burdee

Thank you burdee and kareng!  If you can both post those recipes when you find them that would be great.

I found this recipe (before my substitutions) on a tub of crystalized ginger. If you want to use raw, fresh ginger, maybe you could grate that (minus the peel) and substitute fresh ginger for crystalized ginger. Here's my allergy free version of the recipe:

GINGER SNAPS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine and beat well:

1 Tablespoon ground flax meal dissolved in 3 T. hot water (let stand 5 minutes before adding to wet ingredients), instead of one egg

3/4 c. Spectrum Naturals shortening (can sub half dairy/soy free Earth Balance buttery spread)

1 cup sugar (beet)

1/4 cup agave (instead of molasses)

Mix together and add to wet ingredients:

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups gluten free flour (I used 1-1/2 c. Bob's Red Mill flour blend and 1/2 c. buckwheat flour to add a heartier flavor)

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardomom

1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

4 ounces Crystalized Ginger (coarsely chopped)

1/2-1 cup finely chopped pecans (or whatever nut you tolerate)

Mix well and chill for 1 hour. Form into 1" balls, roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet 2" apart.* (I use Pam for Grills because it doesn't contain any soy or I just line my sheets with parchment paper.) Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool on cooky racks or marble cutting board or wax paper lined tile kitchen counter.

*I used a fork dipped in water to press (criss-cross) fork tine patterns in the cookies and sprinkled with sugar (like peanut butter cooky recipes). Since I pressed the cookies before baking, I only needed to leave about 1-1/2 inches between cooky dough.

The recipe makes 36, but I got more by making smaller cookies.

Does anyone have a gluten free ginger cookie recipe without molasses?  Or has anyone tried just using all brown sugar instead of molasses for a ginger cookie recipe?  I have fresh ginger and I would like to make some ginger cookies but I don't want to go out to the store to get the molasses.  Flours I have on hand are brown rice, white rice, tapioca, potato, millet, sorghum, corn starch, corn flour, arrowroot and gluten-free bisquick.  I would like to try to make the cookies dairy free as well--can sub coconut milk or almond milk for the milk and light olive oil for butter if your recipe has dairy.  TIA for any suggestions.  I've been searching but haven't found a recipe without molasses.

ETA: I also have raw almonds on hand to make almond flour if needed.

I'm (diagnosed) allergic to all forms of cane sugar, including brown sugar. So I just substitute white (beet) sugar for molasses (or brown sugar) in ginger cooky recipes and add a bit more liquid (either in the shortening or some milk) to compensate for less liquid for the dry sugar substitute. (Perhaps you can 'google' or find in an old cookbook a sugar/molasses or sugar/honey conversion table to give you exact amounts of dry sugar plus liquid to sub for molasses. I always add extra spices to compensate for no molasses flavor.

I have a great recipe for candied ginger cookies which originally used all my allergy ingredients (gluten flour, eggs, dairy, vanilla, nutmeg). So I substituted gluten-free flour, flax meal liquid, dairy free shortening, ginger/peach flavoring, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon. Those were fantastic, spicy ginger cookies. I seldom have the exact recipe I need for the cooky I want. So I just substitute whatever I need to prevent allergy reactions.

Hi guys!

You have all been so helpful and encouraging,  answering my many questions. I am doing better so far (gluten-free 6 weeks) in the tummy/bowels situation, less spacy- headed (hooray!) and overall, less fatigued. I am sooo encouraged. Sleep and pain still problematic, but I know it takes time!

However, I feel "racy" and jittery after some meals. It's NOT gluten, soy or dairy. My thyroid is fine, B-12 levels good, D good, etc...blood sugars tested repeatedly. Blood pressure is perfect.(after being really LOW pre-gluten-free)

Is it sugar in foods ?(like maple or brown rice syrup or evaporated cane juice?) I rarely eat any gluten-free packaged foods (just Erewhon cereal sometimes or UDI bread when we run out of our own baked bread).

