FAILSAFE #52
Newsletter of the Food Intolerance Network
April – June 2007
|
The Food Intolerance Network supports people worldwide using a low-chemical elimination diet free of additives, low in salicylates, amines and flavour enhancers (FAILSAFE) for health, behaviour and learning problems. |
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THIS MONTH
Kids and chocolate
Nestles
myth the point
ONE
MILLION HITS!!
Research: Alopecia
areata and gluten, Getting vegetables into children,
Chicken soup really is good for you, Benefits of psyllium,
Oats in gluten-free diets
In brief: Ribena and no vitamin C, The food industry
pyramid, Additive wars, Eating beef in pregnancy
Targeting… Misleading advertising
Readers' stories: [547] - [565]
Product updates: detailed help and information.
Questions: detailed help and information.
Cooks Corner: Hints:
mini crumpets, pear jam, Failsafe sports drink, Homemade butter, Buttermilk
scones, Chokos with Home-made butter, Chicken soup
for colds and flu, Yummy biscuits
Hello
everyone
We have just returned from two months in a fascinating area of
After Easter, many failsafers wrote with
comments such as “I can't wait to get rid of all the chocolate in my house
because my children are ‘crazy’ even as I am typing this”, demonstrating once
again the gap between what mothers experience and what passes for ‘science’ in
psychology journals, see lead story. But news about additives is spreading: in
March, Julie Eady of Additive Alert was announced
winner of the WA Consumer Protection Awards - congratulations, Julie!
Among the many remarkable readers' stories in this newsletter, some are
particularly powerful:
Happy failsafe eating -
Sue Dengate (suedengate@ozemail.com.au)
Kids and chocolate
A
We
agree with them that sugar doesn’t affect children’s behaviour. But anyone who
knows anything about the effects of amines in chocolate understands that
reactions are usually delayed. “I’d bet my bottom dollar that some of those
kids responded to the chocolate a day or two later” commented one failsafer. And another thing: the researchers assumed that
sultanas were a ‘healthy’ food that wouldn’t affect children’s behaviour.
Didn’t they find out anything about
food intolerance before they started? Sultanas are high in both salicylates and amines, so are likely to affect more children
behaviourally than chocolate, but again you’re unlikely to see any reaction
within the first 40 minutes. There is no way that the results of this study
could lead to the recommendation “don’t blame those Easter eggs for kids
behaving badly”, as reported by dietitian Nicole
Senior in the April Super Food Ideas magazine. For an indepth
critique of the study see http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/information/kidschoc.htm.
Nestles myth the point
And
while we are on the topic of bad science, reading through the Myth Busters page
on the Nestle website, an NT reader came across the following:
“Sugar
makes kids hyperactive - FALSE - Does
your child come home from birthday parties bouncing off the walls? Do you think
it’s all the sugar in the party food? It’s actually not the party food. The
reason they’re hyped-up is more likely due to all of the excitement and
activity at the party rather than the sugar in the party food. Studies have
shown no direct link between consumption of sugary foods and increased
hyperactivity in children …”.
While
we agree that sugar is not associated with hyperactivity, we hate the way
anyone associated with the food industry slides easily from the sugar
conclusion to the sugary foods conclusion, which is not the same thing at all.
“Gee, it wouldn't have anything to do with the added colouring, flavouring and
preservatives that manufacturers pile into kids’ party foods would it ?!!!”
asked our reader.
ONE MILLION HITS!!
The
Food Intolerance Network website has now received over one million page-visits.
The interesting thing is that while most visitors are from
|
Research |
* Alopecia areata and
gluten The connection
between Alopecia areata (patchy baldness) and gluten was first reported in
1995. Since then there have been many more reports although many doctors in
*
Getting vegetables into children Preschoolers
who work in a vegetable garden may change their attitude to vegetables, a study
from
*
Chicken soup really is good for you In laboratory tests, home-made chicken soup
was found to reduce the migration of neutrophils, white blood cells that can
trigger inflammation, possibly explaining why chicken soup is a traditional
remedy for coughs and colds. The team also tested commercial soups and found
‘variable effects’. Rennard BO and others, Chicken
soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro, Chest, 2000;118:1150-1157,
see the full study at http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/118/4/1150,
and laboratory-tested recipe in Cooks Corner below.
*
Benefits of psyllium Psyllium,
also known as ispaghula, has been used as a
traditional medicine for centuries in
* Oats in gluten-free diets A new review
in the
See
a new brand of contamination free oats in
Diet not working as well as
you'd hoped?
One tiny mistake can make a
huge difference. For fine-tuning, see the Checklist of common mistakes. Readers tell us
this list is very useful.
|
In brief |
* Ribena and no vitamin C Pharmaceutical
giant GlaxoSmithKlein has been fined for misleading
advertising after two 14-year-old schoolgirls found its popular Ribena drink contained almost no vitamin C. The case came
after the New Zealand high school science students tested the children's drink
against advertising claims that "the blackcurrants in Ribena
have four times the vitamin C of oranges" in 2004. Instead, the two found
the syrup-based drink contained almost no trace of vitamin C. GSK has blamed
variability of nutrients in blackcurrents sourced for
the Australian and
* The food industry pyramid Blogger Dailydave (www.dailydave.com.au)
investigates the Maggi “simple goodness NO ARTIFICAL
colours or flavours” claim and the real meaning of the DAA (Dietitians
Association of Australia) logo on the Nestle website in an entertaining
article ‘Food industry lobby groups and
ineffectual governance’. Well worth reading! http://www.dailydave.com.au/viewarticle.php?postid=790
* Additive wars If
you missed Susie O’Brien’s The Wholesome Truth in the Herald
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21516049-662,00.html
and the following opinion piece by Robyn Riley that riled some failsafers: Additive Anger http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21520434-5000112,00.html.
Thanks to the reader who emailed Robyn, suggesting that she direct her anger
towards the food industry.
