nasalady

Yeah, I told him that the difference is like night and day, and I would be very hard pressed to start eating gluten again - because wow. . .the pain is GONE. He argued and said that the gluten free diet is like the Atkins diet - and I'd only be able to eat rice. . .I laughed and said . . .and potatoes, and millet, and buckwheat. . .he blushed and said, "oh, yeah, I wasn't thinking about those other things. . ."

LOL. . .well. I'll wait to see how the next set of blood work comes out - but I haven't been eating glutten for about three weeks, now. . .so I seriously doubt they are going to show anything even if I am. I'm still hard pressed to go back to eating it, though. I just feel so much better. Too much better to just ignore it.

The one thing that I'm thinking is that if this is an allergy, and not the autoimmune disorder. .. then that's at least less threatening. But I would want an allergy test to make sure. I don't want to assume that I'm not Celiac and not be as careful - and then do massive damage if I am.

Hmph. . .nothing is ever so simple, eh?

Especially being tested for celiac disease! LOL!

Two stories (mine and my granddaughter's):

I went gluten free in August of last year to see how I felt. The difference was AMAZING! I started eating gluten again because I didn't want to mess up the bloodwork and within two days felt like I'd been run over by a Mac truck. I broke out with sores all over my mouth, an itchy rash on my back and all sorts of gastric symptoms, plus headaches, vertigo, you name it I had it.

It took a few months to get everything done, but finally I had my bloodwork and biopsy results: both negative. The only indicator that I might *possibly* be pre-disposed to develop celiac disease was the fact that DNA testing revealed that I'm HLA DQ8.

Fortunately for me, I have an intelligent, well-informed gastroenterologist, who said that he expected all the tests to be negative because I was (and still am) on high dosages of immunosuppressants (prednisone and Imuran). He said that the drugs would suppress the autoantibodies and he still thinks I have celiac disease, because of my dietary response, my talent for developing autoimmune diseases, my DNA, and my family history of celiac disease. But this is the only "diagnosis" I'm going to get!

It doesn't really matter, because I've gone gluten free for good. I just could never go back to eating something that makes me so sick!

My granddaughter Carly was the classic "celiac baby". Failure to thrive, major gastro symptoms including reflux and diarrhea, she was just skin and bones at the age of three. But her bloodwork and first biopsy were both negative. Fortunately, her doctor decided to do a second biopsy several months later....that one was positive! She is a completely different kid now...healthy and growing like a weed on the gluten free diet.

So many of the people on this forum have similar stories....so don't worry too much about having positive bloodwork or biopsy. Just stick with the gluten free diet if it's working for you!

Good luck!

JoAnn

I ran across boxed Mac and Cheese at Trader Joes yesterday. I'm wondering if anyone else has tried it and if it's any good before I mix it up and give it to my kids. I know, I should have asked before I bought it, but I was so surprised to see it that I just grabbed it. I've never seen it there before. TIA

My three-year-old LOVES it! We buy several boxes at a time. Sometimes I throw in a handful of grated cheese to make it a little cheesier, but it's good without any augmentation.

JoAnn

Another thing to remember is that you have to eat lots of fat to lose lots of fat! If you don't believe me, there is plenty of scientific research out there which proves that point - and NONE that backs up the current fat/heart disease/cholesterol myths......

Go to www.junkfoodscience.blogspot.com for more information - there is lots of interesting stuff on there -

I agree, the prednisone will make you put on weight, but after being gluten-free for awhile you may find that you no longer need it - I don't know for sure, as I haven't had any serious issues with RA or fibromyalgia, etc.

Hope you find something that works for you!

Teresa K.

Thanks!

I know all about the "eating fat" thing....I'm an old hand at the Atkins diet and Atkins always said that the fastest way to lose was to increase the fat content of your diet. BUT, for me that only works if the carbohydrate content of my diet is close to ZERO.

I do hope that my autoimmune conditions go into remission after a while. I did a poll some time ago of people with fibromyalgia who were now gluten free, and about 30% of those who responded said that they no longer had fibro symptoms, but it took a long time (around two years).

Honey, predisone causes you to gain weight, no matter WHAT you eat or don't eat!! are you going off of it at some point? When my daughter-in-law went off of it, she lost quite a bit.

