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Hi, All--

I've been off the list the past three weeks as I moved
from Kansas to Alabama. One person on this list wrote
me to tell me that to her knowledge, only her mother,
daughter and herself were the only celiacs in this
city (Huntsville).

So, during these past weeks, I've been trying to
understand who so few celiacs are either not being
diagnosed, or perhaps don't populate the southern
states. I haven't met with my new doctor yet, so I
don't know what she will have to say about celiac.

Does anyone know if the Maryland Univ. study indicated
a lesser incidence of CD in the south? Is there other
information about this puzzle? Or, is this possibly
another case of underdiagnosis/physician ignorance?

I'm really quite frustrated here. I can find most of
my baking supplies in a few health food stores, but
I've run into situations in which McDonalds doesn't
serve the same salad dressings I got in Kansas,
sausage in two McDonald's were quite different, and
brands of food are so different...can't find many that
are listed on the delphi food list.

My frustration is compounded by the fact that I'm
having to live with family and cooking in the south is
much different. Though my family is trying to be
supportive, so many more spices, seasonings, sauces,
etc. are used in cooking. I just want to be safe and
my cooking has been fairly elementary - we don't have
enough room in the kitchen for two different brands of
everything.

Anyway, my primary question is whether or not anyone
can offer information of a scientific nature about why
CD is so dramatically unknown in the south? Or am I
just not quite adjusted to the area? If the physicians
are just not up on the latest research, I can do
something to educate them. If there is a heritage
issue here so that the southern states are populated
by people who are not predisposed to CD, I would love
to know about this phenomena...and move. Shopping here
is extremely difficult!

If anyone has any thoughts or information they would
like to share, I would appreciate any enlightenment.
I'll be glad to summarize if there's interest.

Cheers,
Ayn in Alabama

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