For those of you suffering from various forms of food allergies, sensitivity, food intolerance, celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, IBS, colitis, Crohn's disease or other food related or digestive conditions, I want update you on what is going on with “the Food Doc”. I also want to explain why there have been fewer blog posts recently. Some of you reach this blog via my website www.thefooddoc.com. That is only a brief taste of what is to come on the food doc website. As I promised earlier I also want to comment briefly on a possible link of celiac disease and herniated discs.The target date the premier food doc website is mid-June. My medical assistant, Christine, and I have been working furiously to add content and work with the web development team to finish the interactive on-line applications we are featuring on the site.
In the meantime, I continue to maintain an active GI practice that includes after hours and weekend hospital coverage. My wife is also now three weeks out from having spine surgery for a recurrent herniated lumbar disc in the context of celiac disease. I took some time off from work and from writing to help her. I still believe there may be a link between celiac disease and premature or recurrent herniated discs. I am still researching the limited research and published articles. I have also had some of her herniated disc material to a laboratory to be processed in hope that we look for markers of celiac disease involvement.
I have found articles describing an autoimmune link including the presence of autoimmune antibody markers in herniated disc tissue. The disc is a nutritionally active tissue made up of proteins. The presence of inflammatory reactions is well documented including the presence of various mediators. Anti-inflammatory treatments like anti-tumor necrosis factor agents (Remicade) used to treat Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis have been reported beneficial in disc disease. However, I have been unable to find specific research linking celiac disease and herniated discs. However, based on may professional experience and wife's history as well as numerous posts on celiac forums suggests there is a link. I would be interested in hearing from any of you who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity that have had herniated discs including what age it occurred.
When www.thefooddoc.com re-launches it will have it’s own “virtual office” with secure messaging service and on-line consult capability. It will also have an on-line diet symptom diary, interactive info wizard and symptom assessment tools, a regular newsletter, blog, e-store and much more.
The www.thefooddoc.com is taking on an amazing appearance and capabilities. It will be much more than I had envisioned. It is exciting and I wish I could share with you how it looks so far. However, according to my web development team, I cannot while it is still under development and vulnerable to security breaches and crashing. When it launches, I am convinced there will not be another site like it anywhere on the web. It will be capable of offering interactive tools and resources for people with digestive and food related conditions or illness that will astound you.
I will be adding some new posts over the next few days as some interesting new articles have been published I want to share with you. I am finishing up a booklet titled “Diagnosing Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity” that will be published in print form as well as available as an e-book for purchase on www.thefooddoc.com. I am working on four others to be published over the next 3-6 months.
The second booklet will cover food allergy, sensitivity and intolerance, including various testing options. It is already undergoing editing now and will be published shortly after the first. The third will cover irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, colitis and leaky gut syndrome. Though it is also in progress some additional writing is needed. But isn’t too far from being done. A fourth will cover nutrition, supplements, probiotics, prebiotics and antibiotics in treatment and prevention of digestive and food related conditions. Marie Pizzolatto, a leader of the local celiac support group in Colorado Springs is also an experienced editor/publisher who is helping me with these projects.
Dr. Ron Hoggan (co-author of Dangerous Grains and editor of celiac.com newsletter ScottFree) has volunteered to lead a group of us in a project on multi-doctor authored book on gluten sensitivity. Dr. Rodney Ford (author, pediatric gastroenterologist and the other food doctor from New Zealand www.doctorgluten.com www.thefooddoctor.net) and I have committed to this project. Our writing for that project has already begun. Dr. Ken Fine founder of Enterolab www.enterolab.com and Dr. Mario Hadjivassilou, a neurologist from England who is considered the world expert on gluten and the brain, have indicated interest to join us as co-authors.
As I indicated in an earlier post, I am going to be offering Dr. Rodney Ford's helpful books on gluten through my website. I will also be adding videos that will be available by streaming on-line downloads like my first video “What is the difference between food allergies and food intolerance?” Our future videos will be a little shorter and better in quality. We are also looking at other products to offer that we believe are helpful. These include some gluten free cooking videos, restaurant guides and dining cards, gluten free recipes and cookbooks, and medical testing resources.
So, there are a lot of exciting developments and projects in the works. It is a privilege to share these with you as you join me in our journey searching for more answers and links to how food and the gut interact so we may all achieve a “healthy gut, healthy life”
Best regards,
Dr. Scot Lewey
The Food Doc
www.theFoodDoc.com
www.gacsonline.com
1699 Medical Center Point
Colorado Springs CO 80907
719 632 7101
The Food Doc, LLC
PO Box 51460
Colorado Springs CO 80949
Copyright © 2007, The Food Doc, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
www.thefooddoc.com
1 comment:
Dr Lewey,
I was wondering if you have found any more evidence linking celiac disease with herniated discs.
I am 46, have celiac disease and just found out I have a herniated disc. I found your blog yesterday.
erin
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