People are suffering. From a feeling of hopelessness. From depression and anxiety. Add to that a despair that no one supports them, and you have a desperate individual at an increased risk of committing suicide.
This topic hits close to home for Nadine, as she lost a nephew to suicide in 2007. Ian struggled with addiction issues, and he took his life at the age of 19. Because her family is predisposed to celiac disease, Nadine wonders if undiagnosed celiac disease may have been partially to blame for her nephew’s issues. Today she explores the mental health disorders that are associated with gluten getting through the blood-brain barrier. She also explains how undiagnosed celiac disease puts patients at an increased risk for morbidity, and stresses the fact that celiac disease can—and will—kill you if it goes untreated.
Listen in as the Gluten Free RN tells her own story of improved mental health on a gluten-free diet. She also covers the types of cancers that might be prevented by going gluten-free, the connection between AFib and celiac disease, and how dermatitis herpetiformis affects patients. Listen and learn the best diet to help you get better, faster, and why medical professionals need to pay more attention to the intestines!
How to define morbidity and mortality
How morbidity presents itself in undiagnosed celiac patients
Information from the World Health Organization (WHO)
The prominent mental health issues associated with celiac disease
How removing gluten from her diet improved Nadine’s mental health
The grains that contain gluten
The Paleo diet Nadine suggests for celiac and gluten-sensitive patients
Nadine’s experience with celiac disease
The connection between AFib and celiac disease
How dermatitis herpetiformis affects patients
The cancers that are potentially preventable on a gluten-free diet
The genes that indicate a predisposition to celiac disease
Other disorders that could be mitigated by a gluten-free diet
How long it takes to receive celiac diagnosis in US
The risks for patients diagnosed with celiac disease in childhood
Nadine’s research around celiac testing in autopsy
How Nadine periodically gives her system a detox
Why medical professionals should give more attention to the intestines
The issues that can result from undiagnosed celiac disease
The definition of refractory celiac disease
Why it’s crucial to remove all gluten from the environment
The connection between undiagnosed celiac disease the despair that leads to suicide
What happens when gluten gets through a leaky blood-brain barrier
The risks associated with eating traditionally grown fruits and vegetables
The goals of the first six months on a gluten-free diet
Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity in Down, Turner and Williams Syndrome
“Necropsy Studies on Adult Coeliac Disease” in the Journal of Clinical Pathology
“Mortality in Celiac Disease” in Gastroenterology
“The Global Burden of Celiac Disease” in PLoSONE
“The Unknown Burden and Cost of Celiac Disease in the US” in Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research
“Long-Term Mortality in People with Celiac Disease Diagnosed in Childhood Compared with Adulthood” in the American Journal of Gastroenterology
“Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Coeliac Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study” in the European Heart Journal
“Increased Suicide Risk in Coeliac Disease—A Swedish Nationwide Cohort Study” in Digestive and Liver Disease
“The Burden of Celiac Disease and the Value of Having It Diagnosed” by Fredrik Norström of UMEA University
“Complications of Coeliac Disease: Are All Patients at Risk?”
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
Nadine spent 17 years working as a nurse in the ER. She holds a membership in the Emergency Nurses Association, as well as a Certified Emergency Nurse certification. During the course of her career, Nadine obtained ACLS, PALS, NALS, ENPC and TNCC certifications, honing her skills in advanced cardiac life support, neonatal advanced life support, pediatric advanced life support, and trauma. Despite this impressive background and experience, she had never been educated about celiac disease, and didn’t know what to look for until she was diagnosed herself.
Nurses are in a unique position to recognize potential celiac patients and act appropriately. Though most nurses don’t have the authority to diagnose, they do have an obligation to act as patient advocates. Because celiac disease is the most underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed autoimmune disease in the world, it is important that nurses get educated about the fundamentals of celiac disease, the wide array of symptoms an undiagnosed patient may present, and how to keep celiac patients safe in and out of the hospital.
Today on the podcast, the Gluten Free RN addresses nurses, explaining how celiac disease damages the GI tract, the consequences of a ravaged immune system, and the neurological nature of the disease. She also reviews the genes that indicate a predisposition to celiac disease, the best available tests for gluten sensitivity, and the need for a worldwide mass screening. This is a must-listen for medical professionals, offering an overview of the most current celiac studies and an explanation of how to approach doing research on your own. Celiac disease is on the rise and it doesn’t discriminate, so it is crucial that the nursing community get educated – STAT.
