STORIES & OPINIONS 9
Readers are invited to
contribute to this section. Please send your stories and opinions to suedengate@ozemail.com.au. State
whether you would like your name or email address used, or to remain anonymous.
Some names have been changed to protect privacy. My mailing address is PO Box
718 WOOLGOOLGA NSW 2456
[648] ADHD teen suicide attempts (May 2008) Winner of Courage Award May 2008
I started failsafe eating a
week ago in absolute desperation with my 14 year-old son who was diagnosed with
ADHD and ODD at the age of 6 years old. He progressed well on medication until
we had a car accident last year and he suffered minor brain damage. After the
accident his behaviour became worse and he has attempted suicide several times.
Last Wednesday I took him to hospital for sedation after he broke windows and
several holes in the wall with his head. Thursday morning I searched the net
for a solution and came across your website. I started the diet that day. Today
I have a son who obeys, talks to you face to face, calmer, quieter, he smiles
and has got himself a job part time which he loves. If he is offered food at
work he says no and takes his own or waits until he gets home.
One week later ... Today is
day 15 and he is still going great. We have just had the best school holidays
with our two sons playing instead of fighting physically and verbally. At work,
his boss doesn't even know he has ADHD and ODD. He did eat a piece of chicken
at work and advised me his brain felt funny and would not eat anything that is
not on the list. I'm glad he tried something off the list in moderation and
noticed the difference. Your Failsafe
Cookbook has been a great help and I do not leave the house without the
list of basic foods and list of additives. I call this my bible. Not only has
his behaviour changed but also his stomach pains and migraines are a thing of
the past. The television has gone from a volume of 60 to 15. Thank you for your
website that changed our lives and made my teenager happier. The difference has
been unbelievable. - Janelle, Qld.
[647] Can't believe the house is so silent (May 2008)
After only 2 weeks of
making a thin edge of the wedge start on failsafe, we are seeing drastic
improvements in our 4.5yr son, 2.75 son and 1yr old daughter, and me too. No
rages, no nightmares, easy to bed, sleeping all night till a reasonable time
and no
[646] 635: Tongue swelling reactions to flavour enhancer 635
in a young girl (May 2008)
My 9 year-old daughter has
a severe reaction to flavour enhancer 635. The first time she came into contact
with this additive was eating BBQ flavoured rice crackers. At the time she was
6 years old. She ate four crackers and complained that her tongue was feeling
all 'tingly'. I advised her to stop eating the crackers. Her taste buds had
swollen to around four times their normal size. I allowed her just a few
crackers a few days later to see if she had a similar reaction which she did
(thankfully it didn't affect her throat but I did warn her to let me know if
she got breathless etc). I then banned anything to be brought into the house
with this additive number. We then tried cheese-flavoured crackers - no 635 but
did contain 631 and 627. Again the same reaction. I have since learnt from your
website that these two additives make up the combination known as 635.
I now carefully check all
labels and have advised anyone else who may be feeding my child (birthday
parties included) that this is a major issue with her. I am just very grateful
that I didn't need to seek outside medical advice as I know not all doctors,
hospitals etc will accept this verdict. I have tried her a few more times on
these additives and we always have the same result. I always ensure that we
have a Ventolin puffer and antihistamines handy before trying these foods.
After having these additives she feels terrible for the next two days - feels
sick in the stomach, headaches, occasionally also feels ‘shaky on the inside’.
She had a similar reaction to a Pluto Pup (battered sausage on a stick) but I
couldn't get an ingredient list. I only assume that the additives were in the
food - by email, Qld [For anyone with symptoms like this, I recommend total
avoidance of 627, 631 and 635 as some people have progressed from symptoms like
this to life-threatening anaphylactoid reactions S]
[645] From utter brat to affectionate, quiet and well
behaved in 5 weeks (May 2008)
I have been so inspired by
Failsafe, I feel like I have a different child from the utter brat five weeks
ago. My seven year-old had got to the point of having no friends, was to be
suspended from school, was continually at the principal’s office, hitting and
biting both parents etc. I had numerous meetings with his teacher, he was
seeing the school counsellor, psychologists, psychiatrists, social skills
training, but no change was occurring. My husband and I were in constant
disagreement with him and each other over his behaviour. This is the 5th week
he has been on the diet, and he is becoming the lovely child I always knew he
could be. He's affectionate, quietly spoken, well behaved and non-violent. Games
and toys which were banned due to his anger have been given back to him, he's
keen to converse and work hard at school. He has stated that he doesn't hear
the voices telling him to be bad any more, and his eyes are clear and focused.
