Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

I am fortunate on this episode to speak with a member of the Professional Advisory Council of the Canadian Celiac Association.  Dr. Dominica Gidrewicz spoke with me about two recent papers prepared by the PAC as their professional opinion and perspective on questions that often come up in the gluten free community.  We talked about gluten which may be found in lotions and cosmetics, as well as gluten in medications.  We cover, how much of a threat is this gluten, what precautions should we take, and what questions should we be asking.  You can find the papers on the Canadian Celiac Association website at www.celiac.ca.

Lotions and Cosmetics – https://www.celiac.ca/living-gluten-free/gluten-and-lotions/

Medications – https://www.celiac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/gluten-in-medications-pac-july-2020.pdf

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Going to see a doctor, for almost any reason is somewhat intimidating, at least it is for me.  Sometimes, my “ailment” all but clears up when I arrive at the doctor’s office.  Other times, I’m unsure of tests or treatment we discuss.  For me, going to see my doctor involves some level of anxiety.  I realize this is common, which makes the exercise of asking questions even more intimidating.  After they give their opinion, I often don’t have much time to think, or formulate questions, and listen carefully to the answers. 

Since beginning the podcast, I’ve interviewed many healthcare professionals, which has allowed me to ask the questions I’ve had, and hopefully the ones you’ve had as well.  Doctors and dieticians have been gracious with their time.  I’m always concerned that I’m efficient and not wasting any of their time away from patients.  This is even more important when the doctors are specialists, as Dr. Gidrewicz is.  It races through my mind how long I’ve waited for appointments with specialists and how valuable those long-awaited appointments are.

The Professional Advisory Council of the Canadian Celiac Association is made up of healthcare professionals who have a keen interest in celiac disease and helping, not only their patients, but the public as a whole.  They volunteer their time and expertise to develop and add to our knowledge of celiac disease.  They are truly giving selflessly of their time.  There’s the time reference again.  I know we’re all busy, but there is something precious about the time we are able to spend with our doctors and dieticians one-on-one.  Inevitably there is a question I forget to ask, or an answer I don’t remember.

I am grateful for all the interviews and conversations I’ve been able to have and share with you, with members of the Professional Advisory Council.  Just one more way the CCA is touching each and every one of our lives.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

This week, I speak again to Melissa Secord, Executive Director of the Canadian Celiac Association about what’s going on at the national office.  Melissa shares plans for the second installment of a national conference to be held virtually in November.  We also talked about a familiar fundraiser going virtual, that may be a great way to get a local celiac community to participate from a distance.  Currently McMaster University are finishing a study on covid19 and the celiac population in Canada – stayed tuned for more on that.  Melissa was very pleased to tell me about the progress made on the workbook “Growing Up Celiac”, which has recently been translated into French.  This book has been widely distributed to be given out to the families of newly diagnosed children.  The CCA is keeping busy during this very abnormal year.  You can find the CCA online at www.celiac.ca.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I’m excited to hear that McMaster University is compiling the information from a questionnaire on covid 19 which, with the help of the Canadian Celiac Association was distributed among the Canadian celiac community.  I don’t think I’m alone when I hear about “pre-existing conditions” or “other autoimmune issues” when it comes to the investigations into the corona virus and why it strikes some people very hard, and leaves others without symptoms.  

Growing up, not yet knowing I had celiac disease, I was one of those kids who got a cold, gave it away and then got it back again.  I don’t think this is uncommon for someone with undiagnosed celiac disease.  I got everything that was going around, just bad enough to be off school, and for reasons unknown at the time, every cold or flu just lingered.  I got better, but it took a long time to completely recover.

It took a while after my diagnosis, as an adult, to understand some of the health issues I became accustomed to growing up.  Slowly, it all started to make sense.  I was beginning to understand what an autoimmune condition was and how it could affect my overall health.  I finally understood why some medications didn’t seem to work for me and I only got relief from a higher than normal dose.  Any bone or tissue injury seemed to take forever to heal, and I wasn’t very patient.

Now that we’re learning more about the corona virus, I feel good about a study based on the celiac community.  All the evidence points to us not being any more at risk than the general population, but more investigation will give us a better picture.  After years on a gluten free diet, I feel healthy.  But I know that at any time, I’m only 20ppm away from feeling awful.  Wash your hands (celiacs do this so often), stay home or at least in your small groups, and wear a mask.  Small things, but just like staying clear of gluten, can make a huge difference.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

Public toilets is a subject I never thought I would be talking about on the blog.  The Covid-19 pandemic changed many things in our lives, and the closing of most toilets which had been available to the public was something I found troubling.  Lezlie Lowe has looked at the many issues surrounding our access to public toilets in her book “No Place To Go”.  Lezlie recognizes that different people have different needs when it comes to the availability of toilets and the plight of those of us with celiac disease is not lost on her.  Lezlie talks about the history of pubic toilets, why some municipalities are more in tune with our toilet needs and what can be done to encourage our leadership to make toilets more available in our communities. 