Why nurses need to employ a high index of suspicion regarding celiac disease
The lack of training around celiac disease in the medical community
The celiac symptoms Nadine thought to be ‘normal’
What nurses need to know about celiac disease
How long it takes to receive celiac diagnosis in US
The restrictions of being a nurse
Nadine’s experience leading up to her celiac diagnosis
Nadine’s celiac diagnosis
Why a negative blood test, skin biopsy doesn’t rule out celiac disease
Nadine’s current health
Why Nadine stopped working as an ER nurse
The increased prevalence of mortality in undiagnosed celiac patients
The grains that contain gluten
The products that may contain gluten
The search terms to use when doing celiac research
Why celiac disease is primarily a neurological disorder
Why celiac disease is not an allergy
The genes that indicate a predisposition to celiac disease
Why Nadine advocates for a world-wide mass celiac screening
The relationship between celiac disease and infertility
The chronic nature of celiac disease
How gluten exposure presents for Nadine
How gluten can cause damage along entire length of GI tract
How damage to GI tract presents
How constipation can be a neurological issue
Disorders that may be caused by undiagnosed celiac disease
Why a biopsy is no longer considered the gold standard of celiac testing
The stages of intestinal damage caused by celiac disease
The consequences of a damaged immune system
The importance of including a total IgA and IgG in the celiac antibody panel
How the US has gone backwards in the last 70 years
The testing for celiac disease
The difficulty with the celiac antibody test
The best available celiac testing
Factors that might interfere with accurate celiac testing
How to carry out a clinical trial for celiac disease or gluten sensitivity
The Paleo diet Nadine suggests for celiac and gluten-sensitive patients
The findings of a celiac study published in the Journal of Insurance Medicine
Why celiac disease should be on every primary care physician’s differential diagnosis
The rise of celiac disease
Why Celiac disease is a worldwide issue
How celiac disease can lead to obesity
How the risk of cancer increases exponentially in undiagnosed celiac patients
Why nurses must be patient advocates
Nadine’s advice around research and celiac disease for nurses
Resources:
Snarky Nurses on Instagram
National Nurses in Business Association
“Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease” in Gastroenterology
New York Times Article, May 1950
“Economic Benefits of Increased Diagnosis of Celiac Disease in a National Managed Care Population in the United States” in the Journal of Insurance Medicine
“Celiac Disease Could be a Frequent Disease in Mexico: Prevalence of Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody in Healthy Blood Donors” in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
“Celiac Disease in African-Americans” in Digestive Diseases and Sciences
“Coeliac Disease” in The Lancet
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
Wanderlust.
It is human nature to want to explore, to experience a geography and culture different from our own. Travel can truly enrich our lives. Yet if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, the prospect of being away from the familiar for an extended period can be intimidating. Will I be able to find a grocery store? How do I locate a gluten-free restaurant that I can trust? What do I need to bring with me to ensure that I am avoiding gluten? And what if, despite my best efforts, I am accidentally exposed to the gluten protein?
No one wants their trip ruined by an unexpected illness, but you shouldn’t let the fear of gluten exposure keep you from going on an important business trip or taking that vacation you’ve always dreamed of. The Gluten Free RN has ten years of experience helping people discover that they can travel safely on a gluten-free or Paleo diet, and today she shares her recent travel experiences with you. Road trip with Nadine and learn how she locates safe restaurants, what she takes along to avoid inadvertent gluten exposure, and which apps and online resources offer the best advice for gluten-free travel!
The danger of living in a bubble
Nadine’s mission to teach people how to travel safely on gluten-free/Paleo diet
How Nadine packed her cooler for a summer road trip to Boston
The challenge of eating out on the road
The fundamentals of a food desert
Nadine’s advice around locating grocery stores, fresh foods when traveling
Nadine’s tips for locating safe restaurants
The myth that heat breaks down the gluten protein
How Nadine is able to go without a meal when necessary
Who to talk to when you are eating out
Nadine’s experience at a highly-rated restaurant in Boston
Nadine’s gluten-free travel supply packing list
The best gluten-free online travel resources
Why you should avoid fast food/restaurant chains that claim to have gluten-free offerings
Nadine’s upcoming River Cruise on the Danube
The food options available to the gluten-free population
International Celiac Disease Symposium
Gluten Free Portland Restaurant List
Amy Fothergill of the Warm Kitchen
Melodies of the Danube Brochure
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism
When boys are hurt, we tell them to ‘rub some dirt on it’ and get back in the game. So it comes as no surprise that men have a tough time admitting weakness, especially to something as innocuous as a slice of bread. Perhaps this explains why celiac disease is considered a women’s issue, when in reality the male-to-female ratio is closer to 1:1.
Today the Gluten Free RN discusses the large numbers of men in the US who go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, sharing several anecdotes of patients whose symptoms resolved on a gluten-free diet. She covers the particular social challenges for men with celiac disease, the laundry list of symptoms men may encounter, and the specifics of nutrition she recommends for gluten-sensitive patients.
Through it may be difficult to give up pizza and beer with the guys, it is worth the effort to go from sick and struggling to happy and healthy. Listen in and learn how to make going gluten-free simple and easy, even for men with limited culinary skills. Add bacon fat to your greens AND regain your abs with advice from the Gluten Free RN!
The myth that men are less likely to suffer from celiac disease
The addictive nature of gluten
Case study of man diagnosed with pancreatitis
Common symptoms of celiac disease in men
Why men with osteoporosis and anemia together should assume they have celiac disease
Nadine’s patient with a climbing PSA (lab indicator of prostate cancer)
How Nadine’s doctor had a change of heart around celiac disease
The lack of celiac understanding exhibited by healthcare practitioners in the US
Doug’s story
How gluten causes excessive gas, explosive diarrhea and constipation
Nadine’s advice around nutrition for gluten sensitive patients
The benefits of bacon
Why men may be more resistant to diet change
Nadine’s advice for men on eating fresh, gluten-free food
Why subsidized ingredients are found in countless products
The social challenges for men with celiac disease
How switching from vegan or vegetarian to Paleo has affected Nadine’s male patients
The Whole 30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism