About.com Celiac Disease

Gluten-Free? Be Careful Who You Trust.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:50:36 +0000

One of the Top 10 Rules for people with celiac disease: Never take anyone else's word for what's gluten-free. Before you eat or drink something, check the label, call the manufacturer, and don't believe what some other internet user tells you in a forum or bulletin board -- even here on my site. Always double-check for yourself.

Why am I telling you this?

Recently I heard a story that horrified me. On a page on this site where readers share information on their favorite gluten-free beers, one reader had written that Moosehead beer is gluten-free. Another reader read that, went out and bought some, and then became very sick because in fact Moosehead beer isn't gluten-free at all. (I've removed that information from the page now.)

Everyone here at About.com is extremely committed to accuracy, and that's especially true for all the sites on the Health Channel. All the Guides on About.com's Health Channel (like me) are closely supervised by a Medical Review Board of physicians who check our medical material before it's allowed to be posted online. Unlike all the other Health Channel pages, however, our User Answer pages -- like the "Favorite Gluten-Free Beer" page -- are not written by a Guide and not reviewed by the Medical Board. User Answer pages are relatively new on About.com. They were introduced because we want readers to know we consider their opinions to be important, too -- but it's important for everyone to remember that User Answer pages are just that: other people's opinions and stories.

As of today, I've added the following warning to all my User Answer pages, even those that don't address food issues:

Please remember! Suggestions from others can be helpful, but comments from readers are not double-checked for accuracy. Make sure to research any suggestions before putting them to use, and always double-check the gluten-free status of any recommended product.

In the meantime, please keep on visiting our User Answer pages and sharing your experience with other readers.

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Gluten-Free? Be Careful Who You Trust. originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 18:50:36.

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Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Links, 2009

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:03:10 +0000

This list of gluten-free Thanksgiving links proves that gluten-free doesn't mean turkey-stuffing-free or gravy-free or pie-crust free! Browse through these links, enjoy, and firm up your plans for a happy gluten-free Thanksgiving weekend.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes from About.com (Also including: which turkey brands are gluten-free, how to keep gluten-free guests safe, vegetarian recipes, and more.)
A Gluten-Free Thanksgiving from National Public Radio
Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes from Whole Foods
Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips from The Gluten-Free Goddess
Thoughts about Making Thanksgiving Gluten-Free from Gluten-Free Girl
Options to Dine Gluten-Free on Thanksgiving from KABC-TV
Adopt-a-Gluten-Free-Blogger Thanksgiving Edition from Book of Yum

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Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Links, 2009 originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 03:03:10.

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Gluten-Free Groceries on Sale at Amazon.com

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:59:07 +0000

Amazon has temporarily slashed its already low prices on gluten-free groceries. Flours, baking mixes, crackers, snacks, etc. are all on sale. For example, Envirokids Gluten-Free Animal Cookies, usually $45.60 for a case of 12 boxes, is now $38.08 for 12. Four 1-lb bags of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix, usually $21.12, is $16.25. Pamela's Products, Gluten-Free Pantry mixes, and many more brands are on sale. I'm not sure how long the sale will last, so check it out soon.

Gluten-Free Groceries on Sale at Amazon.com originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 09:59:07.

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Eating Gluten-Free/Casein-Free on Food Stamps

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:11:20 +0000

On the Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) web site, there's a great article for families on low incomes who must follow gluten-free/casein-free diets. There's a sample monthly menu and shopping lists, and the article also talks about applying for food stamps and signing up for free and reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches.

The TACA people worked with the median family of four food subsidy of $396 per month and only included foods that were free of gluten, casein and soy. They followed USDA Nutrition guidelines "to make sure the diet was healthy, not merely inexpensive." Finally, they checked prices in several states to make sure they were getting a national average.

Their article is called GFCFSF Diet on Food Stamps (Yes, you can!), and it's definitely work a look.

If you follow a gluten-free/casein-free diet, you might also be interested in my list of resources for gluten-free/dairy-free diets.

Finally, even if you're not struggling financially, you might find it helpful to read How to Limit Your Gluten-Free Food Costs.

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Eating Gluten-Free/Casein-Free on Food Stamps originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 00:11:20.

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Hasselbeck Plagiarism Lawsuit is Dismissed by the Judge

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:53:31 +0000

The Boston Herald is reporting that the plagiarism lawsuit against The View star Elisabeth Hasselbeck has been dismissed by the judge. Last May, Hasselbeck published her autobiographical book The G-Free Diet about her celiac disease diagnosis and her gluten-free life, and she was promptly confronted by plagiarism charges by another writer .

As I wrote at the time, the charges seemed very unreasonable to me. I'm glad the case has been dismissed.

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Hasselbeck Plagiarism Lawsuit is Dismissed by the Judge originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 15:53:31.

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Uno Chicago Grill to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:18:46 +0000

Uno Chicago Grill is offering free individual pizzas or entrees (with an entree or pizza purchase of equivalent value) to all veterans on Veterans Day, November 11. You don't need a coupon -- just show up in uniform or with a military or veteran's ID.

In case you don't know, Uno Chicago Grill has a wide-ranging gluten-free menu, including delicious gluten-free pizzas, steaks, salmon, ribs, chicken, burgers, salads, side dishes, and desserts. (I wrote about Uno Chicago Grill earlier this year.)

They have more than 200 restaurants in the U.S. - so if you're a veteran, and you live near an Uno Chicago Grill, take advantage of their Veteran's Day offer. (And if you're not on a gluten-free diet, bring along someone who is!)

