Celiac on the House

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The doctor who is the title character of House is a jerk. But at least he knows from celiac disease! The oft-misdiagnosed condition played an important part in the November 9, 2006 episode "Forever"—and it also came up in the November 11, 2008 episode "The Itch" (Season 5, Episode 7) according to a recap by Charmaine P. Dennis.

One of the medical clues that raised the question of celiac disease was villous atrophy; another was peripheral neuropathy. According to the Fox TV episode summary, House rejects the conventional strategy of starting diagnosis with a celiac blood panel and instead orders the following diagnostic technique: "force-feed the patient wheat, then do an endoscopy as it hits his duodenum to see if there's an allergic reaction." Sounds very radical to me—it seems part of the goal to make the patient experience symptoms—and I'm not even sure it's possible. But what do I know? I'm just a layperson. Is there a doctor in the house? If so, feel free to chime in!

A Pain in the...Mouth

Celiac disease is just one of many conditions associated with canker sores, as noted in the nj.com health advice column "Treat mouth tenderly to reduce canker sores" (November 11, 2008).

People with conditions such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis or Reiter's syndrome are more commonly affected. Factors that can contribute to the development of canker sores are stress, trauma and deficiencies of iron, folate, zinc and vitamin B12.

Here's a recent study that found that "The epidemiological association found between coeliac disease and aphthous-like ulcers suggests that recurrent aphthous-like ulcers should be considered a risk indicator for coeliac disease, and that gluten-free diet leads to ulcer amelioration." In other words, canker sores can be a sign of celiac disease, and a gluten-free diet can treat canker sores in people with celiac disease.

Do you wonder if you have celiac disease? Before trying to to go gluten-free, seek a conventional diagnosis by consulting with an informed doctor about getting the blood panel used to test for the condition.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes

Catherine Oddenino of A Gluten-Free Guide website just took the plunge into online video with a set of Thanksgiving cooking videos for MyRecipes.

The viewing options include Turkey...



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...Sweet Potato Casserole...



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...and Cheesecake!



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A Gluten-Free Mum and Her Hardrocking Son

This WalesOnline article focuses on Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins and his mum Elaine Davies's kidney transplant, but it also mentions coeliac disease and osteoporosis as being among her other ailments. Here's to their health—and here's to organ donation!

And here Watkins uses some strong language to encourage fans to offer their hearts for transplantation.



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Gluten-Free, Politically

It's a very good morning over at Gluten-Free NYC, filled with the promise of positive change—and not just because of enthusiasm over Barack Obama's victory. As the nation moves toward a fresh start and the possibility of more unity, it strikes GFNYC that a health policy that raises public awareness of celiac disease is something that both Democrats and Republicans can agree upon.

As you might recall, GFNYC supported Barack Obama but noted that both of the big party presidential tickets could offer improvements for people with celiac disease. Gluten Free Blog expressed a similar position in favor of Obama.

As John McCain and Sarah Palin return to their regular jobs as senator and governor, they can still follow through on their concern for "special needs" households, including those affected by celiac disease and associated conditions, including Down Syndrome and, possibly, autism as it is currently being diagnosed.

Palin in particular should also be aware that millions of Americans may still be undiagnosed with celiac disease, as her prominent supporter Jane Swift and her outspoken advocate Elisabeth Hasselbeck are known to have the condition. So perhaps the Anchorage GIG group can do something with that.

Closer to home, Kemp Hannon retained his seat in the New York State Senate. He has recognized that early screening for celiac disease is an idea worth consideration.

As far as the national government is concerned, GFNYC notes that Representative Nita Lowey, Senator James Inhofe, and Senator Ben Nelson all remain in office. They might not agree on much, but each has advocated on behalf of people with celiac disease.

Also remaining in office is Senator Hillary Clinton, an advocate of universal health care whose husband Bill recently talked up the value of "gluten-free" cassava.

Presiding over all of these politicians will be Barack Obama, a supporter of preventive medicine and universal health care for children who recognizes that some government programs are worth additional funding even during budgetary crises. GFNYC hopes that the FDA's ability to enforce food labeling accuracy will improve under his administration.

Celiac disease might not mean much to the general population in the great scheme of things. But sensible, progressive policies regarding celiac disease should find a place on the agenda as American leaders search for ways to build unity and consensus.

Pumpkin Soup

I just love me a hearty and warming pumpkin soup. I've already posted on the subject, but I thought I'd return to it, what with it being pumpkin season again. So I found this promising recipe—from Oklahoma!

Photo: David Marc Fischer

Gluten-Free Recession?

For months the typical marketing story on gluten-free products described (and predicted an additional) boom in the market, due to people on medical diets as well as trend or fad followers.

But might the recent shakiness of the economy lessen the extent of the boom? That might be the case if the cost of gluten-free products remains relatively high. Consider the articles "Gluten-Free Diet: A Cure for Some, a Fad for Most" (U.S. News and World Report, October 31, 2008) and "Budgets Squeezed, Some Families Bypass Organics" (The New York Times, November 1, 2008).