NCA HOUSTON CELIAC SUPPORT GROUP
Janet Y. Rinehart, President 281/679-7608
13722 Ashley Run E-mail: txjanet@swbell.net
Houston, TX 77077 Celiacs Helping Celiacs
Dear Celiac Friend,
I understand that you are interested in our support group. I am president of the NCA Houston Celiac Support Group and Former President of CSA/USA, Inc. I want to familiarize you with our group for people with intolerances to wheat, barley, rye and oats (Celiac Disease (CD) and Dermatitis Herpetiformis), or just wheat allergy. We have a New Member Packet for newbies. Go to the section on this web page about Membership and our New Member Packet. Be sure to study the special Outline to guide you in the steps to start a gluten-free diet.
After years of suffering with a myriad of digestive complaints or multiple mysterious symptoms, you finally have a correct diagnosis of Celiac Disease - we hope. You are one of the lucky ones! There is treatment available in terms of a gluten-free diet, but you must commit to a lifelong attention to the dietary restrictions. The gluten-free diet is easier to navigate with assistance from a support group where leaders are dealing with the GF diet every day. Also, you will gain hints from other members and form life-long bonds. All members should aim for zero gluten and a healthy lifestyle.
You may or may not be surprised to learn that Celiac Disease is more common than most people or doctors think. In at-risk groups, the prevalence of CD is 1:22 in first-degree relatives; 1:39 in second-degree relatives; and 1:56 in symptomatic patients. The overall prevalence of CD in not-at-risk groups is 1:133 is now about 1%. You are not alone!
We are a resource to assist you in learning lifelong coping strategies and in sharing and helping other members. We are all in this together! Having lived with Celiac Disease for over 30 years and attended national conferences of CSA/USA, NCA, and other celiac lectures, I want to help newly-diagnosed patients cope more easily with their dietary limitations and become "normal" again.
You will discover that you really can go out to eat in most restaurants and even travel. One of the chapters in our New Member Packet covers eating out with local restaurant investigations. Also, we have developed a long compilation of restaurant investigations (over 100 pages); we will e-mail this compilation to new and renewing members. We enjoy each other's company when we have special dining-out events.
We have a number of physicians and dietitians on our Board. Please see homepage for listing. These professionals can answer questions for us about Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis (skin manifestation of CD, and the gluten-free diet. If you need a referral, please contact the President.
For people who live out of the Houston area or out of state, we welcome your membership, but ask you to join our parent organization, National Celiac Association (www.nationalceliac.org) . We urge you to get involved with your celiac group with financial and active support. Our chapter Newsletter (HOUSTON CELIAC PERSPECTIVE) supplements NCA's newsletter and material.
The more variety in your diet, the less deprived you will feel. In time you will feel more comfortable with the gluten-free lifestyle.
NCA holds various webinars with celiac experts. There are lectures on many subjects about CD and DH as well as the gluten-free diet. All current members of NCA will receive registration material directly about the webinars, and our chapter will also keep you informed.
If you have access to the Internet, there is a national celiac discussion (free) list available with capability of answering questions between the subscribers. Send a message to listserv@listserv.icors.org containing this line: SUBSCRIBE CELIAC (YourFirstName YourLastName). As a preview go to http://listserv.icors.org/archives/celiac.html to see the peripheral files available in the Archives. I suggest you subscribe in 'Digest' form. Send a message to the server at listserv@listserv.icors.org and type the message 'SET CELIAC DIGEST.' To send a message to the group, just use Celiac@listserv.icors.org as the e-mail address. The best part of the list is the body of peripheral data files that will be explained when you subscribe. To search the archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A0=CELIAC
If you have access to the Internet, there is a celiac discussion (free) list available with capability of answering questions between the subscribers. The best part of the list is the body of peripheral data files that will be explained when you subscribe. Send a message to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU, containing this line: SUBSCRIBE CELIAC (YourFirstName YourLastName). As a preview go to http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html to see the peripheral files available.
In January 2006, a new law (Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004) come into effect that mandates food products list the top 8 allergens in common terms on all food labels. The allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy. By having food products list possible wheat (our biggest toxic offender) on labels, we people with wheat/gluten sensitivities will have an easier time figuring out the gluten-free diet and an easier time grocery shopping to be able to have more confidence when you read labels. Yes, at first grocery shopping will be tiresome as you read all labels every time. This too shall pass.
The goals of our support group are to inform newly-diagnosed celiacs and DH'ers about the gluten-free diet, educate the medical and dietetic community about our needs, and research and pool information to help members cope with the gluten-free diet at home, at friends' or in restaurants. We want to help you learn more easily how to read labels, shop, cook, go out to eat and travel as safely as possible. Since gluten is hidden in so many food products, our best defense is education about the food products themselves and to thereby expand our food choices and enable us to plan with more variety in our balanced, healthful diet.
The Houston chapter encourages participation in HOUSTON R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids) now also a part of NCA. This is a free opportunity to join with other families with celiac children to discuss special issues and cooperate on gluten-free parties. Families need both R.O.C.K. and the information our chapter and newsletter provide. Do join with us.
I am very willing to answer any questions you may have. Also, after reviewing the material, please note what further needs you may have. I look forward to keeping in touch, and I wish you good luck with the gluten-free lifestyle.
Sincerely,
Janet Y. Rinehart, Former President, CSA/USA, Inc.
281/679-7608 txjanet@swbell.net
Updated 20Oct22
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