As one of the whiners I would like to set a few things straight.....Anyone who knows me knows that I do not get on my soapbox very often and almost never in a public place, but I have repeatedly seen this horribly titled article shared on Facebook with many comments in the realm of its about time and I told you so and I feel I must speak up. First, if you read this article it should really be titled Scientific Study Preliminarily Finds That in a High Percentage of Studied Individuals, Most of Whom are Self-diagnosed, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity Appears to be Psychological. It did NOT definitively PROVE that there is no gluten sensitivity, and thus that we are all just whiners. I do agree with the statement that gluten intolerance seems to be a catch all diagnoses for many gastrointestinal issues and is often self-diagnosed. However, gluten intolerance can be very real and diagnosable by medical professionals. I will use my own story as an example; not to get pity, but because its the only story I know well enough to share with confidence and accuracy. I spent over three years trying to figure out why I had nerve pain, itching, horrible gastrointestinal issues (of which I will spare you all the gory details), memory issues and what I can only call fuzzy thinking-cant keep a train of thought, cant make decisions, etc, and debilitating fatigue. I was sent to every specialist under the sun (including a psychologist~surprise, surprise, because they thought I was possibly making it up in my head....he determined I was sane and not a hypochondriac, by the way). I was finally diagnosed concurrently with MCTD (mixed connective tissue disease~an autoimmune disease) and gluten, lactose, egg, and almond sensitivities (specifically intestinal tract IgE & IgG reactions~yes, this means its DIAGNOSED....by a real medical test...not in my head). I do not have celiac, but my rheumatologist suggested if I was willing to remove those four problem items from my diet I would be far ahead of most patients in preventing the development of a second rheumatological disease, most likely celiac. You see for people with certain autoimmune diseases, the odds of developing another is well over 50% and celiac is the forerunner for secondary autoimmune diseases. Out of desperation to somehow feel better I cut out all four foods from my diet. Best decision ever! It took some time, but all of my symptoms are gone or very tolerable and my MCTD is well controlled/in remission. Believe me, eating this way is NOT easy and would never be a choice I would make without a VERY GOOD reason. Its amazing how food is so intertwined with everything we do, especially in social situations. Parties, weddings, pot lucks, fundraising dinners, bridal/baby showers, meeting a friend for lunch, or taking a trip all take extra planning. Any social event that includes food requires that I inquire about the food available and either eat before I go (and consequently awkwardly sit and watch everyone else eat and explain why I cannot~I know people think I am either high maintenance or anorexic or compulsively on a diet) or take my own food (and again~have to explain why only to get the same skeptical reactions). Its amazing how something as universal as sharing a meal can become an emotional roller coaster for those who are different for some reason. In addition, eating this way is EXPENSIVE and inconvenient. Alternate food items cost an arm and a leg. For example, I buy a certain brand of soy cheese. It costs about $8 for a small block vs $3 for comparable regular cheese. I know this because I get to buy the regular AND allergen-free versions of all recipe items if I cook for both my husband and I. (We have two refrigerators in our house~my husband jokingly says its because he doesnt want my weird food touching his~haha. Its really just so we have room for it all.) And I waste way too much time 65 miles away in Spokane stocking up on highly specific food. (I must give a HUGE shout out to Debbie and Terry at Sandys Family Foods in Wilbur~they do a wonderful job of bringing in a good selection of gluten free items at our local grocery store, but with multiple food sensitivities I still have to shop elsewhere for some egg and dairy free items.) I basically cannot eat out, so I either pony up big bucks to eat at a sit down restaurant (and have the hassle of questioning and altering their menu choices so I can eat something~and usually thats a plain piece of meat and a plain potato if Im lucky) or take my chances if forced to eat fast food (I can do it, but believe me I pay the consequences either immediately or the next day). My family and friends endure the fact that I have to plan where to eat whenever we go out/go on a trip and they are forced to only eat at places I can. I spend an extraordinary amount of time researching restaurants and grocery stores before I go on my buying trips for my business or family vacations. I get so excited when I actually find a place that has a dairy/egg free menu in addition to a gluten free menu~who knew a simple bacon cheese burger with a gluten free bun, soy cheese, and, dare I say it.....gluten free french fries and onion rings would absolutely make my day!!! (Thank you Yeah Burger in Atlanta, GA.) I could go on, but Im sure Ive already said enough. Thanks for tolerating my soap box rant and hopefully I have spoken for many individuals who deal with society inferring that we, in some twisted way, chose to make our lives harder.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 04:26:12 +0000
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