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

Hi, I am looking for a reputable gastroenterologist for me and my son near
Chelsea, Michigan.

I think that my doctor's treatment plan has reached a dead end.  When my son
was three, soon after constitutional homeopathic treatment, he broke out
suddenly with a horrible itchy bleeding rash all over his body.  Our doctor at
that time, a family practitioner, found a dime sized patch of ringworm on his
leg, and prescribed the use of massive quantities of Selsun Blue, as well as a
fungicidal cream for the ringworm.

Doubtfully, I took his prescription, but did not fill it.  I asked for a
second opinion of our homeopathic physician who had prescribed his
constitutional.  She and her partner felt this could be food related eczema,
and put him on a three month elimination diet.  We never filled the
prescription nor resorted to Selsun Blue.  Since I was breastfeeding him still
(we are an alternative family too, aren't we?) I followed the diet too.  After
a month, he was greatly improved, and we found after reintroducing the various
foods that were excluded that he was sensitive to dairy, wheat and eggs.  But
he still wasn't completely better, and I was told something vague about the
healing process and chronic environmental allergens.

Following this diet myself, I started to feel swell.  The doctor was not
impressed, as I hadn't been the identified patient, and "didn't have any
symptoms before."  All that digestive pain and unhappiness must have been in
my head right?  But after a few months, I returned to work making pizzas,
which had been my career for the 10 years before he was born.  My skin, after
being in contact with the dough patties only three days opened up into weeping
sores, and my skin got rough and scratchy all over.  And after one tiny bite
of pizza, I had a roaring digestive reaction. I quickly stopped slapping pies!
It took months to recover.

For the last three years, we have tried to follow a gluten free diet, but it
hasn't been perfect because I've been winging it on my own.  I am dismayed at
all the hidden sources of gluten.  The doctor says that the gold standard of
diagnosis is a biopsy, which wouldn't work now because I changed my diet.  At
the same time, when I asked if I could return to a normal diet, she bugged her
eyes out and said "of course not!"  She is also dismissive of my symptoms, as
they do not respond to her personal gold standard of "arsenicum album" remedy.
My son continues to be sensitive, with "deer in the headlights" diarrhea and a
bleeding rash when he violates the diet.  I'm sure his teacher is partly to
blame for his symptoms, she has asked me repeatedly, "But can't he just have a
cookie?"  She doesn't believe me!  But I don't have a diagnosis I can point to
either.

We saw a pediatric allergist for him, and found that he was hugely allergic to
mold, but not to any of the foods I feel are culpable.  I would be very
grateful to summarize your replies to the list.

Adele
Out of the pizza business forever....