I realize it has been quite a while since my last post. However, this was some info that I really thought needed sharing. A patient of mine is having some difficulty sleeping. The counselor he is seeing recommended taking melatonin as a sleep aid, but asked that he clear it with his physician first as the patient has celiac disease. Truly, I thought that as long as the product was gluten-free, there should be no problem. However, being who I am, I decided to research the product just a bit. What I found was news to me.
Melatonin , albeit natural, is a potent immunostimulator. In other words, it awakens the immune system causing it to become somewhat hyperactive. In doing so, melatonin increases Interleukin-1 and Interleukin-2, both strong inflammatory markers, thereby increasing the number of T-cells in the system. Together, these reactions stimulate the immune response and worsen already existing autoimmune diseases. In fact, the article that I read stated that Melatonin is absolutely contraindicated in conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus.
Now, the question still remains “How about Celiac Diseae?” In those of us with celiac disease, while on a strict gluten-free diet, we manifest no inflammatory response as we have removed the offending agent from the equation. So, theoretically, it should be safe to take melatonin. However, there is no research specific to melatonin and celiac disease, so I cannot recommend the use of this product presently.
As an aside, I also researched L-tryptophan as alternative sleep aid. According to the research I did, L-trytophan causes an autoimmune condition called eosinophillic myalgia syndrome, which can be severe if not treated in time. If one already has an underlying autoimmune condition, it is safe to say that we do not want to introduce a risk factor for developing another one.
If you would like to research these products on your own, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin.
October 27, 2011
Melatonin and Celiac Disease
Posted by Dr. Michelle under Celiac Disease, Medical Information1 Comment
May 9, 2011
Had another wonderful talk with Steve King and Johnnie Putman of WGN Radio Chicago. For those of you who are new to this blog, Steve and Johnnie are night time radio personalities. Steve has long standing celiac disease and both live a gluten-free lifestyle. They are very supportive of my cause, that being to reach as many people living with celiac disease as I can. In advance of mine and Bill’s upcoming lecture, Steve and Johnnie were kind enough to chat with me by phone and allow me to shamelessly plug the lecture. I will not bore you with the details of the lecture as they were spelled out in the previous post. However, should you be interested in hearing the interview, you may do so via the WGN radio website. http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/stevejohnnie/wgnam-sj-celiac-lecture-may-15-2011,0,1155568.mp3file.
I so enjoy speaking with Steve and Johnnie. If you happen to be up at the midnight hour, tune in and take a listen. I guarantee you will enjoy the show!
May 8, 2011
Celiac Disease Lecture Series
Posted by Dr. Bill under Celiac Disease, Medical InformationLeave a Comment
May is Celiac Awareness Month. What better time for some FREE informational lectures on celiac-related topics?
We have some old topics that we have updated and some new topics that have never been discussed. On the agenda are the following lectures:
1) Anatomy of Celiac Disease
2) You Might Be A Celiac If …
3) Gluten Intolerance vs Celiac Disease vs Gluten Allergy
4) Myths About Celiac Disease
5) Gluten Free & Symptomatic
6) Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease
7) Medicolegal Aspects Celiac Disease
The lecture series will take place next Sunday May 15, 2011.
Registration starts at 12:30 PM
Lectures go from 1PM to around 4:30PM
We will leave plenty of time at the end for questions
After questions are finished, the CSA-GC will have a short meeting for members.
In addition to the lectures, there will be several vendors of gluten-free products present with product samples, so not only will you learn about celiac disease, but you will also get some great gluten-free food.
In order to get an idea of the number of attendees, the Celiac Sprue Association of Greater Chicagoland is asking that attendees preregister. Doing so is quick and painless. There are three ways to register:
1. Go to the CSA-GC’s Facebook page and click on the link for our lecture, then click on the “will be attending” link.
2. Send an e-mail to CSACGNewsletter@yahoo.com and let them know if you’ll be attending
3. Respond directly to the CSA-GC president Tony Deany at 630-640-0128
The lectures will be held at:
Pipefitters Training Center
Local Union 597
10850 W 187th Street
Mokena, IL 60448
You can find a map to the Training Center here. If you type in your address on the page, you can get door-to-door directions. The easiest way to get to the center is to exit Interstate 80 at LaGrange Road South, turn right (West) at the first light (191st Street), follow 191st Street about 2 miles until it ends at Wolf Road, turn right (North) on Wolf Road, then turn right (East) on 187th Street.
When you are driving down Interstate 80, the Training Center is the large complex on the South side of Interstate 80 at Wolf Road.
We also want to express our sincere gratidute to the Chicago Pipefitters Local Union 597. They are allowing us to use their Training Center free of charge on Sunday as a service to the public. Please keep them in mind if you have a piping job or if you are interested in becoming a pipefitter!
