I have the link to the new FDA's ruling concerning gluten in  certain fermented products. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-finalizes-rule-related-gluten-free-labeling-foods-containing-fermented-hydrolyzed-ingredients.  The HHS secretary has celiac himself.  This is nice to have someone there that really understands what we need to remain safe and healthy.  

Have you all gotten your Vit. D. blood level checked yet?  You wouldn't take blood pressure medicine without knowing your number and, I think, this is just as important.  I have read more than once that Covid 19 outcomes are much better for those that have a 60-80 level.  The more you weigh the less Vit.D is available to your body.  This is because it is fat soluble and hides out there in our fat.  Be safe, be aware!

 I was just reading one of my professional blogs that I am signed up for.  Isabella Wentz is a pharmacist and does not eat gluten, dairy and other certain foods. https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/pancreatic-elastase-deficiency-and-hashimotos/  I was very sick for a few years and no one could diagnose me.  I had pain, vomiting, diarrhea periodically.  ER doctors didn't diagnose me, family doctor, GI specialists couldn't figure it out despite CT Scans, etc.  After praying about this, two days later, the Holy Spirit said in my spirit:  look up pancreas.   I am a retired nurse and thought, what??  I don't have pancreas problems!  Well, it is associated with celiac disease and Cipro that I was given 2 times also causes it.  The above article gives a good overview of this problem.  Please let us know if any local (Wichita) doctors seem to have a good grip on the many problems celiacs can have even the less common ones.  Long story short, since I started the pancreatic enzymes I mostly feel great, have energy, etc.

May 11, 2020, long time celiac support group member and supporter, Susan Martin died.  Her memorial service has not been scheduled due to Covid -19.  Susan was always a willing worker and  volunteer and had a sunny disposition.  We all miss her.

I found the best Ritz-like cracker at Walmart.  It is Lance Gluten Free Baked Original Crackers.  These are crispy and taste great, a big improvement over earlier GF crackers!  They would be good to use as appetizers with toppings or to make little peanut butter sandwiches! 

A dear older friend reminded me how important it is to get your Vit. D level tested with a blood test!!  She thought her doctor told her to take 3 - 2000 IU. tablets a day.  She did this for years.  Recently, her calcium level became sky high.  Vit. D helps us absorb calcium.  She was also eating high dairy products all day.  High calcium levels can cause anxiety, depression, and confusion.  She got all of these.   I was at the point that I did not have any more ideas to help her until I asked about her Vit. D. intake.  After stopping the Vit. D. completely and  stopping the high dairy/calcium intake  all of her brain symptoms were gone in about 4 days.  I suggested she have the doctor test her Vit. D and calcium levels.  Please don't guess if you need Vit. D.  You would not take blood pressure medicine without knowing your number!  Celiacs don't absorb D, and overweight people store the D in fat.  I get the blood test at least one time a year.

I was just reading a site about "meat glue" being added to our foods.  It causes leaky gut and is bad for everyone, especially celiacs.  This site also has a great article about magnesium deficiency.  We take magnesium glycinate at bedtime to help good sleep.  Even non-celiacs can be deficient due to depleted soils where our food is grown.  Here is the site: https://theceliacmd.com/doctors-dont-understand-celiac-disease-and-gluten-sensitivity/

I don't hardly ever get glutenned any more because I am so careful where I eat.  After eating only my own cooking for about 7 weeks, we bought food at Jimmie Johns.  I have eaten there a few times with no problems.  This time, as usual, I told them please change your gloves.  Both myself and 5 yr. old grand daughter got symptoms a few hours later.  I am going to call the manager and tell them this should not have happened!

Since I have healed my gut over 20 yrs. now, I didn't get ANY belly symptoms!!  I only got sacral ileitus.  I would have never connected this to gluten if I had not read it in a book:  Dangerous Grains, by James Braley MD, and Ron Hoggan MA.  You could try to have a local library order it for you.  I don't know if it is in print anymore.

If you find you have extra time since we are staying closer to home, you might look up Walmart.com.  There is an unbelievable amount of gluten free food items! We have come a long way in the last 20 yrs.!

Here is the link.  These people are sounding the alarm!  You must get a blood test to see how low you are.  Some people say, Oh I am taking 1000IU per day.  Well, I needed 50,000 2x a week for months to get up to normal.  Years ago an internist told me to take 400 IU.  What a joke!  I would not be as healthy as I am if I had not acted years ago.  https://www.grassrootshealth.net/  Please tell others about this, celiac or not.

