Celiac disease

Why Your Aches & Pains Are A Good Thing

October 2, 2015 By Karen

Do you sometimes feel like a human guinea pig?

Perhaps you’ve even experimented with different foods, in an effort to figure out what might be a trigger for you.

Let me preface this first by saying – if you have Celiac disease, or an Autoimmune condition, this is in NO WAY a license to re-introduce gluten!

Got that?

However, your dietary triggers could also be dairy, eggs, or nuts – or any number of different foods.

Let’s take a closer look at eggs for a moment.

Are eggs a regular part of your diet?

They use to be for me, too.

I often enjoyed scrambled eggs, or an omelet for breakfast.

And I absolutely LOVED making soufflé! (As fancy as that sounds, it’s not that hard. Seriously!)

At this point, however, it’s literally been years since I last ate eggs.

In recent weeks, however, I decided to re-introduce them – as a human experiment, if you will.

Using me as the guinea pig.

Hitting the Road

July 24, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

Don’t you just love vacations?

Or, do you find vacations and travel challenging – especially when it comes to navigating your special dietary needs at hotels and restaurants?

It can be challenging, no question about it!

However, after awhile, it usually becomes second nature – once you’ve learned to recognize some of the common pitfalls you’ll want to watch out for.

As it happens, I’ve just wrapped up a ten-day vacation in Eastern Washington – which for me means piling everything in the car and hitting the road.

It’s a perfect way to travel!

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you – without having to deal with limits on excess baggage, or airport security.

And for anyone who has Celiac Disease, or is dealing with food allergies, that makes a road trip ideal.

Because you can simply bring everything along, relying on local grocery stores to stock up on fresh produce and whatever else you might need.

Of course, that also means you might not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

Do You Have A Shag Carpet?

June 30, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

While it’s true that my background is interior design, this is not a post about how to choose the best carpet for your home.

Rather, it’s about those little soldiers that line the interior of your small intestine – the ones that have the appearance of little shags. In other words, they literally look like shag carpeting!

The medical term for those little soldiers is “villi”.

Their job is to be super vigilant about any intruders that might enter your digestive tract, and dispose of them immediately.

When they’re doing their job properly, they’re readily visible – waving about in the breeze.

However, as most anyone with Celiac Disease can tell you, what’s happened is that those villi have completely worn down – as in totally atrophied. Which means they are no longer able to do their job.

The only cure is strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.

That’s the good news!

While the condition is not permanent, it does require vigilance.

If you are struggling post-diagnosis to adhere to a gluten-free diet, you might want to consider working with someone who can provide support and accountability during this challenging time.

But wait – there’s more good news!

Options for bringing out change are available to you – and it makes no difference where in the country you are located.

(The hardest part is simply finding the time in your busy schedule).

Filed Under: EAT, HEALTH & WELLNESS Tagged With: Celiac disease, gluten-free, shag carpet, shags, small intestine, villi

Autoimmune Disease & You

June 26, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

Did you know that Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition?

Did you also know that autoimmune diseases are on the rise?

In fact, statistically, if you’ve already been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, your chances of having two or three more are extremely high.

Kind of sobering, isn’t it?

By its very definition, autoimmunity means that your body – specifically your immune system – is attacking YOU.

It isn’t something that’s supposed to happen.

(And doesn’t, as long as your immune system is functioning properly).

But right now, we’re actually in the midst of an autoimmune epidemic – that’s how common these autoimmune conditions have become.

Yet, here’s something else that might surprise you:

Is Removing Gluten Always the Answer?

June 12, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

Should you remove gluten from your diet?

I get asked this question a lot.

And the short answer is “It depends”.

It depends on what’s going on in your body.

It depends on the signs and symptoms you’re experiencing.

And it also depends on your test results!

Of course, if your tests come back negative, then you’re in the clear – at least for the time being – more on that later.

But it’s super important that you get the RIGHT tests!

And you don’t want to stop there, either.

Looking On The Bright Side

May 15, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

Do you ever have days where you get caught up in negative mindsets?

Days when everything that’s happening in your life takes on a “woe is me” persona – when you end up wondering if things could possibly get any worse?

