rheanna

Colleen,

I don't know if anybody knows for sure whether one who is merely sensitive to gluten (and not a full blown celiac) can dampen the reaction to gluten by avoiding it for a period of time. I would guess that during childhood one would be especially sensitive to developing allergies or sensitivities because the body is changing so much and hasn't yet developed a strong immune system. The literature I have read indicate that some people with childhood intolerance seem to "outgrow" their reactions to gluten -- that is, they don't react years later when they are adults. Because people don't regularly get antibody blood tests and have that icky tube down the throat (I had to be tranquilized to dampen my natural reaction to gag and push the tube away!), I don't think the data is really there to say for sure.

If you try to keep your son's diet as gluten-free as possible, it may be that as an older teen or as an adult he may be able to have an OCCASIONAL treat (no oftener than once a month in my opinion). The problem is that the symptoms are not always visible. If his body reacts by damaging some portion of his small intestine, it may take a while before the nutritional deficiencies show up -- that is, if he resumes the typical western diet of lots of wheat.

There are at least a couple of people on these boards who maintain that gluten is the causes of most of the diseases of modern humans, even among people who show no symptoms of gluten intolerance. You'll run across them as you peruse these boards. I tend not to believe that so many diseases can be blamed on one particular food among so many people, and I can only speak for (and make decisions for) myself. I was in my late forties when I found out about celiac (searching for reasons for my painful acid indigestion) and decided to eliminate it from my diet. I have now had several years of living gluten-free, with VERY occasional adulterations (a few crumbs) now and then. My body seems to have settled down and no longer reacts so strongly. I am assuming that if I found myself in a situation where there REALLY was no other option for keeping my blood sugar stable, I could eat whatever was available, wheat or not, and my body would be ok for a while until I could return to a diet of my choice. I guess my ramblings are leading me to say that a person who did not have full blown celiac could conceivably have OCCASIONAL gluten without the body ramping up a defense against it. As to whether he would actually outgrow it, only time will tell. But I'm inclined to doubt it.

--Rheanna