ShayFL

That is pretty fast! What are you eating? Let us help you figure out how to increase the energy intake of your food.

Mine were never super bad, but I noticed in the last few years them getting darker. Now on Floravital and have been taking Iron for 6 months and they have faded considerably. Of course I went gluten-free 6 months ago too. My gut says it is the Iron since I was low prior to gluten-free.

For those wanting a commercial yogurt starter with only Acidophilus and no fillers. Just whole milk and active acidophilus. I found Erivan yogurt today at Whole Foods:

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It may be hard to get all traces of gluten out of that bread machine and pasta maker if used even once before. Clean...clean...clean and clean again. Maybe you will get lucky. Gluten is insidious......So if you make bread or pasta with them and get symptoms of "glutening" dont use them again.

Unfortunately a biopsy cannot tell what specific intolerances have caused damage. Other foods can rarely cause flattened villi, but most often a food culprit is gluten. While they are in there, they often look for other things. Ulcers, damage to the esophagus, etc.

Enterolab does a stool test for intolerances: Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy and Yeast. They also do genetic testing for Celiac and Gluten Intolerance genes. They cannot Dx Celiac, but can give more information on what to avoid (as that is what you are looking for). A few people even got there insurance to pay for it.

I think you should work on where you might be getting the gluten first. All efforts will fail until you get it out of your diet.

I am just shy of 5'4 and was down to 113 through all of this. I used to be in the 130's and I looked healthy. My D cups went to a low C. Completely deflated. I am now up to 120ish. And my boobs are back. But I am 100% gluten-free. My entire house is gluten-free. I dont eat out anymore. I dont eat processed foods. I make all my own foods.

Hard. Yes at first. Then you get used to it. And bottom line is that it works.

Welcome to the board!

First, there is no need to buy expensive ready made gluten-free items. There is an abundance of naturally gluten-free foods at every grocery store. PLUS he can heal faster and feel better eating natural foods. Save the highly processed gluten-free foods for later when he is all healed.

All meats (without marinade or rubs, etc.), fish, eggs, veggies, fruits, rice, potatoes, most corn tortillas (you will have to check tho) and nuts are a good place to start. McCormick spices are mostly gluten-free. They are one company that will CLEARLY state on the package if there is gluten/wheat in the product.

What does he like to eat? If you tell us, we can help you find subs or offer suggestions on recipes.

I've used Enterolab and I believe it is helpful. However, the blood already shows Celiac, so it would be a waste of money for the stool. However, a genetic test is a good idea. It DOES NOT dx Celiac. Just to be clear. But if your daughter has Celiac gene(s), this is just one more piece to the puzzle to keep you firm in your decision to go and stay gluten-free for life.

Try to get your Doc. to order the genetic tests through Promethius or the like. You pay insurance premiums for a reason.

I use this one:

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No she was talking about the POS on your list. Things that shouldnt have gluten but do (like the paper plates). Based on my test results I personally would have little faith in your NEG list. Cuz according to my experiment, there would need to be a fair amount of gluten in a product for it to come up POS. So those could be avoided. No harm in that. Just avoiding more things.

I would still avoid wheat based soy sauce even if it was on your NEG list (like my test showed). So need for the NEG list. Just the POS.

Mike, you do not participate in other topics in this forum. This is YOUR baby. You may work for ELISA. You may not. It doesnt matter to me at all, I am an independent thinker and base my decisions on my own intuition and evidence (research).

100 people could come in here that are active on the forums with tons of posts and experience on this site and tell me these strips work. But I dont feel they do as advertised. So you have been moving on without me all along........

***Anyone (besides Mike) sensitive to gluten willing to eat some Kikkoman soy sauce????

The test said it was NEG for gluten. Who will eat some? Someone who has a known reaction to gluten. Anyone?

If you say to yourself NO I am not willing to eat the Kikkoman soy sauce even with a NEG gluten result, then these tests are completely useless to you. You will never trust a NEG.

Maybe your house rule should be that only family members are allowed on your computer. This will leave no doubt as to the culprit if it happens again.

Pre-teens and teens are naturally curious about sex and the Internet has made access to the most vile of fetishes available to anyone. My daughter will be 13 in January. She has her own computer. It is password protected (by me!!) so she must ask me to turn it on and when she is done I turn it off. It blocks porn. I tested it. I tried surfing for porn in every imaginable way and I got no where.

With this said, she knows that I will check the History at random. She isnt allowed on My Space or Facebook or any type of online community situation.

So far, nothing controversial ever.

We had an interesting thing come up last year. See I am an artist and sometimes I paint nudes. I also have a nude bust sculpture in my house. I have never thought anything of these as I I find the human body beautiful. So my daughter asks me what is the difference between Porn and Art? Hmmmm....how to answer this one.

