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<channel><title><![CDATA[Celiac Disease & Gluten-free Diet Information at Celiac.com - Comments for article: Ron Hoggan's Response to Unfortunate "Throwing Out the Wheat" Article in Slate]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com</link><description /><language>en-us</language><copyright><![CDATA[http://www.celiac.com]]></copyright><generator>N/A</generator><webMaster>scott@celiac.com</webMaster><lastBuildDate>Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:22:46 PDT</lastBuildDate><ttl>20</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #1]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4146</link><description><![CDATA[You forgot to nail him on his comment on how annoying we are to friends, family and coworkers with our 'special' diet!  This has been the #1 MOST disturbing thing that has and is happening to us as a family!    I hope this guy or one of his kids turns up with celiac disease so he can get a taste of exactly how hard life can be doing the Gluten-Free thing.  It is anything but a 'fad diet' and anything but fun to always have to make a spectacle of yourself if you want to eat anywhere but in your own home.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by katie at 2:56 pm, Thu 30th Jul 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (katie)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:56:56 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4146</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #2 (Reply to Comment #1)]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4198</link><description><![CDATA[I totally agree!!  After 20 yrs. of gluten free living, I still am most disturbed by this part of my life. Thanks for your response, you nailed it!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by KIM at 7:29 am, Mon 10th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (KIM)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:29:26 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4198</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #3 (Reply to Comment #1)]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4209</link><description><![CDATA[Katie -- you are so right about that.  Sometimes I feel that I'd rather not eat at all than be a "pain in the a__" in a restaurant.  Articles like the one in Slate only make it harder.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Roberta at 10:22 pm, Mon 10th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Roberta)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:22:51 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4209</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #4]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4153</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you. Very good and clear response.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Christy at 11:45 am, Fri 31st Jul 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Christy)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:45:13 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4153</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #5]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4159</link><description><![CDATA[Good -  a little too technical for a plain old diagnosed celiac without a medical degree though.   Thank  you for writing in defense of us celiacs.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Mary Boucher at 7:31 pm, Fri 31st Jul 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Mary Boucher)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:31:57 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4159</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #6]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4185</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you for writing this!! That article in Slate angered me beyond words.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by erin pickering at 12:10 pm, Tue 4th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (erin pickering)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:10:28 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4185</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #7]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4189</link><description><![CDATA[Well Done!!!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Krista at 12:34 pm, Thu 6th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Krista)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:34:38 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4189</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #8]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4196</link><description><![CDATA[I was extremely fortunate to be one of those rare people who tested positive to the non-celiac specific antibodies. My MD at the time, based upon her clinical experience, declared  that I was in the same boat as a celiac and should never consume gluten again. I thought she was insane--I didn't want to believe it, and found the idea of being on this diet horrifying. But I was so desperately sick I was willing to try it for a few months. I could go into gory gastrointestinal detail, but I will just say that the change was dramatic. At the time I was developing painful neuropathies in addition to having had lifelong GI discomfort. I also was developing some sort of autoimmune disease that to this day nobody has been able to diagnose. My symptoms and related medical problems so closely mimic what doctors will actually diagnose as celiac disease that it is insane to me that I'm not considered by most other doctors to have actual celiac disease. I hate living with this diet every day, but you couldn't pay me lottery winnings to eat gluten and knowingly make myself that sick again.

