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I would like to add what the previous poster Kim had to say about some posters definitively claiming things are totally safe with no "lab" evidence of Gluten in them.  Some of those "safe" products make some of us very sick-----because of the simple fact that there is cross contamination at some point or the product is derived from a glutenous grain and it is MORE than Gluten that makes some of us sick.  I really wonder why, at this point, there is SO much resistance to believing that a GF item could actually make a Celiac sick.  For some of us who have been failed by the medical/scientific community in our diagnostic process,  a lab proclaiming liqour distilled from Wheat GF is a sick joke, along with Wheat Glucose Syrup in Red Bull being declared GF.  These products made us SO sick----but the patronizing replies from the companies because a lab has declared these products GF makes it seem that we must be faking it.  You know, kinda like all those years of a child writhing in pain from a stomachache--only to be told by the doctors reapeatedly that it is just "nerves" or mental.  Or like when we are told that feeling better eating GF is just a psychological reaction to reading so much information about it because Celiac is SO rare, it does not run in our family and there is NO way we could possibly have it because our positive test results are not from the BEST lab in the nation that specializes in Celiac  and so are wrong.

  Additionally, I consider the "gluten only" theory of sickness in Celiac Disease to be a scientific and medical setback.  I am no scientist, but to me it makes sense that ANY product derived from grains toxic to one with Celiac Disease will still be toxic---whether the gluten is there is not.  At least it would be helpful if this theory was not shot down and considered crazy.  SO much information on this list has helped me nail down the additional things that have continued to "mysteriosly" make us sick------like Canola Oil, Distilled vinegar from wheat, distilled liquor from wheat, wheat glucose syrup,----all "scientifically" considered GF but still not "safe".  It seems to me that perhaps the food processing industry and agriculture has a big $$$ stake in declaring wheat-derived, yet GF, products safe for all Celiacs.  Especially when I recently asked French's mustard what their vinegar in their mustard was derived from.   Their first response was that it was GF.  But that was not my question----so I had to reiterate "That is fine, but I am not asking about gluten.  I want to know what exactly your vinegar is made from."  The response was "wheat, corn and sugar".  Aha!  No wonder I had such a nasty attack of peripheral neuropathy this summer----all that "GF" and "safe" mustard on burgers and hot dogs...................


As it seems we all have come to our diagnoses in varying ways---whether the "Gold" standard biopsy MD-diagnosed,  by GF diet alone or by a positive test result from "questionable" labs-------we all also seem to have varying degrees of reaction to foods and products.    And don't forget that "scientific evidence" cannot take the place of good old-fashioned common sense :)

Katie

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