Best of all, he has fully embraced the diet, mainly as it consists of many of
his favourite foods - pikelets, french toast, pancakes, white chocolate and vanilla icecream. Knowing that he was
allowed to have these on his diet was a great selling point. He will check if he is allowed to have
something and is happy if the answer is 'no'. I try to offer alternatives to
him, to keep him happy and to show him that it's not a punishment to be on the
diet, that there are alternatives. He had an outing with his father last
weekend, and said that he had Macdonalds, and enjoyed the look of horror on my
face, only to tell me he was joking. He's even helping me to cook his
favourites - Merrill, by email.
[644] For the first time I enjoyed being a mother (May 2008)
A few days ago I had the
most wonderful son all day. Just a little mild irritability, nothing major in
the morning and evening and then the most delightful child. He was fun, and calm and for the first time I
have ever observed, patient. He was keen
to learn, and produced interesting drawings. He was working quietly (yes
quietly) on a computer game, and managed to persevere with a difficult problem
without giving up after the first or second attempt screaming. He was
considerate rather than demanding. I
asked him if he liked how he felt and he did. I told him that the new food he
was eating was helping stop his tantrums.
He said I was very clever for figuring out that food was the problem and
that he didn’t like having tantrums. My son was such a joy that it was like
someone had given me a different child in my son’s body. For the first time, I enjoyed being a mother
and loved spending time with him - Miranda, Qld.
[643] Diet and ADHD - his teacher asked what I had done (May
2008)
My son had been diagnosed
with ADHD last year but I have refused medication. After picking him up from
school early again, I thought I may have no option but to consider medication
as a serious option. I google searched and your book popped up and from the
afternoon I started my kids on the diet. Amazingly the results were seen the
next day when my son actually completed a test at school (and received 100%).
He never would sit at a desk long enough to even start a test let alone ace
one. His teacher asked what had I done to my son because she never had seen him
so engaged in the classroom. I purchased the book the next weekend and started
to try to learn more about the options available. It is difficult and easy at
the same time, and well worth it. Today my children had a treat (slice of
non-failsafe shop-purchased cake) and I could see the adverse effects almost
immediately, I know I have to continue with the diet if my children (especially
my son) are to succeed and I believe I am lucky I found failsafe -
[642] Asthma update two years on (May 2008)
Richie's original story
([402] March 2006) described how limiting his intake of preservatives and
sulphite containing foods such as mince meat, prawns, pizza, processed meats
etc had helped him with breathing problems he’d suffered for over 20 years.
His update in April 2008
reads: You probably get many emails of thanks and I have sent one or two
previously but what the hell, I'm going to send you another one just to let you
know how much my life has improved since taking your advice. I thank you with
every positive emotion I have for who you are, what you stand for and for
changing my life. I have no more breathing difficulties, no more sleep
problems, no more anxiety and all this leads to no more stress. No money can
buy this. I have been educating the people in my life on how damaging
additives, preservatives, sulphites etc. are and sent links to your site to
everyone in my address book - Richie, Vic.
[641] 220: Two reports of sore throat and cold-like symptoms
due to fruit cake (May 2008)
I know I am sensitive to
preservative 220 (sulphur dioxide), but a few months ago I ate a slice of fruit
cake (which I love). As soon as I ate it, my throat felt as if it went down the
"wrong" hole and my throat seemed to close a bit. I ended up with a
sore throat, cold like symptoms; runny eyes, blocked nose and sinuses,
persistent cough, mucus and my ears kept blocking. Oh my face broke out too. This
lasted for a week. Recently, I ate a fruit mince pie. The first one tasted
great so the next day I had to have another one. Now I am suffering. I have the
same symptoms as above and it's been nearly a week. I said to my hubby it was a
reaction from 220 but (being the expert he is) won't believe me. I've scanned
the internet to see if it's common - to prove a point - but with no luck. Does
anyone else have a reaction like this to 220?’
And a reply: I'm responding
to an email in the newsletter ("Can you help?" - March 2008)
regarding preservative 220. I've had the exact same reaction to eating fruit
cake, and also reacted to sulphur-containing eye drops. The first time I
reacted my throat felt swollen and closed a bit; the second time I ate quite a
bit of fruit cake and my throat closed a lot - felt as if I couldn't breathe.
This was followed by sore throat/"cold" symptoms lasting a few days.
I haven't pin-pointed it to 220 as I haven't re-tested.
[640] 220: Ventricular arrhythmia link to sulphites (May
2008)
I just thought I’d tell you
that although my cardiologist never questioned my diet, after two
hospitalizations in emergency for ventricular arrhythmia, and nearly two years
of fearing for my life, feeling my heart jumping all over the place, and being
miserable, I finally linked a very bad episode to a wedding and consumption of
red wine, and then to the foods in my cupboard. Since eliminating sulphites, I
have had NO problems. None of the medication I was given worked, (medication
rarely does for arrhythmia). I wonder why didn’t anyone mention this, not when
I went to the doctor, not when I was in hospital fearing I was going to die.
