What Would You Do If There Was A Cure?

[barbara3675]

GO STRAIGHT TO PIZZA HUT AND THEN WHEN I WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING I WOULD HAVE A HUGE BOWL OF OATMEAL WITH BROWN SUGAR AND MILK.

[pixiegirl]

I think some of you have mis understood the question, or at least how I understand it is this: Lets pretend there was a pill that really did cure you, then what? Or for those of you that keep saying its just a treatment (remember we are pretending here)... lets say they figure out a way thru stem cells or gene splicing or whatever to cure Celiac, then what?

I'd of course be cured, however.... I would continue to eat in a similar manner to how I am now... very few processed foods and more "real" food. But I would once in a while have a beer and pizza or sour dough bread. I can't believe if it truly was a "cure" that people would choose not to be cured, many of us may well continue our current pattern of eating, I'm not sure wheat is really good for anyone, but I'd give up the accidential glutenings and how they make me feel in a second.

However my daughter has a life threatening peanut allergy, she has airborn reactions and I'm hoping the cure for that comes first. She would not start eating peanut butter, the smell of it makes her sick but at least we could go places and not worry she was going to inhale it. Like the grocery store (open peanuts are in many groceries) or see a baseball game (she can't go to one, not even in a sky box), Thai food, chinese food, etc.

Susan

[jaten]

Jaten- You crack me up and now you won't have to worry about gall bladder attacks either since we are both gluten and gall bladder free!

Actually- do you think that there will ever be a day when there is a chain of gluten-free restaurants?

Hahaha...You're the best! That's right, our gall-bladderless selves could go skipping arm in arm into the nearest restaurant of our choosing! No Celiac symptoms...including the gall bladder symptoms that stemmed from Celiac.

Just think of the possibilities!

Do I think there will be true, real gluten free restaurant chains? Yes, I think that's probably a lot closer to reality than a cure. I think that sort of thing may really be on the horizon. I really do. As publicity for this disease continues, more people are aware it exists AND more are being tested and as the population of diagnosed Celiacs increases a change has to occur. Has to.

A cure would have a LOT of testing, etc to convince me it was real and safe. Said cure have to be tested a long time, to be positive it really "neutralizes" the gluten and doesn't cause some other hidden issues.

[Mtndog]

However my daughter has a life threatening peanut allergy, she has airborn reactions and I'm hoping the cure for that comes first. She would not start eating peanut butter, the smell of it makes her sick but at least we could go places and not worry she was going to inhale it. Like the grocery store (open peanuts are in many groceries) or see a baseball game (she can't go to one, not even in a sky box), Thai food, chinese food, etc.

Susan

Absolutely- a cure for that would be incredible (EpiPen does NOT count as a cure- that's for sure!)

[Kaycee]

I think some of you have mis understood the question, or at least how I understand it is this: Lets pretend there was a pill that really did cure you, then what? Or for those of you that keep saying its just a treatment (remember we are pretending here)... lets say they figure out a way thru stem cells or gene splicing or whatever to cure Celiac, then what?

I'd of course be cured, however.... I would continue to eat in a similar manner to how I am now... very few processed foods and more "real" food. But I would once in a while have a beer and pizza or sour dough bread. I can't believe if it truly was a "cure" that people would choose not to be cured, many of us may well continue our current pattern of eating, I'm not sure wheat is really good for anyone, but I'd give up the accidential glutenings and how they make me feel in a second.

However my daughter has a life threatening peanut allergy, she has airborn reactions and I'm hoping the cure for that comes first. She would not start eating peanut butter, the smell of it makes her sick but at least we could go places and not worry she was going to inhale it. Like the grocery store (open peanuts are in many groceries) or see a baseball game (she can't go to one, not even in a sky box), Thai food, chinese food, etc.

Susan

Susan I have not lost the point of the question.

It would be wonderful for there to be a cure, don't get me wrong, but it will not be for me. I am, well was a compulsive eater in an earlier life, and did not give two hoots about I what I was eating. I know other people can be very careful about what they eat, and be very conscientious about it, but I can't. That seems a bit beyond me.

In having said that, I love the diet, it suits me and I am getting better and have learned a lot about food, maybe if there was a cure that knowledge would carry on through, but I am a bit skeptical, give me a box of chocolates now, and they will be gone before you can say "after dinner mints". It is not easy to admit that sometimes I overeat, but it is the truth.

