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Greetings!
  I've just subscribed to this list a few weeks ago and am finding it
interesting. I'm looking for help with problems some family members have
had and hope someone here has some insights.

TEST RESULTS: My son (4 in May) has several food allergies, asthma,
attention difficulties, difficulty potty training ,and delayed speech which
we think was caused by fluid in his ears. He's currently on a milk-free
diet because milk seems to cause eczema, congestion, asthma symptoms, and
digestive problems. We suspect other allergies and/or intolerances,
particularly wheat.
    We had the blood testing done for celiac disease at the beginning of
February.  Alex has been eating gluten regularly. The only test that came
back positive was the antigliadin IgG. In fact, the lab did the
antireticulin IgG as well as the three IgA tests, I guess to compensate for
the possibility of IgA deficiency. We've been told the test results mean he
does not have celiac disease, but what exactly *do* they mean?
    I've been reading some of the materials here about the relationship
between gluten and casein, but the technical aspects are over my head. Are
gluten and casein similar enough that there could be a cross-reaction
between the two for an allergic person? The information the lab sent said
that antigliadin IgG antibodies are also found in people with several other
conditions besides celiac disease. Specifically, they said they appeared in
25% of patients with atopic dermatitis (eczema.) Could there be a
connection between this positive test result and the fact that milk causes
eczema for him?

BREASTFEEDING AND DIAGNOSIS: Because of both his allergies and our
parenting choices, Alex still nurses some. If he did have celiac disease,
how would the fact that he is still nursing affect his symptoms and blood
test results?

  THYROID PROBLEMS: My other question concerns my father. I know he's had
some digestive discomforts over the years, although I don't know the
details. When we were talking about Alex's milk-free diet, he said once his
doctor had suggested a few years ago that he try avoiding milk. I'm
assuming the doctor suspected lactose intolerance or IBS. My dad tried this
for a few months, but concluded it didn't make any difference.
     He's just been diagnosed with follicular thyroid cancer. Fortunately,
the doctors think they caught it early.  As far as I know, he hasn't had
any thyroid problems before. I've been reading about thyroid problems
associated with celiac disease, but what about thyroid cancer?
      My father also said that his mother and her three sisters all had
various thyroid problems over the years., and three of them died of various
forms of cancer (not thyroid.) My grandmother and at least one of her
brothers had Alzheimer's. My father's sister now has some of the same
symptoms my father had, and will be undergoing some of the same diagnostic
procedures.

    I hope I haven't rambled on too much here. I'd appreciate any
suggestions, and I'll summarize the replies back to the list. Thanks!

Jean