*
Eating beef in pregnancy has been linked to reduced sperm counts in adult sons In a study of 387 fertile partners of pregnant
women, men whose mothers reported eating more than seven beef meals a week while
pregnant had a sperm concentration more than 24% lower than sons of low-beef
consuming mothers. The team suggested that hormones used to fatten feedlot beef
may be responsible. Swan SH, et al "Semen quality of fertile
|
Now targetting… Misleading advertising on packets |
This section is for the growing
number of people who ask “Can I do anything to help?” These people phone food
company hotlines and write letters to politicians and food companies. Judging
by the bread preservative reversal, this strategy works. We have agreed to team
up with Western Australian-based www.additivealert.com.au
to hit a different target each newsletter.
Dave’s story: I sat down to my keyboard yesterday
and knocked out what I thought was an earth shattering piece on the misleading
advertising by the people at Maggi/Nestle regarding
their 'simple goodness - no artificial colours or flavours' claim. I duly placed the article on the front
page of my site but it seems, after having a good look through your site
tonight that I'm a few kicks behind the game! I'm the father of a son aged six
and a daughter aged two. Our stories aren't perhaps so extreme as some who
contribute to your site - we suffer headaches and different aches and pains and
can now attach those reactions to certain numbers and avoid them, but it's the
children in whom we've noticed it most. I'll never forget our son, unbeknownst
to us, hooking into Cheezels at a cousin's birthday
party when he was two. He broke out in these orange, angry looking welts all
over his body that were itchy and horrible. I won't even begin to discuss colour, content, consistency and odour
when the back end came into play later that evening! I am constantly amazed at
what the regulators will let these corporations get away with. It angers and
astonishes me. Keep up the great work- Dave (see Dave’s entertaining blog at www.dailydave.com.au)
We have
received numerous similar complaints from consumers who feel the Maggi “simple goodness – no artificial colours
or flavours” claim is misleading. Technically, it’s
legal because flavour enhancers aren’t flavours and are considered to be natural. However, if
consumers say they have been misled into thinking the food is free of nasty
additives, then surely it is
misleading.
So we now ask you to email the Australian Consumers Association
(ausconsumer@choice.com.au – for
more details see www.choice.com.au)
about this issue. Please include your own story of family reactions to
additives in general or flavour enhancers in
particular.
|
Readers' stories |
Stories [563] and [564] share the Courage
Award for this Newsletter, with the prizes being a copy of the DVD
“Fed Up with Children’s Behaviour” or “The Failsafe
Cookbook”.
[565] One-liners (May
2007)
I sooo appreciate what you are
doing - people are starting to believe me that I have a problem and it is not
in my head, and many of my friends now make a special effort to provide at least
some food that is safe for me to eat – email, NZ.
I took my 4-year-old daughter off all additives,
preservatives and colours. In one week she has had a
dramatic reduction of mostly myoclonic type seizures,
down from her usual 2 - 40 throughout each day before" – Karen.
Since going failsafe our daughter has changed her afterschool activity on Fridays: instead of having a
therapy session with the Institute for Learning Difficulties, she is now
attending a gifted and talented program – by email.
I have so far not visited any internet sites which have
enlightened me as much as yours - thank you! – by email.
We are in the process of learning all new foods and
additives in the
My kids have some classic signs of food intolerance -
tantrums for one and "sads" for the other.
– by email.
Salicylates make me wired, pee a lot and cause
dark circles under my eyes; amines make me very angry and I wake up with
palpitations and sweats – email,
The information on your website is fantastic and it's great
to have support networks provided - it makes you feel like you're not the only
one looking for answers! – email, Qld.
My sons aged 9 and 4 – now additive free - both had croup in
the last week and the younger one even had a cold as well but neither of them
had asthma which is unusual for them. – Kylie
We just had our Tu Beshvat holiday (New Year of the Trees), ate a good bit of
dried fruit, and guess what? - more headaches, asthmatic spasms, gut in an
uproar, and the boys nervier – by email.
Thank you for all you have done - you have changed, and
possibly saved, many lives – email, US.
I am a mom of two and have found your book a delight - my
four-year-old has improved so much since we started cutting out things in her
diet. – by email.
Thank you for giving us hope. – email,
When buying foods I have a problem trying to read the small
print (even with new glasses!) - I would love to see these written bigger! – by
email.
I have an active son, who reacts to food, although like you
thought at first it was sugar. I have told so many people about your books, and
how it has benefitted our family - and we don't do
the whole thing, just some eliminations and awareness.- Cassie.
Thank you for your book Fed Up, which I just happened to
stumble across at a friend’s house, it has changed our lives and I am now frequently
referring to your website - Jane.
[564] 635: “An attack of 635”:
anxiety, racing heart, headaches, rash (May 2007) SHARED COURAGE AWARD STORY
FOR MAY 2007 NEWSLETTER
I was suffering with what
the doctor said was normal for my age 39, higher blood pressure, heart
palpitations, not able to sleep on my left hand side, rash around my groin and
armpits that I couldn’t get rid of, weekly headaches and to top it of waking up
at 2-3am every morning with a anxiety
attack.
I was attending a anxiety
meeting every week and seeing a psychologist but the problem was that I
couldn’t identify with any of the other people that came to the anxiety
meeting. It seemed all of their complaints of the 100 or so different people
that came to the meeting related to cyclic thought process that brought on the
anxiety and kept them in that loop. I on the other hand felt a little on edge
but was very relaxed about life. I delved into unresolved tensions with my
psychologist but still no relief. Yoga and relaxation exercises seemed to help
but what it truly did was let me watch my body go through the symptoms while I
watched it happen in the third person. Because my symptoms didn’t fit the norm
I refused to take any form of medication. I felt it was stupid to compound the
problem until I knew what was causing it.
