Allergies: Disease in Disguise - Review

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Allergies: Disease in Disguise How to heal your allergic condition permanently and naturally by Carolee Bateson-Koch is, what I thought to be, a fascinating book. This was a very informative and easy to read book that gives great insight into the cause, symptoms and possible cures for not only allergies, but some very common and unexplained chronic health problems including, headache, arthritis, anemia, asthma, colitis, acne, and diabetes to name a few. According to the author, the problem lies within the gastrointestinal tract. When I read that, I knew there had to be some truth to this book given that my son's allergist has also touched on the importance of repairing and maintaining the lining of "the gut" as he put it.

The author, Carolee Bateson-Koch DC ND has had 25 years experience in successfully treating allergic disease. In her book she provides a clear understanding for what allergy is and why it is becoming so common. It also provides insight  into the five key concepts about allergy and it's relation to environment, diet, digestion, body chemistry and even addiction. The steps for obtaining better overall health and well-being are simply laid out in seven steps. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from not only allergic symptoms, but any one with a desire to live a healthier life.

I have to admit that when I first received the book from Books Alive publishing for review, I was a little skeptical. After all the subtitle reads "How to heal your allergic condition permanently and naturally." Who wouldn't be skeptical? However, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It all seems to make perfect sense. Though, still not totally convinced I have to ask the question, could a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics, as advised by my son's allergist, have lead to his possible outgrowing of his nut allergy or to the fact that my youngest son hasn't developed any allergies? I have to quote a sentence in the book  "We must always keep in mind that the greatest enemy of any science, or any discovery truth, is a closed mind"

*This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.

Other related posts:

Food Allergies: Health and Healing Book Review

Food Allergies - Could this really be the end?

Do You Know What's Causing Your Childs Food Allergies?

Allergy Safety Products by Onespot Allergy - Review

Food Allergies - Could this really be the end?

After recently switching my sons allergists, I had been putting off his annual testing, I know bad mom, but after a recent reaction to what we are now suspecting to be from either the new sunscreen we tried or the neighbors swimming pool he swam in on the 4th of July, I decided it was time to get him back into the allergist for his annual testing and I couldn't be happier!

I am thrilled to say that A's skin prick test produced no reaction to the tree nuts tested! Yes, I said NO REACTION! The test was done twice, once on each arm. This means we will be going back into the office to slowly introduce cashews and pistachios (his primary allergens) starting with a small amount placed on his cheek next to his mouth. If this produces no reaction we will continue by placing the nut oil on the inside of his bottom lip, then again if no reaction occurs he will be given a small amount to ingest until he shows that he his able to tolerate an entire tablespoon. I am so excited and very hopeful!

The best part was after we got in the car and I explained to A what just happened. He hadn't been paying much attention while in the office because his arms where extremely itchy. As it turns out he has developed an allergy to dust mites and cats. An extremely fair trade off if you ask me! So, after I told him that he may no longer be allergic to nuts the first thing he said was, "Yeah, that means on Halloween I get to eat all my candy!"

The strange thing is, this is the post I have been waiting and hoping for, yet somehow it has been the hardest for me to write. Though I am elated for A and our family, I cant help but feel a sense of guilt. Approximately 9% of kids will outgrow a tree nut allergy and A could be one of them, but why him? I just wish there was a larger percentage of families able to experience the relief we may be facing. Hearing his allergist say to me, "You can relax at bbq's and birthday parties now.....people will talk to you." was bittersweet. We have become so accustom to this way of life that it's a little overwhelming to take in. Its really hard to put into words the mix of emotions I'm experiencing right now. Really not how I had always pictured it.

Suppose I shouldn't get my hopes up just yet anyways, after all we still have not been given the official green light for nuts. Until then we will continue to read labels, take extra precautions while dining out or visiting friends and family. We will tote epi pens wherever we go and take along our own special treats to birthday parties as I try to adjust to the idea that A may soon be like all the "other kids".

A's mystery reaction - Now what?

The Tuesday following the 4th of July the kids were sitting on the couch watching cartoons after breakfast when A asked me why he had polka dots on his legs. I immediately panicked at the sight of several hives covering his thighs. After a dose of Benadryl I quickly re-read the label to the Cheerios he had eaten earlier. There was no sign of nuts on the Cheerios label and he had eaten them several times prior so I was fairly confident that this was not a reaction to food.

The "polka dots" as A calls them did not seem to bother him and he showed nor felt any other symptoms. At this point we just had to wait it out as I went over every possible cause for his reaction. My first thought went to the new fabric softener we had switched to. Duh! How did I not know to buy dye free, fragrance free softeners. I felt terrible! My first clue should have been the lack of ingredients on the label. You would think I'd know better. Lesson learned!

The hives remained unchanged for several hours and more Benadryl was given as I kept a close eye on A throughout the day and that night. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. The following morning his hives had spread, now covering his entire legs, bottom, arms, arm pits, and behind his ears. The Doctor recommended a dose of steroids. This terrified me! I've heard the horror stories of steroids but the Dr reassured me that the low dose he was given wouldn't cause any side effects.