I get filled with rage when I read thoughtless junk that insinuates that people on a gluten free diet are misguided faddists. Maybe the medical world, and world at large, should just begin to realize that if people are willing to follow a difficult, grossly expensive, inconvenient and time-consuming dietary regimen that makes them social pariahs, perhaps there's a valid reason for it.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by E.G. at 12:19 am, Mon 10th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (E.G.)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:19:45 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4196</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #9 (Reply to Comment #8)]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4281</link><description><![CDATA[Thanks for your words.  I fall into your category too.  I tested positive to the non-celiac form of gluten intolerance.  I had severe joint pain, endocrine issues, and terrible gastrointestinal problems before I stopped eating gluten.  
I am quite hypersensitive to comments from "real celiacs" who say that my kind of sensitivity isn't as real as what they have.  It's true that I may not have the intestinal damage, but I did have other health issues that warranted removing gluten from my diet.  
I guess it's human nature for people to want to have an identity and feel they are the authentic example of something while others who don't quite fit the scientific definition are simply faddists.  It's unfortunate that people think this way.  I didn't expect it in the realm of diseases, I thought it just happened with race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.  I guess it happens with folks who also have health conditions.  Go figure.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Jennifer at 11:49 am, Fri 21st Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Jennifer)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:49:46 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4281</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #10]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4197</link><description><![CDATA[Thanks for taking the time to represent.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by heidi at 5:11 am, Mon 10th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (heidi)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:11:31 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4197</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #11]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4208</link><description><![CDATA[Thanks so much for keeping on top of things.  A lot of people read Slate, so I'm only sorry your responses weren't posted on Slate as well!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Roberta at 10:16 pm, Mon 10th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Roberta)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:16:39 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4208</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #12]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4211</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you so much! I am the non-celiac family member who struggles daily to have the school and our family actually accept my husband and daughter's gluten free protocol without hostility. When I read the Slate article, I felt completely deflated. "Great," I thought, "Now a whole new group of skeptics and frenemies have been born."

I really appreciate that your response was so comprehensive and persistent.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Kimberly at 5:14 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Kimberly)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:14:25 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4211</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #13]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4212</link><description><![CDATA[I responded to Mr. Engber's article as well by letting him know how damaging his written words are. I must confess that I was not nearly as eloquent as Ron, however I have been met with the same basic response. I applaud you for continuing to press him for a response.  I am a Mom of a child with celiac and I informed him that the information and attitude reflected in his article will only set us back a few years with the progress we've made with "ignorant family members and friends not to mention the litany of other people we inconvenience". Thank you for standing firm for all of us!!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Heidi at 6:19 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Heidi)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:19:14 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4212</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #14]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4214</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you for trying to set him straight.  No one calls Diabetics or people with peanut allergies followers of fad diets.  Yet someone who avoids gluten to avoid the damage to our intestines, vitamin absorption, or other health issues... somehow we are on a fad diet.  I nearly had to get a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin and iron counts were so low when I was diagnosed, I nearly screamed when I read his article referring to my gluten free diet as me following a fad, likening it to bell bottom pants or a new hairstyle.

THANK YOU !!!!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Jen at 6:51 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Jen)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:51:40 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4214</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #15 (Reply to Comment #14)]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4282</link><description><![CDATA[I got such a kick out of this response. My son has both diabetes and celiac disease (ahem, "Gluten Intolerance")....therefore I guess that makes him doubly fashionable!!!!!!!   ha ha.

