I have not seen the recent gluten free post but will go take a look for myself. Yes the whole purpose of these forums is to be supportive and positive. I also understand how people can negatively react to posts about the gluten free diet or any diet for that matter. I remember how my nerves used to feel like nails on a chalk board when someone began telling me what I needed to do and what to eat.

But that was a wrong reaction of me....and as good as i'm feeling now well it is a result of getting over those feelings and having the willingness to take some action. But as I see it.....if the attitudes can't be changed then its their loss.....because this helps and works bottom line.

Tangerinebear, thank you for the post! You are 100% correct - this site is for support.

I agree. We need to stay supportive of each other, despite what diets or surgeries or whatever we may choose to try to fight this disease. We are all here to learn and support one another.
I USED to have a problem with the way the GF diet was presented here. As a cure all and as a "it worked for me (or so and so) so it WILL work for you kinda deal. So long as diets, surgery and other options are presented as a possible help and not in a pushy manner or as a cure all or a "it WILL work for you" kinda way then I have no problem with any of the ideas or suggestions given in this forum.
And yeah for those who are gluten intolerant or who have problems with gluten you have to watch every little thing...manufacturers like to sneak it in as filler for everything from foods to vitamin supplements, and GFpaperdoll your right, breathing in wheat flour dust (whether gluten intolerant or not) is NEVER a good thing...kinda akin to folks who have come down with "popcorn lung"..it's where you repeatedly pop popcorn in the microwave and breathe in the steam/smoke when opening the bag..it takes years to develop "popcorn lung", but then again it takes year sometimes to develop COPD or lung cancer but the danger is still there. That is why it is up to US to watch closely and read the labels in the stuff we put into our bodies.
Well just my two cents worth.
Much love to you all.

I will add that most professional doctors do say that DIET works for some and NOT for others. It may or may not help. Also though it is said that the only people who should be jumping on the gluten free band wagon the is those who have Celiac disease or have gluten sensitivities. Celiac is an autoimmune disease and can cause destruction of your intestinal system. If you have one auto-immune disease you are pre-disposed for another. However having another auto-immune disease other than Celiac does not warrant a gluten free diet. For example if you have RA a gluten free diet most likely will NOT help you.

I understand this heated debate as I am in another support group for AS in which the dieters claim they are right and the others do not wish to hear it. It seems the real issue is that the dieters not all but some want to insist that their way is the only way. That upsets people. Because it is after all trial and error. It works for some and NOT for others.

The solution offered on the AS forum was to open a forum just for people who WISH to explore the idea of diet as a treatment plan. While those who DO NOT wish to even think about diet are not being told they are dumb for not trying it.

There is NO CURE!!!! No one thing will work for everyone. We are all different and I would not want it any other way. I think we all simply need to remember this is a support group. You may not always agree with everyone here. But again WE are ALL DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS. We have free will. If you do not like those topics, do not participate in them. I for one am someone that does not like the diet approach as I have tried many of them and they DO NOT work for me. They MAY WORK for someone else though. It is possible.

We should remember to be kind to one another and that we are all here for a reason.

God Bless!

Thank You for that wonderful post Ladyunluc...You couldn't have said it better. :)

I think 99% of the time we are all very loving to each other. Occasionally somebody blows a fuse. It's okay. We all have our ups and downs. Hopefully no one took my post, on the gluten free post, in the wrong way. The diet works for some and not for others. GF is posted here enough that I think the subject maybe could not be in so many replies, over and over. Don't be mad at me, just my opinion.
xoxoxox,
Koo Koo Colleenie

I think maybe some are just expressing their frustration at not only the whole HS situation but also that some feel diet is the only way to treat this condition. The fact is that we are all not the same, our bodies are different and what works for one is not going to work for another. I don't think that is making "excuses" as some may believe. I would no more allow you to tell me what my body needs than you would allow me tell you. What I will do is look to others for support and guidance through this awful disease and learn from others and offer the same when I can. To those fellow HS-rs that have been helped by diet change, I say ROCK ON!! For those like me who choose to follow a different path FOR WHATEVER REASON I am always looking for good advice and will share when I have the same!!! :)

Colleenie..I can't speak for anyone but myself..so me myself I'm not mad at you..at all..


GFPaperdoll...Don't cop out now..you have helped quite a few people I know..Like I said before..they way it WAS presented in the past was what got MY goat..but since it is now being offered as a POSSIBLE help instead of being rammed down one's throat as a GUARANTEED CURE..I have no problem with it..It's all about presentation dear, and I think you are doing quite nicely with the presentation now. To put it bluntly dear, you USED to present it that way (I think mainly because of the excitement of how many folks it has helped..totally understandable) but you have since tempered the way you present it..so I say..post away..
Although it MIGHT be better to keep it to one thread, BUT what if that thread winds up in the far back pages...what good would it do a newcomer then..?? IT's not readily there in their face for them to see..and I know when I first started lurking here I didn't go very far back in the listing to read posts..I just didn't have the heart or the energy to do so.

definitely not mad here either. This is just a touchy subject.
Please do not feel you are of no help gfpaperdoll.