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

Recently the list owners have become aware of a WWW (World Wide Web)
home page suggesting that celiac disease is sometimes curable.  It
also describes an unconventional treatment for celiac disease.  Here
is a portion of the information on the page:

WW> ...If you have only had Celiac Disease for less than two years
WW> there is a possibility for a cure (not guarenteed).  Otherwise
WW> you must rely on one of two treatments. The first is to stop
WW> eating gluten (the gliaden protein) and is the best researched
WW> and most common. The second option is Dr. Hitzig's Fen/Phen
WW> treatment.  This option may allow the Celiac to ingest gluten
WW> safely...

This is information that we have never seen before.  We requested
more information from the owner of the WWW page, but did not receive
a reply.  So we asked Dr. Ivor Hill to comment on this information,
with the understanding that we would share it with the list.  Dr.
Hill is from the University of Maryland's Celiac Clinic which hosted
last month's celiac conference in Baltimore, and is well-qualified to
comment on this matter.  This was Dr. Ivor Hill's response:

IH> Thanks for the information.  I was totally unaware of this
IH> physician and his ideas on treatment.  I have also not been able
IH> to find any of his work on celiac disease published in the
IH> reputable scientific literature - which is something that always
IH> raises serious questions in my mind.  If you can get any
IH> references please forward them to me so that I can read more.
IH> Until then I shall remain extremely skeptical about this form of
IH> therapy.
IH>
IH> I would also strongly caution any patients with celiac disease
IH> against the idea that if you treat celiac disease early there is
IH> potential for a cure.  It is much more likely that if you cure
IH> "celiac disease" the patient probably did not have it in the
IH> first place.
IH>
IH> Regards
IH> Ivor Hill ([log in to unmask])

The list owners wish to remind all subscribers that web pages can be
placed on the internet by anyone who wishes to do so, and that there
is no overriding authority to verify the accuracy of any information
you find.  The World Wide Web can be a wonderful repository of good
information, but it also contains quite a bit of misinformation.  We
are not suggesting which category this particular web page falls into,
but would caution against taking anything from the web at face value
unless you can find good references that independently support it.

----- Jim Lyles, [log in to unmask] -----
--- speaking for the CELIAC list owners ---