Just wondering if you guys had to give up SUGAR at first as well?

I often experienced mild tachycardia or palpitations and slight nausea after eating sweets. I didn't understand why until I did a blood (ELISA IgG and IgE mediated) allergy test. That showed I had a high reaction to cane sugar (which is also known as evaporated cane juice, brown sugar, molasses, Splenda, etc.).

So I stopped eating cane sugar for awhile. After I accidentally consumed some cane sugar (coating on Tylenol caplets), I experienced that familiar (but even stronger) reaction of palpitations and nausea. So I abstained from all sources of cane sugar and stopped getting those reactions.

I can still eat pure beet sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, but just not any forms of sugar made from sugar cane.  My doctor has several other patients who tested positive for allergies to cane sugar and react in similar ways.

I was doing some reading and wanted to know a little more about RT3 testing.  I never realized what it actually was or meant until today.  The more I read the more I'm convinced I need this looked into.  When I first started with my current endocrinologist she made comment that I didn't convert the T4  adequately to T3 so she put me on cytomel in addition to my levothyroxine.  For the most part I have always had to go up in my dosage of T4 to keep symptoms at bay over the years.  I'm beginning to think I have a reverse T3 problem and plan to discuss this with her next month.  If so, then I want to inqire about treating it with T3 meds only instead of the combo.  I'll leave all the testing to be done at her office, since everytime I have something "out of the ordinary" my lab for my insurance seems to get things wrong.  I know others on here are having issues with thyroid and not being able to get things just right so I thought I would share some info.  Here are some links I was reading:  
http://www.thyroid-rt3.com/
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/reverse-t3/

Edit:  I am interested in hearing from anyone that has tried the T3 only.

I've been on T3 only for over 2 months. I take 5 mcg generic liothyronine 2x daily (when I first get up and one hour after lunch).  Here's how we decided T3 only worked best for me:

After my initial thyroid tests showed I had high TSH and low normal range T4, my doc started me on 50 mcg Levoxyl. I had read that T4 takes awhile to improve my hypothyroid symptoms (chronic constipation, fatigue, low body temperature, etc.). However after 2 months I only noticed slight increase in temperature and energy and no improvement in regularity. So my doc told me to increase my T4 (Levoxyl) from 50 to 75 mcg. After 3 days I had strong hyperthyroid symptoms (palpitations, overheating) but STILL no improvement in regularity.

So I requested tests for total T3, total T4, free T3, free T4, TPOab (thyroid perioxidase which indicates Hashimoto's antibodies) and TSH.  Those tests showed that my TSH was low normal, my T4 results were normal, but my total and free T3 were very low and TPOab was high normal. So my doctor agreed (with my suspicion) that I don't easily convert T4 to T3.

Then I added T3 (10 mcg daily) to my 50 mcg of T4 and did well (felt warmer, more energetic and no constiption). However, I later began taking Low Dose Naltrexone (which improves immunity and autoimmune conditions). Then I experienced more hyperthyroid reactions, because the LDN lowered my need for thyroid hormone (by decreasing Hashimoto's antibodies). So we decided to just eliminate the T4 and stay on T3. I'm doing well on T3 only now.

With all due respect, sugar alcohols are not artificial sweeteners, they are a natural substance, and are what make fruit sweet.

And, IMO, the minute amount that would be in a vitamin pill wouldn't be anywhere near enough to be a problem. The suggestions here are pretty extreme advise when the poster has not even indicated she has a sugar alcohol intolerance, she just wanted to know if it contained gluten.

Some people are intolerant of sugar alcohols, but many are not. I use Truvia and several other new products that are natural sweeteners, and haven't had any problems.

best regards, lm

I'm glad you can tolerate Truvia, which contains erythritol as well as stevia. I can't tolerate much of any 'tol' sweeteners , whether you consider them artificial or 'natural'.  However, I can tolerate pure stevia products. I realize sorbitol occurs naturally in apples, pears, etc. However, the amount of sorbitol used to sweeten gum, candies, etc. causes cramping and bloating symptoms that I never experience after eating apples or pears.

