Lisa

I thought caramel was a no-no. Come to think of it, I'm not sure where I got that idea, but it has been solidly in my mind.

Recently, I've seen a couple of references to items that contain caramel as being gluten-free. A cake recipe and most recently some kind of candy.

Is caramel always a concern? A concern under certain conditions? Never a concern (any more than the average item)?

Please put me on the right path. Thank you!

I think it was one of the old thoughts that became clarified with time. I do remember it being a concern a few years ago.

But, there are some people here who cannot drink Coke or Pepsi, but will be fine with 7-up. I have never had any issues with caramel coloring or other.

Thank you for posting that. This is not at all a surprise to me. One member here is very sensitive to vinegar and alcohol as well. The CSA has deemed distilled vinegar to be gluten free, although as indicated in your response, some Celiacs ARE very sensitive.

Sounds like you're going to have a baby! Good luck Stef and hopes for a wonderful delivery.

Hi all...

I finally received my emailed question regarding Almay makeup. I am going makeup-free for awhile to see if there is any change in my health. I hope I don't scare anyone!!!!

Dear Mrs. Reslink:

Thank you for your recent comments from the Almay website and your interest in our products.

Unfortunately, because of the way cosmetic ingredients are made and transported, we cannot guarantee that a product is gluten-free.

If we can be of further assistance, please call our Consumer Information Center toll-free at 1-800-473-8566. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM. Any of our representatives will be glad to assist you.

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Replies sent to this email address cannot be answered. If you have additional comments about this issue, please click here:

Open Original Shared Link

If you have comments on a separate issue, please return to our corporate website: Open Original Shared Link

Sincerely,

Allison Mitchel

Senior Claims Representative

I knew there was some reason that I did not like Almay - and what does the gluten content have to do with its transportation.

BANNED FOR LIFE for me! AND Alison Mitchel should be fired for putting out that letter.

It was sooo awesome! Canadians get to watch the show one day ahead of the Americans, so it will be on tomorrow's US show on CBS.

For those who know the show, Phyllis gets sentenced to six years in jail, so she is mentioning to Nick to watch over Daniel because he "has a gluten allergy and it's kinda hard"........

AWESOME! EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

Karen

Thanks for the heads up Karen. Wonder why Daniel never had any apparent symptom yet. Maybe we will see him in and out of the bathroom and I'll be watching his beer intake.

I'll catch it tomorrow.

I remember that it was about a year or so when I started having a problem with dairy. Perhaps she is developing a secondary intolerance at this point.

You can try to hold off dairy for a week or so and then reintroduce it and see what happens.

Just a thought

It sounds like a great article. Hope I can find it somewhere. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for such a quick response! Yes, I am not sure about the Allergist but my regular doctor hasn't gotten back to me and the last week has been awful. The nurse for the Allergist said he can test for gluten allergies. Do you think he can still order a Celiac Panel? I also wonder if he can order a scope test (where they look at your stomach and intestines).

I have never been to an Allergist. I was diagnosedd with Celiac before I even knew what it was. A doctor can order and endoscopy exam performed by a GI.

Many people here have been self-diagnosed and they feel quite cofortable with it. Your other option is to try the diet and see if you have a possitive dietary response. With damage due to celiac, it may take some time for the gut to heal and to show improvement. That in itself is a diagnosis.

Hope I was helpful. Others will check in as well.

Hi everyone,

I hope you can give me your input. I'm a 24 year old female. This past January I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The doctors also discovered I am Vitamin D deficient. Because of symptoms I have had in the past two months, I am beginning to suspect I may have Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy. Here are my symptoms:

-Constantly tired

-Feel almost flu-like; head aches, sleepy, just a general gross feeling

-Diarrhea 5 days of the week, typically 2-3 times a day, often after eating

-Bloated

-Gas constantly

-Joint pain

-irritability

My general practice doctor has not been very helpful, she thinks maybe it is just stress since I am getting married in 3 weeks. I know myself and know it is not. It has gotten to be so unpleasant! I am seeing an Allergist this wednesday and wanted to know if there is anything specific I should ask to be tested for. On this board I have read about an Enterolab Test and a Celiac Panel. Is there anything else? I have been trying to see a Gastroernologist (sp?) but there are no appointments in the next month.

Also, my mom has Grave's Disease (hyperthyroid), my uncle has MS, and my cousin has Chrones, which are all auto-immune diseases, and Celiac is too I believe.

Please let me know of any good questions to ask the Allergist and any other tests you would recommend. Thanks so much.

Samantha

Hi Samantha,

Welcome here!

If I were in your position, I would require my doctor to run a Celiac Panel. It is a series of four tests. It is not always accurate, but a great place to start. Do not go gluten free prior to testing. If you do have Celiac (with a strong family history) I don't know how helpful an allergist would be to you.

