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

Just a note to help clarify the allergy/CD question.  My daughter has an
allergy to wheat, rye, oats, and barley and my mom has CD.  When I questioned
my allergist whether the two were related he said no, the responses are at
two very different levels of the immune system.  I also am severely lactose
intolerant.

With an allergy the body reacts to proteins in the blood by launching an
attack against the proteins as if they were foreign (similar to attack
against viruses) and in the process, releasing histamine and other chemicals
that trigger the allergic response - hives, rashes, asthma, intestinal
problems, etc.

An intolerance to a substance such as lactose is not an immune problem at all
but a person is missing the enzyme needed to digest that sugar and the
bacteria in the gut feed on it causing gas and intestinal discomfort (to put
it mildly)!

An autoimmune disease is when the body's own immune system attacks it's own
body, not a foreign object.  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease and when
a person ingests gluten, this triggers the body to attack itself (the small
intestine) NOT the protein.  Scientists do not know the triggers for other
autoimmune diseases such as MS, Lou Gehrig's, MD, Sjogren's - the triggers
are not always dietary.  Thank goodness we can eliminate the trigger for CD.

This is my understanding from my allergist, my medical dictionary, and a lot
of reading.  I do not propose to be an expert but because of my situation I
have a lot of information on allergies, CD, and lactose interolance.

Hope this helps

Maureen