We Have A Diagnosis! Oct 2010

Twenty three days gluten-free

and I am a new person!

Well, I should say, I am back to my old person.

Something was very wrong!

There were hints, there were clues,

there were multiple bad symptoms,

all missed by the many docs I'd seen

with their useless treatment plans over the last few months.

Not one of them actually worked me up,

they only prescribed medications for the symptoms.

Until. . .

Finally, I found the right doctor

and my life and health changed for the better.

Since Celiac Disease is one of the least understood

and most under-diagnosed illnesses around today,

I'll use this blog post to educate my readers

in the event there is someone out there reading this

who says. . .that could be me!

Here is a little information from the

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

Celiac Disease Facts & Figures

Here are some of the most staggering facts about celiac disease and the gluten-free marketplace. Each statement highlights the need for education and awareness amongst the medical and culinary communities as well as the general public.

• Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.
• One in 133 Americans have celiac disease.
• Three million Americans across all races, ages and genders suffer from celiac.
• 95% of celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.
• 10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed.
• 17% of celiac patients have an immediate family member who also has celiac.
• Celiac disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune diseases.
  
• $5,000-$12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis per person/per year of celiac, not including lost work time.
• There are NO pharmaceutical cures for celiac disease.
• A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for celiac today. 
• A positive attitude, 100% of the time, helps celiacs create a gluten-free lifestyle for themselves and their affected family members.
• 500,000 new celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the next 5 years thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of celiac disease.
• The gluten-free marketplace is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2010 thanks to new vendors manufacturing better tasting and more affordable products.

Could you have celiac disease?

Want to know more?  Think you might have this?

Here is a nice little succinct site with good graphics.

And another site with a wealth of information.
And another Celiac Central.