I told her that Porn is meant to excite a person sexually and art is mean to be appreciated for it's beauty. So she asks, well cant art stimulate someone sexually? O.k....yes it can.

So I asked her how she felt when she looked at my nude paintings and sculpture. She said she felt nothing really. She had seen porn at her Dad's house in his bedroom, so I asked her how she felt when she saw those magazines. She said icky. I said, there you have it......LOL

It is so tricky at this age....

I would like to see Mike make available the "black list" of foods as promised.

The only one that tested POS for gluten was WHOLE WHEAT PASTA. Was there any doubt there?

No....I would only be impressed with it detecting "trace" amounts or "smaller" amounts like one would expect in soy sauce.

So just like the company claims, if a product tests NEG then you cannot assume it is safe for you to eat (Celiac).

You could use Mike's list of foods/non-foods that tested POS (when they shouldnt have). No harm in it because you are simply avoiding more things.

I just sent this to Kikkoman. Their website really makes a big deal about how they answer consumers questions quickly and accurately. They also make a BIG DEAL about the ingredients they use and proper labeling for allergens. The have a big write up about their quality control for a consistent product. So here is what I sent them:

Hello,

I am Celiac and cannot eat gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats). Your naturally brewed soy sauce says that it contains wheat. However, someone in my Celiac support group suggested that your soy sauce might not contain any gluten at all. Is this true? Someone mentioned that the high price of wheat has made manufacturers stop using wheat to make soy sauce. Is this true? How much wheat is in your soy sauce? Can you explain a little bit more about how it is made? Would it still contain gluten from the wheat? Would I be safe eating it? Thank you.

***And I just copy and pasted my results to ELISA. It would be nice if they sent some free tests for me to test more. But I would be surprised. More likely they will give a disclaimer. Their little pamphlet lists the specific foods that they have tested these strips on. They make no claims for accuracy for ANY other foods other than the ones they listed (which is limited to meat, poultry, fish, fruit, vegetables,dairy,baked goods,pet foods, eggs, spice mixes, dressings, cereals, rice and beer). They also say ketchup and mustard can invalidate the test. Ok...why is that? Is it the vinegar? Or Sugar? If so, that would make them invalid for nearly all processed foods.

If I didnt get VERTIGO and MIGRAINE when I eat gluten, I would just make a stir-fry with the Kikkoman and see if I got D. But there is never a "good" time to have VERTIGO for 3 - 4 days.

Everyone makes up their own minds. I have said this repeatedly. This is just my experiment and my observations. And my OPINION is a waste of money. I PERSONALLY WILL NEVER BUY THESE AGAIN.

What also struck me is that the whole wheat pasta should have been a definitive high positive. No questions. But it wasnt. That middle line was there, though fainter than the other two. For a high positive that middle line isnt there at all. That was also suspect for me and made me question the tests sensitivity.

I do not doubt that they can detect gluten, but I do not believe for one minute they are as sensitive as they claim. Nope. Not at all. I do not trust them with my health.

Like I said Mike, you believe in them. Keep on believing. They make you feel safe and there is some serious value in that. Peace of mind is priceless.

But they do not do that for me.

How long gluten-free? You might still be in the withdrawal phase. Lots of strange things can happen.

Did the restaurant use "fresh" water to boil your pasta? Sounds like a dumb question, but it isnt. I ate at a restaurant where the manager is Celiac. The server seemed well versed. I got glutened. They boiled my asparagus in pasta water. Doh!!

You gotta ask......

Unfortunately it isnt so cut and dry. There is no number on the bloods that can correspond directly with damage. Some have high numbers and no damage on the biopsy. Some have low numbers and completely flattened villi.

You do need to ask yourself a question though. Since biopsy is GOLD STANDARD diagnosis, will you keep her on the diet for life if you do not get the biopsy? Let's say you do the gluten-free diet and she improves. She gets completely healthy. You have repeat blood work and all comes back NEG. Your doctor might say, maybe she isnt Celiac after all. Or you might second guess and think the same thing. Here is the problem. If she is Celiac (which her blood work indicates) and at some point you second guess and let her eat gluten again, then she will suffer an autoimmune response (even if no symptoms arise). T1 Diabetes, lymphoma, MS, Hashimoto's, etc. can all come from untreated Celiac. Many people arent Dx until they go to the doctor with one of these other related diseases. You dont always have GI symptoms with Celiac. And some reintroduce gluten after awhile only to get Dx again later in life when they have TONS of health issues.

I woman in my local Celiac support group was told she was Celiac as a toddler. At age 10 her Mom put her back on gluten, because she was SO healthy. By the time she was a Teenager she had T1 Diabetes. In her 20's she was Dx MS. And in her 30's she had her gallbladder removed and her thyroid removed due to Hashimotos. In her 40's she was FINALLY Dx Celiac (again - it doesnt go away). Now she has been gluten-free for over 2 years and has healed some but the diabetes is permanent and she cannot feel her hands or her feet.

