ENF

FYI re St Johns Wart - it reacts to a lot of different medications, so anybody considering it should really check with a Dr first.

If you don't take other medications, you probably don't need to check with a doctor about St. John's Wort. I already looked up the drugs it interacts with, and the one Rx drug that I take, Quinapril (for BP), was not on the lists. Most doctors, at least in the U.S., probably don't even know anything about SJW, anyway. They almost never do, regarding herbs. I'm going to a new GP next week, and will mention that I've been taking SJW - but I'm not holding my breath waiting for a response.

hey ENF..

Thanks for the reply. do u think ur anxiety is celiac related? could it be that the symptom has to get worse before it gets better? i will look into the St Johns Wort..

The type of St. John's Wort that I am using is called Kira, is standardized and very high quality, and this brand is imported from Germany where it is only available by prescription - and over there it's considered by health professionals to be better than prozac, and other antidepressants, because there are few, if any, side effects. SJW is for mild depression and anxiety symptoms, which is what most people who use it have.

Xanax kills anxiety dead in it's tracks, at least it does for me, but it's very habit forming. I never developed a physical dependence, or addiction, but rather a psychological need and it was very hard to go without it for more than two or three days. I've been off it for about 7 1/2 months, except for one time when I had a high pulse rate a few days before having (non-celiac related) surgery and I took some to see if it would bring it down, and it did.

You may benefit from supplements, such as B vitamins, fish or fish oil, magnesium, etc. I took anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants, before and after diagnosis, but have stopped them and recently started St. John's Wort, which is for mild depression and anxiety. The SJW hasn't started working yet, but I'm hoping that it helps. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Just because you're not very sensitive, and don't notice a reaction, doesn't mean that there isn't damage when you consume gluten or ingest small amounts from cross contamination. It's best to avoid it completely. I know people with a medical diagnosis who risk their health by drinking non gluten free beers, and cheat in other ways, becasuse they don't notice anything. Not a good idea.

For Celiac Disease you must have the genetics, and an autoimmune response. It's hard to nail it down sometimes, when the tests aren't conclusive. I don't know about "intestinal inflammation (swelling)", I never saw that listed as a common symptom. While there are differences between Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance, not all people with Gluten Intolerance have Celiac, but all people with Celiac Disease have gluten intolerance.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I wouldn't put too much stock in the words of the nutritionist featured in that video. She spends 15 minutes going on and on about Celiac Disease, and never once uses the term, or even the word "Celiac". She will only call it Gluten Intolerance. There are other things about her that led me to believe that she's a quack, in particular her clinic that offers chelation therapy.

Everybody is entitled to an opinion. There's been a cut-and-dry "Celiac is no excuse" response or two, on this and other previous threads about Jury Duty and Celiac, and fortunately the courts and doctors usually don't agree with this.

I'd rather discuss issues like brain fog, which can present major problems for jurors who've had Celiac Disease, as well as continuing digestive, neurological, and other issues which are detrimental to people serving on juries.

I went to see the dietician at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. This was three years ago and I believe they have a different person now, but I'm sure that he or she is very knowledgeable. They also have doctors specializing in Celiac. I don't know if they treat gluten-intolerance, as a separate condition from Celiac, though.

.........It's hard to generalize about something like this

Maybe it's hard for you and I, but.........

It's best left unsaid.

When I served on Jury Duty, and Grand Juries, I had extreme brain fog and couldn't follow the cases. I just went along with whatever most of the people decided. Fortunately, since my diagnosis, the Courts and GI doctors did not think that Celiac symptoms are a ruse to get out of jury duty, as some people apparently do, and have excused me for life in the state where I live.

If I am ever forced to serve again, and my brain fog is still not gone, I will have to do the same thing, while serving, as I did before diagnosis. Sorry if I happen to convict innocent people, and set murderers and other violent criminals free, but that's the will of the people, and the American Way.