Remember you have to eat to lose weight.....yes I know it sounds funny but you should be eating more than your 3 year old!! Try to count your calories, 1000-1200 a day along with your isometric exercises. Just hang in there. You have the right idea, proteins, berries, etc. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Thanks for the encouragement, Lady Donna! I don't know if I'll ever be off prednisone. I have autoimmune hepatitis so I'm on Imuran and prednisone to suppress my immune system. My hepatologist has been tapering the prednisone down, very slowly, but he says I'll probably be on it for at least another 9 months to a year. He doesn't know yet if I can ever stop it completely.

Hi all....I'd like to join this group. What are the "rules"? Do we need to post every day?

Wow, Teresa, that's great! I'm glad that's working for you!

Unfortunately, although I've been doing exactly what you're doing since November, I've actually gained about 15 pounds since going gluten free!

I've tried cutting down on portions, skipping meals, to the point where my three year old actually eats more than I do and he only weighs 38 pounds! I'm still gaining, although more slowly now.

But I'm on prednisone and A LOT of other medications which are definitely contributing to the weight gain.

I think I will have to go strictly low carb to have any chance of losing any weight at all. So I can't have gluten free bread, crackers, cookies, rice, potatoes, etc., etc. But I will be eating lots of protein, fresh non-starchy veggies, and some fruits (berries mainly).

I need to lose at least 150 pounds at this point....I've gained 60 since starting prednisone.

JoAnn

P.S. I'm currently in a wheelchair, with severe fibro and RA, so I don't know how I can exercise. I'll try isometrics or something?

Hmmmm, let's see. My eating plan. Well, here it is:

DON'T EAT GLUTEN

Seriously, that's it. I haven't counted calories, I haven't done portions, I eat fat ALL day and love it, I haven't deprived myself of eating anything that I want!

I have found that since I started gluten-free, I get fuller faster, and my stomach is telling my brain (or vice versa) that it has sufficient nutrition to get the job of dispersing nutrients throughout my body. In folks with celiac disease, their intestinal lining is compromised, and the surface area available to digest food is significantly decreased. From what I understand about people with Gluten Sensitivity, the gliadin molecule "mimics" the Zonulin molecule (the molecule which keeps the intestinal wall tight and impermeable), and when it "gloms onto" the intestinal wall, it makes the wall less tight and more permeable, so nutrients leach out of the digestive system. In both cases, the body doesn't operate at peak capacity.

I honestly don't know what to tell you as far as an eating plan, other than to say eat whatever you want (as long as it doesn't have ANY gluten in it!), whenever you want. I promise you won't overeat, and you will lose weight. The weight loss will be slow, but it will be steady OVER TIME. The real "measure" of your weight loss will be not so much "the number" (although that will come down), but much more the shape that you will start to see. I look like I have lost MUCH more than 38 pounds, mostly because my belly started shrinking almost immediately. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of stuff there, but it has decreased significantly, and it keeps getting smaller and smaller every day, whether I lose pounds or not. My fat is slowly converting into muscle, and that burns calories more efficiently! Did I mention that I haven't exercised since I started this "experiment"? I"m driving all of my skinny friends crazy - they're going to the gym, sweating their socks off, and I am sitting at home on the couch, popping bon-bons (gluten-free, of course!)...... Well, maybe not quite that - I have kids still at home, and the dishes don't wash themselves - but you get the picture. I can actually FEEL my abdominal muscles now!

I hope this helps, even though I haven't spelled out any specifics. Sorry I don't have more to give you, but honestly, the ONLY thing that I have done is to eliminate gluten COMPLETELY from my diet. It really has been that simple - and it is driving everyone around me bonkers, because they just can't believe that it truly can be that simple (which is the OTHER reason that I am not exercising or cutting out sugar - otherwise, no one would believe that gluten was solely responsible for the weight loss). We will see what they have to say in 3-4 years when I have lost (I am sure) more weight.....

Hi all....I'd like to join this group. What are the "rules"? Do we need to post every day?

Wow, Teresa, that's great! I'm glad that's working for you!

Unfortunately, although I've been doing exactly what you're doing since November, I've actually gained about 15 pounds since going gluten free!

I've tried cutting down on portions, skipping meals, to the point where my three year old actually eats more than I do and he only weighs 38 pounds! I'm still gaining, although more slowly now.

But I'm on prednisone and A LOT of other medications which are definitely contributing to the weight gain.

I think I will have to go strictly low carb to have any chance of losing any weight at all. So I can't have gluten free bread, crackers, cookies, rice, potatoes, etc., etc. But I will be eating lots of protein, fresh non-starchy veggies, and some fruits (berries mainly).