Extreme case. Not really. If you have Celiac you MUST eat gluten-free to avoid these consequences.

So the question you must ask yourself is this: Am I willing to keep her gluten-free for life and stand firm on the fact that she DOES have Celiac without the biopsy?

If you answer is yes, then go with your instincts. No biopsy.

Down to 10 ppm. I used the same tests Mike uses.

Yes, I plan on copying and pasting my post here directly to them. They said on the phone that the items I was testing were suitable. I made sure.

I am certain they will come back and say that the amount of gluten in the soy sauce must be below 10 ppm. What else could they say? But I personally have gotten sick from soy sauce (vertigo and D). So in my mind, it doesnt matter what they say. I wouldnt be eating that soy sauce.

No one has to take my experiment as definitive. Anyone can test for themselves. But you have to have 60+ bucks you dont mind parting with.

Wow!

I use if off and on when I feel the need. I am drinking it right now. I have never heard that aloe is dangerous. If you eat/drink the latex and the bitter alkyloids then yeah, you can get into some trouble. George's removes those irritants.

Incidentally a part of aloe called betamannon cured me of pre-cancerous cervical cells. Aloe is my friend.

I just use Ivory bar soap.

Some Celiacs react to casein (milk protein) the same as gluten. Dairy may be why you have not healed and now the tips are damaged enough for you to have symptoms when you eat dairy.

I would suggest dropping the dairy at least for 3 or 4 months and see if you dont feel better and start gaining weight. I am eating baked goods made from almond meal (SCD recipes - Specific Carbohydrate Diet), and other healthy fats in moderation and have gained nearly 8 pounds. I fill out my bras again.

I had to nix the dairy myself. I hope this can help you as well.

I drink almond milk.

RESULTS ARE IN!! Read EVERYTHING I write here BEFORE you make up your own mind.

Bottom Line For Me: A Waste of Money

Why? Both food items that were known gluten-free tested NEG as expected. Whole Wheat pasta tested High POS as expected. BUT the Wheat based Soy Sauce tested NEG. The WHOLE point of these tests is to detect minute amounts of gluten (they claim down to 10 ppm). Wheat based soy sauce was expected to be POS, but was NEG. That makes them completely useless to me. I am looking for "hidden" gluten, so the fact that it gives whole wheat pastas a POS doesnt help me at all. The fact that it gives a NEG for items that are known gluten-free doesnt help me either (they were the controls in this experiment). The fact that it gives wheat based soy sauce a NEG, makes them (the test strips) dangerous for me to depend on.

Many in here have gotten sick from soy sauce. Many.

"One drop of soy sauce or strand of spaghetti sets off an auto-immune reaction, and antibodies start destroying the nutrient-absorbing capability of the gut."

"regular soy sauce contains 40-60% wheat"

Here are my pictures:

www.terracegallery.com/Nongluten1.webp

www.terracegallery.com/Nogluten2.webp

www.terracegallery.com/Nogluten3.webp

www.terracegallery.com/Gluten1.webp

www.terracegallery.com/Gluten2.webp

www.terracegallery.com/Gluten3.webp

I followed the directions to a T. I am the most anal person in the world. Yes, I admit it. I cleaned the surface area, washed my hands and put on new gloves for each test. I used their little measuring spoon to put the exact amount into the extraction solution (.05 g). I then shook the vials for 2 minutes. I set a timer. Sat them down and left undisturbed for 5 minutes. Again I used a timer. Took exactly 10 drops from the upper 1/8 inch (clearest sections per the instructions) and put them into the test tube and then put the EZ Gluten test strip in arrows pointing down and left undisturbed for 10 minutes. I timed it. I removed the test strips and compared them to the results card.

The instruction pamphlet says: For FOOD TESTING ONLY (They must have a reason for this). It also states that a negative result does not necessarily indicate a complete absence of gluten in the product being tested. This statement alone makes them worthless to me. The whole point is to detect gluten. It goes on to say ELISA Technologies, Inc. makes no warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, except that the materials from which its products are made are of standard quality. (i.e. they do not guarantee that they are accurate, only that they use quality materials to produce the strips.) Buyer assumes all risk and liability resulting from use of this product.

MIKE: I know you REALLY believe in these test strips and I suggest you KEEP believing. There is great power in what one believes. If you feel they are valid and work for you, they are likely to continue to do so. But for me - NO - they did not prove valid.

EVERYTHING I have written here is the result of my own experiments with 4 EZ Gluten test strips using 2 known gluten foods and 2 known gluten-free foods. My OPINION is that they are a waste of money. You might have a different experience with EZ Gluten test strips. You might draw a different conclusion/opinion than I did. It is entirely up to you to decide whether these test strips are right for you. I have nothing against nor any affiliation with ELISA Technologies, Inc.