How do we get the estimated three million Americans with celiac disease properly diagnosed and adequately treated? The answer lies in increased awareness and research. There are currently 49 autoimmune diseases, and celiac disease is the only one which isn’t supported in research by the government. This needs to change.
In my research efforts to find out the answer to the painful symptoms I was suffering, I was finally able to get the proper diagnosis. It took a lot of time and determination, and most people aren’t able to devote themselves to this degree. It’s not right that millions of people are suffering from a disease that can treated so easily yet the diagnosis for which is so elusive, when simply educating doctors in its symptoms would bring these people relief.
While efforts are surely being made to get the U.S. government to fund research and to raise awareness for this disease, there are some things you can do yourself beside just writing your representatives, which I highly suggest you do. If you were to send out this article to a hundred people or speak to the same number of people about this subject, chances are, you would come across a sufferer of celiac disease and you would change that person’s life. Better yet, post it on a blog or forward it to friends and have them forward it themselves. In this way, you may be able to contact many more than a hundred people. The increased awareness will surely lead to increase relief.
Tina Turbin
This is a great post. We ourselves have the power to raise awareness for this disease!
Thank you for your celiac disease support! My daughter and I are both celiac and raising awareness and increasing research is so important in helping those out there who haven’t yet been diagnosed.
The internet seems to be a powerful tool now for raising awareness. I wish the celiac community the best of luck in spreading the word!
These are some helpful tips. I hope people increase their own personal involvement in raising awareness. It’s so easy!
These are some great ideas. I also recommend wearing a tee shirt which always gets people asking questions, especially if you go out to an amusement park where there are tons of people.
I agree that it’s soooo important to raise awareness about these autoimmune disorders as well as food intolerances, and even food sensitivities. All people need is a diagnosis and then they’ll be on their way to getting and feeling better!
Thanks for all you do to raise awareness or celiac disease! Can’t wait for your Danny the Dragon gluten-free children’s cookbook.
Yes we really can raise awareness. It’s so simple. Word of mouth and the internet are so powerful!
I think bringing baked gluten-free cookies and other yummy goodies to my kids’ classes, parties, and other functions, always gets people asking. “Why gluten free? What’s gluten?” It’s a delicious way to raise awareness!
I agree that gluten free baking is a delicious and popular way to raise awareness! Even my non-celiac friends are making gluten-free recipes these days!
This is a great message–that we ourselves can do something to raise awareness! I believe this is true with so many issues.
Wow three million people??? I really had no idea.
I had never heard of celiac disease before until I began reading your blogs. I’m glad awareness is being increased about the disease, and I’m sure you’re doing a lot personally, Tina, in order to make this happen.
Thanks for empowering US to do something about this potentially deadly disease!
Wow! I just wanted to say that it’s a great sign for celiac disease awareness that even a post on it has generated so much feedback from readers!
Thanks Tina and I just heard that your gluten-free website, glutenfreehelp.info, was selected as one of the top ten in the WORLD of all the .info websites. Congratulations! This is really good news for the campaign to raise awareness.
Just emailing this to all your friends and associates or posting it to your facebook page will be a tremendous help. Let’s do it!
With 1/100 Americans having this disease, we really need to get the medical community to be able to identify celiacs!
Thanks Tina and that’s wonderful about your recognition as an .INFO site. This will be huge for gluten-free!
Great to hear that there are so many ways to raise awareness!
I’m not celiac but thanks to this website and Danny the Dragon, so many of my friends have heard about it. We’re very excited for the Danny the Dragon cookbook to come out!
I am not celiac but I have heard about it everywhere now since first learning about through your blogs, and now I’ve told about 5 other people what it is too. So…the internet and word of mouth really works!