Many Unknowingly Affected By Disease Often Undetected
(Staff Photo By Lauren Grover)
Tyler resident Betty Tirey discusses the gluten-free selection at Whole Health, a specialty grocery store on South Broadway.
By LAUREN GROVER
Staff Writer
For 68 years she was malnourished.
She was anemic, but ate a hearty, balanced diet; had early osteoporosis despite drinking milk and swimming daily; was often fatigued in spite of being active; and puzzled several doctors for years.
But in 2000, when Betty Tirey broke out in a strange rash, she was given a new diagnosis.
She had celiac disease.
Ingesting the wheat product gluten destroyed the villi of her small intestine and prevented its absorbing vitamins and minerals.
It explained everything, she said.
"I've always been very, very active, always eaten very well - it was shocking," she said. "All those years I'd been going through life not being able to absorb all my nutrients."
While the cure for celiac disease is a simple diet change, most people who have it don't know it, or find out dangerously late.
More than 1 in every 130 people in the U.S. suffer from celiac disease, and about 95 percent of them go undiagnosed, according to the Celiac Sprue Association.
Dr. Bola Olusola, a gastroenterologist at the Univer-sity of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, said this is because its symptoms are often too illusive.
"It can persist in so many ways it makes it difficult for the diagnosis to be made."
Since diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain are common to celiac and common to many other ailments, Olusola said, these don't often alarm people.
Or their doctors.
"I think a lot of physicians have it in the back of their minds that it exists, but a lot of physicians don't actually consider it's something they will run into on a regular basis," he said.
The disease often comes to light when it causes serious illness, Olusola said, such as anemia, osteoporosis, osteopenia, extreme weight loss and small intestine cancer.
For this reason, awareness needs to increase, he said.
Tirey agreed.
"So many people have these aches and pains and don't even think about gluten," she said.
Since her diagnosis, Tirey's osteoporosis has slowed and her anemia is gone.
She feels better than she used it, she said, and seeks a new kind of cuisine.
Staff Writer
For 68 years she was malnourished.
She was anemic, but ate a hearty, balanced diet; had early osteoporosis despite drinking milk and swimming daily; was often fatigued in spite of being active; and puzzled several doctors for years.
But in 2000, when Betty Tirey broke out in a strange rash, she was given a new diagnosis.
She had celiac disease.
Ingesting the wheat product gluten destroyed the villi of her small intestine and prevented its absorbing vitamins and minerals.
It explained everything, she said.
"I've always been very, very active, always eaten very well - it was shocking," she said. "All those years I'd been going through life not being able to absorb all my nutrients."
While the cure for celiac disease is a simple diet change, most people who have it don't know it, or find out dangerously late.
More than 1 in every 130 people in the U.S. suffer from celiac disease, and about 95 percent of them go undiagnosed, according to the Celiac Sprue Association.
Dr. Bola Olusola, a gastroenterologist at the Univer-sity of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, said this is because its symptoms are often too illusive.
"It can persist in so many ways it makes it difficult for the diagnosis to be made."
Since diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain are common to celiac and common to many other ailments, Olusola said, these don't often alarm people.
Or their doctors.
"I think a lot of physicians have it in the back of their minds that it exists, but a lot of physicians don't actually consider it's something they will run into on a regular basis," he said.
The disease often comes to light when it causes serious illness, Olusola said, such as anemia, osteoporosis, osteopenia, extreme weight loss and small intestine cancer.
For this reason, awareness needs to increase, he said.
Tirey agreed.
"So many people have these aches and pains and don't even think about gluten," she said.
Since her diagnosis, Tirey's osteoporosis has slowed and her anemia is gone.
She feels better than she used it, she said, and seeks a new kind of cuisine.
(Staff Photo By Lauren Grover)
Tirey chooses chocolate sandwich cookies called Kinnitoos, made by Kinnikinnick Foods, Inc., a brand dedicated to gluten-free breads and goodies.
cutting out gluten
Tirey said living gluten-free means becoming an avid food-label reader.
Most bread, pasta, crackers, cereal, chips, cookies, cakes, dough, vegetable broth, spices and soy sauce contain gluten, she said.
"It's really overwhelming," she said about being first diagnosed. "But it's so much easier today; gluten-free foods are much more readily available."
Each month, Tirey peruses Whole Health, a specialty grocery in Tyler that dedicates an entire aisle to gluten-free dry and frozen goods.
Andrew Dosser, Whole Health's buyer, said their gluten-free customers have doubled this year.
"The muffins, breads and donuts sell the best," he said. "These are things (gluten-free) people still want to eat."
Tirey joins 45 other members of the East Texas Celiac Support Group, a chapter of the Celiac Sprue Association, to share recipes and ideas for gluten-free living.
"It's a big lifestyle change," said Bonnie Scott, the support group president. "We send information and have monthly meetings ... we provide resources for our members."
Tirey, an avid traveler, said eating gluten-free is much easier in Europe, but East Texas is coming around.
She and other support group members visit Tyler restaurants that offer gluten-free menus, including Outback, Olive Garden, Chili's and Pico de Gallo.
"I can't have another sandwich, I can't have a piece of cake - well it's just not like that," she said. "It's been fun to explore what foods are out there."
Tirey recently discovered Redbridge beer made of sorghum and some specialty filo dough made gluten-free.
But she's delighted even to find delicious basics.
"Good (gluten-free) crackers are hard to come by," she said.
Most bread, pasta, crackers, cereal, chips, cookies, cakes, dough, vegetable broth, spices and soy sauce contain gluten, she said.
"It's really overwhelming," she said about being first diagnosed. "But it's so much easier today; gluten-free foods are much more readily available."
Each month, Tirey peruses Whole Health, a specialty grocery in Tyler that dedicates an entire aisle to gluten-free dry and frozen goods.
Andrew Dosser, Whole Health's buyer, said their gluten-free customers have doubled this year.
"The muffins, breads and donuts sell the best," he said. "These are things (gluten-free) people still want to eat."
Tirey joins 45 other members of the East Texas Celiac Support Group, a chapter of the Celiac Sprue Association, to share recipes and ideas for gluten-free living.
"It's a big lifestyle change," said Bonnie Scott, the support group president. "We send information and have monthly meetings ... we provide resources for our members."
Tirey, an avid traveler, said eating gluten-free is much easier in Europe, but East Texas is coming around.
She and other support group members visit Tyler restaurants that offer gluten-free menus, including Outback, Olive Garden, Chili's and Pico de Gallo.
"I can't have another sandwich, I can't have a piece of cake - well it's just not like that," she said. "It's been fun to explore what foods are out there."
Tirey recently discovered Redbridge beer made of sorghum and some specialty filo dough made gluten-free.
But she's delighted even to find delicious basics.
"Good (gluten-free) crackers are hard to come by," she said.
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