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Uno Chicago Grill to Honor Veterans on Veterans Day originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 23:18:46.

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Setback for Potential Celiac Disease Drug AT-1001

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:32:53 +0000

Back in December 2007, there was a lot of fanfare when pharmaceutical giant Shire, headquartered in the U.K., signed an agreement with Alba Therapeutics Corp. in Maryland to collaborate in the development of Alba's potential new drug for celiac disease, known as AT-1001 (or larazotide acetate). Shire bought the development rights outside of the U.S. and Japan for AT-1001 for an upfront cost of $25 million, and newspapers at the time said the deal could eventually be worth more than $325 million, if AT-1001 met everyone's expectations.

Unfortunately, the results of clinical trials (research studies in humans) have been disappointing, and yesterday Shire announced it was terminating its deal with Alba. In a press release, Shire said, "On October 16, 2009 and following review of Phase 2 data, Shire informed Alba Therapeutics Corporation of its intent to terminate the collaboration. Effective November 15, 2009 Shire will return to Alba all rights to...larazotide acetate for celiac disease, also known as AT-1001."

In the same press release, Shire also announced its intention to terminate a collaboration with another company (Amicus Therapeutics, Inc.), and that company promptly announced it was laying off 20% of its staff. I haven't seen any similar announcements from Alba, but I'm afraid of what this means for AT-1001 and Alba's other projects.

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Setback for Potential Celiac Disease Drug AT-1001 originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 22:32:53.

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Consumer Survey from the National Institutes of Health

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:00:17 +0000

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, is asking consumers to help with a research project. According to their statement, the point of the project is to help them gain "insight and better understanding of the health information needs and information-seeking behaviors of NIH health consumer audiences." Our answers will help them provide "health, medical, and scientific information to a broader variety of audiences."

Take the NIH online survey, and your answers will help them do a better job of providing health information for all of us. For people in your family who don't have internet access, you can print out the survey and they can return the hard copy to the NIH by mail.

While I'm on the topic of "information seeking," here are some tips I posted a few months ago for how to judge the quality of a medical web site.

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Consumer Survey from the National Institutes of Health originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 15:00:17.

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Treating Celiac Disease with Worms

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:53:34 +0000

Treating celiac disease with worms? Is this a Halloween headline, about gluten-free gummy worms? Nope. Read on.

As you might know, a variety of possible treatments for celiac disease are "in the research pipeline" right now. Within the next 5 to 10 years (or maybe sooner), those of us who can't or would rather not manage their celiac disease with a strict gluten-free diet will probably be able to take drugs of one sort or another that will allow at least some small amount of gluten to be eaten without the usual damage. In addition to medications, researchers in Australia are testing a vaccine against celiac disease, which I wrote about a few months ago.

Yesterday on Twitter I learned about another incredible project in Australia. Honestly, if it hadn't been tweeted by someone I respect (@GlutenFreeRN), I'd have been sure it was a joke. But it's for real (and be warned: it's not for the squeamish). As you can read for yourself on the Australian Broadcasting Company web site, worms have been linked to relief of celiac disease.

At Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, 10 volunteers with celiac disease were infected with live human hookworms. As the article reports, "The parasites burrowed into participants' skin and entered the bloodstream after being applied to the forearm. They then traveled via the lungs to the gut where they happily colonized."

Then, every day for the next 21 weeks, the volunteers ate a few slices of white bread. Another 10 patients with celiac disease, who were not treated with the hookworms, also ate white bread every day, for purposes of comparison. And in fact, the patients with the parasites had less inflammation and less damage in their intestines.

The Australian Broadcasting Company reports that at the end of the trial, the volunteers were offered worm medication to get rid of the parasites, "but all chose to keep their worms."

Why would researchers even think of treating celiac disease patients with worms? On clinicaltrials.gov, a website maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health with information on studies being planned or conducted all over the world, I found the answer. The Australian research team explains it this way:

The disappearance of intestinal parasites from humans in developed countries may be responsible for the upsurge in many diseases including Celiac Disease, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, asthma and hay fever. A parasite's survival relies on its ability to interfere with the host's immune response. The mechanisms employed to do this are similar to those [a person needs to protect against] the so-called autoimmune disorders, diseases in which the system turns on itself. [We] suspect that when parasites are excluded from the environment, some individuals become sufficiently self-reactive to develop an autoimmune disease. American researchers have successfully treated patients with Crohn's and ulcerative colitis using a pig whipworm....[We]have undertaken a similar preliminary study using a human hookworm in Crohn's patients.

What do you think? There needs to be a lot more research on this method before it becomes commonly available. Would you volunteer for a hookworm study?

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Treating Celiac Disease with Worms originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 09:53:34.

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Send Along a Gluten-Free Cupcake and Make Your Kid Feel Good at the Same Time

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:01:32 +0000

Allison of Sure Foods Living has written about a great little product that will help gluten-free kids feel better about bringing their own cupcakes along to parties and other special events. They're called Go Go Cupcake Holders, and Allison says they solve the problem of "how to send one cupcake and not smush it!"

Take a look at Allison's in-use photos, or go straight to Amazon to order them -- as of this writing, the price is $6.99 for two.

Another cupcake holder to check out: Range Kleen cupcake holders, 6 for $12.99, also on Amazon.

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Send Along a Gluten-Free Cupcake and Make Your Kid Feel Good at the Same Time originally appeared on About.com Celiac Disease on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 12:01:32.

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