<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Although I agree with Karen and Dr. Fasano concerning the need to be properly diagnosed, and that always means a biopsy, I am not convinced that there isn't a bit of posturing going on here in the medical profession. My family doctor and Michael's paedaetrician are wonderful doctors and really listen to what I have to say. They ask me if I notice anything out of the ordinary and take into account my reponse, even such vague responses as "His legs don't look right". (I was correct with that one by the way, his large muscles had not fully recovered from his pre-gf days and he was walking improperly as a result). But, I think as a society we've become very dependent on doctors for advice and they like that. In Canada in particular, where doctors visits are "free", i.e. paid via our taxes, many of us have lost the skills held by our mothers and grandmothers in coping with everyday illnesses such as chickenpox or measles or earaches. We tend to go to the doctor when our mothers would have shrugged and treated the illness. The other factor that tends to make us more dependent on the medical community is the diet industry. There are so many fads and diet products out there that I think we tend to be hesitant about the gf diet because of the word 'diet'. Most of us would agree that for health reasons we should control our intake of salt, sugar, fat, etc. Why isn't gluten just another one of these things? If eliminating gluten from the diet makes one feel better, then why not? If eliminating gluten from the diet improves the health of all those other illnesses which have been discussed on the newsgroup, then why not? My 7 year old has Celiac disease and we live with it quite easily. Since Michael was diagnosed I followed the diet from time to time and found that I generally felt better. In fact, I felt so much better that I follow it regularly now despite the fact that I do not have a reaction when I go 'off' the diet. Doctors are important folks when we are sick and I am not saying that a proper diagnosis isn't important. But let's not be telling anyone who chooses to follow the diet that they should go get tested. My two cents (Canadian dollars so in the US that would be about 1.2 cents American) Janet Thomas [log in to unmask]