Low white cell counts are entirely normal for people with autoimmune conditions, especially multiple autoimmune problems. I have had life long low white cell counts, which did not improve with the gluten-free diet.  Even though all my nutritional deficiencies are now gone and it's been 6 years gluten-free for me, I still have low white cell counts yet I am never sick. I don't catch colds, I have never had the flu and have been around sick people for the past month and haven't become ill. All of their illnesses are highly communicable also. I attribute this to an awesome diet, lots of exercise and the fact I do not share food or drinks with anyone, due to risk of CC for gluten.  

It sounds like you are still in the healing process and it does take time for things to improve. It took me 3 years, total, to get back to normal. I didn't get sick that much before diagnosis, which is bizarre considering I was suffering from advanced malnutrition. However, now I seem to do very well, even with exposure to germs and bacteria. You'll get there....be patient!

I never had low WBC before this year. I also rarely got colds, and for those rare colds I could fight off cold symptoms with a good night's sleep before this year.  My WBC was lower than normal in September and much lower in November. That's not a good trend. I also had all those Leukopenia symptoms like fatigue, frequent respiratory infections and developing 8 bacterial/parasitic/fungal infections over a 4 year period (after which my WBC plummeted). Since then I've had constant cold symptoms despite using all the usual (nondrug) cold treatment stuff, like rest, fluids, vitamin C, D, arabinogalactin (source of echinechea).

I agree that I'm still in the healing process. I obsessively abstained from gluten and other diagnosed allergens for almost 7 years. However, I had undiagnosed and misdiagnosed celiac disease symptoms for too many years and wasn't diagnosed until age 56. I've read that older adults' intestinal lesions heal V E R Y slowly, if at all, after too many years of gluten damage. I'll stay off gluten, but I also need to address the autoimmune problems which I currently experience, including leukopenia.

Does Celiac (and an ulcer and IBS) make you more susceptible to getting other illnesses? I swear I catch everything that's out there and I'm very careful with washing my hands and using sanitizers in stores. I'm sick of getting sick on top of already having these diseases. It would be good to know if it causes my immune system to be more open to catching whatever is out there.
Loey

Yes, because celiac disease can prevents absorption of Vitamin D and other vitamins/minerals which help immunity, we can develop deficiencies of all those nutrients which help us fight off viral and bacterial infections. I struggled through 4 years of gastrointestinal infections (8) after I was diagnosed with celiac disease, before I started taking HCl supplements to increase stomach acid, which kills food born bacteria. More recently my blood tests showed low levels of vitamin D, thyroid hormones and white blood cells (perhaps caused by fighting continual infections during a 4 year period). All of those deficiencies made me more vulnerable to respiratory infections. So I've had one cold after another (feels like one cold all the time) for the past 4 months.

So I now take 6000IU of D3 daily, began thyroid supplements and a couple of supplements which stimulate my immune system to produce more white blood cells and fight viral infections (arabinogalactin and low dose naltrexone). I feel much better, but still get cold symptoms if I don't get enough sleep, spend time in large crowds of people (like shopping malls) or get physically stressed (cold, tired, wet). Taking arabinogalactin controls the cold symptoms, so I never get more than a slight sinus headache or sore throat for an hour, before I take that supplment and then feel fine.

Thanks guys for the replies. Jason, as you can see the testing can be tricky. A rheumatalogist (sp?) is the place to start...be sure to go to one highly recommended...I didn't and I've come to regret it.

A rheumatologist will look for rheumatoid arthritis, which is autoimmune, and some other autoimmune diseases, which involve joints, etc. However, other autoimmune conditions which are highly correlated with celiac disease and gluten intolerance include: type 1 diabetes, Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Lupus, autoimmune chronic hepatitis, Addison's disease, Scleroderma, Myasthenia Gravis and others.  So I suspect the best approach is to consider what symptoms you have and go to a doc who specializes in that organ or body system and get tested for antibodies attacking that area or whatever test they use to diagnosed the autoimmune condition.  

However, the best way to decrease autoimmune damage in conditions, which are highly correlated with gluten intolerance, is to obsessively abstain from gluten. People who were diagnosed with autoimmune conditions before they abstained from gluten often discover that their autoimmune symptoms decrease after they stop eating gluten.

I was diagnosed with celiac and began to abstain from gluten in mid 2004. During 2006-7 I was also diagnosed with 6 other delayed reaction (IgG or IgA mediated) allergies. So I now have 7 total food restrictions (plus sorbitol, caffeine and alcohol sensitivies/intolerances). Compared to my current diet with 7 diagnosed restrictions, my original gluten free diet was a piece of (gluten free) cake! LOL

Nevertheless, I've discovered MANY safe and tasty substitutes for all my former favorite foods. I just feel blessed to have finally discovered what caused many of my painful gastro symptoms so that I can choose safe foods and enjoy eating again!

SUE

Sometimes I just have 'palpitatios' or what you call 'pounding heart beat'. However, I had tachycardia when I had hyperthyroid overdose as well as reactions from cane sugar.

My celiac symptoms were also initially misdiagnosed as gastritis. So I was prescribed zantac and Tagamet for several years. Also took Mylanta and maalox tablets for waaaay too long. Now I have diagnosed hypchloridia.

In answer to your question about Nexium ... ABSOLUTELY. Those acid blockers limit acid production long after you stop taking them. Low stomach acid will delay digestion and even cause indigestion when undigested proteins and fats enter the intestines. Do you notice any undigested food in your stools? That's a sure sign of malabsorption which can be caused by insufficient stomach acid or pancreatic insufficiency.  

Reflux is almost never caused by too much stomach acid. Reflux is caused by the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opening at inappropriate times. Some foods (chocolate, coffee, alcohol, onions, peppermint), certain drugs (demerol, NSAIDS, etc.) and lifestyle habits (going to bed right after dinner, tight waistbands and overeating) can all make the LES relax and open at inappropriate times. Also LOW stomach acid can cause reflux, because adequate stomach acid triggers the LES to stay closed during digestion.  See "Why Stomach Acid is Good For You" by Jonathon Wright, MD for more info about reflux and low stomach acid. He also talks about gastritis, which can be caused by food allergies, celiac disease, prescription drugs and even H. Pylori bacteria.

SUE

I can eat meat but not eggs. I have a diagnosed (IgG mediated) allergy to eggs. I used to have difficulty digesting meat. Then I read a book entitled "Why Stomach Acid is Good for You" by Jonathon Wright, MD and went to his clinic to get a Heidelberg capsule test for stomach acid production. That test showed that I very slowly produced only a little stomach acid.

Without adequate stomach acid, we can't digest meats or fats very well and don't absorb vital vitamins and minerals, like calcium, magesium and B vitamins. Normal levels of stomach acid also kills food born bacteria, parasites and fungi (like candida). Age, autoimmune diseases (like celiac disease) and using acid blockers can all cause inadequate stomach acid production.

Since my diagnosis of hypochloridia I've taken HCl supplements before each meal and I can easily digest any meats or fats. I also stopped getting gastrointestinal (bacteria, parasites and candida) infections, after having 8 during the past 4 years. Best of all I no longer have bloating and flatulence and I feel more satisfied after each meal.

If you have ever used acid blocker drugs or you get indigestion after eating meats, try drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar dissolved in a little water before a meal with meat. If that improves your digestion, you might have inadequate stomach acid production. HOWEVER, I suggest you see a doc who can give you a Heidelberg capsule test for stomach acid production, before you try HCl supplements. If you used those while you have H. Pylori, achloridia or any damage to your stomach lining, you can seriously damage your stomach by using HCl supplements.

Before I was diagnosed and prescribed HCl capsules, I discovered that drinking ginger tea with meat/fat containing meals also helped digestion.  

SUE

I've been on a strict gluten free diet for 2 weeks now (3 weeks with some definite screw-ups)and it does seem to be helping. I've noticed about every 3 days or so something seems to happen and the tummy relapses a bit. Anyways, my doc told me that 70% of people with gluten intolerance also have a casein intolerance.

I was hoping that it was maybe just lactose as I remember having problems in university (but then again I also didn't know anything about gluten), but I've been using a lactose free milk. Anyways my question is about the difference between lactose and casein intolerance, the symptoms for both and your level of sensitvity.

I'm assuming you probably can't have dairy period with a casein intolerance. At first I thought this wouldn't be a big deal as I really can't stand the taste of milk anyways, but what about as an ingredient? Say, having some milk in the coffee or a gluten-free bread that uses milk?

Lactose is dairy sugar, which some celiacs cannot digest until their villae heal enough to produce lactase, the enzyme which digests lactose. However casein is the milk protein. Some cannot tolerate casein without immunological delayed reactions usually mediated by IgG or IgA antibodies. Other people have immediate anaphylactic reactions to casein mediated by IgE antibodies.

Confusion comes from the word 'intolerance', which usually means reactions are not related to immunological reactions, like lactose reactions, which are caused by lactase deficiency, rather than antibody reactions. Unfortunately reactions to gluten are called 'gluten intolerance', when they really are immunological reactions. Some allergy 'experts' only consider IgE reactions 'true' allergies but consider delayed IgA or IgG mediated reactions only 'intolerances', even though IgG and IgA reactions are immunological reactions. So people get the lactose 'intolerance' and casein allergies confused.

People who have lactose intolerance can consume lactose free milk products without reactions. Likewise they can chew lactase tablets before consuming milk and have no reactions. Also many can consume yogurt which contains bacteria which help digest the lactose.

However people with casein allergy/intolerance (whichever you want to call that immunological reaction) cannot eat any form of dairy product. Some say they can tolerate goat's milk. However goat's milk still contains casein, but just in smaller quantities.

My dairy (casein allergy) reactions are sinus congestion, frequent colds, cramping intestinal pain (worse that my most intense menstrual cramps), bloating and gas, which last for 10-14 days.

We have a 20 month old baby who has just been diagnosed with the DQ2 gene. We have been struggling with recurrent c.diff for over 8 months and were searching for underlying conditions. Her Ttg Iga is normal, but she is extremely low in IgA. I know that IgA defficiency can create false negatives, can a borderline low IgA value do the same? I should also note that she has been on a rather low gluten diet.

Do we absolutely need to have a biopsy done to confirm that celiac is present?

Even without underlying conditions which challenge immunity, c-diff is a difficult bacteria to eliminate. How did your doctor treat the initial c-diff infection? How many recurrences has your daughter experienced? Did your doc change the treatment drug after the first recurrence?

I had 6 recurrences of c-diff, after I finally convinced my doc to give me a stool test for a gastrointestinal infection. I suspect I had c-diff for 2 months before I even was diagnosed. Then my doc gave me flagyl for 10 days. As soon as I stopped flagyl, the c-diff symptoms returned. My doc prescribed another round of flagyl. However, the c-diff symptoms increased as did the flagyl side effects during that second round. I was sooo sick I didn't even want to eat. Then my doc prescribed vancomycin, but only for 7 rather than the standard 10 days. The c-diff returned. So he next tried a 2 week treatment. Then another recurrence. Then I knew my doc didn't know how to treat recurrent c-diff. So I researched treatment and found studies for effective treatment for recurrent c-diff infections. If the patient has one recurrence, he/she is very likely to get another recurrence, because of the way the c-diff bacteria functions. When c-diff encounters antibiotic drugs, it produces spores, which are resistant to treatment. As soon as treatment ends, the spores morph into full blown bacteria and attack the intestines creating those toxins which cause symptoms. The trick to treating recurrent c-diff is eliminating the spores and the bacteria.

One study reported successfully treating 163 patients with recurrent c-diff. The most effective regimens used a prolonged tapering or pulse-dosing regimen of vancomycin. Another doctor described using a tapering and pulse-dosing regimen of vancomycin for treatment of a second c-diff recurrence. Vancomycin, 125 mg every 6 hours orally, is given for 14 days, followed by a tapering dose of vancomycin (125 mg every 12 hours for 7 days, then 125 mg daily for a further 7 days), followed in turn by pulse-dosed vancomycin (125 mg once every 2 days for 4 doses, then once every 3 days for 5 doses). Prolonged flagyl treatment can potentially cause peripheral neuropathy.

Other procedures have been reported for management of multiple recurrences of CDI, including probiotics, antibiotics, toxin binders, and immune-based treatments, but none proved effective. One probiotic, Saccharomyces boulardii, was effective in preventing recurrent CDI in patients with prior recurrences.

HELP! my six year old has been suffering with chronic constipation since i she was two. we never noticed till i potty trained her but she gets so imapacted she by passes. i have seen doctors and pediatritions who just gave me types of laxatives that dont help we are currently gettin her tested for celiacs after me researching lots on here i m wondering if anyone has similar stories with costipation being one of the main symptoms i need all the help and advise i can get my poor girl doesnt understand why she aint like the other kids and she poops in her pants( which is the bypassing). i dont want to put her gluten free till we get all the testing we can the doctor is doing a blood test for celiacs and testing her iGa levels

Chronic constipation (plus bloated tummy) was my main symptom at age 6. Unfortunately my pediatrician agreed with my mom's dx that I was just getting too chubby. So he told my mom to restrict sweets and substitute skim milk. SIGH

At age 52 I had hemorrhoid surgery after years of chronic constipation. Nobody bothered to ask why I had lifelong constipation. Unfortunately my docs continued to label my symptoms (constipation, bloating, cramping gut pain, gas) as "IBS". After several episodes of impacted stools at age 56 I self diagnosed and used Enterolab tests. My naturopath agreed with their diagnosis. However I also had casein allergy which often causes constipation. Maybe if I hadn't had casein allergy, I would have fit the classic celiac disease profile of 'diarrhea, thin, short, bloated tummy'.

You're doing everything you can by keeping your daughter on gluten and getting blood tests. Don't give up if those tests come back negative. You can try an empirical test of removing all gluten from her diet and seeing how she does or you can go through Enterolab which does stool tests. Those are accurate even after a gluten free period.

SUE

When I was figuring out my own gluten intolerance I found that cutting out obvious gluten was enough to see improvements in my symptoms but they didn't clear completely.  Once I got some advice from here and other bits and pieces on the internet- I completely stopped all gluten for a month and saw a lot of improvement.  Last month I started to see how much I could have without a reaction.  I found that I could have a single kitkat mini bite with a slight cramp and nothing else.  So the next week I tried two of them (they are about half a cm cubed once you eat the chocolate off it).  That caused the usual problems.  So, I don't have to worry too much about cross contamination but it's not worth it to eat obvious sources in any amount.   So as Dixiebell suggested go completely gluten free for a few months then reintroduce in small amounts to find your threshold.

Just because you don't react with obvious symptoms to small amounts of gluten does NOT mean you 'got away with' eating that. You could develop any number of autoimmune conditions which are related to gluten intolerance (like RA, MS, thyroid problems, sjogren's, lupus, etc., etc.). Of course your doc won't tell you those are related to gluten consumption, but you will get symptoms of those conditions if you continue to eat less than your 'threshhold' amounts of gluten. If you obviously react to gluten at large amounts, you will still react to smaller amounts, but you may not recognize your symptoms as gluten related.