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Hi,

My family and I were diagnosed CD several years ago and have done very well on a gf diet.  In the process of getting a diagnosis I had to educate my doctors and found that our local medical staff is now dianosing Celiacs at a much higher rate but they don't know what to tell them once they have a positive diagnosis as far as how to go on a GF diet, healing, so they're sending a lot of people to me for help.

I live in a very small town (pop.3,000) in Idaho (we're 200 miles from the next small city) so there are no resources here for Celiacs.  There is no Celiac support group and I'm feeling the need to start one so hopefully I can help many people at once by increasing awareness of the disease as well as giving sources of dietary assistance, gf food sources, recipe ideas, etc.  I'm getting calls frequently enough that I know there's a real need.  I am, however, leary of giving any advise as so much of it borders on the medical side of the issue - I don't have any background in medicine...just my own experience and research with Celiac disease and related conditions.  I'd like some sort of "New Celiac" pamphlets to give people so they can decide what is best for them.

I'm very pleased that our local medical community "believes" in Celiac Disease now and don't seem to see it as "a rare childhood disease manifested by diarhhea, vomiting and failure to thrive" any longer and are seeing that extra-intestinal manifestations of the disease warrant testing (I've bombarded them with the research posted on this site).  But I don't want to go beyond my boundaries with advise.

So....if anyone has information on how to start a support group, good publications for doing so, I'd really appreciate the assistance.  I'd rather not have to re-invent the wheel as I know its being done all over the country.  I had a pamphlet from the Alamo Celiac Support group but I gave it away to a new Celaic:)

Thanks for your help!

Kate, Salmon, ID

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