Dear EEO3,

You wrote: "I don't have any symptoms of celiac disease and I don't see any point in cutting gluten out of my diet."

You may find it interesting to know that most people who have gluten sensitivities DON'T have Celiac Disease! Most gluten sensitivity is NON-CELIAC! In fact, only about 1% of people, in general, have Celiac Disease, where, anywhere between 33% and 66% of people may have some kind of non-Celiac types of gluten sensitivity. That's huge!

A helpful website that talks about this in detail, is Dr. Kenneth Fine's "EnteroLab" website, at this link:
www.finerhealth.com

Dr. Fine, M.D., is a Dallas, Texas gastroenterologist, who Cara and Mrs. Doubtfyre originally told us about, on a peripheral neuropathy (PN) forum, back at the Mass. General PN forum, years ago.

Dr. Fine himself, suffered for many years (in his youth) with various food protein "sensitivities", and finally found that he was "sensitive" to gluten, milk proteins, etc.

Dr. Fine's ("EnteroLab") STOOL SAMPLE (NON-INVASIVE) TESTING, is much more reliable than blood testing, and even endoscopic biopsies, for these reasons:j

1) The large intestine (colon/gut) is where antibodies to gluten are made, in people who are "sensitive" to gluten. These are "IgA" type antibodies (different from "allergy" IgE antibodies).

Stool itself, is also made in the large intestine, so stool picks up abnormally large numbers of antibodies to gluten, in those people who are gluten sensitive.

But, most of these IgA antibodies stay in the large intestine, and don't escape into the bloodstream, so blood tests for these antibodies to gluten, are notoriously false negative!

2) People having non-Celiac types of gluten sensitivity, may have indigestion and mal-absorption in their SMALL intestines (similar to those with Celiac Disease), but the "villi" (microscopic finger-like projections in the small intestine) don't obviously show the damage, the way the villi show damage in those with Celiac Disease, when a biopsy is viewed under a microscope.

Dr. Fine explains that in non-Celiacs, these gluten-sensitive people may have SUB-MICROSCOPIC DAMAGE to their small intestines, which is NOT VISIBLE under a microscope, yet still causes problems with the functionning of their small intestines, due to an auto-immune attack to their small intestines.

3) In non-Celiacs, as well as in Celiac types of gluten sensitivity, "mal-absorption" of Vitamin B-12, etc., causes NERVE DAMAGE, such as peripheral neuropathies!

When gluten sensitive people stop eating gluten, their small intestines are able to heal, and thereby are able to again absorb the vital nerve-nourishing nutrients once more, allowing them to heal their damaged nerves!

Taking "sub-lingual" Vitamin B12, also helps, by bypassing the damaged digestive system. Sub-lingual (under the tongue) B12 is as effective as taking "shots" of B12.

---------------------

I agree with Glenntaj, 100%, on everything Glenntaj said.

----------------------

My own hubby has a non-Celiac gluten sensitivity, discovered years ago, by taking Dr. Fine's "EnteroLab" stool sample testing.

I get no kickback from Dr. Fine. Too bad..I could've retired by now!

I myself had/have a peripheral neuropathy that is greatly helped by taking sublingual Vitamin B12, in the "methyl" cobal amin form (works better than the "cyano" cobal amin form. I suspect my PN was due to low stomach acid. (by the way, scads of people taking ACID BLOCKERS now are suffering from peripheral neuropathies, because acid blockers prevent absorption of Vit. B12)

I learned about the "methyl" form of B12, from Rose, Cara, and Mrs. Doubtfyre, back on that Mass. Gen'l Peripheral Neuropathy forum, before I joined this good forum.

If you or anyone is interested in finding out whether you are low in your Vitamin B12 liver stores, here are 3 tests that Rose said should be taken (blood tests, all done in the same one needle stick):

1) Vitamin B12 blood level test (will show low value, if you are Vit. B12 deficient), and

2) MMA/Methyl Malonic Acid blood level test (shows an "elevated" result, when one is B12 deficient), and,

3) Hcy/Homocysteine blood level test (shows "elevated" result, when one is B12 deficient).

Good luck to you and everyone!

Carol
Concerned lady
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com