We see the influx of “gluten-free” products on grocery store shelves daily, a sight that wasn’t there a few years ago. Book stores offer a wide choice of gluten-free cookbooks, something for those who must maintain a gluten-free diet didn’t always have available.
Celiac disease is the primary reason that one would switch to a gluten-free diet. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, affecting about 1% of all Americans. In patients with celiac disease, gluten causes the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine.
However, there is another type of celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), which causes the immune system to attack the skin rather than the intestine. And that’s what Carolyn August discovered was her problem. “I was a teenager when the skin problem began and no one could diagnose it properly,” Carolyn explained. “Time went by and it took 10 years before I found out it was celiac disease. In the early &rsqu...