I’ve tested this three times, having been ‘arrythmia free’ for months, and then
drunk champagne or wine, eaten foods (everything you would normally eat and
drink at a function) and each time, 4 to six hours after, my heart goes crazy
and I can’t sleep for the whole night. It’s like I’m ‘buzzing’ and restless,
with my heart banging around. This is the honest truth, I have no symptoms, and
I’m medication free, and even felt so good I’ve got back into exercise without
fear of dropping dead! It’s been six months (since the wedding that triggered
the biggest attack ever, and the linking to red wine), that I’ve been 220 free,
and free of symptoms (apart from the three ‘tests’ which were one night tests).
The link was obviously cumulative, the more 220 over the day the worse the
problem that night and the next days.
Alcohol with 220 is a big trigger - so much for drinking red wine every
night for your health! My normal diet was toxic, I was eating Vegemite,
sun-dried tomatoes, dips, fruit juice cordial, I ate cereal with dried fruit
(and 220) every morning, and sauces (it’s in everything) and consumed dried
fruit as snacks, thinking it was ‘good for me’. Only asthma is mentioned on the
official government additive information site, but this is a message I wish
could get out, so others could at least try it, as it won’t cause harm to avoid
this preservative - Michiko, WA (has anyone else experienced a problem like
this with sulphites? - suedengate@ozemail.com.au)
[639] Easter nightmare (May 2008)
Just wanted to email you to
let you know how helpful I found your book, Fed
Up. I recommend it to all my
friends. My son was diagnosed with ADHD over a year ago now and we have always
had major problems with him every single year around Easter time. He is now 11
years old and we have known for a few years now that chocolate and food
colouring effect his behaviour dramatically.
It doesn't matter how many times you tell people please don't give him,
lollies or chocolate, they just don't get it.
He went to his friend’s house yesterday, was very irritable last night
and has totally lost control today. I begged him to tell me what he has eaten
and he said he ate 4 medium sized Easter Eggs.
I think it is a real pity
that other people and schools don't take these food additives seriously. He is
a joy but a handful on the best of days. I constantly refer to your book and he
has pulled it out of the bookshelf today to make some homemade
butterscotch.
He is a prime example of
how food effects children and I can guarantee everytime he has food colouring
or chocolate that we will have a raging bull on our hands the next day -
Suzanne, email.
[638] Getting to the bottom of asthma/rhinitis (May 2008)
We have gone failsafe
before but I never managed to get to get to the bottom of the problem for my
son’s asthma/allergic rhinitis. I knew it was food, and suspected colours and
preservatives. The dietitian you recommended was very good and we had good
results with the elimination diet. Because of the asthma she wouldn't challenge
MSG, preservatives or colours. It turns out our son started to wheeze about day
6 of the salicylate challenge. After two days of the amine challenge we gave up
because he was so ANGRY (but not wheezing). Since then we have been to an
allergist and discovered he is allergic to dust mites, some grass pollens and
horse hair (we knew this one). We know we can minimise his symptoms and
reactions to these allergens by keeping his diet failsafe, and are considering
the de-sensitization path for at least the dust mites – email, Vic.
[637] One-liners (May 2008)
·
Our
daughter was diagnosed with asthma at the age of two. I could not understand
how we could eat an incredible diet, mainly organic, loads of fruit, vegetables
and wonderful food, and she would cough and wheeze all night. Since I found
your books our lives have changed. It turns out our daughter (now four) reacts
to salicylates, anything artificial, and smaller reactions to amines - Naomi,
NSW.
·
We
can totally relate to the Prickly Princess in Sue's latest book (which by the
way is FANTASTIC) - Julie, by email.
·
My
boys can now play like the other kids without getting asthma - thanks to you -
by email.
·
My
son hasn’t been hospitalised with asthma since we started failsafe two years
ago but I have just found out that his urticaria can be caused by food,
especially annatto as he accidentally ate quite a bit at vacation care over the
school holidays - email, NSW.
·
Preservatives
seem to be responsible for my son’s megatantrums. Before I was aware of the
impact of preservatives, he was having two or three screaming tantrums per day.
Now we are failsafe, I have noticed his reactions are around 24 hours later -
by email.
·
Our
son is coming ahead in leaps and bounds with his school work since going
failsafe. It also makes a huge difference if the teachers tell you he can't see
and hear properly - glasses and grommets being inserted do wonders as well as
the diet has - not just labelling the child as "Difficult" which is
what was happening – by email.
[636] Insomniac due to fish oils (March 2008)
My daughter was taking fish
oil capsules prescribed by our homeopath (and yes, I have taken notice of your
comments in the Checklist of Common Mistakes about homeopathics possibly
causing more problems, just what I didn't need to hear) and within days she became
an insomniac! It took us several weeks
to come up with the connection and as soon as we stopped them, sleep returned
to normal.
