> My
>mom is the only one in the family who claims that she has no allergies, but
>she suffers from IBS and bad reumathoid arthritis, which both subsided
>after she started medication for her long-term depression. I have
>read about this before, and sometimes tried to get her to go on a gluten
>or milk free diet with no sucess. She eats lots of bread and cheese. Actually
>I would say she lives on that, she craves it for some reason. Now she says
>that when she stops her depression medicines her reuma and IBS symptoms come
>back worse than ever, so she is getting adicted to these drugs. She is now 53.
>

I wouldn't say addicted - I'd say that her condition is worsening and she
needs more or more powerful meds.

It is difficult to convince someone who is set in their ways to try
something new. But you might be able to pursuade her to try a 6 week
dairy-free stretch - perhaps on a bet or a dare - just to see. She gotta be
*very* careful to not cheat, and to remove every morsel of dairy-derived
ingredients from her diet (including milk, cheese, lactose, whey, sodium
caseinate, casein, etc. - and look for lactose in her pills). If she
notices no difference, take her out for a sundae. If she notice a
difference, see how long she can "be good" - and turn her on to the many
luscious non-dairy treats that are now around. Better yet, do that during
the trial, so she doesn't feel so deprived.


Good luck

Mark

Mark Feblowitz                  GTE Laboratories Incorporated
[log in to unmask]              40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, MA 02154-1120