I need to lose at least 150 pounds at this point....I've gained 60 since starting prednisone.

JoAnn

One more idea: You can make your own "muffin ring": take a strip of foil, fold it to appropriate width, make a circle of desired size and tape it.

Oops! Someone already mentioned this earlier in the thread.....oh well!

Let us know how the burgers and beer come out!

Thank you so much for all of your replies - I am overwhelmed at the support and equally grateful to have this site. I have lots of ideas to try for my buns now . I hope to have some buns done this week.

My husband is excited to have found a new gluten free beer to have with that burger - Green's Discovery - an all natural amber ale made from millet, rice, sorghum and buckwheat and it is belgium to boot! More info can be found at merchantduvin.com . We have not tried it yet but we'll let you know after we have a burger and beer night!

Thank you everyone who replied!

One more idea: You can make your own "muffin ring": take a strip of foil, fold it to appropriate width, make a circle of desired size and tape it.

Good luck!

JoAnn

Just to confirm what the other posters have said: I recently started using Arrowhead Mills millet flour in my gluten free baking. Around the same time I started to have suspicious symptoms which made me think that I'd been glutened. I didn't put two and two together until this past week when I realized that I had been eating more of my "gluten free" bread than usual and I also felt MUCH worse (vertigo, headaches, D, etc.).

When I saw Rice Guy's post I knew immediately that it was the millet flour from Arrowhead Mills. It's really the only new food in my diet.

Thanks for the warning, Rice Guy!!

JoAnn

You're so sweet to post this! I haven't been here for ages...too busy with other stuff (plus my gluten free menus have been mostly rice and beans, which isn't much fun!). Thanks for thinking to post it here!

Well, I know that people have been missing you!

FYI....RissaRoo just posted some very helpful info on her blog for parents of small kids who are gluten free and/or allergic to various foods. It's a basic "how to" on feeding little ones with food sensitivities.

If you're interested, please visit:

Open Original Shared Link

JoAnn

As many on here, I was misdiagnosed with Celiac

Hello all! I had by endo and colonoscopy yesterday, I guess all went well. I wont know anything though, until my follow up, which isnt until May 1st. The doctor took biopsies, and she said she took several, in different places, (she is suppose to be very knowledgeable in Celiacs) even though I have been gluten free for almost 6 months..best to see whats going on. Anyway, she did notice I have mild gastritis, and sent more biopsies to see if she can see a reason for that as well, but in the meantime, I was wondering if Celiacs or Gluten sensitivity can also cause gastritis? just wondering...thanks

FYI, if you've been gluten free for 6 months, your biopsy will probably be negative for celiac disease, even if you do have it. Bloodwork will also be negative.

Even if you do have full-blown celiac disease, you have to be actively eating LOTS of gluten to have any chance of getting the tests to come out positive....and then you'd better not be on any immuno-suppressant medications like prednisone, because that would suppress auto-antibodies and allow the intestine to heal, again causing falsely negative tests.

Hello all:

This is really my last resort. I am so confused at this point that I do not know what to do anymore

My symptoms started about 3 years ago shortly after the birth of my son. I had about 4 weeks of diarreah and then it quit. After that I would start to get bloating and sharp left sided pain after eating. It is always high and under left ribcage. It feels as though it is a cramping or something is swelling up if that makes any sense at all. I can only say it comes on quick...and stops me with whatever I am doing. I have two little ones and am a single mom so it is difficult to not be able to a pain-free day.

I have had a gall bladder hida scan, a gastric emptying scan, and lots of bloodwork that was all fine. I had a negative celiac test ( one where my family doc just sent blood away to a lab then told me it was negative), and then had an endoscopy that showed mild inflamation probably due to acid reflux. I started on Nexium about a month ago. This does nothing for the sharp pain that will come on after eating. It's every meal except grilled chicken and plain unbuttered white rice I had allergy testing done and my allergist suggested omitting wheat because I showed an allergy to it as well as soy, corn, peanuts, and carrots (and many environmental allergies). He said to omit wheat for 6 mos. then try and introduce it once every 4 days. My regular doc said do not eliminate wheat and feels I have ibs. He said to INCREASE the fiber with whole grains and fruits and veggies.

I am so confused. When I eat Oatmeal or wheat bread or anything fiberous I about die. I start belching and bloating and get sharp pains. My wheat "allergy" was tested via a RAST test and registered a 3 on a scale of 0-5. The catgories said 0- negative...0/1, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 all positive. I'm not a 5 on wheat. and for soy, peanuts, corn, and carrots I was only a 3. Cultivated wheat pollen and cultivated corn pollen as well as ragweed were all 5's.

My question after all of that is does it sound like I should eliminate some foods, or follow doctors advice and keep eating it. From what I read about Celiac I am so shocked that my test is negative. I have always had tummy issues growing up. I would go to the bathroom after every meal. I am only 5 feet tall and 100 lbs, and it seems like everything I eat that has wheat in it bothers me. Also - I read that sometimes celiacs were prone to miscarriage and I had a stillbirth. It's just like I could go down the whole list and say "yes" to all of the symptoms.

I am just praying for an answer so that I can continue to be a productive student, employee, and mother to my two beautiful children who do not deserve to deal with a mommy who is constantly halted by pain

I appreciate your reading this and any comments. I know it sounds a little long winded - but my frustration level is at a max level right now.

Welcome to the forum!! I hope you find some answers here.

OK, one of your doctors said to eliminate wheat, and the other said not to. You are going to have to make a decision here.

First, you've noticed that you have a bad reaction when you eat wheat or products that have been contaminated with wheat (such as regular oats).

Second, you do have a doctor (assuming your allergist is a doctor) encouraging you to stop eating wheat. The gluten free diet is NOT harmful in any way. If you go gluten free you will know fairly quickly if it's making a difference.

Just so you know, many people here who have gone gluten free find that they have additional food issues as well; some have to stop eating corn, soy, dairy, etc., in order to really heal.

If you have celiac disease, you should never eat wheat again; your allergist's idea of re-introducing it after 6 months won't work.

I was told I had IBS for more than thirty years; I just recently found out that I have celiac disease. If I had known earlier I could have saved myself SO much pain and possibly prevented many of my autoimmune diseases from developing! Just because a doctor says you have IBS does not make it so.

Yes, you should listen to doctors, but you should ALSO do your homework. Doctors are educated human beings who are generally well-intentioned, but they don't know everything and just like everyone else, they have their biases.

If you think that you want to be tested again for celiac disease, you should NOT stop eating gluten until after all of the testing is finished. Be sure to eat the equivalent of 2 or 3 slices of bread every day for several weeks before blood tests and/or biopsy or your tests may yield false negatives. If your current doctor will not test you for celiac disease, you may be able to find another doctor (perhaps a gastroenterologist) who will.

Good luck with everything!

JoAnn

Somebody on here, RissaRoo?, used to post weekly meal plans that were very good.

RissaRoo's blog still has a lot of archived gluten free weekly menu plans although she hasn't posted them regularly of late:

Open Original Shared Link

Has anybody mentioned Stephanie's Crockpot site and Karina's Gluten Free Goddess site?

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Both of which are wonderful! There are several other's that I like, but here's another favorite:

Open Original Shared Link

I've only been gluten free since November, and I started a blog to post my weekly menu plans (helps me to be organized) and miscellaneous information about celiac disease and gluten free living, with a companion site where I've started to post all the gluten free recipes that my family likes (this way I won't lose them):

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Yesterday, my mom was diagnosed with celiac disease, so today I went to go get tested. I have had several symptoms throughout my life that correlate with celiac disease, and I would like to get feedback. Doctors have never told me why I have these problem.

-Severe joint pain during childhood in hips and neck. This especially occurred before I would get sick. I would start limping due to pain in hip even before sickness occurred (whether it was a cold, strep, etc.) Then, other time I wouldn't be able to lift my head due to bad neck pains.

-Onset of migraines at an early age. Persisted for about 4 years.

-Gallbladder removal at age 15 due to low functioning (20%).

- Nontype acute hepatisis during teen years twice. No explanation. Would subside a month or two later.

- Onset of partial seizures in occipital lobe one year ago (age 21)

- Restless leg syndrome

- Just don't feel like myself since seizures began

- I have always had IBS since I can remember.

Has anyone else had problems like this?

I had severe migraines starting in my teens, my gallbladder was removed when I was 35, "cryptogenic" hepatitis 5 years ago (which means they don't know the cause, but now I have autoimmune hepatitis which means my immune system is trying to destroy my liver), and "IBS" since childhood.

I didn't have the joint pain or seizures or restless leg syndrome...but remember, everyone's different! Celiac disease can manifest itself in many different ways.

Good luck!

JoAnn

I want to know about your experience when you first started on a gluten free diet. Please don't try to guess what my experience might be...I just want to know about yours.

Please tell me as best you can remember, how long did it take for these symptoms to be definitely improved. Not necessarily completely better, but improved enough that you had no doubt there was an improvement. Please give an amount of time for each symptom (I'm sure they all take different amounts of times to get better).

IBS

Acid Reflux

Sleep problems

Lack of energy

Headaches

Memory Fog

(I'm only listing the symptoms that I'm interested in)

I just started on a gluten free diet a few days ago. I don't have a diagnosis...I'm doing this to self-diagnose. I know everyone's experience is different...I just want to hear from all of you! Thank you so much!!!

IBS - better within a few days

Acid Reflux - better within a few weeks

Sleep problems - better within a few weeks

Lack of energy - better within a month

Headaches - better within a few days

Memory Fog - better within a few days

NOTE: I have only been gluten-free since 25 November 2008. Only the diarrhea/IBS is completely gone, and it comes back if I've been glutened. The other symptoms remain, although they are definitely diminished in intensity.

Good luck with everything!

JoAnn

I have an AWESOME recipe for banana-blueberry muffins on my gluten free recipe archive blog:

(Open Original Shared Link)

The recipe is originally from Karina; she made a banana-blueberry bundt cake that's gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free:

Open Original Shared Link

Count me in!

JoAnn

I've had "stomach problems" since I was a baby. Of course then they called it "colic", and they discovered I couldn't drink cow's milk, but no one ever thought about celiac disease. Later, when I was in my 20s, I was told I had IBS. I developed a few miscellaneous autoimmune diseases, like asthma and psoriasis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis by the time I was 30 or so. But no one (including me) thought anything of it.

I thought that was it....I thought that everything was under control. Until about a year and a half ago...I developed blurry vision, ataxia, hand tremors, severe muscle cramps, muscle stiffness, brain fog, allodynia, and back pain so bad I ended up in a wheelchair. Plus LOADS of other symptoms I won't bother to list.

Long story short....in 2008, in less than 6 months time, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis AND celiac disease. The process of diagnosis started last June, and I had to see 6 different doctors before they figured it all out.

My 53rd birthday was in November. I believe that I've had celiac disease since I was a child. It would explain a lot.

Usually you don't want to substitute straight rice flour cup for cup for wheat flour. The best gluten-free flours are mixtures. As the previous poster mentioned, you should add xanthan gum or guar gum too. Here's a good gluten-free substitute for regular flour in cake and cookie recipes:

gluten-free Flour mix for cakes and cookies

Ingredients

* 3 cups brown rice flour (fine ground; white rice flour works too)

* 1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

* 1/2 cup tapioca flour

* 1 1/4 teaspoons guar gum or xanthan gum

Directions

1. Sift ingredients together, combining thoroughly. Use in place of regular flour in cakes and other baked goods. Do NOT use for yeast bread; bread recipes need a different mixture.

2. Store in airtight container or ziploc bag in refrigerator.

Good luck!

JoAnn

I will try to keep this short. I have suffered for sometime with severe diarrhea. the original diagnose was i had ibs. i went to a new doctor to get a physical and she notice the numerous "ring worm" type rash over my legs and trunk. After looking at my rash, (which has always been diagnosed with a tropical cream that did nothing to help. I have had them my whole life) she asked if i was allergic to gluten? i told her that as a baby i was allergic to wheat but i had out grown it. she then asked me several questions and then informed me about cleiac disease. she completed blood work that was looking for the gene only because she said that the other blood work is often times not a conclusive way to determine celiac. well long story some what short. I have a DQ2 gene. My question is...does that mean i have celiac? or that i could get it? I am a newbie and am still trying to absorb this in as well as protein since i am anemic! thank you so much for all your help!

Welcome! It sounds like you've come to the right place!

The gene test does not diagnose celiac disease. But all of your symptoms (diarrhea, rash, "wheat allergy", anemia) + the DQ2 gene are all consistent with celiac disease. There are other conditions which can cause these things (Lyme Disease, for example), though, and you should have them ruled out.

I'm no expert, but from what I've gathered here, HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8 are the official "celiac" markers recognized by the American medical community (I'm DQ8); I've read on this forum that there are others recognized in Europe. Anyone who has one or the other (or both) has a greater probability of developing the disease than someone without them; it doesn't mean you already have it.

