challenges of dealing with a celiac children are not overlooked. In fact, her chapter devoted to children is enlightening and very resourceful.
You’ll find delicious recipes, contributed by cooks, cookbooks, and websites, followed by the first-hand stories of others on their quest to finally being diagnosed. Kimberly has fulfilled a need, supplying tools, tips, valuable information, and invaluable resources for the celiac disease novice.
This book is on glutenfreehelp.info ’s recommended reading list. This resource book is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended by me.
Tina Turbin
www.glutenfreehelp.info
Tags: celiac awareness, celiac disease, gluten free, gluten free diet, gluten free help, gluten intolerance, Gluten-Free Baking, Gluten-Free Cooking, Gluten-Free Doctor, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free Recipe, product reviews, researcher, Tina Turbin
Posted in Allergies, Autoimmune Disorders, Baking, Book Reviews, Books To Read, Breakfast, Cookbook, Desserts, Dining Gluten Free, Gift Ideas, Gluten-Free Products, Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Health, Helpful Information, Helpful Tips, Kids Illnesses, References | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Author Marlisa Brown has a wealth of education and experience which she brings to her latest book, Gluten-Free Hassle Free.
This book is most definitely written in an easy-to-understand, worry-free, and practical manner, with the newly-diagnosed reader in mind, not leaving any leaf unturned. Any newly-diagnosed celiac or “non-celiac gluten intolerant” will feel well-informed.
Marlisa ensured she cleared up some of the most common areas of misunderstanding many people have such as testing, being diagnosed, the diet, nutrition, and nutrients. She covers why one can have symptoms and still negative celiac test results and what to do.
Each section is practical and easy to follow. With topics such as shopping, fast food, delis, restaurants, stocking a GF kitchen, social events, and dining cards in fourteen languages, and much more. Any reader can quickly refer to a particular section and immediately improve one’s life with ease.
Marlisa pays careful attention to focus on the things and foods any celiac or non-celiac gluten-intolerant can enjoy while offering over 100 delicious recipes, the cranberry quinoa salad being one of my favorites.
Marlisa speaks from over 30 years of experience—a compassionate registered dietitian, chef, and president and owner of Total Wellness, a nutritional consulting company offering service in her usual simple-to-understand, helpful and always easy-to-apply manner.
This resource guide is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended me.
Tina Turbin www.glutenfreehelp.info
Tags: autoimmune disorder, celiac awareness, celiac disease, gluten, gluten free, gluten free diet, gluten free help, gluten intolerance, Gluten-Free Baking, gluten-free companies, Gluten-Free Cooking, Gluten-Free Desserts, Gluten-Free Products, reviews, Tina Turbin
Posted in Autoimmune Disorders, Book Reviews, Books To Read, Cook Books- GF, Cookbook, Easy Recipes, Gift Ideas, Gluten-Free Research, Gluten-Free and Allergy Tests, Health, Helpful Tips, Kids Illnesses, Multiple Sclerosis, Recipes, References | No Comments »
