November 2019 Meeting Summary

The Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group had a terrific meeting In November. I am sure I can speak for all that were there, that we thoroughly enjoyed having member Britt Flores speak! In addition to being a fantastic dessert baker and local journalist, she had the courage to share with us her near death experiences and then only to find out she had Celiac Disease!  Please watch for her monthly column in the Prescott Courier (it may be twice a month, I'm not sure)

We also had a very lengthy discussion on "gut health" and the wonders of celery juice.  Britt gave us a great web-site for you to check out .........

https://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/how-celery-juice-helps-heal-sibo

Anthony William is the author who  has written several books on gut health and according to google has helped tens of thousands of people heal from many ailments misdiagnosed.   PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE.

The above led into an in depth discussion on SIBO  Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth.  According to our favorite local gastroenterolgist, SIBO goes "hand in hand" with Celiac Disease.  For folks that continue to have gut problems this is perhaps a test they should have done.  It is a breath test done with a special type of meter.  There is a term known as "Refractory Sprue" .. the definition being stubborn/ unmanageable or unresponsive to 6 months of a  strict gluten free diet. As of this meeting date, we have at least 3 members of our group that have been diagnosed with SIBO.

There will be NO TUESDAY MEETING IN DECEMBER.  If you come to the meeting in January, I will tell you the story of a North Carolina man that has a condition that brews alcohol in his own gut. He drinks no alcohol whatsoever  !!

There are 3 more seats left for our Christmas luncheon on Wednesday, December 11th. Please let me know.  Twenty is the maximum I can reserve for our group.

Thank you & Happy Thanksgiving!

All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

August 2019 Meeting Summary

 Thank you to all that turned out for the  Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support group's August luncheon at the Thai Cafe in Prescott Valley.  We had a terrific server who spoke perfect English and is the son-in-law of the owner.  He tried very hard to accommodate all of our group's many food sensitivities besides gluten. I have not heard otherwise, so I will assume that everyone felt fine after eating their delicious Thai food and enjoying the friendship of old and new friends.

 

I will say however that the son-in-law (DARN.... I forget his name) is leaving for a few months and I will now caution you to eat there as I would all restaurants. Dine at your own risk.  Hopefully, he and his wife will be buying/taking over the restaurant in the future and he wants to work with the gluten free community to find a safe place to eat.

 

Our next meeting will be September 10th, noon til 2pm at the Bradshaw Senior Community, Rose Room ( where we have been for over 2 years now).  If you need directions, email me.

 

 THERE WILL BE NO MEETING IN OCTOBER.

 

 Good health to you all.

 

 Renee and Linda

 

 All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

September 2019 Meeting Summary

The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support held a great meeting in September!  It was a roundtable (in this case square table) with everyone present having a chance to share a story, a discovery and opinion ! Thank you to all that came.

 

One item that came up was referring to an article I found in our local paper, The Courier. There is a Paulden based farm called Schaffer Farms. They are primarily selling a the Chino Valley Farmers Market.  However, they are hoping to start selling at the Prescott Farmers Market.  I bring this to your attention because in the article it says " Joseph Schaffer not only grows his own wheat, but also the other grains he cuts his wheat with and their main source of protein is their black beans grown at the base of their corn".

 

I find this troublesome for us and I wanted you to be aware "caveat emptor"

 

If you have always wanted to go to a Pampered Chef Party but was afraid of all the gluten food and cross contamination, I've got a great invite for you. Member Nicole is having a Gluten Free Pampered Chef Party on Sunday, September 22nd, at 2pm. Please RSVP to her directly at 928-910-2512.  She will give you details and directions. I'm looking forward to it.  I have used Pampered Chef for years, but since 2009, when I started my gluten free journey I haven't been to any. Nicole's kitchen is totally gluten free, with 2 celiac children, her mother and herself.

 

And one more plug...I don't use this forum for advertising as such, but since this is a need I think many of you could use, please indulge me.... as my husband can no longer do any " honey do's"...His & Hers Housekeeping and Maintenance is now available for those of you that can not, will not, or just plain don't want to do cleaning, house repairs, construction, plumbing, painting, rain gutter cleaning etc. etc. Please call Mel and Nicole Franetovich. My husband and I are now hiring Mel to help with chores that we either can't do or don't even have the tools to do it with. Their number is 928-910-2512.

