Friday, December 09, 2005

WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE Today's Wall Street Journal (December 9, 2005) gives front-page treatment to an overview of celiac disease. The article, by David P. Hamilton, says that "The assumption that celiac disease rarely occurred in the U.S. became a self-fulling prophecy, as fewer doctors considered it as an explanation for illnesses." It says that "A 2000 survey by Peter Green and colleagues at Columbia University found that U.S. celiacs experience symptoms for 11 years on average before diagnosis" and refers to recent findings such as the 2004 NIH estimate that "as many as one in 100 Americans has the condition." The article also mentions how Sue Goldstein of White Plains received a diagnosis and played key roles in establishing a local support group in Westchester and raising funds for the celiac research center at Columbia.

ADDENDUM In the same issue (page W8), there is also a short item about airlines cutting "gluten-free" meals out of their menus. Included is this passage:
The cutbacks will likely anger some travelers, says Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. People with celiac disease -- who can't eat wheat, rye or barley, which contain the protein gluten -- would find a menu without a gluten-free option "to be pretty unpalatable," especially passengers paying extra, he says. "If you're in the back [of the plane] and you get the chips and pretzels, you've always had to deal with the problem," he adds. "But if you're in the front, it's pretty inconsiderate."

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