Thanks for the giggle.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Teresa at 3:08 pm, Fri 21st Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Teresa)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:08:21 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4282</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #16]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4216</link><description><![CDATA[Quite an article.  I really enjoyed reading it and it gave me great trust in you.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Dolorres Eilers at 8:02 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Dolorres Eilers)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:02:00 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4216</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #17]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4217</link><description><![CDATA[I wonder if Daniel Engber is being paid by the wheat industry to write this article in an attempt to down-play the ill effects of gluten on celiacs/gluten intolerants in order to avoid potential profit loss in the wheat market that may occur as the need for wheat free/gluten free food products grows in our society?<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Renee at 9:10 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Renee)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:10:51 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4217</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #18]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4219</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you for this, it has really cleared things up for me as someone who has chosen a gluten free diet with a negative diagnosis. I was found to have AgA in my bloodstream but biopsy said I did not have coeliac.  I went to a private lab for a stool test and they told me I have a leaky gut.  I also got diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis a few years ago - so everything you said links those things together and supports my belief in maintaining a gluten free diet.  Its difficult getting people to understand when I don't have a scientific diagnosis but I definitely have improved a bit since I went gluten free. Thanks<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Kim at 10:05 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Kim)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:05:27 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4219</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #19]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4220</link><description><![CDATA[Dr. Hoggan, thank you for vindicating the gluten sensitive population through your strong and scholarly rebuttal to Daniel Engber's recalcitrant rantings.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by kathleen castellari at 10:07 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (kathleen castellari)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:07:29 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4220</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #20]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4222</link><description><![CDATA[When I first read the Slate article, I had the feeling that the author did not like Elisabeth Hasselbeck so he decided to attack her that way. Saying that we can be annoying to family members and friends by having to deal with the diet is similar to 'being annoying to family and friends' when you have any disability.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Nikki Chandler at 11:38 am, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Nikki Chandler)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:38:35 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4222</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #21]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4227</link><description><![CDATA[Good response.  It is a shame that people can't just eat what they want and not be questioned about it, regardless of whether it is a dislike or an allergy.  Everyone has the right to choose what goes in their mouth.  My only criticism is the comment about Dan being dumped by his girlfriend... that really had no place in a valid debate and was a cheap shot that brought the entire discussion down to a high school contest about who is more popular.  Please keep up the good work on educating people about gluten issues, but keep it clean so that it can be taken seriously.  Cheap shots only cheapen the one making them.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Michelle at 5:26 pm, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Michelle)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:26:04 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4227</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #22]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4228</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you so much for responding to his article in a way I never could. I was so angry when I read his article on Slate...I too have encountered family who think it's a fad, but they don't have to live with my gut! They get so upset when I try to even mention they too could have it and they refuse to listen...its so sad. Anyways, thank you again!!!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by sarah at 6:34 pm, Tue 11th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (sarah)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:34:43 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4228</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #23]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4233</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you! Articles like Engberg's are extremely damaging. His assertions would be equally preposterous had he suggested sugar to diabetics. Which, of course, being a responsible journalist he would never do.  I happen to be one of those "annoying" fad-dieters who can't produce the requisite medical diagnosis for the simple reason that after going gluten-free for one year my quality of life has so dramatically improved that NOTHING could induce me to go back to eating gluten just to "prove" what I already know. I came to the gluten-free diet via a circuitous route--searching form relief from my debilitating Endometriosis (for this I do have medical proof) symptoms. After 20 years of crippling pain, bloating, chronic exhaustion, and a host of gastro-intestinal symptoms I won't bore you with, compounded by the frustration of meeting with blank looks and shrugs from doctors who came up with diagnoses of IBS or "we can't find anything physically wrong with you" I finally know what it is to be "normal," to not be in constant pain. Do I have Celiac disease? Does my body produce antibodies? Honestly, I don't care. What I do know is  that I feel healthier, stronger, and happier than ever. And BTW, I have lost weight--and inches--and have been told that I look years younger. Possibly because my face is no longer involuntarily screwed up in pain. Perhaps it is just a fad diet and the placebo effect, but I will steadfastly persist in inconveniencing all and sundry with my dietary requirements, whatever scribes like Mr. E. may produce in future. ;)  
Anyway, thanks again!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Sabina at 1:56 am, Wed 12th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Sabina)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:56:01 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4233</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #24]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4238</link><description><![CDATA[If having celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or a leaky gut is such a "Fad", I could then understand why the Colorado's Rockies Organization opened an fabulous gluten-free snack bar that is consistently crowded and closes sooner than the rest because they are such a hit. Now did the Rockies open it up to make money or because they had a tremendous call from people from all over the Rocky Mountain Region who would like to go to a game and have food and drink like non-celiac fans. So the next time I want to go to a game, I can go with the knowledge that I can have that hot dog and beer too! (You can't bring food into the stadium, as they do search every bag and covering you may try to bring in with you.)
Being on a guten free diet is not a fad to me or my family members who are also celiacs. We all have gained weight being on the GF diet. We all have to purchase expensive foods because we HAVE NO CHOICE. It's not like being on Nutra System. We all do research, whether it be person-to-person, friends, library, literature, or celebrities who by their own experiences, are just trying to put the word out. And Lord knows we can use as much help as we can get. The more the word gets out, the less I have to explain to others why I have to bring my own food to a function, or to bother a restaurant waiter about a menu, or put up with those who just roll their eye's in disbelief declaring that it's just another fad. It is ignorance when one decides not to truly research before declaring what they know to be the truth. All I can answer to those individuals is, I'm glad you are healthy because you don't want to walk in my shoes!

