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In a message dated 1/13/2003 [log in to unmask] writes:

> He has been gluten free now for almost 3 months and now he has the symptoms.
>  Stomache aches, can't go to school, sick after he eats.  Any ideas on what
> is causing this?  I'm guessing he's getting cross contaminated somehow and
> is very sensitive.  I'm very frustrated because he was feeling much better
> before we took him off the gluten.
>

I have been diagnosed as a celiac for one year now, although looking back, I
had mild symptoms for years before.  As soon as I went on the gluten free
diet and then accidentally ingested some wheat or gluten, my symptoms were
very acute, ie, horrible stomach pains, explosive diarrhea.  Prior to the
gluten free diet, my symptoms were mild but constant such as persistent
stuffy nose, skin rash on arms and elbows.  The way it was explained to me is
that gluten is an allergy and your body will react as it does to an allergy.
However, when it is bombarded with the offending food every day, the reaction
is not as acute.  This is because the body's immune system is actually
weakened from having to defend against this one substance all the time.  When
you remove the offending food and then it is reintroduced after a while
(either on purpose or accidentally), the immune system has had a chance to
strengthen itself and will react more harshly to this new exposure.  I
definitely find that the truer I am to the diet, the worse my reaction is if
I deviate from it.  Keep in mind that this is in fact better for your body to
experience such a dramatic reaction.  Even with no symptoms, ingesting gluten
is still causing damage  to the intestines, so having a nasty reaction is the
best way to keep yourself on the gluten free diet, and consequently, in
better health.

Be sure to read all labels, even if it is a product you think you "know".
Manufacturers tend to change their recipes frequently and what once was
"safe" might now have gluten in it.  I once found wheat in grilled
(unbreaded) fish fillets and even in egg salad!!

Lisa in PA

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