I agree with you ENF, Celiac could keep you from serving on a jury duty. My husband who has been totally glutin free for over three years would not do well on a jury duty due to brain fog he can

not rember info from day to day.

Thank you.

My wife says that she noticed, when she first knew me, even though she thought that I was very intelligent (her words, lol), I often couldn't follow the plots of movies we went to or rented. How am I supposed to follow a trial, which is far more intricate than two hours of entertainment that is specifically designed to hold your interest? If that isn't bad enough, there's other complications that are distracting, and worse.

I understand that the priorities for the H1N1 shot are :

Healthcare workers

Pregnant women

Persons under 24

Persons whose autoimmune systems have been compromised

There is no mention of celiacs in any list that I have seen, one way or the other. And, it could be argued, that a celiac on a gluten free diet has not got an autoimmune system that has been compromised. But a celiac not on the gluten free diet has an autoimmune systom that is compromised. I don't think the CDC has gotten into those nuances. And, all the rumors!

Susan

Why would you say that?

Just having Celiac Disease would be related to the last category below, and if you're on the diet your immune system probably isn't compromised enough anymore to warrant the Swine Flu vaccination. I'd like to know what doctors like Peter H. Green and Alessio Fasano are advising their patients to do, and if they are giving Swine Flu shots at the Celiac Disease Center of Columbia University and the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.

According to guidelines drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are five key populations that should be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus:

*Pregnant women

*People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age

Children and young people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years

*Health care workers and emergency medical service providers

*People between 25 and 64 years of age who have chronic medical disorders or compromised immune systems

I think that this thread is for anything but celiac. So, it is absolutely appropriate to ask that question.

Susan

It belongs on this forum area, where it was moved to, but was originally placed in the Celiac Disease -Coping With forum. That was what I was referring to. Most people that have Celiac, and are on a gluten-free diet, are probably not going to be eligible to get the Swine Flu vaccine unless they have other issues that the CDC recognizes.

Is a poll like this really necessary on a Celiac/Gluten-Free board?

My advice, to anybody with Celiac related problems that make jury duty very difficult, is to see your doctor and get a letter as soon as you receive a jury duty summons. The doctor should explain why he/she does not recommend that you serve on jury duty, mentioning whatever complications there are in your particular case, and of course the need for a strict 100% gluten free diet at all times. It should be addressed to the County Clerk. Once you have the doctor's letter, don't wait for the day you're supposed to start serving - call the court offices right away, find out who handles medical exemptions, speak with him or her, and bring your doctor's letter to the office in person. After dropping it off be sure to thank whoever helped you, and leave them with a good impression of Celiac people!

your original post, before it was edited, said "my GI ... believes that celiacs should not be required...". So, in the wording as you originally had it, most definitely could imply the average celiac. that's why I asked.

thank you for the clarification.

You should have hit "quote" when you replied to the posting of mine with the alleged edit - without evidence a jury won't believe you.

J/K

ENF, that's true of your particular case. And I don't dispute the fact that there can be additional issues. I absolutely do not argue your personal circumstances.

Your response hasn't stated why, as a matter of course, an average treated celiac is so much more disabled than an average person (who also may have their own special reasons for exception). That is what your GI is implying - the average treated celiac is at a physical disadvantage. Are there some that are? Sure. But on average, assume that all are? That seems... well, a pretty absurd assumption.

So, I still ask, why does your GI think that ANY RANDOM treated celiac should be excused?

Where did I say that my GI thinks that "ANY RANDOM treated celiac should be excused"? Those were not my words, nor his, and I made it clear that I was speaking for myself about my particular situation - although other people with Celiac have similar symptoms to mine and have been excused from serving, and my doctor's note did NOT say "my patient has Celiac, and should be excused." It was much more detailed than that, and it was the truth.

This is New York City, with very serious court cases - not trials to determine if Otis Campbell ran over Thelma Lou's turkey with his pickup truck. They need people that are capable of sitting through long hearings, for very important issues.

It is NOT gluten-free. Hope your reaction isn't too bad!

