<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I've been answering the same three or four questions over & over again in private e-mail, so I decided to answer them for everyone! Hopefully my answers will help someone else who may be having similar problems. Q: What is an ND? A: An ND is a naturopathic physician. They are doctors who use non-medical, holistic approaches to healing. They use a variety of treatments such a diet, nutrition, supplements, homeopathic preparations, herbal medicinals, etc. Q: What does GFCF mean? A: Gluten free casein free. Casien is milk protein. Some celiacs have severe reactions to casien that are similar to a gluten reaction. The GFCF diet is often used to treat behavior disorders such as schizophrenia, ADD, autism, etc. For more information, search the web. There's tons of information about it on line. Q: Didn't the GF diet help me? Do I think I'm not celiac or do I have something else? What is the ND doing to help? A: I'll try to explain as best as I understand. I don't have all the answers, yet. For a year before being diagnosed with gluten intolernace by my GI specialist, I had been on a low carb diet. About the same time, I found myself feeling tons better if I abstained from milk & eggs as well as gluten & high carbs. When I totally went GFCF, I initially felt tremendous relief from most, but not all of my GI distress. But, because my diet choices were very limited & I wanted to gain some weight, and I'm human, I started adding more & more carbs into my diet. After a few months I found myself lured into GF baking with all it's refined carbs, sugar, yeast, xanthan gum, eggs, etc. I really binged on cookies & other GFCF treats and it was grand .... for a while. Gradually, I began to have more & more GI pain, muscle pain, profound fatigue & severe headaches as the months went by until -- BAM -- about 4 weeks ago I found myself totally miserable, unable to tolerate anything but chicken broth, unflavored gelatin & a few other clear liquids. All the weight I had initially gained after going GFCF dropped off. I made an appointment to see my GI specialist. While I was waiting to see him, someone suggested I try the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD). I was so desparate, I figured what have I got to lose. I started on the diet & began to feel a little better after a few days. When I saw my GI doc, he suggested that I may have colitis or Crohn's as well as gluten intolerance & scheduled me for tests (oh joy). He gave me a referral to the ND in Seattle. A couple weeks later when I finally saw the ND, I was tolerating 4 small meals a day on the SCD & my wieght had stabalized. To my delight the ND recommended the SCD. I was happy to comply since I had already begun the diet & was responding favorably. My GI specialist found some abnormalities in my uterus in one of the tests performed & he recommended I get a full gyn work up. While I'm waiting for the gyn appointment, the ND is treating me for that problem with a homeopathic preparation (sepia) & believe it or not, I'm already beginning to see an improvement in that area. Both my GI specialist & my ND agree that my GI problems could be related to the gyn problem in an indirect way. I've been on doxycycline for 2 1/2 years for the gyn problems & as many of you know long term use of antibiotics takes a toll on any gut & especially on the tender tummy of a celiac. I have many food intolerances & the ND believes I may have eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) which is a condition related to food allergies. At my ND's recommendation, my GI doc prescribed GastroCrom to arrest the harmful effects of allergic reactions in my gut. I've been on the GastroCrom for five days and I'm a lot more comfortable that I was before. This ND is planning extensive allergy screening for foods. He says that he's aware that food allergy testing is often unreliable, but that it can be a useful tool in identifying the possible sources of EG. EG is one of the known causes of leaky gut. GastroCrom & diet changes have helped many people recover from it. Before you ask your GI specialist for an Rx to GastroCrom, let me acquaint you with what I have learned about it. It's cheaper to have it compounded by a compounding pharmacist than to use the 200mg GastroCrom capsules. It takes 400 mg four times a day to help a adult with EG. It must be dissolved in hot water then diluted with cool water before drinking. Then it must be swallowed on an empty stomach 20 to 30 minutes before meals. Swallowing the capsules doesn't work. It sounds complicated but it's really not. I simply dissolve a whole day's worth (1/2 teaspoon) in one cup hot water, then dilute to make a quart. I drink one cup 20 minutes before each meal. It's not nasty to drink as it's tastless & odorless. I hope something I've written may help someone who may not be responding to the traditional approach to the GF diet. Feel free to contact me privately if you have any more questions. ~Valerie in Tacoma, WA