Re: Re: The Most Ignorant Gluten Free Article I Have Seen

[Guest guest]

On scale of worst articles I've ever seen on celiac, this one ain't in the top

20. Yes, it could have been better, but it was better than so many I've read

that claim celiac itself is a fad, not an autoimmune disease.

Maureen

--- On Wed, 11/5/08, kristenevelyncampbell <kristenevelyncampbell@...>

wrote:

> From: kristenevelyncampbell <kristenevelyncampbell@...>

> Subject: [ ] Re: The Most Ignorant Gluten Free Article I Have Seen

>

> Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 8:26 PM

> Hi !

>

> The core reasons why the article upsets me are that by

> dismissing the

> diet as a fad, many who may be gluten intolerant or have

> celiac but

> are only just looking into this possibility, may see

> articles like

> this and think themselves just following a passing popular

> diet.

> The author is correct in stating that celiac is a very

> serious

> disease, but for those who are severely gluten intolerant,

> symptoms

> and severity are no different. And with up to 30% of

> Americans

> gluten sensitive (celiac or intolerance), a national or

> even global

> trend towards a more gluten free mainstream diet may not be

> the worst

> thing.

> Your thoughts?

>

>

>

> www.NaturallyDahling.com

>

>

>

> >

> > I have no problem with this article.  Nothing in it

> is factually

> wrong, and it gives the story in a fair and balanced way. 

>

> >

> >

> >  

> >

> >

> >

> > ________________________________

> > From: kristenevelyncampbell

> <kristenevelyncampbell@...>

> >

> > Sent: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 5:37:19 PM

> > Subject: [ ] The Most Ignorant Gluten Free

> Article I

> Have Seen

> >

> >

> > I am really glad that forwarded the article

> on the U.S.

> News

> > and World Report. Have you all seen it?

> > It is utterly blood boiling. With gluten intolerance

> and celiac

> > disease severely undiagnosed in this country, an

> artile such as

> this is

> > not the right message to put out there for those who

> are

> questioning

> > their symptoms.

> > I love that the gluten free community is so verbal

> online, and so

> > supportive. And I love that the undiagnosed even pop

> up for

> > questioning every so often. The louder our voices, the

> bigger our

> > network, the larger the percentages there will be of

> Americans who

> are

> > finally, acurately diagnosed.

> > Your thoughts?

> >

> >

> > www.NaturallyDahlin g.com

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I think the article is pretty clear that while there are some people who are jumping on the gluten free bandwagon, others legitimately have celiac disease. This is probably true and is clear even from reading only the title. So even the casual reader should not be led to dismiss the disease. The article also spends a good bit of time on the true disease and quotes correct statistics about it. The information discussed in the article represents the most up to date medical and scientific studies. As the article mentions, greater demand for gluten free products increases what is available to us, so I have no problem with others jumping in on the fad! If they want to go gluten-free, fine by me. The article also does not try to define who is in it for the fad and who is seriously ill. Clearly, that is something best left to the individual and their doctor.

I'm not sure about the 30% statistic, but I also do believe that there is a spectrum of gluten sensitivity out there and people who could benefit in more subtle ways from eating gluten-free.

I do think it is important that people understand the difference between these more subtle levels of sensitivity and celiac. When others go to restaurants and claim to be gluten-free but say they can handle just a little bit of gluten , it creates the impression that that is ok for all of us. This misinformation can be difficult to correct! This is a case where a little bit of knowledge can be more dangerous than no knowledge at all.

I am not sure what you mean by "a severe gluten intolerance" in your case as opposed to Celiac. The article does not really get into the medical and diagnostic subtleties and controversies surrounding diagnosis with full-blown Celiac versus gluten intolerance. I'm not sure this issue will be resolved any time soon either. It could be that gluten intolerance is just a form of difficult-to-diagnose Celiac (were the tests done right? were they the right tests?), or it could be a slightly different but related disease immunologically - with only an anti-gliadin component but no autoimmune component. Can you truly be intolerant but not be Celiac? I don't think science has resolved this question yet.

All interesting questions to ponder.