Wikipedia has some interesting articles on HLA DQ2 and DQ8; you might want to read them. Also, if you do a search for "DQ2" or "gene" on this forum you'll probably get more information than you can handle!

Generally doctors will do blood work plus a biopsy of the small intestine to try to determine whether or not a patient has celiac disease. The medical profession has been quite inflexible in the criteria for the diagnosis: many will not recognize it unless the biopsy shows significant damage to the villi, even when there are a multitude of symptoms absolutely SCREAMING celiac disease.

The good news is that there are a few doctors who are starting to "get it"; they understand that there may be various reasons that bloodwork and/or biopsies come out negative. Your doctor sounds like one of them! Has she told you to go on a gluten-free diet?

This is one way to find out whether you have celiac or gluten intolerance: just eliminate gluten from your diet and see how you feel in a few months. If your diarrhea has gone away or at least diminished, etc., you are clearly benefiting from the diet. Lots of people on this forum don't actually care whether or not they have official diagnoses because they feel better gluten free and that's really all that matters to them.

Many, many of us on this forum were previously told that we had "IBS"!

Good luck!

JoAnn

I'd like to petition my employer to be able to work from home 1 day a week so that I can work with a pot of soup on the stove or a casserole in the oven. I'll also have a bit more free time to shop those days because I'll cut down on commute time and be closer to stores which carry gluten-free food and fresh produce. I'm an editor working for a large university, so most of my work can be done from home -- and I'm fully confident that I'll actually be more productive with this arrangement.

Has anyone else tried to set up an arrangement like this? I'm the most productive among my colleagues, so am in a good position to make this request. I'm also going to get letters from my g.p. and my acupuncturist to help support my claims. Anything else I might include?

I do work from home one or two days per week, but I've been in a wheelchair for the past 6 months because of my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. I'm lucky in that many of the things I do can be done remotely. My supervisors generally have accepted this; I don't have a formal agreement which allows me to do this.

I think that one factor which has helped a lot is that both of my supervisors have seen emails from me at 6am or at midnight, and on weekends, which proves that I'm working on things at odd hours even when I've been out of the office a lot because of illness or my many doctor's appts.

Good luck!

JoAnn

hi, my son has been coughing for a few months now off and on but it seems to be getting more frequent. I went to the dr. on jan. 12 and she asked if asthma runs in the family, I told her it does in my husband's family. anyway I took him in because of an ear ache today and the dr. looked in his ears and said they aren't infected that it is just the pressure and listened to his breathing again. she said she thinks it is asthma and put him on steroids to repair his lungs etc and gave us a script for an inhaler. I had seen something about asthma and celiac disease in the past but not sure what it was... is it a symptom or side effect? or just something related because of the allergy side of things?

Hi Aleshia,

The connection between celiac disease and asthma is thought to be the same as that between celiac disease and any other autoimmune disease. Celiac disease is probably the reason why I have SIX autoimmune diseases....including asthma!

The latest theories on the origins of autoimmune diseases in people who are genetically susceptible involve the cytokine zonulin which is over-produced by those with celiac disease. Zonulin makes the intestinal walls more permeable....in other words, zonulin opens up the intestinal wall and causes your gut to leak. This allows stuff from your intestine to get into your bloodstream where it doesn't belong. Stuff meaning viruses, bacteria, odd foreign proteins like gluten perhaps? Once in your bloodstream, these things trigger a reaction (or over-reaction) of the immune system. In some cases, the immune system goes haywire and starts to attack the organs and tissues of its own body.

This is a theory which is currently being studied by Drs. Feldman and Fasano; here is a link to a recent news article about Dr. Fasano:

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and another link to the abstract of an article by Fasano:

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So the bottom line is that people with any autoimmune disease should probably be tested to see if they have celiac disease, too.

I hope this helps!

JoAnn

Does anyone have a recipe or a suggestion for gluten-free wonton wrappers? I found a recipe for wonton wrappers that is NOT gluten free that calls for all-purpose flour. I thought I'd use some gluten-free flour mix with xanthan gum or guar gum. The problem is that I ddon't know what flours to use. I would prefer an originally gluten-free recipe because I am planning a very involved dinner for mid February and still need to test things out and make adjustments. If anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate it if you could post them below. Thank You!

Check out this blog post:

Open Original Shared Link

She uses Better Batter Gluten Free Flour in her wonton wrapper recipe; I haven't tried their flour but a lot of people on this forum swear by it.

Good luck!

JoAnn