Loading ...We have said it before and will say it again: a big part of our mission at Custom Choice Cereal is to raise awareness for celiac disease and gluten intolerance. This requires that we also never stop learning, and you are actually our greatest resource!
We asked you about your road to diagnosis with celiac or gluten intolerance, and 24.2% said that you are self-diagnosed. In another one of our 3-second-polls, 73.3% of you primarily rely on the internet and blogs for gluten-free information. We must admit that we do the same but focus on the pages that we have identified as reliable resources, which we share with you in the right sidebar.
A recent British study warns about the dangers of self-diagnosis of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Results of the surveyed parents show that
- <50% correctly identified all gluten-containing foods
- 45% wrongly thought that maize contained gluten
- 98% correctly identified that gluten was in wheat
- only 38% could identify all gluten-containing foods
This can make life for the doctors who are aware of celiac disease much more difficult. Why? Well, a diagnosis cannot be made on a gluten-free diet, and it is literally very painful to be forced back to a gluten-containing diet for a correct diagnosis.
As Dr. Nadeem Afzal of the Southampton General Hospital points out “correct treatment and education about it becomes crucial in getting the child back to 100%”. He also admits though that online searches and self-education “reflect the age in which we live – we should embrace new technology as a useful starting point.”
By the way, you also need an official diagnosis to be able to deduct higher expenses for gluten-free food from your taxes!
