Remember, I’m not a doctor. All I’m trying to do here is provide minimal interpretation and lots of information so you can make the best decisions for you with the help of your doctor.
Many of these articles require a FREE and very worth while subscription to Medscape.
After you read this and think you might have celiac, I highly recommend that you avoid gluten (with the support of your physician) and see if the symptoms abate. At the end of this post, I will post some food items that you can purchase from your local grocery store so that you’re well stocked and not hungry when you try a gluten free diet.
Here is an excellent description of Celiac Sprue, also called Celiac disease, from emedicine.com (can be accessed with the same FREE subscription of www.medscape.com ). If you feel that you have any or many of the symptoms mentioned in the article, you may want to print it out, highlight the symptoms you have and take it to your doctor. Be proactive and educate your physician. Chances are, your physician does not know the symptom sof celiac disease (see below articles)
- Chronic diarrhea
- Steatorrhea
- Abdominal bloating or cramps
- Flatulence
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Anemia
- Bleeding diathesis
- Osteopenia
- Seizure disorders
- Stunted growth
Discussion of the lack of detection of Celiac Disease and testing can be found here: Detection of Celiac Disease in Primary Care: A Multicenter Case-Finding Study in North America This article concludes: “In conclusion, our study demonstrates that an active case-finding strategy in the primary care setting is an effective means to improve the diagnostic rate of CD [Celiac Disease] in North America. The most common reasons for positive screening tests included gastrointestinal symptoms, thyroid disease, family history of CD, and iron deficiency. It is strongly recommended that all individuals be screened for the large variety of clinical manifestations and conditions associated with CD by their primary care physicians. Those with one or more of these features should have serological testing for CD and, if positive, should be referred for definitive diagnosis by means of an intestinal biopsy. A larger application of this protocol could raise the awareness and increase detection of this common disorder among primary care physicians and in the general population in North America.”
There is a very important and often overlooked link between Addison’s Disease (and other autoimmune diseases) and Celiac Disease.
Treatment for Celiac Disease is easy.
Avoid gluten in your diet. These two organizations (among many) have great websites with FAQ sections, recipes, and support.
Items to buy from the grocery store.
If you are fortunate enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, it’s got many, many excellent gluten free choices. I can find every one of these items in my local (very rural) grocery store. You will probably be able to find these items or similar where you live.
- Pasta
- Crackers-rice crackers that are gluten free , many choices
- Cookies
- Flours (if you want to make your own gluten free stuff)
- Gluten free mixes cookies, cakes, pancakes, brownies, biscuits and breads
- Cereal
- Polenta
- Gluten free bread – many choices in your frozen foods health food section
- Corn Starch as a thickener
Ideas for going out to eat:
· Salad and chicken
· Salad and seafood
· Steak and potato
· Mexican food with a corn tortilla
· Broiled chicken without the bun
· Eggs, potato and bacon
I welcome your comments, suggestions and ideas! Please use the comments link below!
Our mailbox (on the right). The box is located off the county road. The mail carrier won't deliver when the box is snowed in like this. I've dug it out several times and it's hard, dense snow. Whaaa!
Snowed in again and more.
My lazy solution. Pull the damned mailbox out of the snow pile and move it out to the road in the morning and away from the road in the evening (so it doesn't get plowed under).
The beautiful view south, toward Teton Pass last Sunday.
Curious cows during my run on Cedron Road last Sunday.
A creek on the Teton Springs property. The snow is deep!
The top of Targhee from Teton Canyon. During the Grand Teton Races 100, I'll go from where I took this picture to the top of Targhee several times.
The view of the Tetons from Teton Canyon on Tuesday
The view at the end of the Teton Canyon skate ski track. It was cold (10 degrees F) but quiet and peaceful.
This is what skate ski tracks look like. Not the lines that look like corduroy, but the other ones that cross the corduroy.
Sad. A moose near K-Mart in Jackson, Wyoming. It appears to have been hit by a car or truck. It was taken away by Department of Wildlife shortly after this picture was taken.
It was beautiful