Celiac can be kicked in by stress. You can predisposed for Celiac and many times it takes a trigger to set off the symptoms. You certainly do have many of the 200 symptoms.

Hope you get your answers quickly so you can enjoy your wedding.

I have seen the phrase "gluten challenge" several times and seems to be a way of demonstrating whether you have Celiac Disease or not. Can someone tell me what the challenge is or how to do it and what it demonstrates?

Also most of what I have seen says that milk and yogurt (that is gluten free) and cheese/butter are ok for me to eat, but if it were up to me I would say that I have a negative reaction after milk and yogurt. Nothing really from cheese or butter. I have seen a few posts on here about milk and milk products. Is milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or butter ok for me? How will I know for sure as I just really started the gluten-free diet? I thought milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter were gluten free so why would I have to be weary of them also?

Thanks

A gluten challenge would be to be TOTALLY Gluten free for some time and then add one product at a time to see if you have a reaction.

Certainly milk, butter, cheese and yogurt are gluten free. When you have a diagnosis for celiac or gluten sensitivity it is often recommended to go dairy free for a while. Dairy has the same type of protein as gluten. After healing, dairy can often be reintroduced.

Are you on a gluten free diet?

My Dh has had sprue for 20 years and 6 mos ago the developed this constant itch consuming his entire body. He does not have DH. Could it be that Tide detergent, Downey softner or Tone soap are not gluten-free. If anyone knows plse advise. We are pretty diet safe unless we get unknowingly contaminated. We saw the DR again today and he says he has no idea what the problem is!!! Please advise if anyone knows about these products. Thank you for your advise.

I use Tone and have no issues. I think it highly unlikely that detergent would have any gluten in it. (but, I can be proven wrong ). Perhaps your husband may be allergic to the perfumes in those products.

Christine,

Welcome to the Board! I am sorry that you have had such problems at such a young age. Perhaps you have found some answers here.

The blood panel for Celiac is simple and I think that you should pursue this. Many of your symptoms may indicate Celiac. Many people are diagnosed with Celiac after other ailments are apparent.

Review this site and print off whatever information is pertinent to you and bring it to your doctor. I know that many doctors are not happy when patients self-diagnose from the Internet. But you have to educate yourself and sometimes we have to take our health into our own hands.

I have heard that the Gluten Free Diet may becoming a "fad" diet. That is both good and bad for those of us that are in need of this diet for medical reasons. Never the less, it does bring on awareness.

Please request (require) your doctor to run a Celiac Panel. Although, they are not always accurate. It can rule Celiac in, but not rule it out. If your blood work is negative, you can then pursue the diet and see if you have positive dietary results.

You may have found something that can change your life, for the better. Good luck and if we can help you in any way, just ask.

I'm confused about corn. I've read the post about Bob's Red Mill not labeling their corn products as gluten-free because it is produced in the regular mill. They wrote that as soon as they get gluten free corn to mill they will label it as such. Is all corn purchased in the U.S. somehow contaminated with wheat because of the initial grain storage or something else?

I was ready to make a pie crust with some Rapunzel organic corn starch (paid a whopper for that) and read, "May contain traces of wheat". Ugh. Does anyone know of corn products (chips, starch, anything) that is actually labeled gluten-free?

Thanks,

Still muddying my way through here

Personally, I would not buy a product that says "May contain traces of wheat", although, I don't recall ever seeing that statement. The other rule of thought would be that this is a CYA statement.

I do tend to buy corn products with the least amount of ingrediences in them...chips, corn meal, corn starch.

Stef:

Just checking in. Looks like things are very near.

With my first, I had four days of "false labor." (labor, but not dialating, nor progressive). After the fourth day, the doctor told me to drink a glass of wine. Why the heck could he not have told me the first day!!! It sure helped and the labor stopped. (She, was two weeks early).

It sounds like that is what you are having. This helps your actual labor time. When I finally went into actual labor.... my water broke at 6:00am and she was delivered at 6:45am. Boy, it was quite an experience. I didn't even have time to breath. 100% natural.

Take to day and rest. You will be busy soon enough. Thinking of you.

That bag is SO cool. He will be so proud of your efforts.

I have a question. What about when someone sends me a PM that is promoting their own (she said her husband's actually) websites, blogs, etc.? That's kind of annoying. The people here have been very helpful and knowledgable, and when I get something like this it's so much like a slap in the face. Is this against the rules, or do I just have to block this person from sending me any more PM's?

Kim

Kim,

I certainly understand how you could be annoyed.

I would assume that any solicitation of the members here is not allowed, whether it be in a post or a PM.