I have been nagging friends and family to get Vit. D testing for years.  I really feel American doctors are missing a critical part of staying healthy.  The media call it the "sunshine vitamin" so people think if they are in the sun they will absorb it.  Not everyone does absorb it.  A study of California surfers showed most of them were low or sub optiminal.  Regular doctors think a bottom number is normal.  Yet, is it optimal?  The levels are to prevent scurvy.    Remember, your history class told you the sailors ate limes and were called "limeys" to prevent scurvy.  Yet, is preventing scurvy our only goal?  What about preventing colds, flu, Covid 19, etc?  Here is a link to a great group that really believes in optimal Vit. D for the best health.  Of course, Vit. D is one of the fat soluble vitamins that celiacs (and others) malabsorb. The link is not copying.  It is GrassRoots Health.  I will try again.

I just saw on the internet that there is a Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Gluten Free Biscuit Mix.  I found it on Amazon for around $40. for 8 boxes that make about 10 biscuits.  I don't need to make that many.  Maybe some gluten free friends could split the order sometime.  I looked it up at Walmart.  It was about $4 for a single box.  Most of the reviews were good, but a few said they weren't that good.  Has anyone out there tried these?   The Walmart site said there were only 3 left at only the Amidon location.  Too far for me to go.

I signed up for emails from a site that promotes good health through optimal vitamin and mineral status.  We were both deficient in Vitamin D a few years ago and we are outside all summer!  So, I feel anyone can be low.  https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/vitamin-d-incidence-flu-information-know/

Hope you are all doing well and staying home.  I am thankful our President is learning so much how to handle pandemics.  It is bound to happen again.  Please pray for our doctors, nurses and front line people stocking the stores, etc.  God Bless you all!

We record Dr. Richard Becker's program:  Your Health.  We recently watched show #1616 about celiac disease.  He suggested using digestive enzymes, correcting intestinal dysbiosis and replacing nutrients that are not absorbed.  All of this has helped my health.  I know it is expensive but we need to choose carefully where to spend our money!  I know someone that spends a lot on electronics but doesn't want to spend for his health.  Dr. Becker had cancer himself years ago and moved away from traditional medicine.  His program highlights natural treatments using vitamins and minerals.  It certainly makes sense to me to enhance those nutrients that we can't absorb, such as, Vit. A, D, E.  These all help our immune system work better.  I am living proof!  You can ask your doctor to do blood tests for these. 

I am sure we are all concerned about the coronovirus coming here!  I have really improved my health and didn't get sick last year even though I was around people coughing and sneezing.  Celiac is an immune system problem as well as digestive, etc.  I started taking NAC- N-Acetyl Cysteine last year.  I take it twice a day.  It helps the body produce glutathione that some or most of us may be short on.  I originally took glutathione but read several places that the stomach acid renders it unavailable.  At the first sign of a cold, etc. I take zinc lozenges, 1000 mg Vit. C, maybe silver spray, maybe olive leaf extract if I think it is going to be bad.

A few years ago a study was done at a prison, giving half Vit. D and the rest got none.  The optimal Vit. D people got no colds or flu.  Years ago they used IV Vit.  C to treat Polio!  The pharmaceutical companies have done great marketing to change treatment!!!  I just read that China is using IV Vit. C to kill the corono virus.  We will see if media reports this!

I also changed my diet 4-5 yrs. ago to drastically lower my sugar consumption.  A study said after we consume sugar our immune system lowers it's response.  So, if we eat sugar every meal, every snack, our immune system is de-activated.

What do you do to stay healthy?  Let's share our ideas to help each other.  Disclaimer:  we are all different,  so study,  and find what works for you!

For all you girl scout cookie lovers I have two sources for them and also the gluten free ones!  The gluten free one is Caramel Chocolate Chip.  The cookies are in town now!  Susan 316-779-5687 would prefer to sell to northeast Wichita and Aleena prefers Haysville and Derby areas.  Her number is 316-393-7495.  If you buy a lot they may deliver to other areas.  Please leave a message!

I received 8 Canyon Bakehouse bread items from winning their contest!  There are several items that we have not bought before, such as the English Muffins, Bagels, Cinnamon Bread and Chocolate muffins.  We froze them but are excited to try them!

I have a friend near Kansas City that had a terrible childhood.  I told her if she gets her biochemistry balanced she would live a more serene life.  She went gluten free and dairy free and started taking B Vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, magnesium.  Her back pain went away, her depression lifted, and her EYE SIGHT  is now 20/20!!!  She is 76 yrs. old!!!  When she told her doctor, she became a believer because her patient no longer needs  an antidepressant and a pain pill.  The back doctor wanted to put a rod in her back.  The surgery is cancelled!  He had told her her back was crumbling.  I love to see restoration.  I know very well people that would rather take a pill with horrible side effects than change their diet.

