The Patient Celiac

If you have Celiac Disease, it is important that you know a bit about your thyroid gland, as you are at a high risk of autoimmune thyroid disease. Experts estimate that between 8 and 12% of people with Celiac Disease have, or will eventually develop, problems with their thyroid gland. Conversely, between 3 and 5% of people with autoimmune thyroid disease...

One of my favorite Celiac Disease-related pages on Facebook is that of the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center. One of the first “tidbits” that I read on this page, after discovering it last fall, was the following statement: “Women who have experienced persistent miscarriages or infertility without a known medical cause should be tested for cel...

As many of us already know, there are some celiacs who are “refractory” and continue to have ongoing symptoms after going gluten free. In addition, there are a bunch of us who are “super sensitive” in terms of reactions to gluten cross-contamination. I am one of the super sensitives. Not too long ago I had a reaction from eating one bite of a Trader Joe’s...

Yes, this is a real diagnosis, and it effects between 6 to 8% of our population, or approximately 18 million people. Many doctors and patients are unaware that it exists. Most of the papers on this topic have only been published in the last 2-3 years. The British Medical Journal published a case study and review of gluten sensitivity in their November 30,...

I know that this title sounds very boring (so much so that I doubt that many will read any further than this).  But, if you can bear with me, there is some fascinating research involving the role of the innate immune system in reactions to wheat. Trust me!

The role of the immune system is to fight infection.  There are two main types of immunity:...

I’ve realized that I have not written for almost a week and I think I am okay with this. When I started this blog two months ago, I anticipated being able to post about once a week, so I think I am on track. Between working full-time, running, and trying to squeeze in some sleep, the main reason  that I have not had time is that I have four small...

Most of the articles about gluten and celiac disease I’ve came across in the media have focused on symptoms related to digestion, such as abdominal pain and bloating after eating gluten, and damage to the small intestine. The bulk of the gluten-related discussions on the celiac forums I’ve perused concern questions and answers regarding the diagnosis of...

Eosinophilic Esophagitis, also known as “EE,” is a gastrointestinal disorder that, like Celiac Disease, seems to be increasing in frequency of diagnosis. I first heard of EE when I was in my pediatric residency. I worked with a Pediatric GI specialist who seemed to diagnose all of his infant patients with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) with EE. While I...

Baby Claire is my fourth baby, my “last” baby, and one of the greatest gifts of my life. She is the first baby I’ve had since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and going gluten free. Because of this, I spent a lot of time during the postpartum period obsessing/fretting/freaking out about if/when I should expose my dear baby to gluten. I felt that I...

Although I am pretty sure that I had Celiac Disease for more than two decades before my diagnosis, I was not diagnosed until after my 3rd child was born. Looking back, my diet during my first 3 pregnancies was a gluten-filled nightmare. I am actually glad that I have no idea how sky-high my celiac antibodies probably were while I was pregnant with my oldest...