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Okay - so ya hit my hot button :)
Here's what I wrote:

Jean Anne Rose ([log in to unmask])
Publicity Manager, Gotham Books
cc: Anthony Goff ([log in to unmask])

I am disgusted to hear through the celiac community that 
Lynnne Truss wrote the following statement in her book 
"Talk to the Hand":

"I now can't abide many, many things, and am actually 
always on the lookout for more things to find completely 
unacceptable. Whenever I hear of someone being 'gluten 
intolerant' or 'lactose intolerant', for example, I feel 
I've been missing out. I want to be gluten intolerant too. 
I mean, how much longer do we have to put up with that 
gluten crap?"

Celiac disease is a lifelong, inherited autoimmune disease 
of the small intestine. When I eat gluten it initiates an 
autoimmune attack on my small intestine, that is, my body 
destroys the lining of my small intestine making it 
impossible to absorb nutrients from the food I eat. The 
outcome of this attack on one's small intestine is varied 
in different individuals but may include:

anemia/fatigue
gastrointestinal distress (diarrhea, constipation, gas, 
bloating)
change in appetite
gastric reflux; GERD
migraine headaches
steatorrhea (oily or greasy stools)
failure to thrive
lack of muscle definition, poor muscle tone
distended abdomen
irritability
listlessness
musculoskeletal system (short stature, osteoporosis)
skin and mucous membrane (dermatitis herpetiformis)
reproductive (delayed onset of puberty, infertility 
etc...)
hematological (anemia)
joint and bone pain
early menopause
dental enamel defects and cavities
central nervous system (behavioral, epilepsy, depression)

Does Lynnne Truss really want to be gluten intolerant? I 
don't think so. Did she even know what it was while she 
wrote that asinine statement?

People in the United States are uneducated about celiac 
disease and gluten intolerance, and it is very easy to 
misdirect the public into thinking that it is some sort of 
dietary preference. It is not. I'd like to throw up my 
arms and ask, "how much longer do I have to put up with 
this gluten crap?" too - but I cannot. If I want to live a 
normal healthy life, I eat gluten free food.

Medical Doctors are even unaware of celiac disease in the 
United States. On average, it takes 11 years for a 
symptomatic person in the US to be diagnosed with celiac 
disease (it took me 26 years). This delay dramatically 
increases an individual’s risk of developing additional 
autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis 
and cancer. In Europe, the diagnosis of celiac disease 
takes about 4-8 weeks. In some areas of Italy, all 
children are tested for celiac disease by age 6.

I have to work very hard at getting people to understand 
my diagnosis. Going to parties where the food is provided, 
going out to eat, traveling, are all times when I find 
myself needing to explain my condition to others. Sadly, I 
have resorted - many times - to hiding a baggie of gluten 
free pretzels and some fruit in my purse - just so that I 
don't have to hear the obnoxious, idiodic remarks that 
come out of the mouths of people who have no clue. No clue 
because they probably read a book like "Talk to the hand" 
by Lynnne Truss.

Tell your author, "Thanks Lynne, for making my daily 
routine with celiac disease seem more like a mere 
'rightward drift in thinking' in the eyes of the general 
public."

An apology would be in order, but not just to me - to all 
of the celiacs who tossed this book as soon as they read 
page 5.

As an educator I am truly disgusted that an author could 
so blatantly misuse and abuse her talent.

Dr. Megan Tichy
Lecturer, Texas A&M University
3255 TAMU, Department of Chemistry
College Station, TX 77843-3255

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