If this should ever happen, please report this to Scott Adams. If you allow your personal e-mail to be accessed, that's a different story.

Hi,

What I'm looking at appears to be that all my headings and most or some of the text on the web pages are in really large font - not just for this site, but for every site I'm looking at - especially search engines. It looks like in some pages, the entire pages are larger than the viewable area. I can't imagine what I did.

I've rebooted. That didn't help. I can't find anything in my internet options.

Maybe someone out there knows??

Kat,

Look for your "options" box and click on standard. Don't know whether it will help but maybe.

I've been checking in all day and most likely will till I crawl in bed tonight.

I was wondering if anyone has experimented with making them gluten free? "flour" type

I am going to try and I am going to buy one of those tortilla presses. I used to make

my own corn tortillas and they were so delicious (and super easy!)

Fresh just always wails over store-bought lol as long as it's not too complicared I don't mind making it hehehe Once I made a batch with chilis and lime juice and they were sssssssssssssso good

Also... Iam gonna sign up for a blog and start experimenting and posting my successful recipes on it for all the other gluten frees to have access to! I will link it in my signature when I get set up a little later today!

lovelove

sickchick

sickchick,

I am sure that others will be interested in your blog of recipies. According to Celiac.com Board Rules, you may post your blog link on your personal profile page. It is not allowed in your signature. Please review the board rules.

Good luck and happy cooking.

Medical Services | Health Information | Appointments | Education and Research | Jobs | About Elevated liver enzymes: What does it mean?

What causes elevated liver enzymes?

- No name given / California

Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Michael Picco, M.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

A laboratory report of elevated liver enzymes is common and doesn't indicate a specific disease. However, elevated liver enzymes may be due to liver disease even if you have no symptoms. To determine the underlying cause of elevated liver enzymes, your doctor may recommend further testing.

Common causes of elevated liver enzymes include:

Side effect of medication, such as certain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cholesterol medications, antibiotics or anti-seizure medications

Drinking alcohol

Obesity

Diabetes

Elevated triglycerides

Infection, such as viral hepatitis and mononucleosis

Autoimmune disorders of the liver and bile ducts, such as autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis or primary biliary cirrhosis

Metabolic liver disease, such as hemochromatosis or Wilson's disease

Excessive use of certain herbal supplements, such as kava, comfrey, pennyroyal or skullcap

Gallstones

Tumors of the liver, pancreas or bile ducts

Treatment of elevated liver enzymes depends on its cause. It is important to tell your doctor about any nutritional or herbal supplements you're taking.

RELATED

Liver function tests: What do they involve?

Liver hemangioma: Does it cause any symptoms?

Hepatitis C

Cirrhosis

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Wilson's disease

Hemochromatosis

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Enlarged liver

Autoimmune hepatitis

Gilbert's syndrome

Alcoholic hepatitis

Toxic hepatitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis

Acute liver failure

MayoClinic.com Bookstore

'Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health,' Second Edition (Softcover)

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Print

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Larger type By Mayo Clinic Staff

Mar 26, 2007

In my experience all those computer dudes think they're #1

SOOOOO TRUE!

Heather,

Welcome to the Board.

I think that you should see a MD and request a blood panel for Celiac Disease.

Throw that book away! I don't know what type of diet it is recommending, but it not relevant for Celiac.

Fresh meats, seafood, veggies, fruit, rice, potatoes and nuts are usually recommended when someone begins the diet, keeping foods simple.

Any food in its natural form always safe. Food that have wheat, barley, rye, malt and sometimes oats are not to be consumed if you are gluten intolerance or have Celiac.

Take some time to read some of these threads on this site. I am sure that you will find it very informative and there is a great recipe section.

Thanks Scott. I didn't know about those until they were pointed out to me when I put my personal website in my signature area. Simple mistake! But everyone was nice about it. That's why I like it here. I have been on other boards where they just ban you, no questions asked. It is like walking on eggshells!

Side note, I noticed that Scott/Admin was Member number "2", wonder who Member number "1" was! LOL!

I am glad that Scott has detailed the rules and reasons.

AND, if I remember correctly (doubtful) I don't thinks there is a #1. I think that #1 was a prototype person during the creation of Celiac.com. NO, now I remember.....#1 was the web-computer-dude who helped build this site (as opposed to Scott )

I have been told for years I have IBS and GERD, but now my cousin told me she is a Celiac so I went on the diet and have been feeling much better. Last time I was at the hospital because of a bad stomach episode, they told me I am very anemic. Is that also connected to being Celiac?

Yes, anemia due to malabsorption is very common and often one of the main symptoms that precipitates a diagnosis.

Welcome Home! .....we're having some babies too. Angie and Stef are expecting any day.