Poor little guy with his "polka dot" arms.

By the second day of using the steroids the hives where nearly all gone and A was finally comfortable. He was scheduled to see his allergist the following week. I hate not knowing what the cause of his reaction was. He had since worn a pair of shorts that I had somehow missed when re-washing his clothes in an attempt to rid them of the fabric softener. No reaction occurred. So we are now thinking the neighbors swimming pool that he had been in over the weekend may have caused the reaction.
The allergist agreed that the swimming pool could very well have caused the reaction. Unfortunately their is no accurate test other then to have him go into the pool again. The allergist also suggested testing the sunscreen he had used over the weekend on his arm. After having a reaction to Banana Boat sunscreen earlier this summer we had successfully switched to Blue Lizzard sunscreen as suggested by his allergist. Unfortunately Blue Lizzard can be difficult to find, so stock up when you do find it or order on-line. Another lesson learned!

Over the weekend I used a bottle of Aveeno sunscreen I had on hand. Though A showed no sign of an immediate reaction the allergist explained that chemical reactions can take several days to appear. So, do I risk another reaction and test the sunscreen on his arm as suggested by the allergist or not? I am fearfull of letting him swim again as well, but that can be a tough one to avoid. Ugh! What to do, what to do?

Related posts:
Whats in your sunscreen?
New Rules for Sunscreen Protection

True Life - Did it live up to the hype?

After watching 'True Life: I'm Allergic to Everything' last night on MTV, I was a little disappointed. Having watched 'True Life' before I'm not sure why, but I was expecting something different. I understand that they are looking for extreme situations, I was just hoping last nights episode would be a little more focused on the majority of those with food allergy. While trying to watch as an outsider not effected by food allergy, I was worried that it may have came across as exaggerated and unrealistic. My fear was that the show would portray those of us dealing with food allergies to be, for lack of a better word, "crazy". Not to say that I didn't feel for and understand what the teens on last nights episode where going through, it just may have been difficult to grasp for those who are not forced to live like we do and or lack any food allergy awareness and education. 

I would have liked to have seen some focus on what it is like to have to constantly read labels for everything you touch let alone put into your mouth. Maybe shed some light on the problems that exist with food labels such as the various names for one specific allergen or the lack of advisory labels that lead us to have to worry about cross contamination.

Speaking of cross contamination, how about the poor communication between the girl, Raelyn and her waitress while dining out? They made that look easy. Although it did show her having a reaction, it was hard to blame any of that on the miscommunication with the wait staff since she was suffering from idiopathic anaphylaxis. I do see where they may have been trying to get the message across about the difficulty and danger of eating out. However this message was failed in my opinion. Again, I was trying to watch as someone unaffected by food allergy.

I know a lot of you who watched voiced concern for Raelyn and her families poor  management of her food allergies. I was shocked to hear that she is on FAAN's teen council. I think the thing that sent me over the edge with her was after she realized she shouldn't have eaten the chinese food (that I thought her doctor made pretty clear was not a good idea earlier that day) her dad continued to praise her poor decision by telling her, "Yes you should [have eaten the chinese food] I think its so brave." What the hell?

Not to just pick on Raelyn or to say that we don't all make mistakes. After all there was Zeke's food challenge with the tuna that I disagreed with being done in the evening. Luckily he was still awake when his body ultimately reacted and it was treated. Was it treated correctly? I don't know. I think I would have used the epi after he started having stomach pain along with his rash or hives.

I did like that the show, though briefly, highlighted the situation between Zeke and one of his peers on the hockey rink picking fun at him for his food allergies. This is just another common and serious issue with food allergies that I was hoping to see a little more of, especially being that it is MTV and there is such a large young, or teen, audience.

In all, I do applaud their efforts in creating an awareness for food allergy and showing the dangers. I just think I was expecting something different and held my expectations of the show too high. What did you think? I'd love to hear your opinions on the show, though I fear some of my wording may have just set myself up for some lashings from some of you. Haha! Let me have it.

If you have not yet seen 'True Life: I'm Allergic to Everything' you can watch it this Saturday at 3:30pm on MTV or watch the entire episode here at mtv.com.

What's in your sunscreen?

This Memorial Day my son had a reaction to Banana Boat sunscreen. He broke out in a rash almost immediately after I applied the sunscreen. My first thought was of course tree nuts. However, after reading the label and calling Banana Boat I was assured that there was no use of tree nuts in the ingredients, BUT they still could not guarantee that the facility used to process and package their products was indeed a nut free facility. Based on his previous reactions I am almost certain though that this outbreak was from something other then tree nuts so I did some research and was shocked to find that most sunscreens, unfortunately, contain an active ingredient known to cause contact sensitivity such as an allergic response as well as several other potentially hazardous ingredients.

According to the European Journal of Dermatology the most common active ingredients in sunscreens reported to cause reactions are as follows:

Para aminobenzoic acid (PABA)

Benzophenones or Oxybenzone

Dibenzoylmethane derivatives

Cinnamates or *Octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate)

Octocrylene

*This was the chemical used in the Banana Boat sunscreen my son used. In Japan, use of octinoxate is limited in certain cosmetics.

