Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2012/02/01/1887314/business-hurt-by-groupon-rush.html#storylink=cpy PHILADELPHIA — By JEFF GELLES – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Saturday, April 28, 2012
7:30 am to 4:30 pm

Hilton Hotel
Los Angeles/Universal City
555 Universal Hollywood Drive
Universal City, CA 91608

Hear the latest from our stellar line-up of Celiac disease experts
Stefano Guandalini, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Director, University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center

Peter H. R. Green, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine,
College of Physicians and Surgeons
Director, Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University

Shelley Case, BSc, RD
Registered dietitian and leading international expert on Celiac disease and the gluten-free diet

Melinda Dennis, MS, RD, LDN
Registered dietitian and Nutrition Coordinator
Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess

For more information on Celiac disease,
email cdf@celiac.org or call the foundation at 818.990.2354

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2012 Annual Education Conference

Celiac Disease Foundation

Presents

The Annual Education Conference & Food Faire

Finding the Keys…

Saturday, April 28, 2012
7:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles/Universal City
555 Universal Hollywood Drive
Universal City, CA 91608

Our stellar line-up of internationally-renowned speakers will provide a greater understanding of Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, associated conditions, how family members are affected, future therapies, among other topics.

Network with other attendees following the gluten-free lifestyle, meet with exhibitors to sample and discover the latest gluten-free foods.

Good news – Conference prices will remain the SAME AS LAST YEAR – $95 for CDF members – and we will again feature the $85 CDF Member Friends and Family discount. If you want to register now, call the CDF office.

Online registration opens January 15, 2012.

Conference Registration includes:

• Admission to all sessions
• Continental gluten-free breakfast buffet and plated luncheon
• Gluten-free goodie bag
• Access to extensive exhibitor displays with gluten-free food samples and sales
• Product give-away
• Free self-parking with validation

New this year…

• Expanded exhibit hours
• Special Breakfast with speakers (limited space available)

Stay tuned for more Conference Registration information…

MEET OUR SPEAKERS…

Stefano Guandalini, MD

Professor of Pediatrics
Director, University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center
Section Chief, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Stefano Guandalini, MD, is an internationally-recognized expert on Celiac disease. He is also known for his expertise in the research and treatment of other diarrheal diseases in children. Dr. Guandalini’s clinical and research efforts have greatly influenced the way Celiac disease is diagnosed and treated today. His work contributed to the revision of 20-year-old guidelines for Celiac disease diagnosis. These guidelines are now used worldwide for the diagnosis of Celiac disease in both children and adults. Dr. Guandalini created the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center in response to the low rate of Celiac disease detection in the United States. This innovative program is dedicated to patient care services, research activities, medical education, and public awareness initiatives aimed at increasing the rate of Celiac diagnoses as well as improving the quality of life of Celiac patients. The Celiac Disease Center serves patients of all ages. Dr. Guandalini is the past president of the Federation of International Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. He was selected from a worldwide pool of candidates to be the first president of this Federation. Dr. Guandalini is also a widely-recognized expert in probiotics and their effects in children and teenagers.

Peter H. R. Green, MD

Dr. Green is the Director of The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. He is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University and Attending Physician at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is also a Member of CDF Medical Advisory Board.

Celiac disease has been Dr. Green’s focus over the last 10 years with equal concentration on patient care and research. He is one of the few physicians in the United States with an intense clinical and academic interest and expertise in Celiac disease. Seeing a great need for a coordinated approach to the medical care of patients with Celiac disease, Dr. Green established the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in 2001.

Dr. Green’s initial research involved studies of absorption of fats in the small intestine and the contribution of intestinal lipids to the lipids in the systemic circulation. His main clinical and research pursuits, over the last 12 years, have been in the clinical care and investigation of patients with Celiac disease. He has developed research programs with colleagues at Columbia University and other institutions into the epidemiology, genetics, diagnosis and management of Celiac disease and its complications. In addition, he has lectured on Celiac disease at many medical institutions throughout the United States as well as at national and international meetings.

In 2006, Dr. Green co-authored Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic with Rory Jones, which was revised and updated in 2008. This book is an “inside-out” examination and explanation of Celiac disease and a helpful guide for both patients and the medical community.

Shelley Case, BSc, RD

A registered dietitian, Shelley Case is a leading international nutrition expert on Celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. She is a member of the Medical Advisory Boards of the Celiac Disease Foundation and Gluten Intolerance Group in the United States and the Professional Advisory Board of the Canadian Celiac Association.

