Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity: A Troubled Past but a Promising Future

Product Description

Dr. Heinrichs writes authoritatively with an engaging, personal style, drawing from an expansive history of life and professional experiences related to the gluten-free community. Considering his 15 years as a clinical laboratory technologist and, last but not least, that fact that his wife, Ruth, has lived with celiac disease for 35 years, he is able to provide a perspective unrivaled by any other author within the celiac-disease genre.

Because of his extensive understanding of medical laboratory testing, Dr. Heinrichs challenges the reader to take a fresh look at the scientific literature concerning celiac disease and the two pivotal procedures (antibody tests and intestinal biopsy) used during the search for a diagnosis. Celiac-disease testing is portrayed by the experts as a high-speed, four-lane freeway, but upon careful examination it is shown to be a narrow, dusty path with deep ruts.

Troubled Past refers to the demanding road patients in the 1970s were required to travel so their doctors could prove the diagnosis--a path that led to renewed suffering, even after they had totally recovered from their illness. Dr. Heinrichs describes how that mind-set continues to this day--but, thankfully, at a more restrained level. This groundbreaking book includes a discussion about the potential increased risk of bleeding during biopsy and also presents two other rarely considered --yet important--topics, in hopes of generating new streams of dialogue within the gluten-sensitive community. Acknowledging history and its misdirected journey allows us to choose a Promising Future while avoiding the missteps. A medically sound, patient-friendly approach toward symptom resolution is proposed for those who react to gluten.