It’s the Little (Gluten-Free)Things: Saying thanks with $45M! IBS & Celiac Study, Food Allergy Conf. in MN

Lots to talk about in the last week — How about a multi-million dollar donation to study — in part — celiac disease.  Then a new study supporting celiac as the real diagnosis for some IBS patients, and Minnesotans may want to stop by a food allergy conference this Saturday.

$45 Million Dollars — to study celiac and autoimmune disorders

Wow.  Now I believe in giving back, however I don’t see $45 Million as a one-time donation in my future.  But kudos to the Cafferty family who donated that amount late last week to the University of Maryland and the Center for Celiac Research.  The goal is to use the money to not only study celiac disease, but scientists believe this will help the millions of others with autoimmune disorders.   According to the news release, “The institute’s scientists will use celiac disease as a model for research into autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.”   The money will help establish “the nation’s only major research enterprise devoted to the study of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and Type 1 diabetes.”

Sheila and Ken Cafferty donated the money after the University of Maryland’s Doctor Alessio Fasano diagnosed her with a gluten sensitivity.

“When you don’t feel good, when you don’t feel up to par, you don’t feel like doing the activities you’d normally do. It affects every aspect of your life,” Sheila Cafferty — donor

Her husband was very glad they finally got answers, “I couldn’t stand to see her suffer.”

“We want people to get diagnosed and prevent further damage to their bodies from consuming gluten.” Sheila Cafferty said. “We want to get to the root of celiac disease, to find out what causes it and if it can be prevented. That makes so much more sense than just continuing to treat the symptoms. Dr. Fasano and his colleagues now are going to be able to take their research to the next level. So many people are going to benefit from this. Knowledge is power.”

Well said.

IBS? — A Little Test for Celiac Disease May Be in Store, Study says

New research out last month confirms what many celiacs suspect:  “Celiac disease is common in patients who fit the criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)”.  The research published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine suggested celiac should be considered when seeing patients with what appears to be IBS.

I have had previous posts about he debate between IBS and celiac.  You can read more on that here.

Raising our Celiac Kids at AFAA Conference Saturday, November 6

The Twin Cities chapter of Raising our Celiac Kids will have a table at the Minnesota Food Allergy Conference at the University of Minnesota on Saturday, November 6.  The event goes from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  I’ll be joining the group in the afternoon.  I hope to see you there.  For more information click here.

Tags: celiac, conference, donation, gluten-free, research, study