Celiac Stumps Even House
Celiac Disease Gluten FreePublished October 5, 2008 at 10:55 am No Comments
I have a dangerous addiction to the show House. If I were to catch a marathon one day, it would be unlikely for me to leave mine. And tonight I am so glad that I was watching when a rerun from 2006 aired, an episode from the days before I was a fan, for tonight’s diagnosis was celiac disease.
The patient’s undiagnosed celiac had caused dangerous malnutrition, resulting in her insanity which eventually killed her baby and left her with stomach cancer. It was one of those heart-breaking episodes, but what is so important is that they did cover this disease and the severity of it. Due to lack of understanding, most people dismiss the idea of a sensitivity to gluten from wheat, barley and rye causing any real problems.
What people do not understand is that celiac disease and severe gluten intolerance cause the body to attack itself when gluten is introduced. And these attacks prevent an individual from properly absorbing nutrients leading to a whole host of problems, some as sever as cancers and osteoporosis.
Everyone has a total and complete right to his/her opinion, but it does upset me when I am accused of simply “being picky” because I know the ramifications of gluten on my body, I’ve experienced some of them, and others I hope never to have to. The general public is becoming more and more aware of celiac disease and the danger of food intolerances, and I sincerely hope that this trend continues.
