Wednesday, Jun. 03, 2009

Gluten-free diet helps celiac sufferer adapt

Many people go undiagnosed

GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Jan Falwell feels better at age 61 than she did at 30.

Since she was diagnosed with celiac disease six years ago, Falwell no longer has to fight the side effects of an untreated ailment.

"The damage started at 18," said Falwell, president of the Lexington, Ky., chapter of the Celiac Disease Foundation. That year, she had mononucleosis and pneumonia; later, she had thyroid problems and Graves disease; and those problems manifested into osteoporosis and arthritis.

"I would go from doctor to doctor, and they would give me pills," she said.

In 2003, tired of not feeling well and suffering from severe fatigue and brain fog, Falwell went to the Mayo Clinic for help.

"I knew if they didn't find out something, there was no hope," she said.

In her second day at the clinic, Falwell was diagnosed with celiac disease.

Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. If you have celiac disease and eat foods containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in the small intestine, causing damage to the surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients. (For a list of symptoms, go to www.glutenfreelex.org.) Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients that occurs with celiac disease can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive the brain, the peripheral nervous system, bones, the liver and other organs of vital nourishment. This can lead to other illnesses.

Once gluten was removed from Falwell's diet, other allergies surfaced. The former high school anatomy and biology teacher discovered that she is allergic to eggs and a host of other foods. "I can only eat about 16 things," she said.

Falwell's disease is severe, and it took years for doctors to discover the underlying factor of her illnesses. Many people are diagnosed as gluten intolerant, but 97 percent of people with celiac disease go undiagnosed.

The disease might appear at any time in a person's life. It can be triggered for the first time after surgery, a viral infection, severe emotional stress, pregnancy or childbirth. Falwell thinks her case was triggered after her mother's death when Falwell was 20.

Changing the diet is the first step, and Falwell has learned to create a number of dishes and breads using ingredients that are safe for her to eat.