Aries,
Have you ever been tested for Celiac Disease? There is a higher incidence of MG in people with CD. When our youngest daughter was diagnosed with CD, I found out that I had it as well - and now I am being evaluated for MG. I've been on a gluten-free diet for 2 years now, and I have a feeling that kept my symptoms from being worse than they are.

What most doctors don't realize is that CD is MUCH more common than originally thought. It is currently estimated that 1 in 133 people have CD, and 97% of them don't know that they have it - that's 3 million folks in the US who have CD, and 2.9 million of them who are walking around without the first clue that they would test positive!

The bad thing about the blood test for CD is that a person will only test positive for it if they already have Stage III or higher damage to their intestinal tract; anyone with less damage will not be considered to have CD, even though some researchers think that they do, indeed, have it.

Many more people are believed to be sensitive to gluten, and they will NEVER test positive for CD, even though a gluten-free diet will help them immensely. The problem with gluten sensitivity/CD is that consuming gluten causes the villi in the intestinal lining to become blunted, which in turn causes the body to not absorb all of the nutrients in the food which is being eaten.

There is a LOT more information on the website *edit* (I can't post websites yet....) - that's kind of the "bible" for people who have questions. The good news is that for most people, following a strict gluten-free diet for life will eliminate a LOT of problems (just click on the sidebar at that site for a look at conditions that are associated with untreated CD). Most people's intestinal tracts are back to normal within 1-2 years of starting a GF diet. More food manufacturers and restaurants are offering GF options, as more and more people are becoming aware that they have CD.

Once a person's intestinal tract is healed, they will start absorbing more vitamins and nutrients, so many of their problems will go away. Unfortunately, with some conditions the damage has already been done - that is why it is so important that more and more doctors become aware of how common CD is in the general population; the sooner it is diagnosed, the fewer complications a person is likely to have later in life.

Interestingly enough, some soy food/milk products have an incredibly high gluten content, so some people who are eating "healthy" may actually be doing more harm than good! I hope this information is helpful -