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Dear List,

Here is the second summary of responses. I am not sure what to think of my
bone cracking, which is painless. It is dissipating with each day that I get
stronger, after having stopped dairy, sugar, soy, corn, and a limited diet.
This cracking began a year or two before my symptoms became full blown (when
I was about 19)--they seemed to abate after I started the gluten free
diet--which leads me to conclude that it is primarily caused by
malabsorbtion or allergies, or both perhaps.  There are many people on this
list that have other serious difficulties with their bones and have come to
live with the 'snap' 'crackle' and 'pop'! everyday.  I am not willing to draw
any conclusions between their conditions and my own, but found some
correlations interesting, and did take the advice of a few (ie I'm starting
to supplement with omegas).  Everything always seems to be trial and
error--one step back and two forward!  Thanks for the help--Saskia

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Have you considered some form of arthritis -- in particular, osteoarthritis?
I suffer from this condition and I find cheese exascerbates the pain and
stiffness.  Also, nightshade vegetables like tomato and eggplant.  I take
chondroiton sulfate three times a day and it offers a bit of relief.  If I
work too hard, nothing helps. Fatigue simply makes one more aware of one's
skeletal frailities, but doesn't actually cause them.  Often, the culprit is
not our fragile intestines at all, but rather some other genetic irony or
wear-and-tear problem.  Good luck.
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If you don't mind another suggestion, this page helped me:

http://wellweb.com/altern/diseases/thyroid.htm

It helped me with my allergies tremendously.  The jist of it is, you want to
supplement with zinc,  manganese, selenium, and iodine. To give your thyroid
enough trace mineral to maximize your  thyroid hormone.  It's interesting
that magnesium, zinc and manganese all have to do with carb metabolism, so I
think I'm on to something.  If you want to eat beans & rice for your protein,
you're cool.  Another suggestion is a source of essential fatty acids.  These
can help stabilize your blood sugar, enhance mental alertness and protect
your bones.  (here's two links.  I haven't added the blood sugar one yet to
my favorites, but you can go to infoseek, search diabetes, and then search
essential fatty acids  within the search results for diabetes.  The Orenstein
article is somewhat good..
http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/970926.Watkins.omega3.html

http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/9606.Burgess.html
http://www.nutramed.com/nutrition/mineralstrace.htm (My usual site on trace
minerals is down, this might start you thinking.  Perhaps the popping is from
the way your body handles copper.

But the answer is out there.  You just need to ask the right questions.  Oh,
yes, you can consider getting some essential fatty acids from flaxseed or
evening primrose oil or borage oil, but I do reccomennd you eat consider
eating salmon for the docosahexenoic acid.  I don't know if you can find a
synthethic.
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I have adult rickets (osteomalacia) due to a Vitamin D deficiency secondary
to celiac disease.  Before I was diagnosed (and in spurts thereafter) I
really cracked.  I used to joke that I knew why they called it rickets -
because I did sound like a rickety old rocking chair.  Anyhow, I also have
deficiencies in magnesium and calcium and osteoporosis.  I am 57 - my bones,
I am told, are almost 90.
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I just read your original post (catching up on email) and your two
summaries. I've gone Snap! Crackle! Pop! since my 20s too (I'm 55
now, like your mom--glad you were nice to her on Mother's Day;-),
people could hear me get out a chair, and take the first few steps
across the room. After a few steps, I'd usually loosen up and quiet
down! Sometimes my joints would stiffen up altogether, and sometimes
swell and get hot and red. Xrays were negative until 10 yrs ago, with
only slight changes then, and blood work was never conclusive for
anything, just confirming an inflammatory condition (which the naked
eye could see anyhow :-)  I never had trouble with my blood sugar
(except when pregnant), and my bone density and cartilage always
checked out.

Drs followed me for arthritis for years, but could never figure out
what kind I had. Since I discovered I was gluten intolerant and went
on the gf diet, my symptoms improved markedly! In the past two years,
I have not had any trouble turning doorknobs, lifting coffee-cups,
walking, etc., altho I am still sometimes stiff on rising from a
chair, and scare people in the office with my cracking knees. I think
personally that it's an allergic reaction.

I agree you should listen to what your body is telling you; sounds
like you have found the right track! I've gone off dairy almost
entirely (that's tough, because I like it a lot) but yogurt is the
friendliest dairy product and least likely to cause bloating. (I
weakened & had a cheesey gf pizza today, and boy am I gassy! ) I feel
best eating lots of fish and veggies, and less of the dairy, carbs,
meat, poultry & eggs, but that's just me.

I too believe that no single diet is right for everybody, even when
medically recommended. I've tried several, including the Eat Right
for Your Type diet--which wasn't right for me ;-) and have concluded
individual trial and error is probably the best we can do. There is
probably some truth in the theory that our genetic backgrounds
influence, even determine, what our bodies can  best digest and use,
but with such a mixture of heritage in the USA--and in most
countries, people having traveled for millenia--who really knows
their genetic heritage? Research may help, I don't know. Meanwhile,
party on!
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Just last week my chiropracter told me clearly [and in no uncertain terms]
that cracking joints is gas popping out from the joints and has nothing to
do with bones rubbing together.  He maintains that knuckle-cracking
[something our mothers told us NOT to do] is actually GOOD for us
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I found this letter so interesting.  I have had patella femoral tracking
syndrome this winter(severe pain in knee).  I went to a physical therapist,
he said my whole right side was weaker(atrophy)but did help my knee.  Now I
am getting pain in my right foot which hinders me from walking. It sounds
similar to what you have, is the next step a neurologist or orthopedist?
This whole thing makes me really nervous.  My bones in my back also crack
when I go upstairs
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You could have a dairy free shake for breakfast: some unpeeled,
crushed almonds (or nuts) mixed with some water in blender
combined with some sunflower seed milk (do it just like the shake
except put in more water, finally strain the seed and collect the milk-
don't cast away the sediment as it makes a nice base for a protein
rich meal) and some berries.
I have similar problem to yours: My shoulder joints tend be noisy
during my exercises. I have been on a vegan diet for over ten years.
I am very familiar with unstabile blood sugar level problem (sigh).
From what I've read so far sounds like you are going to the right
direction. You shouldn't worry about having too much carbs if you
are eating whole grain rice. You could try eating a small amount of
psyllum seeds a day because they are likely to help with keeping
blood sugar level constant.