Gluten Intolerance Group Announcement

Has Consumer Perception of GF Food Safety Changed Over Time?

The Gluten Intolerance Group &

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center

August, 2011

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center has partnered with the Gluten Intolerance Group on an exciting initiative to further our understanding of consumer perception of gluten free food safety. If you have 20 minutes to participate and have been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance/gluten sensitivity, please complete this food safety survey. We hope to gain valuable information from this study that will identify education and purchasing behaviors within the gluten-free community that would be useful in advancing gluten-free products and dining; and identify education, training, and communication needs between and within the consumers and food manufacturing and food service industries.

To complete the survey, please visit this link and click to accept participation on the first page:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e4m0yyolgrdqh65j/a012igrjyzg77/greeting

Please share this with others in the GF community. Next week a food industry survey will launched that compliments this survey.

 Take Survey Now

Guest Speaker--Dr. Robert Brinson

As we announced at last month’s meeting, our guest speaker in August will be Dr. Robert Brinson, MD of Digestive Disease Associates.  Dr. Brinson is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine as well as the Subspecialty Board of Gastroenterology, and is also a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition.  Dr. Brinson received his M.D. in 1981 from the Medical College of Georgia and has a private practice of gastroenterology in Montgomery.  The meeting is next Thursday, August 25^th from 6-7 p.m. in the Fellowship Suite of Taylor Road Baptist Church (see sidebar).  Bring your questions for Dr. Brinson!

GF Care Packages

Facebook notice from the Celiac Disease Center of the University of Chicago:

“If you or your child has been biopsy-diagnosed with celiac disease in the past 12 months, we may be able to help with our Gluten-Free Care Package. Please contact our office at (773) 702-7593.”

Dr. Kenneth Fine presents “The Gluten Truth”

Below I have partially copied an announcement from the Intestinal Health Institute about an upcoming conference hosted by Dr. Kenneth Fine, Founder and Director of the Institute and EnteroLab. 

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Dr. Kenneth Fine and the Intestinal Health Institute are celebrating their 11th Anniversary with a very Special Conference Event:
THE GLUTEN TRUTH MEETS THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: A TALE OF TWO HEMISPHERES
November 3-6, 2011 The Westin Galleria in Dallas, Texas

Dr. Fine has gathered a stellar international scientific panel to recount exactly how the discovery was made that most people affected by gluten sensitivity today do not have celiac disease. This panel includes Dr. John Fordtran, discoverer of microscopic colitis, Dr. Willem Dicke II, whose father discovered in Holland that gluten was the cause of celiac disease, and Dr. Chris Mulder, a current world-renown celiac and microscopic colitis researcher from The Netherlands, among others.

For information on the conference and to register online, please go to:
http://intestinalhealth.org/2011dallasevent
or call 804-247-1655 for more information.

* Full Conference Program, 5 Meals, Concert & Welcome Reception: $245 when registering before Labor Day.  Single day low prices are also available. And all meals will be gluten-free!

Make Your Voice Heard at the FDA

In case no one has seen this elsewhere, the FDA has (re)-opened the comments period for its 2007 proposal on gluten free labeling.  (Yes, from 4 years ago!)

The FDA seeks comments from consumers, manufacturers, organizations, etc., and it is always best to provide what you deem as proof/evidence to support your contentions.  The comment period ends November 2^nd and the FDA aims to publish a final rule by the 3^rd quarter of 2012.  Click here for the FDA’s proposal. 

[To read the NFCA’s thoughts, click here.]

Getting CME Cards to Doctors

I did receive the packet of additional cards about the CME (Continuing Medical Education) from the NFCA after returning from last night’s meeting.  Whether you were able to attend or not, please let me know if you have a doctor’s appointment before we next meet August 25^th and you are willing to share a card with that doctor.  I will mail it to you if time is of the essence; otherwise, I will have the additional cards at the 8/25 meeting.

As we reviewed last night, the latest medical research (much of which contradicts what was taught in med school in prior years) is not reaching doctors in the field.  This is true of not only primary care providers but also specialists.  There are many medical issues competing for doctors’ attention, there is no pharmaceutical remedy being touted by the thousands of reps who visit doctors every day, and there are not very many CMEs available.

The NFCA recognizes that “the biggest impact is gained when a patient speaks directly to his or her provider about the need for increased knowledge about celiac disease among the medical community.”  Things I love about this CME:  the course is compiled by highly respected physicians in the field, it is free of charge, and there is a postcard describing its content, making it easy for you to hand to your doctor.  Your doctor should receive this much more readily than something you printed off the internet, regardless of the legitimacy of the printout.

July Meeting of GIG-Montgomery

Next Thursday evening (6-7pm—see sidebar) is our next meeting of GIG-Montgomery.  The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness is sending materials for me to pass out at the meeting.  Part of our mission is to assist those who have already been diagnosed with a form of gluten intolerance as well as those who are suffering without a diagnosis.  The reality is that by helping those in the latter category, everyone benefits.  With increased awareness of the latest research among medical providers will come a corresponding increase in the number of diagnoses.  When the number of confirmed diagnoses increases, demand for gluten free food, crafts, restaurant menus, etc. will increase and quality of life will improve.  I want to share a direct way to facilitate this progress!

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness—Sarah’s Story

This is a stunning personal story, printed on the website for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness:  “Sarah’s Story”