[635] Fish oil recommendation from Jen (March 2008)
I have done an extensive
amount of research about the various fish oils available and found Xtend-Life
from New Zealand to be very forthcoming with information about their product
when emailed queries. We have tried it with the three children and myself (all
amine, salicylate, lactose, and everything artificial responders) and found it
to be fine (although I can’t say I noticed any benefits, I certainly didn’t
notice any deterioration either). It is only available directly from them, not
through stores. The website is as follows: http://health.xtend-life.com/product/Omega_3_~_DHA_Esters.aspx.
[we welcome feedback]
The writer of the following
letter wins our award for persisting despite all the paid ‘experts’ being
against her:
[634] Silent reflux, gastro, extreme nappy rash – months of
needless medication (February 2008) WINNER OF THE
COURAGE AWARD
My 13 month-old son has had
silent reflux (just weaned him off losec now), and yet still has bad gastro
problems - excessive burping, difficulty swallowing/coordination with swallow
and breathing, tummy aches (frequent back arching, screaming and night waking
all the time). My paed has recommended
an immunologist but reading your website it seems we need to do a diet approach
for intolerances.
I have always been careful
with my diet as I breastfed him avoiding foods that were known to cause wind. I
even saw a dietitian out of desperation when he was a little babe - who took my
money and told me breastmilk is not affected by what Mum eats. My instincts
told me otherwise. I know that strawberries, tomatoes, stock, gravy (to some
extent), sausages (two nights in a row), citrus, onion and ham produces bad
painful gastro reactions in him. Yet despite avoiding these, our problems still
continue. If we eat out, guaranteed he will have a bad night in the next 24 hrs
and bad poos for days after. My son has never had a normal poo - even on
breastmilk. Acid smell is very common,
and it produces the worst nappy rash I've ever seen with skin completely gone
and large patches of exposed sores.
Two weeks later …
In the two weeks since I
first emailed you from sheer desperation, I almost cry every time I think about
how my little son's severe gastro problems have so simply and easily
disappeared. He slept through the night 48 hrs from our first meal of chicken
fried in golden syrup with pasta (the only quick makeshift meal I could make
the first night after I emailed you!).
His reactions of reflux, pain in tummy, badly burnt bottoms (v.
extreme), excessive night waking and festy burps have all disappeared!!!! I have spent the past 13 months in a sleep
deprived land (lasting on about 4 random hours a night on average), with my
daughter not getting much quality mum attention and my husband declaring ‘no
more, this is it re: kids’.
Now I have a son who in two
weeks has spoken five extra words, gained 600g weight, sleeps hard, eats hard,
plays hard (every mum's dream), plus two new teeth - and generally very alert, smart, and most
of all, wakes from his sleep playing in his cot – no screaming. Two days after
I started with that first crude meal I woke in the morning to hear his toy
whizzing around, and not him – a dark cloud just physically lifted from my body
and I just knew this was the last piece of the puzzle of our long journey. I
continued the diet from the info on your internet site and saw the dietitian
you mentioned. The other amazing thing is that my husband is a completely
different man (see story [630] ‘No need for Beyond Blue due to diet’).
I have now seen three
dietitians, three paed's and a whole swank of GPs. I could have saved my son
months and months of pain and high levels of losec medication. The medical
profession has a lot to answer for, not listening to Mum's intuition. We had
attended a feeding clinic where they have sessions with a dietitian, speech
pathologist, and child health nurse (3 with you and bub) to work out reflux
issues. My son had all three problems -
still has swallow/coordination problems, and is very very cautious with food
textures. So I spent most my time in these clinics (been 3 times already)
talking diet - and you know I remembered this morning out of nowhere that the
dietitian in these clinics did say something like: ‘tomatoes, strawberries,
stock - yes they contain salicylates, ahh but you don’t need to worry about
that. That's too much detail.’ I did
question her again on it, but I forgot what the 'salicylate' word was at our next
visit and ended up sounding stupid. I was nearly there with my list of existing
reacting foods but did not have the expertise to link them together. I thought
it was acids affecting my son and sugar affecting my husband. Oh well. Move
forward. At least I have my husband back again and a gorgeous boy we can all
enjoy. :) – Fiona, ACT
[633] Severe eczema related to salicylates and fragrance
(February 2008)
I posted very early on when
this site first started with my son's story of very severe eczema (on the soles
of his feet) which took three months to clear, and was related to salicylates.
We started Failsafe though because of behavioural problems and had the added
bonus of the eczema clearing up completely. He also reacts badly to heavy
chemical fumes such as chlorine, ammonia etc (airborne salicylates).
