Dangers of soy products? needing calcium

[Guest guest]

I hope somebody can speak to my concerns or has had a similar problem. I

have a twenty-two-year-old daughter who is probably considered to have

pervasive developmental disorder--the diagnoses weren't quite the same

when she was small or at least she wasn't really diagnosed. She also has

times when she has constipation--not hard stools but just can't go--and

the only diagnosis we've been given for that is irritable bowel syndrome.

Feeling that milk was aggravating her problems, and also considering

seriously placing her on the gluten-free casein-free diet (though

admitedly I've been edging slowly and cautiously toward that course of

action), I had removed

her milk and, at our doctor's recommendation, given her soy milk though

not in large quantities. My main reason for giving the soy milk, and the

doctor's reason for recommending it, is our concern that a calcium

supplement would aggravate her constipation problems. However, it has

come to my attention that she would have to drink three 8oz. glasses of

soy milk per day to get the needed calcium--she drinks about 12oz. a

day--and

Many on the gfcf diet also prove to be also soy intolerant.

Furthermore, I am now reading concerns on such websites as

http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/library/weeklyaa083099.htm and

http://www.leaflady.org/soy.htm

While I realize you can't just believe every thing you read on the web,

and while I also know it's hard to get to the bottom of such things

because the soy promoters accuse the dairy industry and the dairy

promoters accuse the soy industry, I am concerned. Also, it was

recommended to me at my local health foods store that I give my daughter a

combination calcium/magnesium to counteract possible increased

constipation. I was warned that this did in some people (but not usually)

cause stomach discomfort--well, I should have known that it therefore

would in my daughter --and it did. Can anybody give me suggestions

for making sure she gets enough calcium without aggravating her bowel

problems; I know some may recommend digestion-related supplements or

enzymes but with her

history of reacting to medications/supplements I don't want to change too

many things at once and then not know what is causing problems. It's hard

enough to figure that out as it is. Also, how concerned should I be about

the dangers of soy, as it seems that most ice cream replacements and even

a lot of substitutes for wheat products contain gluten? I don't want to

try to jump out of the frying pan and end up in the fire. Thanks.

If this post is a little confusing to anybody, it's because I tried to

word it so I could post it to two lists at once; just take whatever part

you have answers for and respond. I'd especially like to hear from

anybody who is using some kind of calcium supplement and also has

constipation problems or some form of irritable bowel syndrome.

Cheryl