Ep. 27: A better way to diagnosis celiac disease with Jama Lambert
In this episode of the Surviving Healthcare podcast, you will hear an enlightening discussion about the prevalence of Celiac Disease, and how gluten actually affects the body and overall health. With this show’s guest, Jama Lambert, you will discover and learn about a new test, the Array 3, that is far more effective in differentiating between Celiac Disease and non-Celiac gluten sensitivity. Ms. Lambert is the Director of Education at Cyrex Laboratories, which is where this new test was developed.
We begin our discussion with an educational discussion regarding Celiac Disease and its related cousins, non-Celiac gluten sensitivity and wheat sensitivity. You will hear about the differences between them and how they manifest themselves in the human body. We talk about how to recognize each one and what each one means to the health of the human body, including the negative health consequences of each.
Our conversation then turns to the difficulties in diagnosis. Not everyone presents with the same symptoms, in fact two individuals may have Celiac disease but the their symptoms are appear completely opposite. Ms. Lambert talks about the most common complaints and symptoms, some of which may surprise you, and there is a very detailed explanation of the process of getting a full and proper diagnosis, including the biological processes involved with these conditions.
We then talk about the problems with misdiagnosis, as well as the inefficiency and inadequacy of much of the testing in this area. This leads us to a detailed explanation of a new, more accurate test, called the Cyrex Array 3 that has a much wider range than the standard Celiac panel. That, in turn, leads to a discussion of the value of expanded testing capability and how it will help a lot of patients who are currently not being helped.
Our discussion then moves to insurance companies and the ins and outs of getting tests covered, even if they deny the claim for testing the first time. Ms. Lambert also discusses the possibility of patients ordering the tests directly. We talk about how certain tests like the Array 3 can change a person’s life by getting them the right information about their gluten sensitivity, we discuss the barriers to getting more comprehensive tests like the Array 3 into the market. This leads us into a lively discussion of the politics and bureaucracy of the entire medical system and how that will probably change in the near future.
We end our conversation with a discussion of the effects of gluten itself, and why people with a sensitivity should stay away from it for life, and what will happen if they don’t. We also discuss the importance of patients being persistent in finding a root cause for their medical conditions and not just accepting the first convenient diagnosis.
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