Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic

I applaude Dr. Green and Rory Jones with this new book. I've bought and read almost every book and cookbook ever written on celiac disease and the gluten free diet since my diagnosis 17 years ago and this is by far the best. The book details the history of celiac disease, the medical aspects of the disease in layman's terms, and the diet itself in an easily readible book. I loved the insertion of the personal stories throughout the book. Many people will find their own story in them. This book should be in every GI doctor's office in the country, not to mention every celiac's home. I give this book an A+!

I am an annual attendee at Dr. Green's seminars at Columbia University dealing with Celiac Disease. I sent in a letter after the 2005 Patient Education Day seminar offering not only raves about the spectacular quality of the seminars but also some suggestions about how to take the complicated technical material and make it more "user-friendly". This book does exactly that. It is easy reading, interesting, and offers a celiac patient a never ending series of "ah hahs" as the reader matches his personal experiences to the information in the book. This is a five-star book that every celiac patient, every person who cares about a celiac patient, and every doctor who treats a celiac patient should not only own but should read and re-read.

This book is a very worthwhile addition to a person with celiac disease's library. Rather than another "do's and don'ts" book, it's focus is on the physiology and pathology of celiac disease. But let not your heart be troubled (or your brain twisted) by medicalese -- it is written very clearly and in layman's terms. It starts with an overview of the "normal" digestive tract and the immune system. Then it explains what celiac disease is and what goes wrong. There are chapters on how to diagnose celiac disease and differentiate it from other conditions, as well as discussions on alternative approaches to testing for celiac disease including fecal, breath, and saliva testing and the blood dot test. Dr. Green discusses laboratory differences and false negatives and false positives. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the future of testing. The next parts of the book are devoted to related conditions and complications with chapters on neurological manifestations like peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, migraines, and epilepsy, malignancy, osteoporosis, depression, DH, diabetes, infertility, and other related autoimmune conditions like Sjogren's Syndrome, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, Addison's Disease etc. and discussions of the medical management of celiac disease. The gluten free diet (the only treatment for celiac disease) is covered in some detail, covering topics such as how much gluten is too much, grain science, cross-contamination, and basic rules for avoiding cross contamination. There are chapters on the new labelling and testing of gluten free products, a short chapter on cooking without gluten (this is not a cookbook), eating in the "real world", dealing with family occasions, the medicine cabinet and cosmetics and "eating naked". The last part of the book has chapters on dealing with children and young adults who have celiac disease, including the impact of parental attitudes, how adults cope with the changes celiac disease and the gluten free diet bring to their lifestyles and then chapters on research and myths and unexplored areas. I would say that at least two thirds of the book deals with the medical and scientific issues surrounding celiac disease. The last third of the book deals with lifestyle change and gluten-free diet issues. I was glad that there weren't really any specific products mentioned in the book, so we don't have to worry about whether or not a product really is "still" gluten free or not because we saw it in this book. All in all, I certainly think that this book is an excellent reference for every celiac to have, and a very important contribution to the celiac community.

Having multiple food intolerences that went mis-diagnosed for years, I am quite familiar with this genre of writing. From this background, I will unequivocably say that this book is incredible. It gives a wealth of information about celiac disease specifically as well as a much-appreciated, comprehensive overview of the background to it--the complexity of the digestive systems and how they work and can go wrong. It is written beautifully with a blend of anecdotes and scientific fact that is a pleasure to read. The authors are obviously very familiar with the difficulties, stress, and pain that can accompany all stages of learning of and living with a gluten-free diet. It's tone is honest, extremely positive, and uplifting. I recomend this book to all interested in this topic, celiacs and non-celiacs alike.

Receiving a diagnosis of an illness I had never heard of was quite tough. Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic was an amazing resource for me. It helped me to learn more about the disease that I have and explain the important dietary restrictions I must live by. I especially enjoyed the appendices which listed an explanation of grains and a guide to ingredients common in many foods. I feel confident that now I understand my condition and am no longer frustrated over my restricted lifestyle. Thank you to Peter Green and Rory Jones.