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Celebrities with Intolerances

26/01/2010

Celebrities with Intolerances

Hotel Babylon star Michael Obiora has revealed his personal story of living with lactose intolerance and Coeliac disease, a condition which This Morning Doctor, Chris Steele, has also recently spoken out about.

Coeliac disease, which is often related to lactose intolerance, is a common bowel condition caused by intolerance to gluten, found in wheat, rye and barley. Coeliacs can experience similar symptoms to lactose intolerance, including stomach pain, bloating, diarrhoea, tiredness and anaemia.

And while Coeliac disease affects approximately one in 100 people in the UK, like those with lactose intolerance, many are unaware that they have it, which was exactly the case with both Michael Obiora and Chris Steele. Although he suffered from the age of seven, Michael wasn’t diagnosed until just two years ago thanks to a simple blood test. Dr Chris suffered for years and was misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome before he was diagnosed as a Coeliac.

In their interviews, both featured on DailyMail.co.uk, they have spoken openly about their experiences.

After his diagnosis of lactose intolerance and coeliac disease, Michael attempted to follow a strict diet, but was prone to binging on his old favourite foods until it all became too much for him. He now sticks to a good diet and says that it is the best thing he has ever done. “I feel so much stronger. I run five miles a couple of times a week,” he said, “I want people to realise coeliacs haven’t got a food intolerance or allergy. Even friends will say: ‘Go on – eat it, it won’t kill you.’ They don’t realise that gluten is poisonous to me.”

Dr Chris urges others with similar symptoms to seek help: “I am worried that many people will continue to suffer as they won’t say to their GP “you’ve got this wrong”. They could feel so much better with just a simple change of diet.”

We’d love for you to share Your Story (link to Your Story page) of lactose intolerance or any other related conditions (link to related conditions page) to help others, all those who send their stories will receive vouchers to enjoy Lactofree on us!

Read Michael Obiora’s and Dr Chris Steele’s full stories, both at DailyMail.co.uk.

Comments (2)

kerrie webb’s Avatar

31/01/2010

Re: Intolerant Celebrities – kerrie webb

My husband is a coeliac, all his life he was ill had stomach ulcers and got so bad he weighed 5 stone not until he was 30 that he was diagnosed and the doctors just wouldnt do enough to help his poor mother in her insufferable quest to find out what was wrong. We had the same problem with our daughter who is lactose and soya intolerant – I had to constantly argue with health workers and doctors and do my own research until finally at age 6 months and seriously underweight with awful eczma all over her body we convinced them she was also soya intolerant and changed her diet, since this she no longer has eczma and the lactofree products have been a godsend for us %(=caps)PLEASE% DO %(=caps)ICE% CREAM!! We need to educate people and make them listen to parents – if it wasnt for me being prearmed with knowledge of her dads problems we may have never discovered our daughters problem either there must be so many other people suffering for too long

Madeline Lindsay’s Avatar

01/02/2010

Intolerant Celebrities – Madeline Lindsay

Ihave been told I have IBS then they wanted to do all these test with the camera etc never even looked at lactose or wheat I am intolerance to both. I have been trying to have a blood test for lactose intolerance but my Dr said there isn't a bloody test for that so have just cut it out myself and feel 100% better. and if I have a wheat intolerance test I have to eat wheat for at least eight week and couldn't do that. I find it so hard as the wheat free food is so horrible but thank god for lactose free I only wish they could do cream and butter, maybe they will do soon.

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