Happy August! August is Gastroparesis (GP) awareness month. I haven’t written on GP here, so I wanted to focus on it a bit here. While often people talk about a link between diabetes and GP, both Celiac disease and connective tissue disorders (both genetic, like EDS, and autoimmune) can be an underlying cause.
Gastroparesis is kind of like what it sounds like. Gastro (stomach) paresis (not moving). And, of course, that can be all sorts of uncomfortable, causing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, early fullness, bloating, etc. More on diet here:
It’s back! The House has reintroduced the ADINA Act, which would require medication labels to list allergen information, including gluten. ADINA Act is co-led by Representatives Mike Lawler (NY-17), Doris Matsui (CA-07), and Ben Cline (VA-06). Does your representative support it? please consider contacting them and encouraging them to get on board.
Digestive disease week had some fascinating new studies. CDGEMM is a long-term study looking at risk for Celiac. The tl;dr of the latest research; breastfeeding is protective; girls & older siblings were more likely to get Celiac.
This is a first! The European Crohns & Colitis society put out comprehensive dietary management of IBD.
A neat new study looked at the impact of the low FODMAP diet on mast cell activation in people (and mice) with IBS-D.
Great new hEDS/HSD article out today: for hEDS, people had an average of 24 comorbidities & 21 year delay to diagnosis. Most frequently affected systems included dysautonomia, skin, GI, dental, orthopedic, ocular, neurologic and more, with pain as the worst symptom for most. Over 98% of people with hEDS/HSD had GI symptoms.
Food sensitivity tests? Generally not a great idea. Here’s why. They sound great, and it’s totally understandable *why* people are drawn to them. When I first had medical issues, I tried taking a few of those tests. Three, to be exact. And I got three different sets of answers. The conflicting info is typical, and that can lead to confusion, a lot of fear around eating, and over-restriction.
I meant to send out a post earlier, but time got away from me. I did share a post on accessible cooking, if that’s an interest.
Last but not least, here’s one of my favorite summertime recipes: summer rolls
Stay cool, enjoy the rest of the summer, and hope you get time to relax a bit.
Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD. She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great! Email or call 571-271-8742.