Being gluten free I have more control over what I eat. It is funny to think that this diet is very restrictive, yet I feel I am in control of my diet and my health, something I never have been before.

So the way I see it, is that a cure might compromise my health.

And yes Susan, let them find a cure for peanut allergy first. We have a young girl at school who has the same reactions as your daughter. It does create a bit of tension in the school, but it is educational at the same time as students learn about life threatening conditions, and why they can't have peanut butter sandwiches in their class. My biggest fear is or was eating a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and then having Dani come into the sickbay for a plaster. It would've been my worst nightmare. But that nightmare for me has been cured, as I now react to peanuts! Another food group gone down the drain!

Cathy

[pixiegirl]

Hi Cathy,

well certainly everyone is different and I wasn't referring to any single post but it seems everyone was assuming the "pill" would just mask symptoms so I wanted to clairfy what the original poster said (or at least how I understood it) . But you've shown that everyone has a different take. Makes the world interesting!

I too started reacting to peanuts recently, not like my daughter does but I'm still allergic to them. But we'e had a peanut free house for years.

Enjoy your holiday!

Susan

[chrissy]

well---i'd definitely want to cure my girls if it were possible---our ped gi says that they are looking to see that in the future (though no one is working on it yet). if dr. fassano can make his zonulin antagonist work to treat celiac disease, i'll be as close to the front of the line to get it as i can.

i would much rather have the option of learning to practice self-control to eat well than to have my girls have a disease to force us to eat well.

[cgilsing]

Just to clarify, my original post was a hypothetical cure question. In reality who knows what they are going to come up with and what side affects it will have. But IF they came up with a REAL cure. How many people would take it? I guess I feel somewhat the same way that Cathy does. That this diet has been a GREAT excersize in self-control. Now that I'm used to it, I don't even think twice about the crap I used to put in my body. I'm afraid if I was really cured though, I might fall back into my old ways. It would make me think twice about taking it. I'm amazed that I feel this way though...because I used to PRAY for a cure or a treatment or ANYTHING that would let me eat wheat again. As it turns out (at least for me) this diet isn't so bad afterall....who would have thunk?!

P.S. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate all the posts. Everybody has brought up GREAT points and a lot to think about if they do come out with some kind of treatment.

[cmom]

I am not sure if I would ever trust a cure. I never want to go back to the way I was before. I am able to live a much more normal life now. Even though I still have episodes sometimes, life is much more pleasant. I would probably continue to choose the gluten-free lifestyle.

[Guest AutumnE]

It wouldnt change my life much at all, I have so many other food allergies and intolerances that it wouldnt bring back any grains since I cant tolerate any of them anymore. I am very healthy now and I love feeling full of energy. Celiac disease and my diagnosis of glaucoma are changing my life in wonderful ways.

For my 2 year old, absolutely I hope for a cure currently its only gluten and I would love her to have the freedom of her choice of diet when she is older.

[barbara3675]

CQILSING----I got it!!!!!! Your quesiton was just all in fun, really, and that is the way I took it. I highly doubt your theory will actually come true. I answered exactly the way you wanted people to answer. Since then I have thought of several things that I would dig into!!!!!!!like crusty french bread to name one, made spaghetti last night and had to make garlic bread out of gluten-free bread, wasn't bad, but could have been better made out of a loaf of crusty french bread. Not complaining though, really, in the scheme of things in life, this ailment is so little compared to the things that can REALLY go wrong, that is the way I look at it every day. If all things could be cured so easily as just changing the things you eat, there would be a lot less sick and dying people. Barbara

[tarnalberry]

If there was a complete and total cure - "hey look, you have new genes, and it's totally chemically impossible for them to damage your intestines or other internal organs just because you eat gluten" sort of thing - of course I'd go for it. Gluten exists in our world, and there's absolutely no way that we can 100% guarantee that we will never ever ever make a mistake or otherwise accidentally ingest some. So, making a change that brings me one step closer to being invincible - or at least removes my weakness to kryptonite while I live on a planet filled with it - is all good. Would I drastically change my diet? No. Would I change it a little? Probably, if it were a *true and complete* cure - meaning that there were NO deliterious effects from gluten consumption.