You can find Lezlie online at www.lezlielowe.ca

On twitter @lezlielowe

On Instagram at noplacetogothebook

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Most of us with celiac disease remember how our lives changed after our diagnosis.  Our brains became fixated on gluten free everything.  Once I started on the diet, it was a slow process for my health to change.  I remember my dependence on bathrooms prior to my diagnosis, but things seemed to have greater urgency once I was diagnosed, but accidently ingested gluten.  This “re-glutening” was an unstoppable force that didn’t give me much time to find a bathroom.

I know I’m not alone.  The topic comes up often in casual conversation with other celiacs.  When it happens though, you feel very alone and somewhat panicky.  I remember a time when I travelled to Toronto and had a quick lunch with a friend before meeting my husband at our hotel.  I was being very independent and riding the subway to downtown, something I hadn’t done by myself for many years.  This was not a good day.  The timing of my subway ride after my lunch would have been fine, had I not been “glutened”.  The ride wasn’t long, but for me it was endless.  I remember looking around at the other passengers hoping they couldn’t see the desperation on my face.  I didn’t have a plan for a public bathroom, I was all in for the mad dash to our hotel room.  I made it for the most part – but I was miserable.

My story is only of one day, we all have a collection of very private moments that end with our need for a bathroom with not much time to spare.  It’s part of being celiac.  I’m not likely to embrace it any time soon, but I can support the need for more public toilets with better signage and a more “toilet-friendly” attitude from our municipal leaders.  We need public toilets – so does the rest of the population – but maybe not with the urgency that we might need them from time to time.  Lezlie took the extra step to bring the problem out into the open, now it’s our turn to ask for more toilets with better signage in our towns and cities.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
This week I catch up with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com. Ellen prepares a newsletter for many of the articles she has recently posted, and we discuss some of these topics. Ellen and I chat about a new celiac testing protocol in the UK, decisions restaurants must make before going gluten free and a new book about one family’s gluten free journey. We also discuss some very informative posts from Selena De Vries RD on Instagram, as well as some recipes perfectly suited to summer.

News from The Celiac Scene
• COVID-19 Prompts Interim Diagnosis Shortcut for Celiac Disease
• Celiac Food Writer Reads Restaurants the Riot Act
• Celiac Lost: A Family Guide to Finding a Gluten-Free Life

Selena De Vries, RD on Instagram
• 3 Reasons Why Your Celiac Antibodies Are Still High
• Understanding Alcohol Labelling
• How to Reduce Bloating & Improve Bowel Movements
Our Favourite Gluten-Free Products and Services
• Stella’s Gluten-Free Perogies are Preservative-Free, Too!

Gluten-Free Recipes
• 29 Great Grilling Recipes by Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet
• Home-Made Pita Bread by Mia Kennedy
• Light & Airy Summer Pavlova by KOB Online Classes

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –
During this time of the Covid-19 pandemic we hear so much about testing; and that’s a good thing. I find it particularly interesting how testing has evolved over these last few months. First, science had to develop an accurate test, then public health departments had to set up the infrastructure to administer it to the public and get the results back. After this hurdle, the challenge was to get a better, faster test, and be able to accurately test to see if someone had the virus and has recovered.
Science is wonderful. The very smart researchers and doctors were all in to make a difference in how the world handled this pandemic.
In my celiac world, the pandemic spawned the innovation to relax the requirement for biopsies for celiac disease in the UK. I wonder if, over time, the standard will change to make the diagnosis, at least in a preliminary stage, more streamlined.
As I listen to the news (and I do that a great deal lately), I hear about the advanced technology that will allow someone to spit on a specially treated piece of paper-like material, that will be able to give a result for covid-19 within minutes. Wow, that would be an advancement. Apparently, as far as the science goes, we’re not that far away from the “spit” test, but as we’ve seen, the application of the new technology is a completely different challenge.
Here’s hoping that some day, a simple spit test, or a simple urine test will allow science to detect celiac disease. In my perfect world, everyone with CD would know, early in life, starting their gluten free journey before damage was done. I know it’s a long shot, but there’s comfort in science, and these days we take any comfort we can get.