YES! Not surprisingly, several readers recently sent in this question. This is likely due to the fact that Dr. Oz’s popular TV show aired a show (or part of one) about celiac disease last week. Though there were some glitches in the celiac segment, most of the information shared was factual. All of the information shared by Dr. Peter Green of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University was completely accurate, of course. Dr. Green’s book “Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic” should be required reading for every doctor in this country.
When Dr. Oz’s guest, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, mentioned that for years she’d been diagnosed with IBS many years prior to her finding out she actually had celiac disease instead, internet Google searches about celiac lit up the world wide web – at least in the U.S. The day after the show aired Google reported an increase of over 360% for the term celiac disease. That is fantastic news! Think of the millions of Americans suffering from IBS who are getting very little, if any, relief from their IBS medications. Hopefully, anyone who fits that profile and missed Dr. Oz’s celiac show has a friend that saw it and will tell them about it.
Also of note on the show, was an important comment Dr. Green made about fertility issues. He mentioned that many times he sees celiac patients that are about to undergo fertility treatments but he suggests they wait to see if they are able to get pregnant after starting the gluten-free diet. Dr. Green said that in some cases, the person is pregnant in a year or so. Do you know how much money fertility treatments cost? Do you know how many fertility treatment centers routinely test patients for celiac? Less than 10% of them do even though in Dr. Green’s book, he explains that roughly 10% of people who have fertility issues might have problems with celiac or gluten intolerance.
The list of celiac symptoms is long (read the Celiac-Disease.com post about them here) but possibly two of the most overlooked health problems that can be directly related to celiac or gluten intolerance are IBS and infertility. If you think you might have issues with gluten, take the symptoms checklist test on the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website. It’s free and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Due to the publicity about celiac that Dr. Oz’s showed generated last week, this is a great time to be a Gastroenterologist in the U.S. For those of us who’ve been around the gluten-free block so to speak, keep in mind that the more people that follow the gluten-free diet, the more food options we’ll have. As with anything – even big-screen TVs – more product options bring lower prices overall. The gluten-free diet should not be viewed as either a weight loss diet or something to undertake lightly. But for the 95% or so undiagnosed people with celiac, a gluten-free diet is most certainly called for.
Have a question about the gluten-free diet that we haven’t covered yet? You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)
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