I was initially diagnosed via blood work and biopsy through Kaiser. The fact that I had lost ten pounds in one week due to diarrhea and suffered several gut pain gave the doctor a pre-diagnosis of celiac disease. But it was the LAB WORK first that sent me to get the biopsy and final diagnosis. The protocol for diagnosis is Lab studies, initial diagnosis, then further testing via biopsy. Nothing hard about that. Pretty standard really, that is if you have a good doctor and/or health organization standing not only behind the doctor but the patient as well. 
Ignorance is not bliss! Thanks Dr. Hoggan. Next time your in Denver in the summer, lets go to a Rockies game and have a "Dog & Beer" on me!<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by ColoradoSue at 3:20 pm, Wed 12th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (ColoradoSue)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:20:12 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4238</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #25]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4256</link><description><![CDATA[Scott, thanks for giving me the opportunity to respond on the site. Ron’s letter, printed above, captures the sentiments of many readers of my article -- albeit in more pedantic and pugnacious terms.

I’ll try to address all his points here, but for the sake of efficency let’s skip to the bottom of his disquisition, where he finally gets to the crux of the issue.  There he claims that I have “defeated [my] own argument” in the piece, since we all define our own well-being:

“If a person has symptoms and they get relief from a gluten-free diet,” he says, “they would have to be pretty self destructive, foolish, or self-indulgent to go back to eating gluten.”

That is, of course, the central theme of my article: What should we make of the fact that there now appear to be thousands or millions of Americans who are deriving some sort of benefit from going G-free?  Is everyone who buys Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s book, or otherwise elects to give up gluten, better off?  If someone “gets relief” by going on a diet, then how can I or anyone else possibly argue that they shouldn’t be on that diet?

These are tricky questions, and the answers aren’t as clear-cut as Ron would like them to be. As readers of Celiac.com know all too well, there are many costs -- economic and otherwise -- to being a gluten-free diet.  So we’d do well to consider whether some of those who “opt in” are really better off for doing so.

We know that everyone with diagnosed celiac disease must be on a gluten-free diet, 100-percent of the time. It’s also true that anyone with concrete symptoms that can be reliably traced to gluten would do well to avoid gluten. What about the folks whose symptoms are more ambiguous -- the people who feel sluggish, or anxious, or depressed when they have a bowl of pasta?

In my piece, I argued there are many reasons why people might decide that a gluten-free diet is good for them, that have little or nothing to do with autoimmune disease.  In particular, I focus on our national obsession with weight loss, and the body dysmorphia that plagues Americans.

It’s worth pointing out that eating disorders affect women far more often than men -- so from that perspective, the relationship between “G-free” and weight loss is primarily a women’s issue. Autoimmune disease is a women’s issue, too: The medical establishment has a long, sad history of ignoring or trivializing conditions like lupus and MS, since the men with the stethoscopes so rarely experienced them first-hand. Celiac, too, is diagnosed 2 to 3 times more often in women -- despite the fact that it’s thought to occur in men and women equally across the population.

So we’ve got a situation where women are doubly vulnerable -- to autoimmune diseases like celiac, and to nefarious social pressures to control one’s diet. I am deeply disturbed by both of these issues. Now, one could argue that my article gave the former problem short-shrift in its focus on the latter -- that’s a fair criticism which I would grudgingly accept. Still, I think it’s vital that we address both sides of the problem.

The manifest gender politics of celiac does leave me feeling somewhat uncomfortable about the present exchange.  Here we are: A couple of guys debating a women’s health issue on a Website run by another guy.  What percentage of our readers are men, I wonder?  

To make matters worse, Ron insists on presenting himself as “Dr. Ron Hoggan,” as if the wisdom and advice he’s been doling out were the product of a medical degree.  In fact, Ron is a self-published book author and a retired schoolteacher, who happens to have a Ph.D. in education. I have tremendous respect for educators, but the fact that he’s using an irrelevant doctorate as a signifier of some higher authority seems especially creepy in this context. It’s as if the women who suffer from celiac disease should be impressed by a gentleman in a white coat.

(The mere fact that Ron distributes medical information in such a way strikes me as unethical at the very least -- and possibly illegal.)

But enough of that: Let’s move on to the Doctor’s more specific points. He objects to my proposal that beginning a restrictive diet may ameliorate gastrointestinal symptoms. He’s right that gluten-free foods are calorie-dense, so this particular diet isn’t likely to restrict food intake (or produce weight-loss) over the long term. Yet it’s also true that anytime you begin carefully accounting for the foods you eat, you’re likely to eat less.  That’s the basis for an entire chapter of Hasselbeck’s book -- which, like it or not, is selling like gluten-free hotcakes.  In fact, I first learned of this from Dr. Joseph Murray, though he certainly didn’t originate the idea. 