From: kristenevelyncampbell <kristenevelyncampbell@...> Sent: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 8:26:12 PMSubject: [ ] Re: The Most Ignorant Gluten Free Article I Have Seen

Hi !The core reasons why the article upsets me are that by dismissing the diet as a fad, many who may be gluten intolerant or have celiac but are only just looking into this possibility, may see articles like this and think themselves just following a passing popular diet. The author is correct in stating that celiac is a very serious disease, but for those who are severely gluten intolerant, symptoms and severity are no different. And with up to 30% of Americans gluten sensitive (celiac or intolerance) , a national or even global trend towards a more gluten free mainstream diet may not be the worst thing.Your thoughts?www.NaturallyDahlin g.com--- In , <kristin_boston@ ...>

wrote:>> I have no problem with this article. Nothing in it is factually wrong, and it gives the story in a fair and balanced way. > > > > > > > ____________ _________ _________ __> From: kristenevelyncampbe ll <kristenevelyncampb ell@...>> > Sent: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 5:37:19 PM> Subject: [ ] The Most Ignorant Gluten Free Article I Have Seen> > > I am really glad that forwarded the article on the U.S. News > and World Report. Have you all seen it? > It is utterly blood boiling. With gluten intolerance and celiac > disease severely undiagnosed in this country, an artile such as this

is > not the right message to put out there for those who are questioning > their symptoms.> I love that the gluten free community is so verbal online, and so > supportive. And I love that the undiagnosed even pop up for > questioning every so often. The louder our voices, the bigger our > network, the larger the percentages there will be of Americans who are > finally, acurately diagnosed.> Your thoughts?> > > www.NaturallyDahlin g.com>

[Guest guest]

The article is decent and the info about celiac disease is accurate. I do think it's a mixed blessing that so many people just decide to go gf without a certified medical reason, because in my experience many of those people don't strictly follow the gf diet the way I know I need to -- this means I get a lot of, "Oh, I have a friend who is just like you, so I know all about the gluten free diet" from restaurant managers and waiters and friends, followed by comments like, "You can have this or that dish because it just has a little wheat" or "We have a great gluten free spelt bread."

I also liked that the article mentioned that many people mistakenly think the diet will make you lose weight , though of course it won't, especially if you substitute all the gf breads and dessert items for gluten breads and desserts! It drove me nuts how many of my friends, upon hearing of my diagnosis, said, "Wow, you are going to lose so much weight! I should try that diet!" as if my going gf were some lark. And since none of you can see me, let me tell you that I am quite thin already - I don't need to lose any weight, but so many people are so obsessed with weight, they think everyone would want to lose weight - a sad commentary on our society... So I was glad to see that idea debunked.

In any case, the more accurate info about celiac disease out there the better, even if couched in an article clearly written to dismiss fad seekers...

-----Original Message-----

From: Iscol <no_gravity3@...>

Sent: Sat, 8 Nov 2008 7:31 am

Subject: [ ] Re: The Most Ignorant Gluten Free Article I Have Seen

I forwarded the article because I thought it was a pretty

decent one, and I'm always pleased to see celiac mentioned in any

national media. I thought it was accurate and well-researched,

and had good quotes from a number of well-known members of the

national celiac community. Gluten-free food is indeed a fad, and that

cuts both ways for us: the popularity of it brings more products to

the market and increases awareness of celiac disease; but, as the

article mentions in the last paragraph, it can lead to a

misunderstanding about the seriousness of the GF diet for celiacs.

It's interesting to see a variety of reactions to the article.

- Iscol

>

> I am really glad that forwarded the article on the U.S. News

> and World Report. Have you all seen it?

> It is utterly blood boiling. With gluten intolerance and celiac

> disease severely undiagnosed in this country, an artile such as this is

> not the right message to put out there for those who are questioning

> their symptoms.

> I love that the gluten free community is so verbal online, and so

> supportive. And I love that the undiagnosed even pop up for

> questioning every so often. The louder our voices, the bigger our

> network, the larger the percentages there will be of Americans who are

> finally, acurately diagnosed.

> Your thoughts?

>

>

> www.NaturallyDahling.com

>

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