Also, today I received an email saying I have won Canyon Bakehouse gluten free products!!  I did enter this contest a few weeks ago!  Have a great day!

My favorite celiac web site is:  glutenfreeworks.com.  I have their book:  Recognizing Celiac Disease written by Cleo Libonati and David Capuzzi.  I have used this book many times to figure out my symptoms.  Now, They have a treatment page on their web site.  I do not know how much it costs to join.  They have a listing of many symptoms that most doctors don't seem to know about.  One local doctor says he doesn't test for celiac unless the  person has a tummy ache.  Well, that's pretty simplistic for a complicated disease!  Some people do not have any digestive symptoms!

I guess we can never be gluten free too long to learn something new!  I never go to buffets because of cross contamination which I thought was due to the customers.  The restaurants use a thermometer to test the temperature of all the foods.  Sooo, they are sticking it in the gluten containing foods and then into ours!  I am not shy about asking restaurants to change their gloves and then watching them to see if they do!

Let me know which restaurants you want to meet at this year!

Have all of you been to Trader Joes?  I asked the clerk if these were sale prices and she said they don't have sales.  Soooo, WOW!  They have gluten free mini cupcakes, a dozen for $3.99.  That is so cheap and they were delicious!  Of course, you know, I bought them for the grandchildren so how would I know they were delicious???? 

They also had frozen chicken patties with cilantro and lime and no bad additives.  They were a delicious fast lunch with some added fruit.

They had their brand of several kinds of gluten free breads/buns.

Thanks to Gary for sending new information using nanoparticles to treat and possibly cure Celiac Disease!  https://apple.news/Aqj0lkyyoRJqlHwFgVbKfEQ. 

We just went to Silver Dollar City.  Either the restaurants have gotten really good about not giving me gluten or my microbiome has healed due to  altering my diet for 19 yrs.  Either way I am so thankful!
A big part  of my recovery has been to try to prevent using antibiotics!  A new study this year claims that if you take antibiotics your first year of life and have the celiac gene you will probably develop it.  I had pneumonia at age 3 mos., Mom said.  It was very traumatic for her so she really remembered it.

I have actually gotten Strep Throat in August in the past due to ragweed allergies.  This year, I started  the silver spray at the first sign of sore throat and I take Olive Leaf Extract capsules if I start to get respiratory symptoms.

The Celiac Scene News- Oct. 2019 has a current article about a bill being introduced to make pharmaceutical companies tell us if their products have gluten.  A few years ago I had a tooth pulled.  We arrived at a pharmacy to get the pain pills filled and the pharm. company was closed.  So, I had to take a pain pill that I didn't know if it had gluten in it.  It must have been all right.  But, I had to take a chance.  Please sign up on this site to deliver our wish for this bill to pass.

After having severe dry eyes for years, I finally have my answer!  I saw several doctors but none of them mentioned Vit. A.  They all wanted me to take expensive prescription drops that made my eyes burn like fire!  Vitamin A is fat soluble which is only one of the vitamins celiacs have trouble absorbing.  I  was desperate and had 24,000 Beta Carotene that we take if we are around a sick person.  My eyes felt so much better!  I took 3 days and then thought I should have the blood level checked.  It was a great number: 77.  Normal is 40-100.  So, the level is good and I felt at least 90% better!  I read that a lot of celiacs need 10,000 per day so I am taking that nearly every day.  I will get retested later in the fall when I recheck Vit.D.  The doctors that know about nutrition are saying low Vit. D can lead to dementia as well as many other problems.  It is good to test it in the fall before all the dangerous germs hit people.

I haven't made any new posts for quite awhile due to my brothers' sudden death.  I thought he would outlive  us siblings.  He became suddenly sick, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and died about 6wks. later!  A lot of the gastrointestinal cancers are related to celiac disease.  I wonder how many blood-related  families get tested after the first person gets diagnosed with celiac.

Someone tried a new Wichita doctor and related a family history of celiac.  This young doctor said we don't  test for celiac unless the patient has stomach pain!  I guess that leaves out all of you with:  migraines, joint pain,  skin problems, liver problems, learning problems,  in fertility etc.  There are 300 symptoms now associated with celiac.  As patients that have to live in our bodies, we need to be educated in spite of our doctors not knowing the symptoms.  I guess I was lucky that I had the classic belly problems.  I am sure if I was still eating gluten these last 19 years I would have been disabled or not even alive!