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In reply to Don Kasarda about celiac disease and other symptoms, our daughter
Liz, age 16, has had many biopsies, as she was treated for two years (age
12-14) at Johns Hopkins; at age 2 she was diagnosed following a biopsy which
showed extreme flattening of the villi.  She still reacts extremely acutely
to minute amounts of gluten, but has no other symptoms at all.  Because of
her extreme reactions (pernicious vomiting with substantial loss of fluid)
lasting into adolescence,  my husband (a pediatrician) thought she should be
intensively studied.  We studied many articles by physicians and cereal
chemists (including yours) and at our request, the doctors at Hopkins allowed
a test of oats.  She was healthier than ever after a year on oats  (biopsies
before, during and after showed no change).  Then barley was tried and celiac
symptoms recurred, with a biopsy showing changes typical of celiac disease in
the proximal duodenum and elevation of anti-gliadin antibodies.
   Liz follows a very strict diet which is gluten-free plus oats.
Oats have provided a lot of nutruition and an easier diet, but I do want to
stress she is extraordinarily careful and quite reluctant to eat foods we
have not made ourselves.  She is a tall, muscular athlete with no
psychological symptoms and no skin or allergic reactions on touching wheat. I
own a bakery and she has worked there and packed wheat foods with no problems
at all.
 My pediatrician husband is emphatic in stating that no one should try a test
of oats on their own.  We did it under strict medical supervision, which
included acutally weighing the amount of oats she ate and gradually
increasing the dose over three months, continuing the trial for a year.
   Thank you, Dr. Kasarda for all your work and great contributions to this
field.   Jane, Todd & Liz Davis