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

Thank you to all who responded to my  query for help with a DH attack. There
were 31 responses in all. Many of you  wrote me lengthy personal notes, which
I greatly  appreciated.

Here are the suggestions I  received:

Dapsone- Several said this was most  effective, but blood tests are necessary
to watch for metabolic side effects.  One said she'd never had any trouble
with it; one said he'd had severe side  effects from it.

Cortisone creams- Several said these  did not work at all, or made things
worse; several others said they did help,  and mentioned the following brands:

Cream of Shepards &  Trimacinolone fougera
Hydrocortisone  Acetate
Cultivate Cream  0.05%
Fluocinomide  (Lidex)
Temovate E
Pramosone
Clobetasol Propionate  ointment

A few suggested alternative  medications such as Colchicine or Sulfasalazine

Several people pointed out that DH  sufferers can be iodine sensitive (I am
one of them, and I know this. I have  used uniodized sea salt for over 30
years. Despite some popular  opinion, there is no measurable amount of iodine in
this.)  But large amounts of seafoods do contain substantial iodine and can
cause  problems.

Some people suggested warm baths as  being helpful; others suggested cool
baths. Peroxide, Epsom Salts, and clay were  suggested as soaks or poultices.

One person had trouble with cheap  supplements, even though they were labeled
gluten free. Some could not take  Ibuprofen; others had no problems with it.

One suggested the amino acid Lysine  as possibly reducing gluten sensitivity.

A most interesting suggestion  involved the use of urine therapy. I quote
this response in its entirety  for those who might want to pursue this avenue of
treatment:

*urine:  it is supposed to clear up any and all skin  irritations.  There
are a number of websites on the subject of using  your own urine as a
traditional remedy, most of the people doing it are truly  desperate, and it
seems to be a big help.  AIDS victims find it controls  a number of problems.
I know it would probably burn putting it on your skin,  but then it should
help it to heal up.  It's the urea that does it, and  it's urea from who
knows what, (chicken manure?) that's in fancy skin  creams.  Only you have
access to it free.  Pat it on and let it  dry.  there should be no smell, and
you can wash it off in as little as  10 minutes and still get some benefit
from it.  Incidentally, urine  seems to be specifically good for dealing with
oral thrush in babies and AIDS  victims.  Thrush is caused by Candida, which
is now implicated in  causing sensitivity to gluten.  (See the article on
protein sequences  being identical in Candida and gluten at _www.celiac.com_
(http://www.celiac.com) )*

And finally, many people mentioned  the role of stress in exacerbating this
condition. This, of course, is most  difficult to control. Virtually everyone
has stress to a greater or lesser  extent,  and much of it is beyond our
control. But I am trying to make sure  I get periods of relaxation and plenty of
sleep, eat 'clean' food, etc. and  generally do the best I can in this area.

Thanks once again, to all who took  the time to write to me.

Best,
Thank you.
Madeline Mason
Hudson  Valley, NY

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*