<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thanks  to the 41 persons who responded to my inquiry about whether 
they had joint pain and stiffness associated with eating gluten and 
what they do to relieve it.

Lots of good information -- I will try to do it justice in this 
summary.  Best of  luck to everyone who has this problem and the good 
news is that you are definitely NOT alone!!!

Jackie in AZ

PART 2:  SUMMARY OF JOINT SWELLING AND PAIN

Other suggestions:
**  Have her tested her for C Reactive Protein which can indicate 
autoimmune or rheumatic changes. There is also a rheumatoid factor they 
can test for.  There is a gene for rheumatoid arthritis.

**  Have tests to rule out Lupus.
**   If the RA comes back negative...ask the MD about fibromyalgia.

**   Keep a food diary and see if it reveals other substances that she 
is sensitive to.

**   Don't have her take glucosamine without  research - some web sites 
say that it isn't recommended for children whose joints are still 
growing but I don't know what the latest research is.

**   Some girls and women get a peculiar arthritis from the Measles 
vaccination shot.  You can find out about this at the National Vaccine 
Information Center website    www.909shot.com.

**   I think that celiacs who are not yet healed don't absorb fluids 
and electrolytes properly.

**   My naturopath also recommended slippery elm and licorice tea for 
digestion, but I haven't tried it.

**   I would look for gluten contamination in vitamins, 
pharmaceuticals, spices and other hidden places before letting a 
rheumatologist give her a chemotherapy agent (there are several that 
were originally cancer drugs) to tamp down the immune system.

**   Have her tested to see if she has IgA reactions to the proteins in 
dairy as well as to gluten. Dairy is almost worse than gluten for my 
joint problems, pain and stiffness. There are no better food 
sensitivity tests than at Enterolab. They found that I has reactions to 
three proteins in diary, baker's and brewer's yeast as well as gluten. 
Dairy is very dangerous.

**   Don't have her take glucosamine without  research - some web sites 
say that it isn't recommended for children whose joints are still 
growing but I don't know what the latest research is.

Below are a couple of excerpts from emails that provide more 
information about a couple of the potential remedies described above.

It (joint pain) can come on 3 hours later (after the gluten exposure) 
or even as late as the next day.  I often can link this to lymphatic 
congestion, which makes sense, as your lymph system carries away toxins 
and also is the roadway in the body that the immune system uses to get 
from one area to another... My worst symptom is actually fatigue, which 
is caused by the lymphatic system competing for nutrients with the 
adrenal gland and the adrenals losing out.  So the supplementation 
(using CoQ 10 and pantethine supplements listed above) is a must for 
me.  I do notice that the supplementation is helpful for my pain as 
well.  I have both muscle and joint pain (called fibromyalgia, but I 
really think this is just a lymphatic issue).  I used to get terrible 
joint pain in humid or rainy weather and would practically go crazy 
with pain during approaching weather fronts.  The supplementation has 
really helped alot with that.  Doctors really don't have a clue to 
these problems.  I had to research this stuff on my own and finally 
found the lymphatic/adrenal problem by accident.  My suspicions were 
confirmed and treated by a good nutritionist.

******************
Before I was diagnosed and for several months after diagnosis, I had 
fairly severe joint pain.  I eventually went to a gastro dr. who 
intimated that my symptoms sounded like B-12 deficiency.  My levels 
were within what is considered to be normal limits at 411.  But after 
some internet research, I found that other countries treat for B-12 
deficiency when the levels dip below 500.  I also learned that it can 
be treated with sublingual B-12 (I take 2500 mcgs under my tongue each 
day).  I got almost immediate relief.  Within a week my employer said I 
was acting like a 20 year old and my daughter said, "I have my Mommy 
back".  It was amazing.  My memory improved, the pain and stiffness 
went away.  Sometimes it appears that the celiac disease damages the 
intrinsic factor mechanism necessary to absorb B-12.  In my case, 
although I am gluten free (most of the time), I still have to take the 
B-12 under my tongue because I am not absorbing it thru the normal 
channels.  This is something you can try yourself without a physician.  
B-12 is water soluible, so you can't overdose on it. 
************

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