You don’t have to prove to anyone that you have celiac disease proper. Because food functions as both medicine and poison, it is important to have all the facts before you get talked into a gluten challenge … and the fact is, going back on gluten after you have adopted a gluten-free diet will cause organ damage.
The Gluten Free RN speaks to the motivation behind doing a gluten challenge, the consequences for celiac and gluten sensitive patients, and her work as a patient advocate to discourage people from being talked into a gluten challenge. She offers a detailed risk versus reward analysis of braving a gluten challenge, explaining how the maintenance of a gluten-free diet prevents the development of celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders.
Nadine also covers the unreliable nature of celiac testing in the US, where the medical community lacks savvy in interpreting results, and explains why biopsy results are no longer considered the gold standard of celiac testing. Listen in to understand the recommended diet for those who have adopted a gluten-free lifestyle and why it requires a long-term commitment. Get armed with information and protect yourself and your family from the dangerous, irreversible consequences of a gluten challenge!
The gluten free lifestyle
Why you should be cautious of restaurants with a gluten-free menu
The advantages of living in the Northwest US
Nadine’s recommendations re: food options
The misguided reason why people do a gluten challenge
The value of a gluten-free diet in preventative medicine
What it means to do a gluten challenge
The consequences of a gluten challenge on celiac and gluten sensitive patients
The risks vs. rewards of enduring a gluten challenge
Why Nadine would never do a gluten challenge
Why biopsy results are no longer considered the gold standard of celiac testing
Why an antibody panel can be unreliable in identifying celiac disease
How long it takes to obtain celiac diagnosis
Nadine’s advice around celiac testing
The enduring nature of celiac disease
Nadine’s nutrition guidelines for celiac patients
Nadine’s work as a patient advocate
‘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