Ms. Case is the author of numerous articles on Celiac disease and the gluten-free diet in leading publications such as Gastroenterology, Digestive Disease Sciences, Pediatrics, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Topics in Clinical Nutrition, and Today’s Dietitian as well as her comprehensive book Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide – Expanded and Revised Edition. In addition, she is the co-author of the Celiac section in the Manual of Clinical Dietetics (6th edition) by the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada and her work has also appeared in many other publications including textbooks, magazines, and other patient education resources. Ms. Case writes “Ask the Celiac Expert” column for Allergic Living Magazine; “Good for You” column at www.glutenfreeda.com and “Ask Shelley Case” at www.befreeforme.com

Melinda Dennis, MS, RD, LDN

Ms. Dennis was diagnosed with Celiac disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis (an associated skin rash) in 1992 when Celiac disease was considered to be very uncommon. Following her passion for teaching, she became a registered dietitian in order to teach the gluten-free diet and lifestyle to others. She received her Master of Science in Nutrition and Health Promotion from Simmons College in Boston, MA, completed her clinical internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and became an Outpatient Dietitian specializing in Celiac disease.

Ms. Dennis is currently the Nutrition Coordinator of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess and co-investigator of Celiac-related research conducted in the Center’s Gastroenterology Division. She has authored several journal articles on the nutritional management of Celiac disease and greatly enjoys nationwide public speaking to the Celiac and medical communities. One of her greatest joys was founding and chairing the Healthy Villi Greater Boston Celiac/DH Support Group for several years. Now, she serves as one of the group’s Nutrition Advisors. Melinda launched Delete the Wheat®, a nutrition consulting service, to help people with Celiac disease navigate more comfortably through the grocery aisles and to avoid gluten in their own kitchens. In 2009, she and Daniel Leffler, MD, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center co-authored Real Life with Celiac Disease, regarded as a quintessential resource for anyone with Celiac disease or seeking diagnosis.

Sponsors to date…

Monday: Hello Pam, I understand you have started a new market dedicated to Celiac Disease and the gluten-free lifestyle called Pam MacD’s Gluten Free Market located in Burbank, California. Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your new market.

Pam: I have been gluten free since the mid 1990’s due to Celiac. After my husband passed away, I decided to use the skills I learned about business and apply it to an area of my life that I knew the most about. That clearly was the gluten-free arena. Another factor was a lack of a physical forum for people who must lead a gluten-free life to meet and greet. By putting people face to face rather than a virtual, online forum or focusing on one major problem such as Celiac Disease or Autism Spectrum Disorders, I believe Pam MacD’s offers the opportunity for all areas of the gluten-free lifestyle to converge. In short, we’re a place to swap experiences, “war stories” and most importantly, solutions that are needed to live a gluten-free life in a gluten loaded food environment. Easy to talk the talk, really hard to walk the walk.

Monday: What other health related issues does your market cater to?

Pam: When I first envisioned Pam MacD’s I honestly had no idea of how many health related issues gluten affects. These areas of specialized medicine include hematology, endocrine, dermatology, neurology, autoimmune, gastrointestinal, plus mental and cognitive disorders. Within each of these specialties are several serious diseases, conditions and disorders that more and more a gluten free diet is being suggested to help ease symptoms. We are also finding people who have other food allergies coming in looking for soy, casein, nut and corn free items. Some folks have so many foods they must avoid, I honestly wonder what the heck they CAN eat.

Monday: Tell us about one of your most memorable experiences you have had as a person with celiac disease.

Pam: The Celiac Disease Foundation’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles is always interesting, but one year a 10 year old came up with a great way to solve the crouton mistake at restaurants. Even after all these years of being gluten-free, it is one area I continually forget to ask about. This youngster’s sage advice : “If the waiter brings you your lettuce with those bread things on it, lift the lettuce up and put a package of sugar under it. If it comes back with the package of sugar, you know they only took the bread things off the lettuce.” We adults looked around and could only mutter “Brilliant”. Out of the mouths of babes!

Monday: Is there anything about your local or up-and-coming gluten-free suppliers you want to bring to the community?