Well, I hate to break it to you, but yes they can!

(Things can always get worse – that’s the unfortunate truth).

At the same time, I totally get that – when your mind is in a funk, it’s hard to see the silver lining.

(I know – I’ve been there, many a time!)

Yes, the mind will do what’s it going to do.

However, there are ways you can ‘train’ your mind – and trick it into looking at the bright side, and the many possibilities that are just waiting for you.

Here’s my suggestion:

3 Things About Your Birth You Likely Never Thought About

May 1, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

If you’re 40 or older, you might be thinking “Isn’t it a bit late for me?”

Or, “Why should I care?”

So yes, it might seem like it’s a bit late.

But here’s a few sobering facts:

The odds of acquiring an autoimmune disease later in life, are directly linked to what you were exposed to in your mother’s womb

Cord blood from newborns is routinely shown to contain high levels of toxic chemicals

Children born today have a shorter life expectancy

So again, what does any of this have to do with you, given your current age?

Well, those toxic chemicals?

They reside in all of us – young and old.

(It’s a fact of modern life).

It’s also why I love to suggest ways you can reduce your environmental exposure – especially in the privacy of your home.

It’s one of the easiest things you can do for yourself!

What’s On Your Bucket List?

April 17, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

You’ve heard of a Bucket List, right?

That list of things you’ve always wanted to do, but never quite got around to?

In a nutshell, a Bucket List is a way of setting some goals for yourself, namely what you’d like to accomplish in this life, before moving on.

And it’s an awesome idea!

(Perhaps you’ve even seen the movie by that name?)

Today I’d like to share with you a different sort of Bucket List.

It’s an analogy, if you will, a way of looking at the hand you’ve been dealt – your medical history, along with your entire life trajectory and challenges along the way.

In other words, everything that’s you led to where you are today.

So, here’s the thing.

Picture a bucket of water – with the water level stopping about two inches from the top.

Setting You Up for Success

March 20, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

Does this sound like you:

You often feel like less than a million bucks?

You have Celiac disease, a gluten- related disorder or food sensitivities?

Your doctor send you home, with nothing more than a few handouts and minimal instructions?

What I’ve come to realize over the past year, is that it really isn’t enough to simply remove gluten from the diet.

Cause let’s face it – by the time you got a diagnosis, you’re body had already been under assault for years, from the very foods you suddenly learned you were sensitive to.

So, it goes without question that, really, that you also need to repair some of that damage – and do your best to quiet down the inflammation inside of you.

Yet, the average person is given little more than minimal instructions, at the time of diagnosis – other than “Stop eating gluten.”

Sound familiar?

Sadly, this has become the #1 reason why only 30% of people with celiac disease heal on a gluten-free diet alone.

Simply put, there’s more work to be done! (Yet is anyone telling you this?)

Celiac Disease & Gluten-Sensitivity – Should You Be Tested?

February 20, 2015 By Karen Leave a Comment

Do you regularly experience any of these symptoms?

Digestive Complaints
Cramps, Bloating or Gas
Constipation
Diarrhea
Headaches or Migraines
Sinus Congestion
Joint Pain
Rash or Itching
Insomnia
Chemical Sensitivity
Memory Loss
Osteoporosis
Weight Gain
Mood Swings

Perhaps you know others who do?

While this list is by no means comprehensive, the thing to note is that NONE of these symptoms are NORMAL!

It’s also why it’s critically important to take a closer look at what you’re eating – and to know whether you have Celiac Disease – or non-celiac Gluten sensitivity.

While food sensitivities would also be great to test for, you want to rule out gluten first and foremost.

Here’s why:

Gluten-Related Disorders are known to be the cause behind almost every disease, or symptom within the human body – neurological disorders, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, – especially anything related to your thyroid – plus common age-related diseases such as osteoporosis.

Why Your Aches & Pains Are A Good Thing

Hitting the Road

Do You Have A Shag Carpet?

Autoimmune Disease & You

Is Removing Gluten Always the Answer?

Looking On The Bright Side

3 Things About Your Birth You Likely Never Thought About

What’s On Your Bucket List?

Setting You Up for Success

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