Welcome to this week’s edition of The Celiac Scientist. In recent months I've noticed a concerning trend among individuals on social media community groups who are self-diagnosing Celiac disease and giving out incorrect information regarding symptoms. Despite the availability of medical tests and professional guidance, many people are opting to diagnose themselves as Celiac, often based on anecdotal experiences and questionable internet research (Dr Google?). In this article, we'll delve into the risks associated with self-diagnosing Celiac disease and explore the myth of instant reactions to gluten, which are reported increasingly often.
All well thought out and sensible. I agree that there is a lot of misinformation in circulation. One barrier I, and many females encounter, is not being taken seriously by medical professionals. There is an element of dismissing abdominal discomfort as 'women's issues'. In my case, it took years to get a referral to a gastroenterologist. My GP is still not particularly engaged with this. As I am diagnosed with a wheat allergy (after my own process of elimination), blood tests have put my TtG-IGa at a kevel below a coeliac dx, although it had risen from a previous test. No interest in looking at this in more detail. So I just have to get on with it. I can demonstrate that I do react to ingested wheat, within about 30 minutes and that reaction starts in the stomach (suggesting allergy rather than auto immune reaction) which begins to do washing machine impressions. Cross contamination is a big issue in this regard, and not well understood. That said, I can lead a children's activity of grinding wheat grains into flour with no reaction as long as I don't ingest any. So I don't believe this 'touching gluten' thing is real. I really enjoy your content.
All well thought out and sensible. I agree that there is a lot of misinformation in circulation. One barrier I, and many females encounter, is not being taken seriously by medical professionals. There is an element of dismissing abdominal discomfort as 'women's issues'. In my case, it took years to get a referral to a gastroenterologist. My GP is still not particularly engaged with this. As I am diagnosed with a wheat allergy (after my own process of elimination), blood tests have put my TtG-IGa at a kevel below a coeliac dx, although it had risen from a previous test. No interest in looking at this in more detail. So I just have to get on with it. I can demonstrate that I do react to ingested wheat, within about 30 minutes and that reaction starts in the stomach (suggesting allergy rather than auto immune reaction) which begins to do washing machine impressions. Cross contamination is a big issue in this regard, and not well understood. That said, I can lead a children's activity of grinding wheat grains into flour with no reaction as long as I don't ingest any. So I don't believe this 'touching gluten' thing is real. I really enjoy your content.
Great information