Practical Change Coaching
  • Home
  • What you'll get
  • Let's go!
  • Survey
  • Podcast
  • About PCC
  • Blog
  • Contact

Celiac: Go gluten free, feel better, live longer

4/21/2012

 
"We teach best what we most need to learn." Richard Bach, Illusions.  I guess that is the SHORT short version of why I'm doing this.

I know it may puzzle people who know me that I am spending my free time on this gluten free thing. And before I got diagnosed with celiac, I would have thought so too. I remember a conversation with our pediatrician 9 years ago when talking with her about our older son's mild reflux issues. She mentioned celiac and I made a face and said something enlightened like, "Isn't that pretty weird and rare?" She said no, not that rare (she ignored the "weird" comment), but because we didn't have any other indications that he might have gluten issues, we didn't pursue testing. [My son, now 10, and I are not biologically related and he has no symptoms of celiac, FYI.]

And is my way, once I got diagnosed, I began a steep learning curve on how to live gluten free and about the disease itself. What I found is that it's a way bigger deal than most people think it is, and it looks like it's only going to get bigger. (More about that in a minute if you want a deeper dive.) But what's the big deal anyway? So you have an upset stomach, so what? Well, for one, "upset stomach" doesn't begin to approach the severity and host of symptoms that some people experience. For two, untreated celiac can open the door to a whole host of conditions and illnesses, including cancer, which can make your life miserable and shorter. That's the big deal. If you have celiac, go gluten free, feel better, live longer. If you have any reason to suspect you might have celiac, talk to your doctor and ask to have the antibody tests for celiac that may indicate a need for further testing. Go here to see a symptoms checklist.

Before I got the celiac diagnosis, I was interested in helping people adopt strategies that would increase their general level of happiness. Since diagnosis, I've met and interacted with lots of people with celiac in person and in the cyberworld who could really use some techniques to get happier. This is supported by research that indicates that people with celiac, especially women, are more likely to be depressed and anxious.

So that's the point of my quest to help others be happy, healthy and gluten free. Keep reading if you want the numbers.

The number of people needing to live gluten-free is exploding. 1 in 133 Americans are diagnosed with celiac, many more are gluten-intolerant, their caretakers add to the ranks of people who assist with their meals, and many more people will be diagnosed in the near future as information about celiac and gluten intolerance increases testing and diagnosis.

In the United States, celiac disease is a genetic disease that affects at least 3 million people. That's 1 in 133 (for comparison, that's more than twice as many people as those who have Type I diabetes). But the number more than doubles if you have any symptoms (and there are LOTS of symptoms that you wouldn't necessarily connect to a GI issue), and the incidence of celiac is 6 times higher if you have a relative that has it. And what's more, researchers studying a population of both symptomatic and non-symptomatic people found that 60% of children and 41% of adults diagnosed during the study were asymptomatic, meaning that they would have had no physical reason to seek out testing. (Source: A multi-center study on the sero-prevalence of celiac disease in the United States among both at risk and not at risk groups. Fasano et. al., Archives of Internal Medicine. February 2003.) If you add in the number of people who are gluten intolerant (which means that they have symptoms but haven't tested positive for celiac) and the number goes up from there.

What's more, the time it takes for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed  with celiac disease in the US is four years, increasing that person's risk of developing other autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis and even cancer. (Source: Characteristics of adult celiac disease in the USA: results of a national survey. Green, P.H. et.al. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2001, 2006.)

And what about the Happy part of my equation? There are numerous studies that indicate that people, especially women, with celiac are more likely to be depressed and anxious than the general population even after they have gone gluten free. (Source: Future issue of Journal of Chronic Illness. Josh Smyth.; World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jun 14;16(22):2780-7. Häuser W,; Janke KH,; Klump B,; Gregor M,; Hinz A.)

Here's to your good health and happiness!
Picture
This is my mom and dad and my grandparents in 1959. Since celiac is genetic, at least one person in this picture also carried the gene and may have suffered with a whole host of related symptoms for years. Fortunately awareness is on the rise, testing is getting better, and I'm confident that diagnosis and the time it takes to get a diagnosis will improve drastically in the years to come.


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    December 2020
    January 2019
    December 2018
    February 2018
    August 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    May 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010

    RSS Feed

Subscribe

* indicates required

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Practical Change Coaching:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Picture
© Practical Change Coaching. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us
  • Home
  • What you'll get
  • Let's go!
  • Survey
  • Podcast
  • About PCC
  • Blog
  • Contact