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Hi

Thanks to all the wonderful people who sent replies to my questions
about my very noisy stomach rumbling and loss of libido. Here's a
summary of the replies, and a verdict from my gastroenterologist:

..............
1. That sounds like me! Let me know what it is. (Three similar replies.)

2. I have celiac disease as well as gastro-esophogal reflux disease
(gerd) also known as acid reflux.  Your symptoms sound very similar
to mine. I take cimetidine. Similar reply, taking Zantac; no libido.

3. In your diet it's important to have  omega 3 essential fatty acids,
found in cold water fatty fish such as salmon, or in dark green bitter
tasting salad greens such as endive or romaine. Also need sulfates
- a botantist or ethnobotantist at a university could give advice.
You might also try supplementing with hormone creams, like DHEA
... have to study the pros and cons.

4. Gurgling stopped after an alternative practitioner prescribed enzyme
therapy and about 2 months on a supplement called Permeability Factors.
Don't take anything without professional advice.

5. Stress is the number one reason for loss of libido, beside just
sheer fatigue in males. Could also be associated with malabsorbtion. It
takes a while to get things back on track. Another suggested the problem
might be the wrong partner. (It isn't!)

6. Sounds like thyroid problems. Have a thyroid blood test.

7. GI said a loud stomach was normal because of the digestive process.
On a gluten-free diet, the noise is becoming quieter.

8. Like you, I am constantly amazed at the focus on GF processed foods.
We should simplify our lives by forgetting these and focussing on the
abundant, gluten-free foods available in nature.

9. Gluten is not the only food Elaine Gotshall lists as TO AVOID in her
book Breaking the Vicious Cycle. Making sure you avoid the other things
would be a good idea.

10. Our healthy ancestors ate more meat then vegetables, and fruit was
only a small part of their diet. They didn't take vitamins and mineral
supplements. See The Paleolithic Diet Page:  http://www.panix.com/~paleodiet/

11. The medical word for gurgling is borborygmi (!) and it is your
intestines, not your stomach. Apart from stress, possible causes:
thyroid, H pylori, parasites, lactose, yeast and many others. Search,
for example, the American National Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov

..............
Thanks again, everyone. I eventually got in to see the gastroenterologist,
had blood and urine samples tested, a gastroscopy and biopsies.

Results: Thyroid, pancreas and testosterone all normal. But villi
"almost flat . . stubby". The specialist said gluten must be sneaking
into my diet - despite the fact that I eat almost no processed food!
I was given a lecture on gluten in places such as the gum on postage
stamps and fillers in ice cream, and told to keep a diary of everything I
eat for a fortnight. I have to see dietitian to discuss where gluten could
be sneaking in, and return for another inspection of the villi in six
months. If the villi still haven't recovered, the specialist says I may
need low-dose steroids to shock-start regrowth.

Any comments on that would be appreciated.

By the way, to those who asked: I'm not a vegetarian. I eat a balanced
diet which includes salmon, sardines, beef and chicken.

Keep well.

Allan in Queensland
........................




Allan Gardyne
FREE recipe: "best macaroons in the galaxy" (gluten-free)
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~coeliac/sna.html