The only beers that I know of that are safe for celiacs are Red Bridge, Bard's tale and La Messiere (french- I think our Canadian friends can get it).(bold mine)

I've never heard of beer brewed from corn- vodka yes (Smirnoff is corn-based) but not beer. Bard's Tale is a sorghum lager and very tasty!

The OP, haleym, has gluten intolerance, not Celiac.

I do know people diagnosed with Celiac that drink light beer, not gluten free, with no reaction. I wouldn't do it, myself.

On what basis? I'm not trying to argue, I simply don't understand. Just like going to work - you bring your own food, you don't eat gluten, and you're fine. Assuming that you've had time to recover since diagnosis and there are not *other* complicating factors (like, significant neuropathy from the celiac that impares every day function), what could possibly stop someone from sitting in a jury room and listening to evidence. Stress? There is as much stress in your life as you choose, and staying out of a jury room won't keep stress away. Access to the bathroom? Again, once you're established on the diet, there shouldn't be any more need for more frequent restroom breaks than anyone else.

Do we exempt those with rheumatoid arthritis, when they are in remission? Do we exempt those with heart disease or high blood pressure? Do we exempt the pregnant? I can see *more* reason to be exempted for pregnancy (which I am going through right now), than for treated celiac.

So, why? Help me understand what makes treated celiacs so different from the "average" population when it comes to jury duty.

Everybody is different, and I am only speaking for myself as a long-term Celiac. Although I am 100 percent gluten free, my digestive system is not completely healed - and from what I understand, at my age, it may never be.

It is not true that "once you're established on the diet there shouldn't be any more need for more frequent restroom breaks than anyone else". Stress can cause my compromised digestive system to go crazy and I have D much more frequently than the average person.

I explained to the person in charge of the juror exemptions that I may have to leave the court in the middle of a trial to go to the bathroom and she agreed that it would be best to let me off.

The bottom line is the court officer whom I gave the doctor's letter to did not bat an eye and removed me from the pool of jurors indefinitely. While I was talking to her, she said that she was familiar with Celiac Disease.

It's only jury duty, and there are plenty of people who are willing to do it - especially in this economy when the unemployed could use the extra money that is paid to jurors.

Pregnancy is temporary and, at least in New York State, you could get postponements so you don't have to serve until you are ready. My condition is permanent.

I do not understand how people without Celiac Disease, and even some who do have it, can say that anybody with Celiac, regardless of dietary changes, should not be exempted. My gastroenterologist, a graduate of John Hopkins University School of Medicine, believes that I should not be required to perform further jury duty service, and the courts agreed - so the jury has spoken.

Edited 4:23 PM

I thought if you had a Autoimmune Diease that stress is not good for you or your system. Can't stress cause brain fog, and when you have brain for you can't always think straight.

I agree. Stress is very bad for people with an Autoimmune Disease, jury duty can be very stressful, and the brain fog from stress can affect a person's thinking. This happens to me.

Celiac Disease affects various people differently, I was undiagnosed until few years ago, and my digestive and neurological systems still act up in ways that are unpredictable - even though I maintain a strict gluten free diet.

I served on regular and grand juries before diagnosis. During those times, not knowing what was wrong with me, and being under duress, I took large doses of Imodium and tried not to eat much. When I was summoned this past spring I obtained a letter form my gastroenterologist and was excused.

Here is a thread I started about it:

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?showtopic=58065

Reminds me of George Eliot's saying, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt ."

I do think that having celiac is causing some of us to have a problem with opiates, either all of them or certain types - there is a growing body of scientific studies that shows how similar gliadin is to opiates when it goes to the brain - not the opioid receptors, but ones that are very similar to them. I'm no scientist, but I'm sure that somebody who is qualified will eventually do some research on this. Possibly, the opioids are getting channeled to the wrong receptors, or setting something else off. We are wired differently than non-celiacs, and often there is neurological damage causing various other problems, other than gastrointestinal, for Celiacs.

An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

(bold mine)