My hubby and I just returned from a wonderful 5 days in Florida’s Key West, and so I want to write about it  while it is fresh in my memory, for I think my experience may benefit others who are trying to stay gluten-free during a stay there.

This article summarizes the various autoimmune diseases that are known to occur in increased frequency in persons with the DQ8 gene, and calls for more research as to what role gluten may play in triggering these other autoimmune diseases.

Having gone gluten-free I, like many of you, have been struggling with gluten-free baking challenges. I began with pancakes. My first pancakes, made with a popular mix, were not the light, fluffy things that I remembered. My son compared them to hockey pucks. They got eaten, but were not a favorite..

A couple of research articles by other researchers are discussed, with emphasis on the significance to both the celiac and paraprotein patient populations. A proposal is made that celiac patients be routinely tested for paraproteinemia, and patients with pararproteinemia also be tested for celiac disease. In addition there is a call for more intensified research into this link between celiac disease and paraproteinemia.