Finally I had yet again
another anxiety attack. This time it was unbearable and my heart went over the
199 bpm that my machine could measure. I tried
everything to relax but my system went into overdrive. My mother came around
and my wife was there to help. I am amazingly good at relaxing my body but
nothing seemed to help. I called nurse on call and they called an ambulance
immediately upon hearing my symptoms. The ambulance arrived and went through
the routine of checking me over and in the time they were there my body stabilised to around 100bpm. They gave me the option of
going to hospital and waiting in the waiting room for 4-6 hours or stay at home
and try and get over it. I took the wait at home option. The interesting thing
from all of that is the male ambulance officer who leaned against the door
frame for the whole time they were there said “gee you look like my wife does
when she has a attack of 635” I thought he was full of it and ignored him at
the time. I felt like I had run a marathon.
The following day I looked
up 635 on the internet and noticed the rash and the headaches that I had were
the same but nothing else rang a bell. Having nothing else to go on I looked
into what had 635 in it as an ingredient. I was amazed to find my pies, pasties
from the local bakery had beef booster and hence 635 + 621 that was Monday
nights explained then a lot of chips + crackers that I had for lunch - even
ones from the health food section of my local supermarket that state quite
clearly on the packaging that 635 is not 621 and therefore is not bad for you.
What a laugh! I must stress I had no belief that 635 was the cause of anything
but my rash and headaches. I have not changed my lifestyle in any way except
for removing 635 + 621 from my diet and only very recently removed 282. But a
key interesting note is the 12 hour delay from eating the food to the full
blown symptoms. I still eat selected
junk food, I still exercise the same amount, I have even more pressure at work
and I still get broken sleep from my now 2 year old.
When I would go to my
doctor, her face would drop in that “not you again look” she would listen to me
with bored expression and write in her notes, anxiety related. Please also note
that my doctor since then acknowledged she has absolutely no knowledge of food
intolerance re 635 – 621 and their symptoms. How are you expected to be helped
if they are blind to these issues? The way I wish to truly express myself as to
how I feel re their mainstream blindness is limited by my overriding desire to
keep this letter polite. I have not read anywhere a person with my exact same
experiences but I know it is simple. I have stopped eating 635 + 621 and I am
back to how I remember the way I used to be.
From that week….
My multiple rashes of many years cleared up completely!
Not one single headache!
I have not had a single heart palpitation!
Not one single anxiety attack!
No hand or body tremors!
No racing heart!
No feeling of tension!
The only exception to this
was when I went to a mothers’ group party and ate some salt and vinegar chips
laced with 621 + 635. I had a bad night sleep that night. I checked the chips
at the supermarket the following day and found the suspect ingredients. I will
not eat any food that I cannot check the ingredients. Hungry Jacks will not return
my calls to tell me what foods have 635 in, and Nandos
will not return my calls as well. It is of interesting note that the American
version of Hungry Jacks (Burger King) + KFC list their ingredients but the
similar Australian version of the web sites have the ingredients list missing.
I FEEL LIKE A NEW MAN – Wayne, by email (
[563] IBS: colostomy for
11-month-old baby (May 2007) SHARED COURAGE AWARD STORY
FOR MAY 2007 NEWSLETTER
In reply to the Reader’s
Story [537] in the last newsletter about salicylate
intolerance misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, our story started 5 years
ago. We have fraternal twins who were born at 37 weeks and seemingly healthy at
the time, no problems within the pregnancy was diagnosed in regular scans or
when they were born. My first clue, looking back, that twin 2 may not be all
right was her failure to use her bowel until day 3. I remember her gagging on
day 1 and being told by the nurse that this was common in newborns until they
had their first motion.
We then continued on a very
long path during her first twenty-one months of life with an unsettled baby.
Both twins were breast feed however twin 2 was always unsettled. At 6 months we
decided to introduce solids - starting out with farex
and progressing to adding small amounts of pureed fruits, ie
pear, apple, etc 'all the safe ones'. To our shock twin 2 started to get the
most horrible nappy rash with excoriation and bleeding. We couldn't understand it
and were regular with her nappy changes, we also noticed that she would strain
whenever she tried to use her bowel. We went to see her Paediatrician
who prescribed hydrozole cream and amoxil drops, suggested we try some small amounts of
vegetables and sent us on our way.
Four months had passed and
we were increasingly worried for our daughter who still suffered from the
terrible nappy rash and constant visible straining when using her bowel (most
unusual in a baby) and was generally unsettled. By now we had tried cows'
formula (which resulted in vomiting) and soy formula (which resulted in
diarrhea) and we had also noticed that with fruits the problem was worse.
Things didn't improve and after many calls and visits to our GP and Paediatrician we decided to see another Paediatrician.
The next Paediatrician suggested we trial a prescribed formula for 2
weeks of 'Alfare'. This resulted in violent vomiting
and trip back to him whereby an ultrasound was performed and we were informed
that she in fact had chronic constipation, with a large mass in her colon. Our
daughter was now 11 months-old and had to have immediate surgery to remove the
mass which resulted in her having a colostomy for 3 months.
We were assured by the Paediatric Surgeon that in fact her problems were not food
related and that she was born with an 'anorectal
anomaly' and that all would be ok once the colostomy was reversed. To our
disappointment as soon as the colostomy was reversed we went straight back to
the problems of severe nappy rash and excoriation on her full diet. Our
daughter at 15 months was then seen by a Professor at the hospital who
diagnosed disaccharidase deficiency (sucrose
intolerance) to be the cause of the excoriation and unsettled behaviour; not the case.
Somehow eventually after
breaking down many times and a visit again to our GPs rooms in desperation we
were finally sent with a referral to the RPA Allergy Clinic (daughter 21months
old). This was like a dream come true, they did a skin prick test for
allergies; which showed no positive reactions (as suspected it would by the
clinic Paediatrician). We were then talked through
food intolerances and naturally occurring chemicals in foods which caused
intolerances in some people! The evidence was there in front of us and we couldn't
believe it we finally had answers. Our daughter is now a healthy 6.5 year old,
on a low salicylate and mainly low chemical diet who
continues to thrive and hasn't looked back. We do trial new foods occasionally
and are starting to add small amounts of moderate salicylates
to her diet and some dairy (her main drink is now rice milk). We know straight
away if she has overloaded as this results in usually loose motions or not
being able to control her motions. For us the evidence is overwhelming and we
are just very grateful we have our daughter and we can now give her answers and
solutions so that she continues to enjoy good health and happiness. - by email.
[562] Yellow addiction (May 2007)
My son was restless from
the day he was born. His paediatrician told me to not
feed him dairy or wheat and suggested I feed him meat and vegetables and fruit
for the first year of his life. When he was one, I decided to broaden his diet
a bit and started feeding him vanilla ice cream. I didn’t understand at the
time, but he started throwing the most awful tantrums and head banging. He
became obsessed with the colour yellow. He only
wanted to wear yellow clothes, draw with yellow pencils and chose toys that
were yellow. My friends constantly commented on his yellow addiction. I used to
feed him corn and cheese omelettes for dinner with
vanilla ice cream and banana for dessert. I’d mix the banana in thoroughly so
the ice cream looked more yellow. It wasn’t until 18 months later that I
started learning about nasty food chemicals, and learned that annatto 160b
natural yellow colouring was causing a lot of
problems. When we got together with other mothers, he’d go straight for yellow
food and always want yellow drinks. It was a bit of a joke really. He’d choose
yellow lollies over other colours
and when I asked him what colour he wanted his room
painted, he of course said Yellow. I stopped allowing him food with 160b in it,
but still let him have it when he went out. My friends thought I was over the
top with food.
One day after meeting with
my friends, and my son eating their yellow food, he went off the rails. I
managed to get him into the car, (which is hard when they stiffen their bodies
like a board) and drove him to my friend’s house. He was screaming in his car
seat, Let me out, let me out and was struggling like crazy in his seat. We
drove up her driveway and my friend said Oh my god, what’s happened to
Liam? I explained this is what happens
when he eats bad food chemicals. It was only after this that she actually
believed me. I then became strict and totally eliminated it from his diet. His headbanging stopped and his outrageous tantrums stopped
also. I then realised that his obsession with yellow
was caused from an addiction to yellow food. When I eliminated it from his
diet, he began to choose other colours to wear. He’d
choose other coloured lunchboxes, drink bottles and
hats. I’ve never heard any other parent mention the colour
phenomenon, but I still believe it was connected to his addiction to 160b. –
Helen, NSW (similar stories to suedengate@ozemail.com.au
please)
[561] Nurofen mistake (May 2007)
Thank you for helping us to
get back the children we were meant to have. We have been failsafeing
for about 2 1/2 months mainly for our 4 year old daughter who was defiant,
argumentative, oppositional, angry, sometimes violent, sometimes hyperactive,
deliberately annoying, and would be awake for 2 - 4 hours after bedtime before
falling asleep. The contradiction being that she could also be charming,
loving, insightful, enjoyable, happy, playful, caring, enjoy an activity
(craft, colouring, building etc) for extended times,
clever, calm and inquisitive.
About two years ago we
learned about colours and preservatives (from
"The Chemical Maze") and pretty much took them out - apart from
occasional treats – with good results and we had no idea there was so much more
to the food chemical story. I never would have considered fruit etc, I just
thought I somehow had to be doing a bad job at disciplining my child and that
must be why she is still the way she is. While reading Fed up with ADHD my
hopes were ignited for a better life for all of us as I worked up the courage
to go failsafe and give this a try. It was a daunting thought with a new baby
as well but we really had no choice as far as I could see so we started!
Amongst the initial flurry of the first few weeks the results were incredible
as we saw emerge this delightful child and hardly any of the pre-diet behaviour. I now feel it is our way of life and I am
learning to manage the work load of the constant cooking, baking and planning
around food. My once skeptical husband is a beautiful support and really helps
out with the kids and the washing so I can keep up with the food etc. We have
seen some remarkable changes but there are still some things that concern me
though.
After 3 weeks on
elimination, our first challenge was salicylates and
we had a severe day 3 or 4 reaction, stopped on day 5 and I think we were just
starting to come good after about 6 days from stopping when we had a friend's
birthday party the next day. We had been so strict, everything to the letter
and the girls’ attitudes toward the diet was so amazing that we thought we'd
have a day off and give them a "treat". The party food wasn't as bad
as it could've been. A lot of home cooking. But they did have some lollies, fruit and chocolate. The girls couldn’t believe it
after about 5 weeks on the diet! Anyway,
behaviour started that evening and it was pretty foul
for about three weeks. We also made the mistake of giving her Nurofen for a sore throat in the week following the party
but apart from that we were back to 100% failsafe the day after the party. So after about 3 weeks of reaction type behaviour she started to become progressively better but
still with some D.F.Asleep (down to 1-2 hours) and
still to many times of defiance and aggression etc. amongst the good behaviour. We are now 4.5 weeks after the party and 5.5
weeks after the end of our salicylate challenge and I
feel like we are not yet back to how it was in the first three weeks. – from a country failsafer [this family is now doing well]. Their
problems included daily Sakata rice crackers, accidental exposure to lawn fertiliser, and Nurofen. Although
Nurofen doesn't contain salicylates,
most salicylate sensitive people have cross
sensitivity to it and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxn and diclofenac. You can
regard one dose of aspirin or Nurofen as the
equivalent of a week’s salicylate food challenge,
ref: Jenkins C and others, Systematic review of prevalence of aspirin induced
asthma and its implications for clinical practice, BMJ. 2004;328(7437):434. For
more possible reasons for diet not working, see Checklist of Common Mistakes]
[560] Reaction to aspirin (May 2007)
Our 13-year-old daughter
suffers extreme sensitivity to salicylates and our
12-year-old son suffers mildly (or so I thought). During Easter we had
relatives visit and I had gone for a walk with the younger children. My son had
a growing headache when I left, and our care for that is a warm carob and lying
down in a quiet room. While I was gone he asked if his aunty had anything for a
headache. (Incredibly irresponsibly!) she gave him an aspirin. By the time I
returned from my half hour walk he had developed severe swelling of the eyes, upper
lip, ear lobes and generally puffiness of his face; also urticaria
over his whole body centred on his neck and under his
jaw line. At first I didn't know about the aspirin. After much questioning,
research and deliberation I came to the conclusion that it could only have been
the aspirin. He became very agitated, very frightened, and very unlike his
usual self. It took over 48 hours for all the symptoms to disappear. Needless
to say, my children have never been given aspirin before, and it will never be
allowed in my house again. – by email, see Salicylates factsheet for the aspirin-salicylate
connection.
[559] ‘Ultra-healthy’ diet led to asthma and debilitating
health issues (May 2007)
My mother and I have known
for years that we are allergic to aspirin. We both react with ringing in the
ears, nausea, vertigo, lethargy, and I even lost consciousness once. I avoid salicylates
in cosmetics and toiletries at all costs, but my health has steadily declined (I
am 24). My mother and I both have had doctors mystified for years with strange
and debilitating health issues. They told my mother oh you have lupus, no you
don't, yes you do, no ... so on and so on. Now they have decided that we both
have fibromyalgia. None of my doctors have ever
mentioned that salicylates are in foods. After coming
across this information I realised that almost every
diet change recommended to me by the doctors has caused my salicylate
intake to be astronomical. It's no wonder I've been in and out of emergency
rooms.
Everyone made fun of me
calling me a "health nut" because of the supposedly ultra-healthy
diet I was on. I was trying to follow the USDA guidelines and eating lots of
fruits and vegetables - especially citrus, broccoli, and spinach. The heart
healthy recommendations include lots of processed tomato products and using as
many different herbs as possible (to give flavor instead of salt). I also was
trying to eat as many "naturally sweetened" things as possible. I was
eating a lot of fresh oat granola, but it was loaded with honey, almonds, and
pretty much anything that comes up high in the sals.
I also was using olive oil for cooking, salad dressing, and with herbs instead
of butter on bread.
It's no wonder that I was
getting worse. I was having so many migraines that I only had about two days a
month that I could function without excruciating pain in my head, I had chronic
tendonitis, chronic fatigue, if I ever did get to sleep I felt more tired when
I woke up than before I slept and I was still gaining weight. Now that I am on
the right track I have only had two migraines in two months, and I have only
had a tendon problem one day. I was diagnosed with adult onset asthma and was
using an inhaler every day and now I only have to use it when I get exposed to salicylates. My mother and I have both been improving so
drastically that everyone is asking us what is going on. – from the
[558] Muscle spasms (May 2007)
I am a 55-year-old woman
who recently worked out for myself that I have a muscle spasms as a strong
reaction to 220 (sulphites) and minor reactions to
others which I haven't identified yet. The muscle spasms are usually in the
limbs and are worst when I sleep. I am a very fit and active person, so when I
finally sit in front of the TV after tea and relax, this is when I feel the
spasms. When mild it is usually any one muscle at a time in my legs and usually
every 30 seconds. The affected muscle tightens or twitches and can occasionally
jolt my leg or finger etc. When I have a worst reaction during the night, again
it is like a tightening of, possibly, a muscle in my chest, or hip, or
shoulder, head etc. When it is in the chest, some times it actually knocks the
breath out of me as I awake with a jolt. Have you ever had the electrical
impulses on your body when you are at the physiotherapist and a muscle tightens
- that is how I feel. Sometimes of a night I feel as if I have a
"motor" running in my chest or sometimes my head (sounds crazy
doesn't it!) I can also quite often get a tingling (or motor sensation) feeling
down my legs.
I went to four doctors last
year and not one knew what was wrong, with one referring me to a neurologist. I
become hyperactive in the evening – full of energy when everyone else is
wanting to go to sleep - and have constant insomnia. When I am at my worst my
muscle spasms (during sleep) wake me every few minutes and I experience
hallucinations or bad dreams. Strong sleeping tablets don't eliminate these
muscle spasms. It wasn't until I realised the 220
preservatives were in the "healthy" foods: dried apricots, sultanas,
most yoghurts - that I was able to get my health back into order. It took me
nearly a year to work out what was wrong with me. Since watching my diet I am sleeping so well
it is unbelievable; I haven't slept like this for possibly 7 years and only
have mild muscle spasms resulting in bad sleeps occasionally when I'm not aware
of the preservative in the food. I guess I am still finding it hard to check
everything before eating!!
The last 12 months have
been very scary for me when I didn't know what was wrong - I feel so strongly for
our children who also must be suffering and unable to communicate how their
body feels. - by email,
[557] “Giving up the victim role”: a story of salicylate intolerance (May 2007)
I have been so inspired by
the stories of others that I felt the desire to share my "salicylate intolerance discovery" story. I had been
sick for many years and when I think about it probably since birth. Back in
those days not many topical products had herbals in them so my salicylate intake was confined to food and aspirin
products. And my symptoms were mainly digestive, brain fog, and numerous bouts
with asthma. When I grew up and flew the coop things became increasingly worse.
For years I have been in and out of the doctor’s office (I am in the military
health care system) and all tests ran negative, of course. And so the multiple diagnoses began -
arthritis, mental illness, fibromyalgia and so
on. A few years ago one of my co-workers
disclosed to me that she had fibro and referred me to the guai-support
website. I knew that it would be hard to
convince the military doctors to put me on the Guaifenesin
treatment so I decided that I would pay for it out of my pocket if it would
give me back my quality of life.
On any given day I was
experiencing 10-15 symptoms daily and was hardly functioning - it was very,
very difficult. There were days I could not walk and my husband had to carry me
to the bathroom. Just lying in bed was painful - the good days were marked with
a raging fever, flu-like feelings, and a ringing headache. I did get to a point
where I got used to the pain and learned to live with it - I really had no
other choice - live with it or kill myself.
For some reason I knew deep
inside that I didn't have fibro, it didn't seem right. But I reasoned what do I
have to lose and on a long holiday weekend I set upon the closet to remove all
topical sal-full products from my life. Within a week
I felt incredible. When I talked to my co-worker she said maybe I didn't have
fibro at all but a sensitivity to salicylates I was
quite stunned. A few weeks had passed and I felt better and better but I still
had some digestive tract symptoms so I went back to the guai-support
site and re-read the information and one line jumped out at me - that you did
not have to worry about salicylate in food as the
body would break it down and it would not interfere with the guaifenesin. That led to another Google
search and to other sites. I never had to beg the doctors to put me on the guaifenesin protocol as removing sal-full
products and food from my life relieved all of my symptoms (listed below).
But there was still a
period of "struggle" for me. I
am a gardener by hobby and trade so I had to learn to cover up my body and wear
gloves to eliminate contacting plant salicylates. I
also have been growing and eating my own food for years. That was the hardest
part and I went through the denial stage for while - abusing my body with foods
I knew I could not tolerate. How do you grow vine ripened tomatoes and perfumy exotic melons and not eat them?! The mind would say - oh come on a few bites
won't matter - but it really did matter!
So I finally decided to quit seeing my "problem" through the
eyes of a victim (poor me, why me? why am I being punished?) and changed my
point of view to a position of personal power. What a huge difference. So I
can't eat some food and wash my hair in botanical goodness - so what. When I
totally eliminated the foods/products that caused me trouble I felt so great
that I could not believe that I could deal with that much pain. And I never
want to feel that pain ever again!
The nice thing about giving
up the victim role is I could reclaim that negative energy and put it towards
something else - last year I bought myself a motorcycle and began riding -
something I had been wanting to do for years (I rode trail bikes as a kid and
loved it) but couldn't do when I was ill. Regaining my quality of life and
being able to work, exercise and play again (and I am quite sure my husband is
happy that sex no longer hurts) is worth giving up "bad" foods.
For all you new to this I
know it can seem just miserable - take it one day at a time, be gentle and
forgiving with yourself, and know that life can be rewarding and fun without
some pleasures of food, drink, and beauty products. Wishing you good health
- by email (with permission from another
group)
Mind, emotion and behaviour
symptoms: accident
prone • anxiety • anger for no apparent reason • blankness • brain fogging •
clumsiness • confusion • depression • detached/unreal feeling • difficulty
waking up/getting out of bed (due to lack of sleep and aching muscles) •
disorientation • dyslexia • hearing without comprehension • inability to think
clearly • indifference • irritability • memory loss • mental exhaustion • mood
swings • panic attacks • poor concentration & memory reading • restlessness
• slow to process information • slurred speech • suicidal feelings
Physical symptoms: abdominal pains (thought I might have IBS) • acne • asthma
& wheezing, tightness of chest • athlete's foot • bad breath • bloating
(lost three dress sizes when I gave up the sals) •
blurred vision • breast pain • constipation • crawling/burning sensation on
skin • diarrhea • insomnia • itching • joint pain, stiffness & swelling •
fatigue & lethargy (thought I might have CFS) • menstrual problems,
pre-menstrual pain • metallic taste • migraines • mouth ulcers • muscles -
aching, weakness, tremors & cramps nausea palpitations & racing pulse •
poor balance • rashes • difficulty in swallowing • dizziness • eczema •
excessive thirst • feeling drained • flushes - both hot & cold • frequent
need to urinate • headaches • restless legs • sensitivity to light & noise
• sleep disturbances • sore, itching, puffy, burning eyes, stiff neck •
temperature fluctuations • ringing ears • weight problems.
[556] An adult food reaction (May 2007)
I'm 51-years-old. Tonight I
went to Subway and purchased a Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap. I hadn't eaten a low-carb tortilla in sometime and had forgotten the affect one
had on my stomach. It wasn't until I finished eating that I, unfortunately,
remembered. Every time I eat one, I have severe spasms in my stomach, with some
nausea and gas. Tonight, it was so severe it felt as though a knife was cutting
into me. I see your web site focuses on, mostly, children. I just want someone
to be aware to the fact adults can have the same intolerances as children. – by email [see the Subway ingredients list on http://subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/Nutrition/frmUSIngredients.aspx).
[555] Vanillin is an absolute avoid-at-all-costs additive
(May 2007)
Our oldest son reacts to
Vanillin. His reactions are behavioural. He stops listening or following instruction
and becomes disagreeable. We also see really distinct rough behaviour
towards his younger brother. We usually notice a reaction the next day and it
lasts for quite a while compared to his other reactions. After Marshmallows it
lasted a week! It also doesn't seem to
take a very high dose to start the reactions. For us it is an absolute
avoid-at-all-costs additive, we never compromise on this as we do with other
things. It is simply not worth it.
I've heard so much
conflicting info about this additive, so many people seem to think it isn't a
bad additive. Sadly, I must disagree – Ruth, by email.
[554] All three children got asthma at the same time (May
2007)
My daughter, now in her
late 20s, first got asthma in her early teens. Recently she told me the story
of her very first asthma attack. She was away from home camping with friends,
when they treated all the children to a soft-serve ice-cream. Within a short
time she was having troubles breathing. The other adults identified that she
was having an asthma attack, severe enough that they were contemplating taking
her to hospital. Prior to having this first attack, my daughter did not have
many additives in her diet. I just didn’t let my children have lollies, cordials, snack foods, etc as I didn’t think they
were healthy, and I did a lot of home cooking. Soft-serve ice-cream was just
not something that she had ever been given. Over the years, she noticed for
herself that if she had soft-serve ice-cream, or drinks and lollies
with a certain yellow colour in it, that this would
quickly trigger an asthma attack, and that if she didn’t consume these things
that the number of her asthma attacks were less.
With hindsight (isn't it a
wonderful thing) all of my children have got asthma as a result of additives.
It was only watching your "Fed Up" DVD that let us work it out. My
daughter already knew that certain ice-creams and 102 gave her asthma, but we
hadn't realised that other additives, that don't give
such an immediate effect, could also be involved. Asthma is in their father's
family and their grandmother gets bad asthma, so I was expecting that at least
one of my children would get asthma as well. When none of my children had any
symptoms of asthma I was relieved. That was, until all three of them got asthma
about the same time. My daughter was aged about 13 and the two boys were about
10 and 8. It was very confusing at the time as why all three would suddenly get
asthma when none of them had had any symptoms previously. The only thing that
changed about that time was that all three of them were getting access through
their friends to types of foods that I had never allowed them to have before,
like processed snacks that I have now learned are high in additives. At the
same time as this, realising that I was not going to
be able to stop them from eating whatever they wanted to when they weren't at
home, and because of other family pressures, our diet was changed at home so
that the snacks, foods and drinks that I now know are full of additives began
to be consumed at home. The change was therefore from a largely additive-free
diet to the average Australian additive-packed diet. So three asthma-free
children changed to three asthma-prone children who all needed to be put onto
medication. If only I had known then what I know now. – by email
[553] Food additives in the
I am a New Zealander living
in the
[552] A psychologist comments on story [539] (May 2007)
I'm just reading the latest
FIN newsletter (#51) and came across Reader's Story [539] “The school counsellor … went on to tell me that it is coincidence that
withdrawing a food substance or chemical would have a positive effect on our
daughter. She then proceeded to tell me that Lily probably has Aspergers and that the paediatrician
probably didn't want to tell me that. I am feeling so enraged. She hasn't even
met Lily.”
As a Psychologist who used
to work in education, I am so disappointed for this family. There seem to be a
number of responses that I would hope were the exception rather than the rule
of a counsellor's professional practice. Diagnosis
should never be made without interaction with the person in-question. Theory
and empirical-based study are important, however that "importance"
should be balanced with a few other thoughts - 1) the causes/criteria for illness are frequently
"refined" over years despite each change being based on the alleged
omniscience of empirical data, and 2) life on earth has never been 100%
contained and explained by research based theory - there are always exceptions,
and to dismiss the possibility (particularly when the individual has possibly
never done a literature search on the topic themself)
is to choose ignorance. Carl Jung made a profound statement on this -
"Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch
the miracle of a living soul." I know the difficulties I face getting
parents and other professionals to even consider diet as a factor in their
children's behaviour and/or learning challenges. I
want to commend and encourage these parents for their intentional pursuit of
their child's wellbeing. Perhaps a respectful suggestion to visit (or provision
of) the extraordinary list of research links on the FIN website might open the
eyes and mind of this counsellor. In the end, it is
still our responsibility as parents to make decisions (albeit informed
decisions) for our children - not doctors, not teachers and not counsellors. Well done for standing firm. – Psychologist,
by email (Note that we now have a number of failsafe-sympathetic psychologists
on our list of health professionals – you can obtain the list by emailing
Howard: confoodnet@ozemail.com.au)
[551] IBS: Some failsafe tips but not enough (May 2007)
I have just read the IBS
misdiagnosis story ([537], Jan 2007). After countless examinations, a
colonoscopy, a couple of (very nice) women's physios,
being told by a "bum specialist/surgeon" to lose weight and get fit
(I lost 13kg, got fit), I still have my IBS. The basic solution I was offered
by a specialist physio was to reduce stress, avoid
cream, butter and rich, spicy food - a couple of failsafe tips there, but not
enough. Yet another '"bum specialist/surgeon", not
gastroenterologist, suggested a good dose of Epsom Salts to clear any backlog
(not a regular occurrence, just when needed) and glycerine
suppositories to relieve constipation. I and my kids have some other signs of
food intolerance. Looks like I'm in for a rough time until I adopt the full
failsafe regime and find out what our intolerances are – by email.
[550] IBS: ‘nice, big, healthy bowel’ needed dietary
modification (May 2007)
I have been aware of the
RPAH diet for over 10 years and largely stuck to it during that time to help
with symptoms of MS (multiple sclerosis). I have also suffered bowel issues for
many years, predominately constipation but sometimes diarrhoea.
My symptoms primarily include bloating, constipation and terrible pain.
Initially, I thought it was the cause of my MS (bowel and bladder disturbance
can be a problem) so just figured I had to live with it. When my lower bowel
pain became quite severe - particularly after eating wheat and despite being
failsafe - I decided to consult my GP again. She referred me to a
gastroenterologist who preceded to do a colonoscopy to see if some inflammatory
bowel disease was present and an endoscopy so she
could take a biopsy and take a definite diagnosis on whether I had Coeliac disease or not.
Fortunately, all my results
came back clear and the gastro told me that after examination she concluded
that I had a 'nice big healthy bowel' (I guess that's a compliment to the
gastro fraternity!) As she had eliminated all other possible diseases, she further
concluded that I simply had IBS which has no real treatment. She said that
dietary modification could help however, and referred me to a bowel dietician.
The dietician explained to
me about fructans (a natural sugar) found in the
onion family, wheat, chicory and asparagus. Having been failsafe, I knew about
the amine and salicylate intolerance I have but
thought that eliminating fructans could help
considering I found leeks, spring onions and wheat appeared to affect me
despite them all being failsafe and despite my not having Coeliacs.
This all really helped so now I have refined my diet again and have eliminated
all the trigger food chemicals (MSG, Salicylates,
Amines) as well as fructans (leeks, spring onions,
wheat, asparagus). This has helped my IBS greatly. I am now just trying to give
up percolated coffee every morning as that appears to trigger IBS symptoms.
This fructans information may just be another piece
of the puzzle for some people who suffer IBS. – by email.
[549] IBS: “strict gluten free diet for 9 months with no
improvement” (May 2007)
In reply to the Reader’s
Story [537] about salicylate intolerance misdiagnosed
as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, in June 2004 I was referred to a
gastroenterologist in with symptoms of IBS to check for coeliac
disease. I had had IBS symptoms for 15 years. I also had a SIGA (immunoglobulin A) deficiency which made
diagnosis of coeliac from blood tests more difficult;
and lots of other symptoms not connected with digestive tract including
fatigue, recurrent sinusitis, joint/muscle pain, skin rashes and urticaria. I had a gastroscopy
and biopsy and two pathologists reports were both positive for Coeliac disease, although the gastroenterologist was not
sure that the tissue changes were completely typical of coeliac.
I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and followed a
very strict gluten-free diet for 9 months with no improvement in my symptoms
and was eventually given a blood test checking for gene markers HLA-DQ2/8. The
results were negative and made coeliac a very very unlikely diagnosis.
In May 2005 the
gastroenterologist finally referred me to a dietician to do the RPAH
elimination diet and we discovered that removing salicylates
and preservatives from my diet improved most of my symptoms. He must have been
aware of the possibility that IBS symptoms could be related to preservatives
and other food chemicals. The help that I got from the dietician put me on the
right track but the Food Intolerance Network website, Sue Dengate’s
books and the RPAH cookbook were much more helpful in providing detailed
information about foods and food chemicals and managing the diet. The dietician
did not refer me to those resources but I found out by doing my own homework
and searching on the internet – by email.
[548] IBS: gf diet did not clear
up stomach pain, constipation and bloat (May 2007)
I have stumbled upon your
latest newsletter in the search for what might be wrong with my daughter and
found the brief note about IBS and salicylates. My
daughter (15) has had gut problems for over a year starting with what we
assumed was a gastro bug. A biopsy confirmed Coeliac
disease however, a gluten-free diet did not clear up her symptoms of stomach
pain, constipation and bloat and she lost a lot of weight and ended up in
hospital for re-feeding (and no she is not anorexic!). She was also put on pain
medication which doesn't seem to help. We are about to start eliminating salicylates from her diet under the guidance of a
dietician, and will keep you posted on the result. She has always loved fruit
and vegetables! – by email.
MORE READERS' STORIES on the
website
|
Product updates |
Low gluten oats: Freedom Foods Contamination-free Quick Oats
Porridge - “produced on farms where contamination-free oats is the only cereal
produced”, seeds are tested for contamination; machinery and silos are not used
for other cereals; manufacturing is carried out at facilities that only handle
oats; machinery and storage areas are cleaned down before use from previous oat
manufacturing; tested with a test that will detect gluten contamination down to
5 parts per million. Available in Coles supermarkets - thanks to Lone. These
oats are likely to be OK for all but for the most sensitive. Coeliacs might want to consult their doctor, see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17327936&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_docsum.
***Product warning*** Laucke's breadmix
is currently not recommended due to unlisted antioxidant 319 in canola oil, the
company is working to change this – thanks to Lodzia
Psyllium:
unflavoured Psyllium husks such as Sunsol (www.sunsol.com.au
1800 625 658) or Meriram (www.meriram.com.au) available in
supermarkets and health food stores are failsafe. Beware of additives and salicylates
in flavoured pharmacy products: “Metamucil in the Smooth Orange, Smooth
Lemon/Lime and Granular Sunset contains food colouring 110 but it is not listed
as such because it is an American product. It is listed as yellow FCF CI 15985.
I was taking the Lemon/Lime flavour for my irritable bowel symptoms whilst
trying to figure out why some of my other food intolerance symptoms
(irritability, insomnia and urticaria) were increasing. Their newest product FibreCaps contain Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake -
according to our classification system, these are the harmful colours 129, 133
and 110 respectively”. - thanks to Liz. As with other seeds there have been
reports of IgE mediated allergies (including rare fatal anaphylaxes) especially
in nurses who have a high exposure to psyllium.
Sake Rice Wine:
A reader writes “in spite of my numerous intolerances (gluten, lactose,
salicylates, amines, soy, MSG, sulphites, benzoates, annatto, sorbitol), I seem
to be fine with Sake. I have been regularly challenging myself with it since
Christmas ... I am very happy with 'Go-Shu', which is
brewed in
Peters Lemonade Icypoles, some feedback: “these have at some
stage been taken over by Nestle. My daughter could not tolerate them at all
before but now can tolerate 1-2 a week, generally without a problem, unless she
is already over her sals level for other reasons. – thanks to Kathleen Daalmeyer from
the SAFE website http://www.additiveeducation.com.au/
Annies all fruit bar:
for people who are only avoiding additives, these are preservative-free but NOT
failsafe (chock full of salicylates and amines). In the fruit/veg section of Woolworths, all natural, no additives, made from pure fruit
(dehydrated fruit pulp) one bar equals a 1/4 kg fresh fruit – thanks to
Lesley.
Butcher Gympie, Qld
The butcher in the Centro Complex,
patties, as well as
gluten-free ones. “I have now purchased them twice and found I don’t suffer the
horrific headaches and fever that comes with normal sausages. - Thanks to Sue
Barossa Fine Foods
(Central Market,
Thermomix:
For old-fashioned cooking without additives made quick and easy with technology
from Germany, the Thermomix weighs, chops, grates,
grinds, minces, heats, stirs, kneads, mixes, cooks, bakes and cleans itself.
Makes a custard from scratch in 7 minutes; bread, pizzas, pasta etc. Cyndy O’Meara of Changing Habits says “My biggest wish is
that this machine was around when I had small children”. See www.thermomix.com.au We would like to
hear from any failsafers who have used it (suedengate@ozemail.com.au).
Check out the updates page on the
website for latest information.