Sunscreens containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are a good choice for people with allergy to sunscreen, concerns of developing allergy to sunscreen, and/or those who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor such as those listed above.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), has recently released its fifth annual Sunscreen Guide where the Banana Boat sunscreen used on my son received an overall score of 6 including a HIGH health concern. What's worse is that EWG can only recommend one in five of more than 600 sunscreens in its guide.

Also, Laura at Living Gluten and Grain Free, has compiled a great list of gluten-free sunscreens which also includes an Allergen Column, listing those sunscreens that contain grain and nut ingredients. Review Laura's Gluten-Free Sunscreen list.

As recommended by my sons allergist, we are now using Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen which I was very happy to see received a overall score of 2 on the EWG Sunscreen Guide. The Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Sensitive, SPF 30+ and the Blue Lizard Baby Australian Sunscreen, SPF 30+ that we use both contain no Octinoxate which I believed to have caused my sons earlier reaction. I also happen to like that the bottle turns pink in UV light. Its the little things.

**The FDA hasn't issued any new sunscreen safety regulations for more than 30 years. EWG Action Fund is meeting with the FDA soon to tell them to finally do their job to protect the American people and  they need your help. 12,278 more signatures are needed by midnight tonight to take to the FDA. Visit the petition in the upper right hand side bar and sign today.

Food Allergies: Health and Healing Book Review

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Food Allergies: Health and Healing 

By: Jo Stepaniak, MSEd
Vesanto Melina, MS, RD
Dina Aronson, MS, RD
Reviewed by Frank and Mary Hoffman

Review: I just finished reading Food Allergies: Health and Healing, a Natural Health Guide sent to me from Books Alive publishing for review. I found the book very informative and practical for those new to food allergies. With only 64 pages it is a quick afternoon or evening read covering the basics of food allergies including symptoms, causes, and diagnosing. I did find that the use of the terms "food allergy", "food intolerance" and "food sensitivity" used throughout the book to be a bit confusing for those new to food allergies although these terms where defined in the beginning of the book.

There is a section in the book that discusses a Do-It-Yourself Elimination Diet and Food Challenge that I felt to be misleading in that this self diagnosing approach should only be done if food intolerance is suspected or you are under strict orders from your physician. The severity of food allergy was, in my opinion, slightly downplayed.

I did like that the guide touched on the risk of cross-contamination and misleading labels. Dairy, egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, corn and wheat allergies where highlighted, while fish and shellfish, seeds, latex and other food culprits where briefly discussed.

Food Allergies: Health and Healing also provides a sampling of food allergy safe recipes based on a plant-centered diet. I found that the Berry Delicious "Ice Cream", Choco-Currant Cranberry Squares, and the Black Bean Tostadas, which are more of a black bean taco, to be about the only kid friendly recipes out of the eight included in the book.

Overall I would recommend the Food Allergies: Health and Healing natural health guide to anyone who may be new to food allergies and looking for a quick overview until other in depth material and education can be provided. Given the length, only 64 pages, this would make a great read for relatives or friends who may not be directly affected by food allergies but require the education. It will provide the basic understanding of the difference between a food intolerance and a food allergy, the range of symptoms associated with food allergy and how to recognize them as well as some hidden sources of food allergens and how to avoid them while preparing food, traveling, and eating out. 

*This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.

Other related posts:

Allergy Safety Products by Onespot Allergy - Review 

Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Free Review

The link between Food Allergies and Migraines

A family history of asthma, eczema, hives, hay fever, or any type allergy are said to possibly increase ones risk of developing a food allergy. So, while discussing our family history at a recent consultation with my sons new allergist, I was asked if any of us suffered from migraines. I found the question rather odd since it wasn't clear to me at the time how my migraines could be related to my sons food allergy.

Turns out, some scientists attribute the cause of migraines to food allergy leaving many experts to believe that foods can worsen migraines through an allergic process involving the immune system. Thus causing complexes in the blood in which food proteins clump together with antibodies directed against these proteins. Unfortunately, this type of allergic reaction cannot be detected by conventional allergy testing. However, if you choose, IgG food allergy testing can be done to determine possible "trigger foods"

Studies have reported a possible association between migraine and various allergic disorders. It was observed that parents with migraines had a greater chance of having children with asthma and allergies. All of this leads to the importance of the question, "Does anyone in your family suffer from migraines?"

Parental history of migraine and bronchial asthma in children F. Gürkan*, A. Ece*, K. Haspolat** and B. Dikici***

Having suffered from migraine headaches myself, this all resulted in a brief period of mommy guilt, as if I gave my son his allergy. Of course, I know better and I hope that this doesn't place any guilt upon any of you who also suffer from migraines and have a child with asthma and/or allergies. There are many different possible causes, other then our own family history, that play a role in the development of food allergies. See also: Is there a connection between Genetically Modified Food and Food Allergies?, Are We Really Too Clean?, and Is there a connection between Vaccines and Food Allergies?