October is Celiac Awareness Month!

I thought I'd post about October being CELIAC AWARENESS MONTH. Most of you know that I have a 'probable' diagnosis of celiac disease and it has been life-changing for me. Mostly in good ways - I am so much healthier now than I have ever been, I no longer have the pain that I dealt with on a daily basis and many other health problems that I had for 30 or so years. But it certainly has changed my social life and our grocery shopping! Here's an article about two people who were also diagnosed:

Going gluten-free*
More people are learning that they have celiac disease, an illness tied directly to food. And not just any food: It's "the staff of life" -- or the flour it's made with -- that makes them sick.
Al Sicherman, Star Tribune
Last update: October 04, 2006 – 5:14 PM

The doctor had good news -- and bad -- when Barbara Wojcik's celiac disease was diagnosed four years ago. The good news: She'd be feeling better than she had in years. The bad news: She had to change her diet. Forever. No more bread, cake or cookies.

And no more pizza, pasta, pretzels, fried chicken, beer, bagels, gravy, crackers nor a whole lot of ordinary frozen dinners, convenience foods and breakfast cereals. At least not normal versions of those foods. No more of anything that contained even a little wheat, rye or barley.

This was going to be difficult. "Food is so important to a family -- traditions and customs, and emotional well-being. It's really all tied in. To have to change something so basic so radically was really quite stressful," said Wojcik, 52, of White Bear Township.

She learned what her ailment was after 18 years of suffering with what doctors had continued to tell her was, in effect, a touchy gut. Along the way, one advised her to eat a lot of fiber -- like whole-wheat bread.

Her case isn't unusual; celiac disease is often misdiagnosed.

TO READ MORE: http://www.startribune.com/438/story/720995.html


Gluten-Free Recipes: http://www.startribune.com/436/story/720997.html
More Celiac Information: http://www.celiac.ca/EnglishCCA/eceliac.html
Gluten-Free Diet Information: http://www.celiac.ca/EnglishCCA/egfdiet.html

Gluten-Free Blogs: http://www.celiacchicks.com/
http://www.gfzing.com/
http://www.dermatitisherpetiformis.org.uk/dhocblog/index.html
http://vegetarianceliac.blogspot.com/
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/09/housekeeping.html

THIS ARTICLE SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE! Dangerous Grains should be read by all health professionals and their patients who are attempting to find answers to puzzling ailments that are unresponsive to treatments. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_2003_July/ai_104259163