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

Maybe someone can clear up some confusion I have about whether Celiac
is an allergy or an intolerance.  I went to
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergy/AN01109 as recommended
by a recent poster.  This page says that Celiac is an intolerance, not
an allergy.  Quoting (my comments are interspersed):

>Unlike a food allergy, a food intolerance generally doesn't involve 
>the immune system.

My doctor found high levels of antibodies to gluten in my blood.
That sure sounds like Celiac involves the immune system.

>If you have a food intolerance, you can probably eat small amounts 
>of the food without a reaction. By contrast, if you have a food 
>allergy, eating even the tiniest amount of the food may trigger 
>a serious allergic reaction. 

But Celiacs cannot eat any gluten without getting a reaction.
Sure sounds to me like an allergy.

OK, so we don't go into anaphylactic shock from gluten.
But then again, I am allergic to latex and to mold, and people don't
go into shock from them either, yet my doctors call them an allergy.

Isn't an allergy something your body reacts to that most people don't?
Most people don't react to gluten, so Celiac should be an allergy.

Richard

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC