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I was very interested in the allergy vs. intolerance discussion a few
days ago by Gayle Kennedy. I have been suffering from numerous allergies
including gluten containing grains, all oils, nuts, milk/casein, soy,
corn and other vegetables. I was tested for celiac in September and my
gluten IgA blood test was positive but got a negative biopsy result. I
have experienced classic intestinal/digestive problems of CD except for
weight loss, along with allergic symptoms including tissue swelling,
sinus congestion, headaches, wheezing, fatigue, and itchy skin rashes. I
started a new allergy drug called gastrocrom (liquid ingested 30 min
before eating) 2 months ago that basically suppresses the intestinal
immune response. It has decreased (not eliminated) my food sensitivity
to all things except to gluten, although it has decreased my response to
gluten. I've discovered that gluten and to a lesser degree dairy really
disrupts my ability to digest foods (possibly upsets the enzyme balance)
for 3-4 days after ingesting significant amounts even with an
antihistamine (zyrtec) and gastrocrom use. Foods I eat after gluten I
react to whereas the same foods eaten the day before I've eaten gluten I
do not react to. Allergic responses to other items typically last hours
instead of days and can be more or less intense depending on quantity
ingested and sensitivity of my immune system.  I have been taking
intestinal healing aids such as l-glutamine, chicory root (Inulin-FOS
complex), vitamin E (dry), and acidophilus which as helped. Because of
my history, I have been trying to figure out what has caused my health
problems that seem to have evolved over the last 2-3 years. Being
without a true diagnosis and dismissed by my allergist and GI docs as
"undiagnosible" it's up to me to figure what's going on.

I think the relationship between allergy, intolerance and celiac is VERY
IMPORTANT and highly relevant topic for many people this list reaches.
It seems that are many others who are experiencing similar symptoms with
or without a CD diagnosis and are asking the same questions I am. I
would love to see this discussion taken further and develop some sort of
information network. My sister's allergist is trying to get a grant to
study the relationship of digestive disorders and allergy. Therefore, a
network of shared information and possible study participants might help
us all learn something valuable. Let me know if you'd be interested in
pursuing this idea further.

Thanks-
Kim Carpenter