Pam: We support our local gluten-free bakers, which we make into a Twitter event so folks close enough to the market can swing in and try – favorite bakers in the LA area and new ones trying to get a foot in the door. We’re also bringing in vegan lines as this helps with people who have egg and diary problems, plus most vegans are hip to gluten and welcome gluten-free vegan fare. Also a friend of mine, Deb Wheaton who’s blogs, Not Even A Crumb, just came back from her summer home in Montana. While there she made connections with the University of Montana who has just developed a new strain of oat that is non-GMO, 25 percent higher protein and only 1 part per million for ELISA testing. It is not only delicious, but really satiates the appetite. As it is a firmer oat it is ideal for baking! It’s just an example of product lines we like to sell as a “limited quantity” item.

Monday: What are your future goals for Pam MacD’s Gluten Free Market?

Pam: The first of the year we will be launching a new website that will include online shopping. We will be featuring the items that you would expect to find, but several new and mid-level vendors that cannot easily find a distributor. I also hope to have smaller, more compact Pam MacD’s in areas of Southern California that don’t have the luxury of having the larger stores offering gluten-free specialty foods. >

Monday: Where can people get more information about you and Pam MacD’s Gluten Free Market?

Pam: As I mentioned, we’re re-designing our website, so please ask your followers to check us out at facebook.com/pammacds and follow us on Twitter @PamMacDsGF. I’ll get back to you as soon as our website is back up and running !

Monday: Thank you Pam for being my guest today and helping spread the word about Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Lifestyle. We all look forward to visiting Pam MacD’s Gluten Free Market.

Pam: Thank you Warren, it was a pleasure doing the interview with you.

Pam MacD’s Gluten Free Market
3516 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pammacds
Twitter: Twitter @PamMacDsGF

Carolanne:  My name is Carolanne LeBlanc and I’m the Volunteer Coordinator for the Gluten-Free for Life Expo and the Moderator for the Gluten-Intolerance Support Group of Largo, Florida.  The Support Group and I came up with a plan to sponsor our own Expo for the Celiac Disease and Gluten-Intolerance community. The Gluten-Free for Life Expo will be held on the 24th of March 2012 in St Petersburg, Florida. We expect this to be a major event in this state with nearly 100 manufacturers, medical professionals, distributors, service providers and retailers available to demonstrate and speak on the latest issues regarding Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Lifestyle. Both Vendors & Speakers will have the opportunity to be exposed to people not only from Tampa Bay but across the state of Florida as well. Many attendees will be newly diagnosed Celiacs and/or persons with additional food allergies. This will be a fantastic opportunity to offer products, information, and services to consumers who may not be aware of what is available.

Monday:  What are the highlights that Visitors to the Expo will Experience?

Carolanne:  This is going to be an Educational, Experiential Expo for the general public, food industry, and health professionals. Aside from the chance to taste and purchase many Gluten-Free products, we’ll be having Professional Speakers throughout the day. We’ll have specially designated ‘Chat Rooms’ were people can meet with others, ask questions, offer advice and have the opportunity to talk with other Support Organizations that work together with the Gluten-Free Community.  We’ll have several Health Professionals specializing in different areas available to offer their services and answer questions.

Our goal is to help those within the Gluten-Free Community gain knowledge, research, and resources while providing opportunities for Families with related diseases to bond with one another. This is our effort to increase the awareness and diagnosis of Celiac Disease and help those with Gluten-Intolerance.

Monday:  Tell us about what life experiences with Celiac Disease lead to the creation of the Expo.

Carolanne: I’m what’s commonly known as an ‘undiagnosed’ Celiac. When I was diagnosed with wheat allergies nearly twenty-five years ago, I was devastated. That was an enormous adjustment for me because bread was a huge staple in my daily routine. And 25 years ago there was no easy way to know what products contained wheat. But I managed and I felt a little better so that was good enough for me. Wheat was out of my daily routine.

Then nearly ten years ago a co-worker suggested I look into Celiac Disease. My immediate response was that I couldn’t have a Disease! Not that! So for a while longer denial became my best friend. But curiosity finally led me to the Internet and I couldn’t help doing a bit of research. When it all sounded so familiar, that was the scary part. So after doing the research, and a lot of soul searching, I had no choice but to start on the Gluten-Free Lifestyle and I’ve never looked back. I feel great, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been and right now the diagnosis is no longer important for me. I feel good.

Monday:  For people new to Celiac Disease please explain what it is.

Carolanne: Celiac Disease is not an allergy. It is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.

