First let's address what celiac disease IS NOT:
1. Celiac disease is not an allergy.
2. Celiac disease is not a fad diet.
3. Celiac disease is not a sensitivity to wheat.
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition that causes tons of issues when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye is present in the small intestine. For currently unknown reasons, the body of a Celiac patient sees gluten as a threat and the immune system attacks it as soon as it's digested.
There is no cure for Celiac disease. But because it is caused by a reaction to gluten, the condition can be managed by controlling and monitoring your diet. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well it's not.
Here's the problem- gluten hides in things you would least expect. Shampoo, make-up (see my post about Sephora and their clueless staff), candy, salad dressings, spices, artificial flavorings, vitamins and medicine (medicine that your doctor prescribes you knowing darn well that you have celiac disease...grrrrr).
So, are you getting ready to mail that bill and you need to lick the envelope? Don't do it...it has gluten in it (and according to the news it has cockroach eggs in it too...ewww!).
Those little pesky stickers on fruit? They have gluten on them which then leaves glutenous residue on your produce. And this is just a small list of many, many, other ridiculous things where gluten hides.
Worse yet, your loved one has a moisturizer on their face with Vitamin E (typically derived from wheat germ) and you kiss them...and then a little later happen to lick your lips. You guessed it---your contaminated. Sucks right?
Oh, and it gets trickier-- just because an item says it's gluten free, like many of Trader Joe's food items, they aren't safe for celiacs. Most are manufactured in a facility on the same equipment that processes wheat items. So for someone who is 'gluten sensitive' this is sometimes ok. For someone with celiac disease, it's a huge no-no.
And just because a restaurant offers a gluten free menu, don't go getting excited and think it's safe either. Cause you'll find yourself throwing up in the parking lot, with vertigo and headaches lasting for weeks. I speak from experience here people and you can best believe that most of their staff have no clue what gluten or celiac disease is, and just how serious cross contamination is. Oh look, you just brought me a gluten free chicken salad with croutons. And you think by removing the croutons it's ok? NO
Celiac disease goes undiagnosed in thousands of people a year. It's one of the last things they test you for, if they test you, and it has over 250 symptoms associated with it. So what does your doctor do? They treat you for all your symptoms separately. See My Story for how many meds they prescribed prior to finding my celiac diagnosis.
Everyones symptoms are different. Mine were 90% gastrointestinal with ataxia, vertigo and headaches. So I leave you with this thought: 1 in 133 people have celiac disease and don't even realize it. If you have been suffering from things in the pic below, or have suffered from some ailment that your doctor keeps dismissing, ask to be tested.
No---insist on it!
Celiac Disease Symptoms – Courtesy of Gluten Dude