 

There is no meeting in October.  See you in November.,

 

Renee and Linda

 

 All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

June 2019 Meeting Summary

The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support Group had a terrific meeting last week with speaker Dr Karissa Walton, N.M.D.  Naturopathic Physician with INNATE Wellness & Medical Center, 820 Ainsworth Dr., Prescott 928-776-1600

 

Dr Karissa specializes in treating chronic pain and neurological issues. Of course, she can treat any one of us with all our gluten and food issues.  As she states.. statistically 1 out of 130 have celiac, 1 out of 60 have gluten sensitivity and 1 out of 7 have wheat disorders. And, sadly many of the population do not know "what's ailing them".  She spoke quite a bit about "gluten ataxia" and in fact there have actually been diagnosed Parkinson's patients that really have gluten ataxia. Ataxia symptoms may vary but can include: trouble using fingers, hands, arms and/or legs..trouble speaking...trouble moving eyes...poor coordination and/or balance...tingling in extremities...gait problems...and damage to the cerebellum (the part of the brain that controls coordination.

 

It would be impossible for me to summarize the extent of her knowledge imparted to us that day.  Subjects that were covered  were  thyroid, thyroid, thyroid. Oh, my gosh so much info.  Intestinal Permeability/Leaky Gut Syndrome and the issues with absorption, which becomes the problem because inflammation prohibits the absorption.

 

Many of us have heard these subjects discussed before.  However, having a physician explain in more detail was invaluable (and a bit overwhelming)

 

Dr. Karissa is new to the area & Dr. Gemmie's office and is offering  new patient/new doctor pricing.  Most, if not all, naturopathic practices are "cash pay". I encourage you to call ASAP if you are interested in booking an appointment.  Tell Savannah/front office that you are with the Celiac Group and that you were told there was a new patient/new doctor price.  My appointment is on Thursday and I am so looking forward to talking to Dr. Karissa one on one.

(Please read and be aware of the bottom of this page, where our disclaimer is available.  Thank you.  Also, if you no longer wish to receive our groups emails and periodic Gluten Free Watchdog updates, please email me back and I will remove your name immediately.)

 

Thank you everyone that is interested in our journey to good health.

 

Renee & Linda

May 2019 Meeting Summary

The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support group had a great turnout for the May meeting and welcomed two new members to the group.  Linda and I are always thrilled when a person gets diagnosed with celiac and then starts doing a google search and finds our support group.  Of course, it would be more ideal if the local doctors would give them our card or tell them there is an easier way to find us, but such as it is...

 

So, we covered a lot of ground and many stayed even after the meeting time to continue the conversations and to network.  One subject that was talked about at length was TOP 5 REASONS CHEAT DAYS ARE A NO-NO.  This was a great segway into Linda's in depth talk on continued gut damage. She will summarize her talk by email directly to all of you.  Suffice it to say, it is very important that gluten/wheat/barley/rye should not be ingested at any time voluntarily. If by accident you eat the above, we highly recommend consuming a gluten enzyme ( She & I use Enzymedica products). Any time Linda & I eat outside the home we take enzyme before, during and sometimes after we have eaten.  Again, as always, you choose to do this at your own discretion.

 

But getting back to the top 5 reasons.

1. You won't feel well.  2. You set off inflammation throughout the body. 3. You prolong gut recovery. 4 You will lose support (friends and family are less likely to support you if they see you cheating. 5. You could develop cancer.  Okay, this last item, per Gluten-Free Living magazine states that according to a 2013 study conducted at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, noncompliant celiac sufferers (cheaters) with unhealed small intestines have a higher risk of developing lymphoma (a type of blood cancer). This is according to Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, MD, MS.

 

Member Sharon shared a incredible article in the Discover Magazine that determined that Celiac Disease can be traced back to suffering in Holland during WWII (1944-45) by a Dutch pediatrician, Willem-Karel Dicke.  I found this so fascinating, I will make copies available for the next meeting, so any of you can give a copy to your own doctor and yourself.

 

Thank you to many that donated to the "Free Will Donation" box.  Those monies are used for photocopies, business cards ( which are available to members) name tags, and misc.  This is a completely "pay it forward" by myself and Linda, with no dues or membership fees, so your donations are very appreciated.

 

On a lighter note.... I was at the Safeway in Prescott on Willow Lake Road/Miller Valley Rd and saw a huge collection of gluten free pizza!  Many I have not seen at Sprouts and with a price point of less than $10.00.  Spinato's of Tempe Arizona, Pizza Oggi, Sonoma Flatbreads, Open Nature, Mikey's and Freschetta to name a few.  We would love to hear from you out there, which Pizza's you think may be worth buying, including cauliflowers crusts, as well.

