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They walk horses I am taking the liberty of replying to the list as I am
interested in the seeming similarity between celiac in humans and colic in
horses.  I hope there may be some DVM's on the list who can comment.  Colic is
an intestinal bloating and intestinal paralysis that typically occurs when the
horse gets into the oats and over eats.  The cure is to walk the animal and
hope that the intestine will resume function.  Some of the comments on the
celiac list about taking to bed after accidental gluten ingestion raise the
issue in my mind.  Two "connections" arise.  First, mental depression which
subscribers describe eloquently, seems to be associated with a similar (to
celiac) "all gone" emptiness in the "celiac plexus"- the central abdomen.

Freud called it a feeling of annihilation and noted the associated repressed
anger that seems always seems to be there under the surface.  Winston Churchill
called it his "black dog" and like many other sufferers in past generations
learned, like the horse, that excercise helped.  His remedy was to build brick
walls!.

The sanitarium that I worked at as a young doctor, The Highland Hospital in
Asheville, NC was founded by Dr Robert Carroll who actually prescribed "Hills
and Fields" for depression.  So many hills to be climbed and so many fields to
be circum-navigated  each day- or else.   And it worked.  A young patient of
mine (who was probably celiac as I look back) when I told him the above story,
arranged for a load of wood to be delivered and when he was symptomatic, he
split wood.  Usually with tears streaming down.  He told me it took about five
minutes.  Of coarse when one is depressed the last thing he feels like is hard
work- so it takes "guts."

The second "connection" in all of this is Prozac (and the other serotonin
drugs).  Serotonin is delivered to its receptor cells in the brain (and in the
gut) from wherever it is manufactured in the body and works as an
anti-depressant.  I was fascinated to learn about three years ago that muscular
activity in animals led to serotonin blood level increase roughly equal to one
Prozac.  I was also fascinated to read on this list a few weeks ago the
postulation that celiac disease robbed the body of serotonin, hence the
depression associated with acute exacerbations of the disease.  So there you
have it.  I couldn't miss the opportunity to share these "jottings."  I don't
know what to make of it all, but I have no doubt that some of the superior
people I hear from on this list may have some constructive criticism.
Meanwhile think twice before taking to that bed...

Jack Maines  Ithaca NY