Anyhow, recently he had a
major behavioural reaction, I was absolutely sure it was not food related. He
was attending Vacation Care at the time. Recently he came home and just
happened to mention that one of the ladies had sprayed something on the table
he was sitting at, and when he asked what it was, was told ‘Don't worry Chris,
it won't kill you’ (grrrr from me - what if he had been asthmatic?). Anyhow I
decided to investigate this, as I could find no food reason for the
deterioration of his behaviour.
Turned out that they had
been spraying Dettol (or something that smells very similar) on the lunch
tables, and regularly spraying air fresheners. (I have since talked to them and
they now make sure he is nowhere near when they are spraying stuff around, and
he has been fine since).
Anyway, that was the same
time he started complaining that his feet were sore - I checked and there was
eczema on the soles of his feet again (first time in two years of being
Failsafe). Just thought this might be helpful to some out there! It can be more
than food! –
[632] Affected by fragrances – 4 reports (February 2008)
Fragrances have been my
bugbear for years, and I find if I go anywhere where there are fragrances, I am
usually ‘unwell’ for 2 - 3 days afterward depending on the length of time of
exposure. As a consequence, I try to avoid doing my shopping myself, and also
avoid attending church in the hot weather, as this increases the effects of the
fragrances in the air. – Merryn, Vic
When I was a child I used
to be unreasonably uncomfortable when in the hairdresser, and could not handle
being around people with strong deodorant or aftershave or perfume, and I still
can't. - Michael (now 25), NSW
I always get a rash from
perfumes but never suspected that perfume could be the cause of my headaches
too, until I read your website. -
Marilyn, Qld
I read in your newsletter
about a mum who has trouble with her kids when she enters shops and toilets –
in the past I have bought various ‘Impulse’ type body sprays, and within a few
minutes I feel anxious and very touchy. – Michelle, by email
[631] ‘Incurable and medication resistant depression’ due to
milk (February 2008)
I have had depression since
a late teen, which got worse with each of my pregnancies, to the point where
after my youngest was born I was told by a leading post-natal depression
psychiatrist that my depression was incurable and medication resistant. He said
I would require weekly ECT (shock-therapy) treatments in order to lead a normal
life. I said no and didn’t see him again after that. Another doctor prescribed
an anti-depressant that I hadn’t tried, which kept me alive. The milk allergy
manifests in me as depression, mild to moderate oedema and headaches - not your
usual allergy symptoms, which is why it wasn’t diagnosed earlier. Without milk
in my diet I suffer no depressive symptoms whatsoever and do not require any
medication (and the associated side-effects). If not for your book, I would
still be popping happy pills morning and night. – by email, Qld
[630] ‘Depression - no need for Beyond Blue due to diet’
(February 2008)
We did the elimination diet
for my 13 month-old son (see story [634] Silent reflux, gastro, extreme nappy
rash – months of needless medication). The other amazing thing is that after
two weeks, my husband is a completely different man. He is no longer depressed,
low, moody, disengaged, angry at everyone, abusive to himself (putting himself
down). I had been on the verge of asking him to see a GP who is a specialist in
beyond blue stuff but now there is no need. Since the diet, he is helpful as
anything, has positive comments, is physically touching the kids so much more,
is enthusiastic, has initiative and is just an all round changed man!!!!! He can feel the difference himself as
well. My mum has been blown away with
his changed attitude to everyone. – Fiona, ACT
[629] ‘Severe and unpredictable asthma’ due to sulphites
(February 2008)
Our food journey started
with me picking up your Fed Up with Asthma book from the bookstore after our
three year-old had just experienced a bout of wheezing. I read it all in one
sitting and was left both horrified and hopeful. We decided that since we had
nothing to lose that we would try the diet as a family in an attempt to
pinpoint the trigger of our daughter's asthma. I was optimistic about finding a
trigger but not really expecting to find it. Grace did the sulphite challenge
with an apricot fruit bar as recommended by our dietitian - she had no reaction
to the salicylate or amine challenges. I gave her the bar at the start of a
short car journey. Within 5 minutes of finishing the bar, her breathing had
become so laboured and wheezing so loud that I had to stop the car to give her Ventolin.
Over the next few months I
repeated the challenge with a different brand of fruit bar, berry flavour and
again with 4 dried apricots. Same results each time. Prior to the diet she
would eat dried fruit, sausages and non-organic grapes quite often and was on a
substantial twice daily preventer medication regimen as well as Ventolin about
1-2 times per week. Funnily enough it had never occurred to us that ‘healthy’
food could possibly trigger asthma.
We had been told by the
paediatrician that Grace had severe and unpredictable asthma and required
aggressive preventative treatment to avoid the life-threatening attacks that
she had experienced. Obviously we now strictly avoid any sulphites and Grace no
longer requires Ventolin or preventers. We have found that her asthma is indeed
predictable and is treatable without any medication. I would even go as far as
to say that she no longer has asthma, she merely exhibits asthma-like symptoms
in response to sulphites.
Grace’s growth had been
stunted by her asthma medication. From her growth chart you can see the month
she swapped to the stronger medication and also when we took her off it
(post-diet). She grew 1cm a week for two months after she came off the meds.
Her rate of growth is now normal .– reader, Qld
[628] Asthma, eczema and frequent colds cleared up by
avoiding additives (February 2008)
My 4 year-old daughter has
had eczema and asthma since she was 12 months old. Once a month she would come
down with a cold and have to use her Ventolin and she was constantly scratching
at her skin. Six months ago I concentrated on removing preservatives and MSG from
her diet, and have noticed a huge improvement. We have not had a cold since and
her skin has cleared up. – Kate, by email
[627] Asthmatic reaction to grapes (February 2008)
I was horrified when I
served up some grapes for a snack and noticed that the packaging stated -
'these grapes may have had contact with sulphur dioxide'. I had felt a little asthmatic over the days
since I bought the grapes and once I read the label it solved the mystery of my
unwell feeling. – by email
[626] Asthma in an adult from Nurofen (February 2008)
I was diagnosed with asthma
last year. I am 43 years old. This year I took two Nurofen tablets - after
eliminating them from my intake last year when I went on the elimination diet -
before a minor medical procedure. (I had not related Nurofen to my asthma at
this stage). Within two hours of taking
the Nurofen and while I was still in the doctor's surgery I had an asthma
attack. Both the doctor and I were very surprised. The asthma attack lasted for
four hours! I had had no other
introduction of foods etc in the lead up to this minor procedure, and the
doctor told me that many asthmatics are finding that they can not take Nurofen.
I have added Nurofen to the 'don't take' list. – Kathleen C, by email
[625] Anxiety attack in an adult from Nurofen (February
2008)
My husband has had a
serious tooth ache on the weekend. He has taking Panadol and needed more
relief, so I gave him some Nurofen. Well, within 5-10 minutes, he was
irrational and aggressive, along with a huge anxiety attack. He then took some
more two days later with the same reaction. – by email
[624] Irritable bowel reactions to Nurofen and salicylates
in food (February 2008)
My son began getting
diarrhoea and severe stomach pains from tomatoes and other high salicylate
foods upon introduction of these foods from 6 months. My GP wasn’t concerned
about my son having constant foaming revolting smelling poo for three months
but I certainly was! Thank you for your wonderful website which helped us to
sort out this problem. He has shown similar reactions to salicylates in foods
as he has to Nurofen – stomach pain that makes him scream for hours in agony and
diarrhoea within 24 hours. This was when he was quite younger and we now know
better than to give it to him. – Kate, by email
[623] ‘Cheaper is not better - effects of coloured ibuprofen
(February 2008)
My reaction to red coloured
ibuprofen is an insidious slowly building feeling of being unwell, stuffy head
like the flu, but no nasal symptoms, and a queasy stomach like eaten too much
rich food. The effect is slow growing over several days. When I stop the
coloured ibuprofen it takes several days for the symptoms to clear up till I
feel well again. It was difficult to diagnose. I have learned much of the last
five years thanks to your work. When I take the white Brufen I am OK. The red
ones were available on prescription thus cheaper but as I found out cheaper is
not better. To get the right dose (200 mg) I take half a white tablet. – Steve,
by email
[622] Amazing change in my child due to A2 milk (February
2008)
My 10 yr-old disabled
daughter was on neocate advance which she didn't tolerate and I was told she
was past the hospital’s expertise so they didn't know what to do with her. She
was getting sick, looked shocking and her behaviour was very hard to manage
(especially as mentally she is about two-year-old) so I gave her ricemilk
instead of neocate advance. After four days I realized she wasn't tolerating
ricemilk. So in desperation I tried A2 milk after seeing what it did for a
friend’s son - his behaviour improved dramatically, he stopped screaming, his
ear infections stopped and he started to talk.
My daughter has been on A2
milk for a week now (due to underweight issues she is tube fed over a litre a
day) and she looks heaps healthier. Since commencing A2 milk the diarrhoea has
stopped and nappies are becoming more solid, no vomiting, rashes are gone,
wheezing gone and she is wanting her tube feeds - and more - plus solids,
usually we have big problems getting her to eat orally. In a week she has gone
from 18.2 to 19.4kg (400g being in the last 2 days) that's the best weight gain
she has ever had. Her behaviour is wonderful. She is so calm and she has
started to talk (she was non verbal before). She even sat with her baby sister
for an hour and actually played with the baby’s toy with her. That's amazing as
usually she hasn't got a very good concentration span - one minute if you’re
lucky is all I've managed out of her - and she doesn't play, never has done -
so her changes are amazing and very strange as she doesn't tolerate cows milk
so I don't understand do you have any idea … – Catherine, Vic [For research
about the effect of a peptide called BCM7 in A1 cows milk on neurological
symptoms, see the book Devil in the Milk: illness, health and politics, A1 and
A2 milk, by Keith Woodford, 2007. High levels of BCM7 have been found in an
elemental infant formula but we don’t know about Neocate – it is usually but
not always well tolerated.]
[621] 319: Four weeks of hell from unlisted 319 (TBHQ) in gf
bread (February 2008)
Our six-year-old son is
intolerant to many preservatives, colours, flavours, gluten, dairy and food
chemicals. Unless we control what we feed him on his very restricted diet, he
reacts behaviourally and cannot learn at school or go forward in his treatment
by his paediatrician.
In early 2007, we started
giving our son a gluten free bread mix which states on the packet, ‘preservative
free’. We had reason to trust this product because it was listed on the ‘safe
shopping guide’ issued by the
This product was wonderful
with it being so versatile in producing pancakes, bread, crumpets, wraps and
pizza bases all from this one mix. Our son was able to enjoy more variety
without feeling deprived. Once I increased the dose of this product for our
son, i.e. pancakes for breakfast, French toast for lunch and a wrap for after
school, within a day he displayed explosive behaviour and was unreasonable.
We did not suspect foods as
it was listed as safe and the company was a reputable company.
We rang our paediatrician
who advised us to cut down on his supplement. After a week there was no change,
even at school our son’s teacher was noticing a big difference in behaviour and
learning. The paediatrician advised a blood test, another week passed for the
results which in turn came back within normal range. Only then did we suspect foods.
The Food Intolerance Network always advises their members to check products
containing fats or oils for hidden synthetic antioxidants. I rang our
supermarket to double check if there were any changes in their sunflower oil
that we use, and they advised there were none. I then rang the bread company
and spoke to their Quality Operations Officer. I asked if there were any
synthetic antioxidants in their product in question, he said he was pretty sure
there wasn’t. We insisted that he double check because we were at wits’ end and
we were ready to have our son’s head scanned because he was so aggressive and
erratic in his behaviour. The man rang back in shock and was very apologetic,
because the oil which was supposed to be ‘pure canola oil’ as stated on the
ingredients list, in fact had synthetic antioxidant 319 in it.
We were relieved but angry,
our son was put through four weeks of hell, not to mention us as well, because
he could not control what he was doing, and it took well over a week for the
affects to wear off. We had our good boy back and he even said, ‘Mummy please
don’t give me bad food any more’!
When our son has had foods
with hidden synthetic antioxidants in them, we consider the reaction our son
displayed as life threatening, for example, when our son becomes enraged with
fury, usually over something trivial, he has run out onto the road. Another
time when I was driving down the mountain on hair pin bend roads, enraged, our
son got hold of my hood on my jacket and was pulling on it while I was doing my
best to manoeuvre the car down the road without hitting the guard rails and
going over the cliff. We believe that these antioxidants should at all times
appear on the label. – by email, NSW [Thanks to this mother and the helpful
people at Laucke’s, their gluten-free bread is now free of nasty antioxidants]
[620] Impaired speech and drool due to food intolerance
(February 2008)
We are currently doing the
elimination diet and challenges with our son. Interestingly enough, I have
discovered that every time he has a food reaction I find it very hard to
understand his talking and he also seems to drool more. Just thought these were
interesting side effects... – by email
[619] Mouth ulcers – flavoured chips (February 2008)
I started my family on the
diet three months ago – successfully - for my son. After a weekend away, just
me and my hubby, eating all the things we haven’t eaten for some time, most of
all flavoured chips, I got mouth ulcers back again. This is something I have
suffered with for many years, I have often feared it to be cancer, and had
swabs taken etc to no avail. I hadn’t really noticed that they had gone away,
till they came back again within 2 days - unbelievable! – Rachael, by email
[618] Mouth ulcers - salicylates (February 2008)
I just had to tell you!!!
For the last two months I’ve had no additives, no kiwi fruit, no oranges, no
strawberries, no tomatoes, no juice and have had 7 weeks without a mouth ulcer.