 

As far as restaurants, we are getting closer to organizing a list that is worthwhile.  Still, my favorite in Prescott is Farm Provisions (reuben sandwich to die for). I recently ate at Diablo Burger in Flagstaff (www.diabloburger.com) and my burger was on an artisan GF english muffins was delicious.  Fries are gluten free too.

 

Too much info this time to continue on, so til next time....

 

Renee and Linda

April 2019 Meeting Summary

The Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support group had a very good interactive meeting in April and a lot of helpful information was shared.

The Gluten Free Watchdog has done several posts on the contamination of LENTILS and actual barley grains that are in the processed lentils themselves. You can read a few of her posts on the subject online without being a subscriber.

I know that every time I have purchased dried packaged lentils I have found between 3 and 8 barley grains in the package.You MUST sort every package thoroughly for the grains and rinse in running water stirring, for at least 3 minutes to help with contamination of the lentils.

What really concerns me is there are soups on the market with lentils that are labeled Gluten Free, I am sure that the company has not taken the time to sort hundreds of

pounds of dried lentils to remove the barley? Also, there are gluten free crackers and baked goods that use lentil flour, the same question, are they sorting the barley out and rinsing the lentils before they grind the flour?

A medical Assistant in my dad's Dr.s office (she has Celiac) shared with me about a product called "IBEROGAST", to help with your gut and digestion process and it helps calm everything

down if you have been glutened. It has greatly helped her when she eats out and gets inadvertent gluten. One of our members said that Dr. Worthington recommend it to her and it seems to be helping. Iberogast was created in Germany 40 years ago and for the last 20 years Canada has been producing it under that name. It is only available online.

Another member told us about ALLERGINA Zone 6. it is available at Natural Grocers for $14.99.

She has allergies so severe she was in bed and nothing else seemed to help. She took some and within 15 to 20 minutes she felt much better. It is for seasonal allergies and is not related to gut health, but so many of us have multiple issues and the allergies are especially bad this year due to the heavy rains

that I thought that we could use extra the help.

One of our members, who is also allergic to corn, told us that corn and corn products have over 250 names. And that there is a facebook group called Corn Allergy and Intolerance Group for support for those that are allergic to corn.

May is National Celiac Awareness month, so look for specials at the health food stores.

Well that is it for now, we hope to see you in May,

Linda And Renee

Note: The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support Group meets the second Tuesday of each month. Call Renee Richey @ (928) 443-0399 for info about meeting locations and times. 

All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only. 

 It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

Gluten Free Watchdog Updates

All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

Dear Gluten Free Watchdog community,
Two news notes…
Oats: Due in large part to data published in the public domain by Quaker, the gluten-free community continues to learn about the nature of gluten grain cross contact in oats, including that:

• Grains of wheat, barley, and rye are unevenly distributed within a given amount of oats.
• Despite what may be the best efforts of suppliers, gluten-containing grains have been found in both final product purity protocol oats and final product mechanically and optically sorted oats.
• See https://www.somatopublications.com/oat-consumption-by-celiac-disease-patients-outcomes-range-from-harmful-to-beneficial-depending-on-the-purity-of-the-oats.pdf

Based on Gluten Free Watchdog’s social media account, this information is causing concern among folks in the community. At Gluten Free Watchdog we are inviting various oat suppliers to provide information about how they are addressing the issue of errant gluten-containing grain in oats. Information will be posted as it is provided.
Quaker is up first. Please see the post at https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/oats-revisited-quaker-gluten-free-oats/ for more information.
Call to action: A post on the Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 was published this morning. Please see https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/call-to-action-gluten-in-medicine-disclosure-act-of-2019/

Please let me know if you have any questions.
As always, thank you for your support of Gluten Free Watchdog.

Kind regards,
Tricia Thompson, MS, RD
Founder, Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC

February 2019 Meeting Summary

The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support Group had a terrific February meeting.  

Whenever we have done a "round table" testimonial and discussion so much is learned and received on the varied journeys ours member have led living gluten free.  We find that once gluten has been identified as a disturbance to our well- being, other food items seem to make many, if not all, of us unwell.

