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Love,

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Daily Tips

When it comes to food allergies, there is a big learning curve.  To help with the details, we are posting a daily tip about the top food allergens, cross contamination and how to avoid it, crazy hidden places that food allergies hide, cooking and baking tips, and more.  There will be a new one every day!  Read them with your morning beverage, forward to family & friends who need them, and discuss.

 

 

Entries in Lifestyle Tips (7)

Monday
Jan062014

Snowbound w/o any allergen-free soap to shower with? 

Snowbound w/o any allergen-free soap to shower with? Use baking soda &/ or olive oil. Baking soda is a wonderful exfoliant & cleanser for you entire body, you can even use it on your head and hair. You can also use olive oil, too. Why? fresh oil dissolves the oil & dirt that has packed into your pores. Cover your face and body w/olive oil, then take a warm, wet cloth and wipe it off. The only drawback here, is that if you do this regularly in the shower, the oil could clog your drain a bit. I also use olive oil as a moisturizer after a shower. Smooth onto wet skin and dab your sweet self w/ a towel.
Wednesday
Oct232013

Check Your Retainer (& other Dental Products) for Gluten (Really)

Do you have a retainer? It might contain gluten. Yes, a new study is finding that gluten, a common additive in plastics (particularly plasticized methacrylate polymer), can keep a celiac patient from going into full remission. Check with your dentist to see what your retainer and/or bite splint contains and research every ingredient that is not in plain language. 

Here's the direct study link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24137038/?i=1&from=celiac+disease

 

Also check these other dental products - and please note that because these products do not fall under the regulations of "food", gluten may not be listed in the ingredients:

  • Minted dental floss
  • Toothpaste
  • Polishing paste
  • Flouride
  • Topical Anesthetic

Read more . . .

Update 3/4/2014: Here is a post on Triumph Dining indicating that the study findings were not conclusive - that the plastics in the retainer material may not leach out enough over time to cause alarm.Two dieticians, Amy Jones, MS, RD and Tricia Thompson, MS, RD, contacted the lead author of the study and came to this conclusion:

Amy Jones, MS, RD and Tricia Thompson, MS, RD
The original study led the dietitians to contact the lead author. After discussing, both were still not convinced of the retainer’s guilt in the diagnosis. Due to the half life of tTG (which is 6 months) and an outdated report on the contents of methylmethacrylate (from 1971), Amy Jones and Tricia Thompson concluded that “enough gluten would leach from the retainer to cause an increase in tTG levels seems a bit extraordinary.” - See more at: http://www.triumphdining.com/blog/2014/03/04/is-there-a-link-between-orthodontic-retainers-and-gluten-intolerance/?utm_source=Triumph+Dining+List&utm_campaign=c4ab154054-Newsletter+7%2F23%2F13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9c15f454b-c4ab154054-122078121#sthash.PFDy2d3Q.dpuf

 The original study led the dietitians to contact the lead author. After discussing, both were still not convinced of the retainer’s guilt in the diagnosis. Due to the half life of tTG (which is 6 months) and an outdated report on the contents of methylmethacrylate (from 1971), Amy Jones and Tricia Thompson concluded that “enough gluten would leach from the retainer to cause an increase in tTG levels seems a bit extraordinary.

This may put some fears to rest, but this will be an interesting study to follow.

Wednesday
Sep042013

Kitchen Tip: Use Baking Soda to Clean Ceramic & Glass

When I learned to make bone broths in my ceramic slow cooker, and started baking paleo (grain-free) breads, and then started the GAPS diet where I cannot use my normal oils, I noticed that there was a lot more cooked on, baked on residue that was tough to remove. Baking soda came ot my rescue. Here are two ways to use it:

1. Soak any pyrex, glass or ceramic pans that have some burnt on residue in a 1 to 3 part solution baking soda to water for an hour or two. For really tough sticky situations, rub straight baking soda on the residue and let it sit for an hour. Then wash the dish, it should come right off.

2. Use baking soda as a mild abrasive rather than a steel wool pad or other abrasive item. Baking soda is gentler to your pans, and less toxic to you.

 

~Elisabeth

Tuesday
Aug062013

Delayed Allergic Reactions

Not all allergic reactions occur right away. Whereas a classic reaction that can cause anaphylaxis can occur within minutes, it can also take several hours, and still need immediate treatment. A classic reaction can also cause death.

There are also other immune responses that can take up to 72 hours to manifest. This is called a delayed reaction and the symptoms can range from mild to severe, and can include a runny nose, flu like symptoms, heart palpitations, swollen joints & vertebrae, skin rashes, achy muscles, stomach and intestinal distress and more -- up to 100 different symptoms. This, plus rather unreliable tests, make this reaction very difficult to diagnose via testing. Keep a food journal and note each symptom after you eat a particular food. Remove the food that is causing your symptoms and work with a physician who understands all types of allergic reactons.

An allergic reaction to food is hard on the body. It can take you several days to recover from it, regardless of the type.

Read more about the different type of immune reactions to food, including Classic & Delayed Immune Reactions, Hybird Sensitivity, and Celiac Disease: What is a Food Allergy?

The article also helps us understand the different types of NON-immune reactions, as well.

Know what you have so you can take precautions, treat yourself and your loved ones with love, and react properly.

Wednesday
Jul312013

Auto-Injector Law Passed! Talk to Your Child's School About Emergency Action

Law Passed - Emergency Epinephrine Auto-Injectors Allowed in Schools

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that allows schools to have un-designated emergency epinephrine auto-injectors in schools.  This means that the auto injectors at school do not need to be prescribed to a specific student, and that they can be used by trained administrators for any staff member or student who is in an anaphylactic emergency.

This is great news for parents with children who are at risk at school, and follows in the wake of deaths in different states around the country, because an auto injector was not available, or not available in time. It also allows states to begin potentially requiring schools to carry the injectors.

An Artilce from CBS:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57596316/house-passes-bill-to-help-put-anti-allergy-meds-in-schools/

Create Your Child's Action Plan

It is a great idea to begin discussions with your school now, as school years commence, about your child's emergency action plan, if they need one.

Here is a great article to help you get started:  How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with an Allergic Child in School?

 

Press Release

 

From the FARE website:

 

U.S. House of Representatives Passes School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act

Legislation Could Save Lives in Schools Nationwide

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

McLean, Va. (July 30, 2013) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to approve the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act (H.R. 2094), important legislation championed by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) that will help protect students with food allergies.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD), encourages states to adopt laws requiring schools to have on hand “stock” epinephrine auto-injectors, which is epinephrine that is not prescribed to a specific student but can be used for any student or staff member in an anaphylactic emergency. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and can be fatal.

“We applaud the House for recognizing the need for schools to be prepared to protect students with life-threatening food allergies by passing this legislation, and we thank Dr. Roe and Rep. Hoyer for their unequivocal support,” said John L. Lehr, chief executive officer of FARE. “This is a tremendous victory, but we still have work to do to enact this legislation. We look forward to working with our champions in the Senate, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), so that this legislation can be approved and sent to the President for signature.”

About half of states have laws or guidelines in place allowing schools to stock undesignated epinephrine auto-injectors. The proposed federal legislation would provide an incentive for states to require schools to stock epinephrine.

In addition to FARE, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and the National Association of Elementary School Principals have endorsed the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act.

Learn more at FARE (www.foodallergy.org)