April 17, 2011
New Feature – Bruce’s Restaurant Reviews
Posted by Dr. Bill under Gluten Free Dining with BruceLeave a Comment
Bruce Zarlengo (brucezarcsa -at- gmail dot com) writes a great newsletter about Gluten Free dining called “Dining Out Gluten Free with Bruce”. I’ve been pestering him to post his newsletter on a blog so that everyone in the Chicago area or who visits the Chicago area can find great gluten free dining. Unfortunately, my pestering hasn’t paid off … yet.
But, Bruce did graciously allow me to publish his newsletters on this blog until he gets the blogging bug.
This post will be especially long because it contains a summary of newsletters from September 2009 to present. Future posts will be a lot less lengthy, but still packed with useful information.
As the list grows, you can quickly find all the posts by clicking on the category “Gluten Free Dining with Bruce” in the right margin of this blog.
So … click the “more” link below to learn about the many new restaurants offering gluten free cuisine. And thanks to Bruce for his hard work and for allowing us to post his newsletters here until he starts his own blog (hint, hint).
April 3, 2011
This is a post from Bill – Dr. Michelle’s husband – about my recent hospitalization at University of Chicago.
After a bad experience during my last hospitalization a couple of years ago, I was prepared to blast the University of Chicago for the lack of gluten free choices on its menu during my most recent hospitalization a couple of weeks ago.
A couple of years ago, we had to send meals back on several occasions because the “gluten free” meals weren’t always “gluten free.” Some meals I was stuck with a boiled piece of chicken and some lettuce. After a couple of days, I just gave up and had Michelle and other family members bring me food to eat.
Fast forward to 2011. Wow.
Make a phone call to the dietary service and now you can pick from a list of dozens of gluten-free meals.
For breakfast, you can have pancakes, waffles, french toast, granola, omelets or many other gluten free entrees.
Lunch and dinner entrees include gluten free mac and cheese, chicken tenders, pizza, deli sandwiches, stir fry, roast pork, and stuffed shells.
There is even gluten free apple cobbler, lemon bars, and chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert.
I was so impressed that I copied one of their menus. It is in .pdf format at this link.
What does the food taste like? I had waffles and an omelet for breakfast the day that I left (before that I was on a liquid diet). You could tell the waffles were from a box, but they were still tasty. The cheese omelet was fluffy and quite good.
Commendations to the University of Chicago for bringing their inpatient gluten-free menu up to the high standards of their celiac disease program.
Now if I could only get them to deliver to our home …
February 18, 2011
This is a quick note to those local to me. There is a recently re-opened Coldstone Creamery in Orland Park, on LaGrange Road. I visited there today, inquiring about gluten-free cakes. One of the new owners stated that there are a few cakes that are naturally gluten-free from the start. However, she also told me that they have a chef, Johnny, who can work with us and design a cake specifically to our instructions. He will discuss each aspect of the presentation as well as ingredients.
Thank you Coldstone Creamery. How refreshing it will be to have an ice cream cake instead of “Mom’s” homemade birthday cake every once and a while.
February 13, 2011
Simply a save-the-date note for the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center annual spring benefit, Spring Flours.
This year it will be held on Friday, May 6th at the Swissotel downtown Chicago. Every year, this event turns out to be more spectacular than the year before. The proceeds benefit very important research being done at U of Chicago on celiac disease.
For more information, go to www.celiacdisease.net. I hope to see all of you there!
February 10, 2011
Huge news out of University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center. Dr. Bana Jabri has been able to isolate an inflammatory compound, Interleukin-15, as a main area of research in the treatment and possible prevention of celiac disease. Through a mouse model of celiac disease, developed at the University of Chicago, it was found that elevated levels of interleukin-15 caused signs and symptoms synonymous with early onset celiac disease. It was further found that when the pathway to this compound was blocked, there was regression in the disease. Moreover, it was discovered that all of the mice with celiac disease-type symptoms had an elevated level of interleukin-15.
Further study will, of course, ensue. Many more answers will follow. But, for the moment, we will revel in the fact that advancements are on the horizon. I hope my children’s’ children will not need to know what a gluten-free diet is. For the present, however, I would like to congratulate and thank the researchers at University of Chicago for their tireless efforts in finding a cure for this disease!
To read more about this study, follow the link below.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110209/hl_nm/us_celiac_treatments
January 26, 2011
Wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU to Steve King and Johnnie Putman of WGN Radio 720 for inviting Bill and me back to the studio last night. We had a wonderful night of talk on celiac disease, answering listener questions and indulging in some home-baked, gluten-free treats. It was such a pleasure seeing the two of them once again. We are already excited for our next visit.
If you would like to listen to the broadcast in its entirety, go to www.wgnradio.com/shows/stevejohnnie . Once onto the website, click on uncut podcasts on the pull-down menu. The broadcast is presented in three parts. Would love feedback, so let me know what you think!
You can also link directly to the broadcasts (and even download them) here:
January 24, 2011
Steve King and Johnnie Putman were kind enough to invite us back for more celiac banter. If you would like to tune in, we will be on 720 WGN Radio, starting at midnight on the 25-26th of January. Look forward to hearing feedback from all of you who have the opportunity to listen.
Thank you!
