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Recently, there has been a short discussion on the listserv about
conventional Western medicine versus alternative medicine, especially the
consumption of vitamins, minerals, and food supplements.  Like many on the
list, my food intolerances were undiagnosed by Western medicine for 50
years, leaving me a bit grumpy about that approach to health.  But does that
imply that I should keep the health food stores in business by buying
supplements?

My question is: "Do celiacs have problems with vitamins, minerals, and food
supplements, even when gluten-free, in addition to having a problem with
gluten?"  Some celiacs report a slow improvement after going GF.  Could this
be at least partly due to (GF) supplements being taken?  It seems logical
that if we are extremely sensitive to gluten, that some of us will also be
sensitive to some of the stuff in supplements.  In fact, there may be some
of us that get little help from *either* conventional or alternative
medicine.  Or maybe it is just me.

In my own case, I am 59 years old, with food problems running back at least
52 years.  As a 7 year old, milk would give me a 101 degree fever and a
stomach ache.  I missed a year of school before someone figured that out!
Vitamin C would make me wired, unable to sleep for the next 24 hours.
Gluten would cause constipation and fatigue.  Calcium pills would give me a
headache the next day. A banana today will also give me a headache tomorrow.
There was a short period of time when cherries would give me hives on the
palms of my hands.  Multivitamin pills give me chest pains.  I will read an
article about the benefits of some supplement, and buy a bottle, only to
discover that I can't handle it.  If the bottle recommends two tablets per
day, I will start off with no more than a half tablet per day.  Usually, I
find some problem by the third day, leaving a nearly full bottle to sit in
the medicine chest.  Plain foods, however, are not much of a problem.  As
long as I stay GF and limit milk (and not eat bananas), I can eat most
anything and enjoy reasonably good health.  My favorite meal is half a pound
of bacon, two eggs, and some greasy fried potatoes, although my wife doesn't
fix that very often.  So my problem is with the supplements and not with a
wide variety of meat, fruit, and vegetables.  Does anyone else have similar
experiences to report?  I would be glad to summarize.

Gary Johnson