Then Ron takes issue, for reasons I can’t quite understand, with my survey of newspaper mentions of gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, the Atkins Diet, and the Mediterranean Diet.  The broad history of these has little to do with the simple fact that -- from a popular-culture point of view -- they have entered and exited the mainstream like fads.  I did acknowledge in my article that the timing of new epidemiological data on celiac disease could help explain the spike of interest in gluten intolerance several years ago. I don’t think it explains all the data.

Ron appears especially inflamed by my assertion that you can’t “prove” a case of gluten intolerance in the lab, which he calls “the lynchpin of [my] entire article.”  In this case, his criticism seems to be predicated on the notion that blood tests for anti-gliadin antibodies are proof-positive of gluten-intolerance.  Well, if you want to define “gluten intolerance” as testing positive on a given blood test, then yes, of course it can be proven by just such a blood test.

In my article, I was referring not to the presence of antibodies of one sort of another -- which, as Ron admits over and over again, are not specific to any disease -- but rather to the nebulous condition under which people experience the symptoms (classic or atypical) of celiac, without having a strict CD diagnosis.  That’s in line with the definition used by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, and refers to those patients who feel sick to their stomachs or develop rashes or get depressed or feel sluggish when they eat gluten -- despite the fact that doctors have failed to uncover the tell-tale signs of celiac disease.

Ron wants to emphasize that, superficial symptoms aside, the mere presence of anti-gliadin antibodies has been associated with serious illness.  We may one day discover this is true. So far, the data to support this claim are sparse. For example, Ron seemed quite pleased to have discovered the following report published in a moderately-influential gastroenterology journal:

http://gut.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/56/6/889

“Maybe this will reach you,” he wrote in an email, along with a copy of the article.  But when I looked at the attachment, I discovered that the research was merely a “letter to the editors,” giving the preliminary results of a pilot study.  It’s not even clear if the journal sends these “letters” out for peer-review.

We might excuse Ron his excessive enthusiasm for such speculative studies.  After all, the world can see how invested he is -- both personally and financially -- in the idea that gluten is a menace to public health, and that it affects all of us.  (As an online shopping mall for gluten-free products, Celiac.com also stands to reap a profit from promoting Ron’s ideas, and attacking mine.) 

Finally, Ron quotes a “private email from another person” at the bottom of his critique, who wonders if I’d been dumped by a gluten-free girlfriend at some time in my life. “I am most inclined to agree with this poster’s suspicions,” wrote Dr. Hoggan.

I would be remiss if I didn’t pass along the following email, which I received from a friend of a friend, who heard the claim in question from a passing hobo:

“After looking at Ron Hoggan’s response, I had the distinct feeling that this man is obsessed with gluten-intolerance for a reason. He says elsewhere that gluten affects classroom performance  ... perhaps he just wasn’t a very good schoolteacher? … I don’t have any proof, or course ;)”

I take no position whatsoever on this poster’s suspicions.

Sincerely,

Daniel Engber<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Daniel Engber at 1:16 pm, Sat 15th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Daniel Engber)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:16:30 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4256</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #26 (Reply to Comment #25)]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4278</link><description><![CDATA[Give up the hate Danny Boy...not sure why you hate Hasselbeck so...but surely it can't be because she wrote a book that has helped so many people figure out that they have a problem with gluten...can it? Or could it be because she is conservative, beautiful, rich and smart? Anyway, the real reason that your article fails is that 90% of celiacs are still undiagnosed, so we need the gluten-free diet to reach full fad status so that as many people as possible can figure out if they have this dangerous problem. It is the doctors and health care system that have failed many of us who are sensitive to gluten--and that is what your article should have addressed. Choose positive over negative whenever you can Dan...<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by James at 11:22 pm, Thu 20th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (James)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:22:26 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4278</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #27 (Reply to Comment #25)]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4284</link><description><![CDATA[Thank you Mr. Engber for being the voice of reason. I seriously doubt anyone here will listen to you. They hear and see what they want, and there's nothing you or I or anyone else can do to help them. The name of this site needs to be changed. It's definitely misleading. It implies it's for celiacs, but the majority here are not. The majority rules.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by C. Brown at 11:05 am, Sat 22nd Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (C. Brown)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:05:03 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4284</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comment #28]]></title><link>http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4275</link><description><![CDATA[Hi Dan,
Thank you for your comments. I am pleased to see that your position regarding gluten sensitivity has become more moderate. Whatever the cause of this change of heart, I am grateful as the gluten sensitive community needs all the support and encouragement we can find. 