One of the major discussions was about the situation with gluten free Thyroid medication.  Many of us have been taking Nature Throid because it  is gluten free. It is derived from pigs. I have taken NatureThroid for years.  Unfortunately, it was bought out by BIG PHARMA and is no longer available on the face of the earth. Rumor has it that all the pig farms were bought up by some person or corporation. Any of you out there that have any information on this, please email me.  Anyway, my doctor is putting me on WP Thyroid. Hopefully, I do not have any reactions.  Please be aware that most synthetic thyroid medication have gluten fillers in them. Caveat Emptor. Check out gluten-freedrugs.com   I will be emailing Steve Plogsted, a pharmacist in Columbus, Ohio, who is an expert on gluten in medications

Because February is also known as "heart healthy month" Linda had  terrific, if not terrifying information on the relationship between gluten and heart health.  Hopefully she will speak more on this at future meetings.  Suffice it to say that statistics about Gluten Intolerance show there is a much higher risk of heart disease and stroke in those that consume too much gluten.  Keeping in mind that 2 traditional slices of wheat bread has a higher sugar content than 6 tsp of sugar or a snickers bar.  For you all to verify and study this on your own, she recommends going to WellnessMama.com and search for the interview with Dr. Davis.  Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist who has written the highly successful Wheat Belly Book. He has a great cookbook called Wheat Belly Cookbook  with 150 recipes to Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight & Find Your Path Back to Health. It is also at the library for check out. Sugar is the major source of Inflammation and sugar causes arteries to narrow. 

In my new Gluten-Free Living magazine (which is my personal subscription) there was an amazing article about gluten sniffing dogs!  There are at least 2 dogs in America that have been trained to sniff out gluten so as to protect their owners from eating gluten items.  One gal in the article trained her dog herself and the other person has a dog trained professionally.  Now this is something I would love to be able to do.  I love dogs ...we shall see what the future holds.

I have personally subscribe to the website Gluten Free Watchdog. Do any of you out there subscribe to this site???   Anyway, there is an overload of information, but I will send you bulletins that come to me in emails because I can just forward those easily.  I hope this is okay with you all.
  
Renee & Linda

All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

Note: The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support Group meets the second Tuesday of each month. Call Renee Richey @ (928) 443-0399 for info about meeting locations and times. 

Notice:
There will be NO meeting in March!

January 2019 Meeting Summary

The January meeting of the Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support Group was quite informative. Most of the discussion this month was about restaurants in the area that are offering GF safe food.

I recently got some information about ordering from Chick Fil A.

The regular grilled nuggets are safe, but when you order the grilled chicken on a salad or on a breakfast bowl they are cut with a cutter and on a cutting board

that the breaded chicken is also cut on! So when ordering these items tell them DO NOT cut your chicken, just put it whole on top of the item you order. And as always you must say Gluten Allergy.

The members of our group that have eaten at "Farm Provisions" in downtown Prescott gave it a deffinate thumbs up and safe eating approval rating.

The baked goods they use are from Peace, Love and Baking Company of Prescott. I have been there 2 times and the food is very good!

One of our members told us they have eaten at "That Salad Place" on Iron Springs road. It is a pick your own salad toppings or have a salad prepared for you,type of restaurant.

Several members say that they have eaten at Chi's Chinese and Thai downtown on Cortez Street.

Remember to ask all the right questions when eating out and dine at your own risk.

Member Brenda Andrews showed us how to get free access to magazines on the Library website, they have several GF magazines.

 Sign in to your account and On the main page look up to the right hand corner at the question mark symbol.

Click on it and It gives you the digital option, then look up the magazine title.  The Yavapai Library just announced that they have purchased 59 new magazine subscriptions.

Glutenza, formerly Dr. Tom Obrien's exclusive formula for cutting the gluten protein strand down to lessen the damage to our bodies, is now available from Vitacost.

It is more expensive than gluten ease but it contains 2 types of enzymes to break down the gluten protein, plus it has some pre biotics and pro biotics specific for gluten and our guts.

The good thing when you order from Vitacost is there is no outrageous shipping cost of $12.95 when ordering it from Dr. Tom's website. All orders over $49 are shipped free.

I would definitely take this when eating out our traveling.

That's it for this month, we'll see you next month on Feb 12th

On our journey to health,

Linda and Renee

All information presented or discussed by the Prescott Area Celiac & Gluten Free Support Group members at its meetings, on its blog, or sent by email is for informational & educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. 

 Persons with any health issues should consult a qualified, licensed medical professional for diagnosis & treatment.

Note: The Prescott Area Celiac and Gluten Free Support Group meets the second Tuesday of each month. Call Renee Richey @ (928) 443-0399 for info about meeting locations and times.