Exposing Celiac Disease

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Imagine having a life threatening disease and not even knowing it. This was the case for me. I was brought up eating healthy wheat bread and grains. Much to my surprise I would learn it was actually hurting my health. I have always had “stomach issues” and being lactose intolerant, I blamed it on that. I never thought it could be something else. Last year I learned I was anemic; soon I was lying in the hospital with a blood transfusion and wondering why. I ate extremely healthy foods and was sure I should have retained those nutrients. Once my blood work came back I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I was burning more calories than I was eating without knowing it. To top it off I had a rash on my face that seemed to never go away. Anemia, hyperthyroidism, lactose intolerance and having rashes are all symptoms of celiac, you would think after all of this a doctor would either test me or at least mention it. That was not the case. Instead, I learned of this medical condition through three-time daytime Emmy winning actor Sarah Joy Brown. Sarah J. Brown is a fellow celiac sufferer who spreads awareness of CD to her fans, friends and family through her facebook and twitter accounts. I will be forever grateful to her. Celiac disease is life threatening and more should be done to spread knowledge and awareness on the subject.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune deficiency triggered by the consumption of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Thousands of years ago, when a person’s diet consisted of mainly meats, fruits and nuts, celiac did not exist. However, once humans began using seeds from plants to grow crops, agriculture was born and along with it came celiac disease (Fasano, A August 2009). In a person living with celia...

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...going through every ingredient that they use just to make sure you won’t get sick. GF cards are more of an icebreaker between you and the chef so that he/she is at least aware to be careful with the ingredients being used (www.celiactravel.com). Celiac travel, a website committed to providing celiacs with safe eating while traveling, offers free gluten-free cards in 48 different languages.

Celiac Disease is an unheard of term. When mentioned, people have no clue as to what it may be. Just as with any other disease, it is important that people become more aware of it and know more about it. Every day is a day to make a difference and do something more. It is my hope that through hearing about this you will spread awareness of this life threatening condition. More research can and will be done, but even so, what we have learned about it now, can save lives.

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