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There have been over 60 responses to my recent post about mouth sores - I 
have not been able to reply to each poster individually. Thank you to 
everyone for your advice and comments.

The consensus seems to be that yes, canker sores are a symptom of celiac 
disease. Many research articles site aphthous stomatitis as a symptom of CD.

Most people report less than ten sores at any one time. If you remember from 
my first post, my 19 y.o. son has more than fifty?
The sores cover every surface in his mouth, his gums are swollen and 
bleeding, and he cannot eat.

He has been GF-CF (gluten-free/casein-free) for four years. About six months 
ago, he did a "candida yeast cleanse" accompanied by two weeks of a diet 
with lots of meat, veggies and probiotic supplements / no-sugar / low carb / 
no processed foods , and felt better than ever.

Then he started "experimenting" with gluten and milk and discovered he could 
eat either with no outward symptoms.
About two months ago, he started eating a "normal diet" which included lots 
of pizza and sandwiches.

He got a mild cold two weeks ago, then last week, he developd a fever, 
headache, swollen lymph glands, enlarged tonsils, and a few sores in his 
mouth, which rapidly multiplied to the awful mess we're dealing with now....

We have seen a physician at an after-hours clinic who said he didn't know 
what it was, and prescribed penicillin.
and a dentist who said it looked like herpes1 or common cold sores, which is 
caused by a virus.

Most people who posted said they had problems with mouth sores before going 
GF and they now get sores in their mouth only whenever they have an 
accidental gluten ingestion. Some people talked about "horrible outbreaks", 
especially in children, that cleared up with the GF diet.

Almost everyone who replied said my son's outbreak was likely due to his 
recent gluten binge.

Other possible causes of canker sores include:
- recent pesticide exposure, stomach upset, too much salt or sugar in diet

And in the case of herpes/cold sores, female hormones can be a trigger.

Remedies:
- gargle with a mixture of maalox and benydryl
- gargle with hydrogen peroxide several times a day - be prepared for lots 
of foaming action...
- gargle with salt water to draw out the toxins
- the homeopathic remedy Natrum Mur 30c takes care of mouth sores within 48 
hours....2 pills every 2 hours...works like a charm.
- Prednisone should always be used as a last resort, as it has nasty side 
effects.

Prevention:
- a couple of probiotics complex capsules a day not only keeps stomach 
viruses at bay, it heals leaky gut syndrome.
- use a non-commercial toothpaste and one with no Sodium Laureth Sulphate as 
it makes them worse
- avoid citrus fruits,juices, and tomato.
- L-lysine tablets as well as heavy doses of a good probiotic
- avoid mouthwash contan ing alcohol or tarter-control formulas
- a daily dose of aloe vera juice

For diet compliance:
Read "Singing the Food Blues" as it talks about how to get to diet 
compliance.
www.sunrisejourneyforward.com

About testing:
The blood tests are so inaccurate and in fact if the small intestine is not 
damaged enough to produce blood the blood tests cannot diagnose the disease. 
That isn't to say however that the body isn't being attacked in multiple 
other places.
The only thing that needs to be determined is if he produces IgA anitbodies 
specific to gliadin and that can easily be determined with a stool test from 
Enterolab. Your son may never test positive to Celiac by the blood tests. 
There are many different genes involved in this disease and it is a much 
more complex disease than mainstream medicine even allows themselves to 
believe or to even look into. These other genes involved seem to be ones 
that produce the diseases where the nervous system is affected severely in 
addition to the others horrors of it. He at least could get the gene test 
(wooden swab stick rubbed on inside of mouth in
cheek area) and sent in. http://www.enterolab.com

About diabetes:
Your son MIGHT be diabetic.  Symptoms similar to his sent me to my GP who 
tested my blood glucose level.  It was very high, I was diagnosed as having 
Type 2 diabetes.

About lymphoma:
Mmm, I wouldn't assume anything based on what you've written, I'd insist 
your son have a complete physical, including a serious evaluation of the 
lymph glands in the neck. You see, I'm a celiac who, after several years GF, 
had a bunch of odd little reactions, swollen glands, fever, etc. and for 
several months my doctor basically tried to tell me it was all in my head. 
Then the glands in my neck got HUGE and finally they did a biopsy - I have 
lymphoma, which celiacs have a greater chance than most of getting. I truly
hope your son is simply having a gluten reaction, but I would insist he have 
a detailed work-up to know for sure.

Janice.

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