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[The rest is from M.]
It is well established that one cause of the excessive absorption of dietary 
oxalates is fat malabsorption.  It is also well-known by researchers and 
gastroenterologists that untreated celiacs and those with incomplete healing 
of the gut (this may include most adult celiacs who went undiagnosed and 
untreated for decades) absorb excessive amounts of oxalates.  There appears 
to be a compartmentalization of knowledge, however, between GI docs and 
nutritionists in the celiac field.  Most of the gf alternative grains are 
very high oxalate--like poison in the system of someone absorbing too much!  
The nutritionists know the oxalate content of foods including grains but 
don't seem aware that oxalates are a problem for celiacs.  GI's know about 
the oxalate problem
in celiacs but don't seem to know that the alternative gf grains are sky 
high in oxalates.

This, of course, explains the controversy of a few years ago where some 
celiacs associated with CSA felt they had a gluten type reaction when eating 
amaranth and quinoa.  No, these two grains do not contain gluten.  Yes, they 
are incredibly high in oxalates which incompletely healed celiacs will 
absorb.  There is no if's, and's or but's about this.  Oxalates are a very 
powerful acid, and it has been observed in postmortems of people with 
primary hyperoxaluria (produce way too much
oxalate endogenously and ultimately die from this) that oxalates go anywhere 
in the body where there is already damage and make it worse through 
inflaming the already damaged tissue.  So if you have damage in your body 
from gluten and then eat high oxalate foods, the oxalates will worsen the 
damage initially caused by the gluten.  There are no degrees of freedom 
about this.  Oxalates will also worsen damage caused by anything else.

I attended the professional conference of the XII International Celiac 
Disease Symposium in Novermber 2006, and not a single presenter mentioned 
oxalates!  Isn't that astounding?  The GI doctors are not to blame.  
Basically, research on problems with oxalates focuses on damage to the 
kidneys and ignores everything else with the exception of the small number 
of people with the genetic primary hyperoxalurias mentioned above.

One exception to this is that there is a biologist, Susan Owens, who works 
in the area of autism and is well-known in the community using biomedical 
treatments for autism.  She has been conducting a research project for 
almost two years with autistic children using a very low oxalate diet.  
(Autistic children tend to have major gut problems.) This is an 
observational study at this point and parents self-select (not random) to 
try their autistic children on this diet.  The results for many of these 
children have been astounding with many losing their core autistic symptoms. 
  I know about this because Susan opens up her lists to people with other 
diagnoses, and I have been on her oxalate list from close to the beginning.

For about 1 1/2 years, I have kept my dietary oxalate intake to under 40 to 
45 mg/day, basically eliminating all high and medium oxalate foods.  So what 
happened to my symptoms that did not clear up after 4 1/2 year strictly gf?  
The changes are as follows:

ADD (attention deficit disorder) flavor, which I have had all my life and 
which is characteristic of many celiacs (per Norman LatovMD, neurologist, as 
presented at one of the Columbia Patient Education Days), disappeared.

Severe insomnia--totally cleared up.  I now take nothing for insomnia, fall 
asleep when my head hits the pillow, sleep soundly through the night and 
wake up in the morning refreshed.

Balance problem (cerebellar) disappeared--internist of many years can no 
longer find any evidence of cerebellar dysfunction on clinical exam.  I no 
longer am aware of any balance problem.

Painful, sensitive spot in large intestine cleared up.  (Pain decreased in 
intensity but persisted when I went gf.)
Skin, which had always been rough, now very soft.

Plenty of energy.  Fatigue was my presenting symptom.  This improved when I 
went gf but did not disappear.

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