My father-in-law is a coeliac. Now this is not some religious cult that prophesises the return of an ancient messiah but some one who suffers from an eating disorder brought on by allergy to gluten found in wheat, barley and rye. In his case he is also troubled by oats.
Being a coeliac is not at all uncommon. It is estimated that 1 in 100 people can suffer from the condition. However many do not know that they have the problem. It is estimated that up to half a million people are as yet undiagnosed. Too often individuals can be wrongly diagnosed especially with irritable bowel syndrome when they are really coeliacs.
The symptoms are very debilitating. In my father-in-laws case if he eats some gluten then he will immediately get mild stomach cramps followed by a mouthful of ulcers and will be generally unwell for some days. In more extreme cases a person can end up doubled up in pain, unable to leave their bed for some considerable time.
Now although we have much more information about this condition we are as yet unable to cure it. Instead there has been a concentration upon making sure that people are aware that they may be suffering from it and how to avoid the worst aspects of it.
Thus one of the early things that the Coeliac Society, the representative body for sufferers, did was to produce a handbook which tells you what foods are suitable for coeliacs and what are not. On the back of this food producers and retailers have got much better at proper labelling to help the consumer. Given that it is a designated medical condition those diagnosed are eligible for free prescriptions which can allow them to purchase gluten-free flour and other necessities of life.
I have been very impressed by the work of the Coeliac Society also known as Coeliac UK and have taken part in events to publicise its existence. The Society can be contacted at its web site www.coeliac.org.uk/contact-us.
Over the years I have found food allergies to be much more common than is often realised. Many families including my own live with the repercussions of this and though treatment is now much better the long-term damage of failing to recognise the conditions and the impact these conditions have on individual’s lives is all too obvious.
Quite simply the aphorism ‘you are what you eat’ is truer than it has ever been. The NHS is now spending many more resources in this area of treatment as there is a growing realisation that failure to do so will lead to greater numbers of individuals with physical conditions and associated mental health worries that can go with food allergies. I welcome this but we still need to further publicise all these conditions to make sure that people are not suffering in silence.
David Drew
MP for the Stroud Constituency