You made the following statement: “We know that everyone with diagnosed celiac disease must be on a gluten-free diet, 100-percent of the time. It’s also true that anyone with concrete symptoms that can be reliably traced to gluten would do well to avoid gluten.” This is a huge step forward from your original article. I was pleased and gratified when I read that. 

I’m also grateful for your attack on my credentials because it offers me the opportunity to itemize my qualifications to offer information related to nutrition and testing related to food induced illnesses. 

Those who read any of my published work will be quite familiar with the fact that my background is in classroom teaching and scientific/nutritional research. While you might assume that the “Dr.” in front of my name reflects that I have an M.D., most folks will recognize that the Ed. D. that follows my name (which appeared in all of my private correspondence with you) is not the same as an M.D. In fact, many members of the gluten sensitive community might be reluctant to trust my suggestions and recommendations if they had come from someone with an M.D., as many of them have been sorely disappointed by members of this group.  

My doctorate is, as you pointed out, in Education. My research specialty, at the master, doctoral, and subsequent levels is nutrition, particularly as it relates to learning, behavior, and general wellness, as these are important factors in student performance, both for children and adults. I have spent thousands of hours exploring issues connected to our discussion. In addition to having contributed many years of volunteer service in the celiac and gluten sensitive community, I have published original research and letters in peer reviewed medical and science journals, as well as presenting papers at national and international scientific, medical, and support group conferences. I have also served on the board of directors of three non-profit organizations that were either investigating or advocating dietary interventions in the context of autoimmune, neurological, and dermatological illnesses. I also co-authored Dangerous Grains, a book that is highly regarded in the gluten sensitive community, and was published by Penguin (Avery imprint) one of the largest publishing houses in the world. (Is it a coincidence that you mentioned only that I have self published one book while completely ignoring the other book I wrote?)  

As we have been discussing serological testing related to gluten sensitivity, I am well qualified to render opinions and engage in discussions in this area. Are you willing to disclose your qualifications in the realm of gluten sensitivity? 

Given my expertise in this area, it is neither unethical nor illegal to take credit for my academic achievements by putting Dr. in front of my name. However, since we are on the topic of ethics, just how ethical is it to publish mocking videos, and misinformation to discredit people who are just trying to improve their health through a gluten-free diet? As I explained previously, your linking your article to a skit where a couple of nutritionists/con artists were charging people for recommending a GF diet for any and all complaints and symptoms is a very discrediting and mocking skit, and it has little genuine basis in reality or Science.  It is simply discrediting and demeaning.
Gluten sensitivity/celiac disease are better characterized as the “gluten syndrome” which is not a gender issue. Neither is iweight loss a gender issue.  

Finally, you continue to resist the notion that anti-gliadin antibodies signify many cases of gluten sensitivity. Since you insist that they do not signify disease, please inform us exactly what it means when we are mounting an immune reaction against the most common food in our diet? A wide range of ailments are associated with AGA. From Dr. Marios Hadjivassiliou in Sheffield, England, to Dr. Rodney Ford in Christchurch, New Zealand, and many points in between, there are many researchers who are trying valiantly to get this message out to the medical community at large.

You really do owe the gluten sensitive community a sincere apology for the misinformation you are disseminating.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.<br/><br/>
(Comment posted by Ron Hoggan at 3:33 pm, Thu 20th Aug 2009)]]></description><author>no@spam.com (Ron Hoggan)</author><pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:33:20 PDT]]></pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.celiac.com/articles/21874/1/Ron-Hoggans-Response-to-Unfortunate-Throwing-Out-the-Wheat-Article-in-Slate/Page1.html#Comment4275</guid></item></channel></rss>