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

Hi list,

In recent months several list members have generously offered their time to
survey members in an effort to identify the relationship between things
like vinegar and troublesome symptoms.  It is good of David Welland to take
up the vinegar problem.

As most of us know only too well, many common celiac reactions do not
appear in the medical texts.  Collectively, we continue to refine the
definition of celiac for the benefit of all.

I believe it will increase the value of the collected information, however,
if we remain alert to the fact that many of the myriad symptoms associated
with celiac can arise also from other causes.

Could it be, for instance, that vinegar causes gut troubles in other people
besides celiacs? Or that celiac guts for some reason are more sensitive to
high-acid or high-alkaline substances than the norm? My understanding is
that it is medically established that celiacs are prone to a heightened
sensitivity to allergens. In other words, allergies are not celiac
symptoms, but it is not surprising if the rate of allergies among celiacs
is higher than the norm.

David comments in his recent post that he is perplexed by reports from
people who say they react badly to apple cider vinegar which could not
possibly contain gluten. Perhaps the scientific argument (gluten can not
survive the distillation process) and the anecdotal evidence are not at
odds after all.  Perhaps some celiacs have bad reactions to vinegar that
have a physical causation other than the auto-immune reaction to gluten.

Also, I would like to suggest that future list-surveyers ask about how
diagnosis was arrived at.  It may turn out that in any given case there is
no difference between self-diagnosed celiacs and others, but then again,
there could be differences.  Comparative information can be very
illuminating.  The more subtle and precise the data, the more helpful it is
to us all.

Again, I am grateful to David for his willingness to address the vinegar
issue. But I think it is important that we be careful about concluding from
anecdotal evidence that any given item does or does not contain gluten.

Best regards to all,
Mary B
NYC