POTSDAM -- Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s Celiac Support Group will meet on Monday, Sept. 26 at 6:00 pm in the second floor Classroom, 50 Leroy Street. Dr. Eyal Kedar, Rheumatologist on the medical staff of the St. Lawrence Health System, will discuss the medical implications of celiac disease on the auto-immune system.

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed people where eating gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1% of people worldwide. Like celiac disease, those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity experience many of the same symptoms as those with celiac disease – headaches, mental fog, joint pain, and numbness in the arms, legs, and fingers. They do not, however, get the intestinal damage that is commonly seen in those with celiac disease.

The Celiac Support Group is open to anyone who has celiac disease, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity as well as family members or friends who help to support those with gluten-based disorders. For more information you can contact Lauren E. Smith, RD, CLC by phone 261-5351.