It’s a disease that when left untreated can leave a person feeling sick and miserable their entire life. Not only can it cause many mysterious unhealthy symptoms, it can eventually create any number of other debilitating diseases that will ultimately take your life away. It’s not a pretty picture, but sugarcoating the facts won’t make them any easier to swallow. The only known cure is eating Gluten-Free for the rest of your life. Embarking on a Gluten-Free Lifestyle is a lifetime commitment to healthy living. It’s a tough decision to make, and it can be an even tougher promise to keep.

Other facts about Celiac Disease:

• Celiac Disease runs in Families
• Having only one person with Gluten-Intolerance can affect the whole Family
• Celiac Disease/Gluten-Intolerance can create or affect an entire Family of other diseases such as Arthritis, Autism, Cancer, Depression, Diabetes, Infertility, Migraine, and many more

 Monday:  What were some of your major challenges related to having Celiac Disease?

Carolanne:  The hardest thing through it all wasn’t having to give up all my favorite foods, it was not having anyone to talk to. For years there was no one. Of course I had support from my family and friends, but they had no real understanding of what I was going through. And occasionally even my family and friends would tell me I was crazy or that it was all in my head. I felt totally alone. That was hard. In all those years I never met a single soul who was going through the same thing that I was, someone who totally understood.

Eventually, the Internet became my only contact with others with Celiac or Gluten-Intolerance. I’ll never forget the first time, five years ago, when I walked into a room full of Celiacs and Gluten-Intolerant people. I had been invited to tell them about my new online Yahoo Group, Gluten-Free in Florida. There were 30-40 people, all sitting in the same room, eager to hear what I had to say. I nearly burst into tears. I was so excited that I totally forgot what I had come to talk about and just started chatting with everyone. I wasn’t alone any more. For the first time in my life I was actually standing face to face with people who understood what I was going through. It was an incredible feeling.

And once I had attended my first Gluten-Free Expo, I knew that was something I just had to make available for others. My first Expo was such an eye-opener. Over 3.000 people attended, and I stood there in the middle of the hall simply overwhelmed. All those people to talk to!!

So I got together with The Gluten-Intolerance Support Group of Largo, Florida and we all did some brainstorming to come up with a plan to sponsor our own Expo.  This was going to be our first attempt at something like this, and it turned out to be such a huge project that we hired a Special Events Coordinator named Nikki Everett from Echo Event Solutions (irresistiblyglutenfree@gmail.com) to help pull things together. We want our Expo to be unique and something we can continue to do for years to come.

Monday:  Tell us about how the Expo will benefit people with Celiac Disease and Gluten-Intolerance?

Carolanne:  We anticipate between 1,200-1,500 attendees coming not only from the Celiac Community but from the general community, as well as local businesses. This is a one-of-a-kind Expo that offers great information about overcoming the challenges of eating gluten free and tips on living life to its fullest.

In addition, all money raised through Donations & Raffles will be used for the education and assistance of Florida children living with Celiac Disease and Gluten-Intolerance. We’ll also be accepting donations of Non-Perishable Gluten-Free Foods to be donated to local Food Banks to assist Families with Gluten-Free needs.

Monday:  What is one of your major challenges in making the Expo helpful to the medical community?

Carolanne:  Our challenge currently is to find a local Educational Hospital willing to sponsor our Expo so that Nurses, Doctors, and Medical Professionals who attend can receive Continuing Education Credits for their Licensing requirements.  One of our goals is to get the Medical Community involved and educated so that people living with Celiac Disease and Gluten-Intolerance can receive quality treatment and advice.

Monday:  Where can people get more information about you and the Expo?

Carolanne:  They can contact me any number of ways:

Website:  http://glutenfreeforlifeexpo.blogspot.com/

Yahoo Group:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GlutenFreeInFlorida

Blogsite:  http://glutenfreeinflorida1.blogspot.com

Email:  GlutenFreeForLifeExpo@GMail.com

Monday:  Thank you Carolanne for being my guest today and helping spread the word about Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Lifestyle. We all look forward to visiting the Gluten-Free for Life Expo on March 24th, 2012 at the St Pete Coliseum, 535 Fourth Avenue N, St Petersburg, FL 33701

http://www.mondaysceliac.com

See the complete article: University of Maryland School of Medicine Researchers Identify Key Pathogenic Differences Between Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity