<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Last month I posted a couple of messages indicating that millet is
gluten-free, and warning that we should not assume that all reactions
are because of gluten. Most of the replies were in agreement. Some
had additional points to offer, or additional questions:
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
From Bev in Milwaukee:
Millet may be g.f. along w/ many other minor seeds, etc. When you
purchase it....make sure it [is] not from a source that is cross-
contaminated w/ gluten contantains grains. Do you trust that the
restaurant personnel is knowledgeable enough about celiac....to research
the source of the millet? I personally even have doubts that a
restaurant's rice flour may be g.f....all ground in the same place on
the same equipment....At least cornstarch has been coming in it's own
box from the same people for decades.
Interesting observation--When we have our celiac meetings, we want
recipes for all the refreshments people bring. Brand names of
ingredients are even better. Everyone of us wants to make sure that
fellow celiacs won't "poison us." Yet when we go out, we blindly accept
stuff that people who know nothing about celiac tell us about their
ingredients. Doesn't make any sense...
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
From Ginny:
This list has grown so much and a lot of new people have been giving
well intended advise but do not have the years experience of researching
celiac. I feel it is time to put back the disclaimer that we had on
months ago that warned everyone about taking advise from someone on the
list. They should double check the info.
I recently asked someone for responses to a question they posted on the
list. There was no summary so the person emailed me with all the
responses. One person told her that their doctor and the merck manual
said that some celiacs can be cured. I emailed the sender to explain
that I did not feel this info was correct and got blasted. They were
extremely angry that I went against their doctor's word.
[Let me make it clear that I agree with Ginny: Celiac disease cannot
be cured at this time, nor does it seem likely anytime soon. Anyone,
including doctors, who says otherwise is "misinformed". I know of no
doctors who are up-to-date on celiac disease who state that celiac
disease can be cured.--Jim Lyles]
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
From David:
The whole thing got put in perspective recently when we
welcomed a foreign coeliac into our home while on holiday
in the UK. This person would not eat GF bread made with CA
purified wheat starch but WOULD go and cheat with ordinary
bread! What does one say or do.
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
From Louise:
I tried quinoa once and broke out in something that looked like heat
rash ALL OVER my body (swarms of tiny/small red spots or bumps). It
took WEEKS to fade. Haven't tried an alternative grain since. I use
rice bread and corn tortilla. But I NEVER have gastric symptoms. I was
diagnosed at 48 by biopsy because nothing else was found to be causing
the "problems."
I answered her as follows:
With that kind of reaction, I think it is wise to avoid quinoa--but it
is not a typical celiac reaction; it is more like a allergy reaction.
You have the "joy" of being both celiac AND having other food
sensitivities. But I would not cross out all alternative grains just
because quinoa gave you trouble. Jowar (sorghum) comes highly
recommended, and many people also like buckwheat for variety. It would
be a shame to never try these if they don't cause you problems.
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
Renee' asked me:
Jim--Just was wondering when I read that in your post that only the
gliadin in the forbidden grains would damage the villi. Won't lactose
in milk also damage the villi if you are lactose intolerant?
My reply:
No, not at all. Lactose intolerance is caused by not producing enough
lactase, an enzyme needed to break the lactose into simpler sugars. The
undigested lactose remains in the intestines, fermenting and causing gas.
The gas is what causes the pain and discomfort. The villi are not
affected, because the immune system never gets involved. Lactose
intolerance may cause the same symptoms as gluten, but what is going on
inside the intestine is very different.
The following comes from a talk by Dr. Sheila Crowe, as excerpted in the
Dec. 1997 issue of _The Sprue-nik Press_:
If you are lactose intolerant, consuming milk products does NOT
cause villi damage; it just makes you feel uncomfortable.
We've covered lactose intolerance in our newsletter in the past. To see
an index of related articles, go to:
http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/sn/spinmed.html
and scroll down to the "Lactose Intolerance" section. You'll find links
to six past articles concerning this topic.
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
George asked me:
Has any research or work been done on whether enzymes are available to
better digest gluten proteins? Much like the lactaid enzyme is used to
aid lactase intolerance in drinking milk.
My reply:
I don't know if any research along those lines is being done. But I'd
say it is unlikely to be helpful. With lactose intolerance, the
symptoms are painful but NOT damaging to the villi. Therefore, it
becomes feasible to supplement with the lactase enzyme, because it
doesn't really matter if a little bit of the lactose fails to get broken
down. But with gluten proteins the celiac's immune system gets
involved, thus causing villi damage. Therefore, even if there were some
sort of enzyme to break gluten proteins down, it is doubtful that ALL
the proteins would be affected before the immune system mounted its
response. By then, the damage would be done.
--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--==#==--
------- Jim Lyles --------
----- [log in to unmask] ------
-- Holly, Michigan, USA --
|
