National Celiac Awareness Day  2012  US Senate Resolution 550 

2013 Yet to be Introduced

September 13th is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day.

 

Thank You Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska for introducing the Resolution.

Thanks also to the Senate for Passing  US Senate Resolution  550 to benefit celiac disease awareness each year. The Resolution represents the work of those with celiac disease,  the American Celiac Society, Celiac Disease Foundation, Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, the American Celiac Disease Alliance and the Celiac Sprue Association.

 

The date of September 13 was chosen because it honors the birthday of Samuel Gee, MD a British physician and pediatrician. Dr. Gee published the first modern description of the clinical picture of celiac disease and is credited with being the first to identify the link between celiac disease and diet. One of Gee’s famous quotes on celiac disease is “if the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet.”

            The 1 in 141  prevalence statistics reflect the Mayo Clinic analysis of the nearly 8,000 blood samples from the Center for Disease Control -- National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010.  This is the first large study to confirm the 2003 Multi-Center Prevalence of 1 in 133.      Read the abstract 


IDEAS FOR HOW TO CELEBRATE CELIAC AWARENESS DAY

  • Sponsor a party complete with gluten-free cake.
  • Contact your local newspaper, television and radio stations inquiring
    about a story on Samuel Gee.
  • Have a gluten-free baking contest.
  • Talk to a local class telling them about Samuel Gee and his contribution
    to medicine.
  • Create a display in a public library, clinic or shopping area and promote
    Dr. Gee’s 174th birthday!

SUGGESTED WEB SITES REGARDING SAMUEL GEE

Information regarding the life and work of Samuel Gee can be found at

AIM 25 Medical Archives in London                      :http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search2?coll_id=7101&inst_id=8 

Wikipedia Entry                                                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Gee
Whonamedit? Dictionary of Medical eponyms       http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/1312.html