Acquaintance Claiming There's A Cure For Celiac

[Coleslawcat]

I know a woman whose husband has celiac disease. He was diagnosed by the same doctor who diagnosed me, after a positive blood test and biopsy. They have been skeptical of the diagnosis because he didn't feel better after going gluten free, but she mentioned he still drinks beer on occassion (not gluten-free beer) so I know they aren't great about following the diet. Anyway, now she's posting on FB how a doctor has cured him and he will be able to eat gluten again in 2 weeks. This same doctor supposedly already cured him of his lactose intolerance and he can enjoy dairy starting now. I know there's no cure for celiac. Lactose intolerance is different, I realize he may just be taking the enzyme or something like that, but I can't believe for a second there is a real doctor out there claiming to have cured celiac disease. It drives me crazy to see this. I think there might be some allergist operating in the area that claims this because I've been approached by strangers while shopping for gluten free foods who tell me there's a doctor in the area curing celiac.

[jerseyangel]

I agree--it's ridiculous. At a holiday party, one of the people there told me that he read that "fasting could cure my condition"

Honestly, I don't know what annoyed me more at that particular moment--the erroneous information or the way he said 'your condition'.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Can you find out the name of this "doctor"? If you find out it is a real doctor prescribing some meds instead of a gluten-free diet I think you can report them to the AMA or whoever it is that does medical licensing. You should also try to find out about it so you can warn you local celiac group (if you have one) about the scam. Unfortunately people will waste their money on all kinds of things like that, but maybe you can be proactive in fighting it.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I also wanted to say it really bugs me when I come across someone that claims they are celiac but they "don't have to be too strict about it." I'm not talking about people that are not sensitive to cc, I'm talking about people that will sometime eat gluten on purpose because they think a little won't hurt. My husband has a co-worker like this, she claims she's "just a mild celiac" (i.e. doesn't react much) so she will have a piece of cake, for example, when they have it for an office birthday party. I just want to shake these people because of how much they are harming their health for later on down the road, but also how much it hurts those of us that have to be really careful. I think it encourages the type of behavior from friends and relatives that we hear about on hear all the time when they ask if we can just scrap off the bread crumbs or pick the pasta out or something similar.

[kareng]

I agree--it's ridiculous. At a holiday party, one of the people there told me that he read that "fasting could cure my condition"

Honestly, I don't know what annoyed me more at that particular moment--the erroneous information or the way he said 'your condition'.

Fasting will eliminate any disease if you do it long enough. Once you are dead....

[ravenwoodglass]

I agree with everyone. We all know there is no 'cure' for celiac. It was thought long ago, and some doctors still believe, that children will outgrow it. But as we know they don't. Sometimes after a long while on the diet some folks will seem to stop reacting when they eat gluten, for a while anyway until the antibodies build up. Unfortunately many don't realize celiac is so much more than just a 'belly ache' and for some the damage to the other organs can be severe before the gut symptoms show up. I feel bad for folks that are foolish enough to believe it can be 'cured' and agree if you can find out who the 'doctor' is reporting him is the appropriate thing to do. Even if he is a naturopathic doctor most states do require them to be liecensed (sp) and there will be an agency that you can report them to.

[Cinderella10]

I also wanted to say it really bugs me when I come across someone that claims they are celiac but they "don't have to be too strict about it." I'm not talking about people that are not sensitive to cc, I'm talking about people that will sometime eat gluten on purpose because they think a little won't hurt. My husband has a co-worker like this, she claims she's "just a mild celiac" (i.e. doesn't react much) so she will have a piece of cake, for example, when they have it for an office birthday party. I just want to shake these people because of how much they are harming their health for later on down the road, but also how much it hurts those of us that have to be really careful. I think it encourages the type of behavior from friends and relatives that we hear about on hear all the time when they ask if we can just scrap off the bread crumbs or pick the pasta out or something similar.

I completely 100% agree with how annoying this is. "Well, So-and-So can eat _______," with the unspoken follow-up statement being "so why can't you?" Drives me crazy.

[Coleslawcat]

Ok, so I found out for sure that it is a naturopathic doctor. He claims he can cure anyone of any allergy or intolerance, be it food related or environmental. I still need to get his name though. What a crock!

[conniebky]

My answer is E.

In Kentucky, we do this: let's say, there's a purse you want, you ask your friend, I want it, I can afford it, it's cute, should I get it? We'll go.. D - meaning, all of the above, meaning yes.

If it's "this guy is cute, but he's been in jail, and he hit his other girlfriend, but he's real nice to me, but he stole a car once, but it wasn't his fault" - we'll go "E" - meaning none of the above.

So, my answer to you is E.

[conniebky]

Fasting will eliminate any disease if you do it long enough. Once you are dead....

Well, ain't THAT the truth!

[Skylark]

Ok, so I found out for sure that it is a naturopathic doctor. He claims he can cure anyone of any allergy or intolerance, be it food related or environmental. I still need to get his name though. What a crock!

Let me guess. It involves crystals and "energy therapy".

[sunnybabi1986]

Let me guess. It involves crystals and "energy therapy".

Or maybe accupuncture...I've heard that few times (that it can cure Celiac disease-I wish! We'd all be cured if that were the case!)

[kareng]

Let me guess. It involves crystals and "energy therapy".

I think we know one thing it involves, for sure, money!

[jerseyangel]

I think we know one thing it involves, for sure, money!

:lol:

[ravenwoodglass]

Or maybe accupuncture...I've heard that few times (that it can cure Celiac disease-I wish! We'd all be cured if that were the case!)

It sure can't cure it but it can be helpful with relieving the symptoms. I have livedo reticularis, I turn purple when glutened before I was diagnosed I went to one, turned down all his herbal concoctions but I would lay down purple and get up a normal color. Both he and I were amazed but as soon as I went home and ate, gluten of course, I would be purple again.

[mommida]

Someone told me the drug that alcholics are put on to go through aversion therapy, is a "possible cure" for Celiacs. I have found NOTHING that proves that or if that was even tested. Kinda goes back to the "fast long enough and when your dead, your Celiac is cured" statement.

[Mari]

No reputable scientist would ever contend that there is no cure or will never be a cure for celiac disease. Studies have shown that so far nobody who has developed the autoimmune reaction had been cured but it is not known if this will be possible in the future or has already happened but the people who were cured were not included in the studies. Science is not static, it is a progression of findings which are intrepreted by usually the scientists who preformed the study and other reliable evidence. It is very hopeful that some people claim to be cured and an eventual understanding of why they were cured lies in the future when some bright scientist begins to put together seeming unrelated information from a variety of sources. From what I have read there is no clear understanding of the trigger(s) or even an understanding of the pathology of celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases.

[sandsurfgirl]

Or maybe accupuncture...I've heard that few times (that it can cure Celiac disease-I wish! We'd all be cured if that were the case!)

My acupuncturist flat out said "I cannot cure your celiac disease. What I can do is make your body strong so that if you get glutened accidentally you will recover quicker. But you MUST stay gluten free the rest of your life and don't cheat because it will damage your body."

Which is why I love him. I would never cheat anyway. This is terribly blunt but people who cheat are being stupid. Why don't you just put a little rat poison in your wine at night? That man who occasionally drinks beer and thinks his celiac is cured, well... he deserves every bout of D, C, vomiting and stomach pain he gets. That's just plain dumb .

[gfreegirlie]

I completely 100% agree with how annoying this is. "Well, So-and-So can eat _______," with the unspoken follow-up statement being "so why can't you?" Drives me crazy.

It drives me crazy too. I dated a guy whos mom was a celiac though I tend to doubt she really was or if she was she wasn't very smart about it. He would always say things to me implying that I was over-reacting or being overly cautions and that things wouldn't really hurt me as bad as they do becuase she would go to taco bell with him or pick the meat out of a pasta dish.