Washingtonian

Sometimes I read an article that takes me through a kaleidoscope of emotions, from anger and lingering frustration to joy and a sense of encouragement.  This link should take you to a Washingtonian article entitled “Living with a Gluten Allergy.”  As I read the author’s story, I was reminded of how dismissive my (former) primary doctor was of a potential connection between my symptoms and gluten intolerance.  Even though I had done quite a bit of research already at that point, with access to more databases than most due to my employment, he would not even consider the possibility.  My lingering frustration is over how many physicians do not know the latest research since completing medical school that contradicts what they were taught.  Too frequently, patients are not being tested for celiac when there are more obvious symptoms; gluten intolerance tends to not even register as a possibility.  My encouragement from this article is due to quotes from two of the preeminent physicians of the field; here is an example: 

“If you came to our clinic two years ago and said, ‘Doc, I have these symptoms, and I know that when I eat less gluten I feel better,’ we’d give you a celiac test,” Fasano says. “If it came back negative, we’d tell you to go in peace. If you didn’t eat gluten and thought you felt better, we’d figure it was a placebo effect. That had been our attitude for quite a long time.”

I hope that through one avenue or another (thank you, Washingtonian!) more physicians will receive the message that sometimes new research mandates adaptation and sometimes a complete paradigm shift.