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

On Thursday June 24 I posted a long, rambling message about certain cereal
grains and celiacs.  Here is a summary of the responses. I received 22 replies
(as of Sunday evening Pacific time).

Most of the replies were brief and expressed agreement, thanks, compliments
or congratulations.  One such message came from an MD, one from a well known
celiac with a superb website on celiac issues (http://www.celiac.com).

One pleasant reply came from the author of my favorite cookbook/handbook for
celiacs, "Against the Grain" by Jax Peters Lowell (ISBN # 0-8050-3625-3).

Several replies expressed concern about my statements about oats.
I had stated that I eat oats with no apparent consequences.

One person replied that farmers who grow oats often rotate wheat as
another crop in the same field. He pointed out that some small amount
of viable wheat kernels are likely to escape the thresher and become a
volunteer crop in among the oats. I have no doubt that this happens, but
I expect I'll continue eating oats as long as the experience remains
asymptomatic for me.  The same individual expressed doubt that grain
silos are thoroughly cleaned between uses, allowing cross contamination.

One father reported that both he and his son break out with DH
(Dermatitis Herpeteformis) rash if they eat oats. This made me very curious.
I found a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine discussing
the
use of oats by celiacs. (see http://www.celiac.com/oats.html).  I quote their
summary below:

"Our data suggest that most patients with celiac disease, whether in remission
 or newly diagnosed, can add moderate amounts of oats to their otherwise
 gluten-free diets without any harmful subjective side effects or laboratory
 abnormalities.  Furthermore, among the newly diagnosed patients the
improvement
 of mucosal architecture and the disappearance of mononuclear-cell
infiltration
 were similar, regardless of the use of oats." -NEJM

I note with great interest the fact that this study reports two participants
dropped out after they experienced outbreaks of DH.  Perhaps persons whose
celiac condition manifests by way of DH are more likely to be sensitive to
oats
for some yet unknown reason.

To summarize:

No-one disputed my statement that buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa do not
contain gluten.

One person reported DH problems when eating oats

One person expressed concerns about cross contamination of oats with wheat
in fields where crops are rotated.
--
Stephen A. Rider
Author, Poet, Satirist, Queer
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http://www.best.com/~srider