Usually I only go about 2 weeks pain free before the skin on the roof of my
mouth peels, the tip of my tongue becomes extremely sore together with a badly
infected ulcer anywhere in the mouth. Last week I ate 3/4 tomato - within 24
hours I was starting to get an ulcer. Fortunately, this time it hasn't
developed into anything nasty - probably because I went back on the strict
diet. - Di, Vic
[617] Nearly crazy with fatigue and confusion –baby’s insomnia
(February 2008)
Since birth, my son Noah
had trouble with sleep it didn’t matter what I did or what time of day or night
it was, it would always take him at least 2 hours to get to sleep, and then if
I put him down in his cot, he would wake 10 minutes later screaming. Then it
would take another 2 hours of pacing the dark hallways before he’d doze off
again. In the end, I spent the first 12 months of Noah’s life sleeping in the
rocking chair with him, just so he would sleep. I nearly went crazy with
fatigue and confusion. I tried everything I (and everyone around me) could
think of.
In the end, I insisted that
there was something going on because the times he wasn’t crying, I could see
that he really had a very social, gentle and loving nature that was at odds
with the furious, red screaming insomniac he was the rest of the time! He was
breastfed and everything got much worse when I introduced solids. I was advised
by a homeopath to stop eating dairy and give him slippery elm powder to help
settle his guts. Everything got so much worse after that. The only thing he
could have been reacting to in the slippery elm was salicylates so she put me
on a low-salicylate diet. Noah improved but I didn’t take it fully seriously I
was naughty a lot! I continued drinking coffee and some other things like that.
Finally, when Noah was 18 months old, I discovered your website. It changed my
entire life, and you will never truly know how indebted I am to you for the
work you do. – Alison, Qld
[616] Getting to sleep was a major problem - additives
(February 2008)
I have had my 7 year-old
daughter on an additive free diet (eliminating colours, preservatives, flavour
enhancers and synthetic antioxidants) for one week and I cannot thank you
enough. I have got my beautiful girl back. Looking back now I can see that she
has probably always been intolerant of additives. The dramatic change in her in
nothing short of amazing. Getting to sleep was always a major problem.
Extremely emotional outbursts were constant, this is only to mention a couple
of problems we were dealing with. The last two nights she has fallen to sleep within
20 minutes of going to bed. It used to
take anything up to 2 and a half hours (frustrating for both of us). This
morning I was able to brush her hair without tears for the first time in her
life.
Two months later … She is
still going along really well and we have been able to add back some food back
into her diet. The main ones she had reacted to are orange flavour and Twisties
and any take-away food along the lines of McDonalds burgers or Hungry Jacks.-
Kerri, by email
[615] A salicylate-sensitive 15 year-old (February 2008)
I have to thank you for
your support and time around 12 years ago with our daughter who is intolerant
to salicylates. It took us a long time to work out the problems and then
finally we were put on to a paediatric dietician who recommended we read your
book Different Kids. I spent the night reading your book crying and laughing
the night through and knew that this was my daughter and we had to follow
through with the dietary program. We have always been great with fresh food and
little use of preservatives in food, once reading this book we realised that it
can be good food that can cause our problems. We spent the next 6 months
working through all the things that she was intolerant too and living a much
happier life. My daughter is now 15 years old and has now become aware of her
own intolerances and works her diet out accordingly. It made such a difference
to our lives and hers. We could not thank you enough for the inspirations and
understanding that we were not the only people with this problem. It still brings a tear to my eye when I
remember that night reading your book and a whole new world opened up to
us. We have talked about that night to
many people who were having problems with children’s behaviors. We just could not commend the elimination
diet enough, it changed out lives forever. – Kathy by email
[614] Vomiting and hives due to severe amine sensitivity
(February 2008)
Tim was our first child and
at the age of 6 months was doing well on breastmilk, formula and Farex. On the
advice of the community nurse, we followed the usual recommendations and one of
the first group of foods to introduce was potato, banana and avocado. After
trialling potato and pumpkin very well, we then tried avocado which he did not
like and started to get a rash around his mouth. After a couple of days and not
thinking much of it (just teething?) we then tried banana. Within minutes,
Tim’s rash around the mouth returned and he kept spitting the food out. After a
couple of hours when we put him to bed, Tim started to vomit 2-3 episodes, very
distressed and turning beetroot colour. He also had swelling and welts around
the mouth. We rushed him to the hospital
and were later referred to the RPA allergy clinic. Pin-prick tests showed
allergy to peanuts, moulds and some others, and we started the elimination
diet. Over the next couple of months, we soon discovered he was intolerant to
amines, because everytime we tried an amine food eg. paw paw, chocolate, fresh
cheese, he would immediately or a couple of hours later, vomit and these hives
and welts were visible.
Over the next year, every
time I tried Tim on fresh cheese (mild and tasty cheese were completely off the
list as Tim would not tolerate these at all), he would fall sick with gastro,
vomiting and very distressed. He was still highly intolerant to amine foods. We
also had a blood test for banana performed and discovered that he also has a
true allergy to this fruit and it was rated as high on the scale.
We visited my parents one
day and they had blueberry jam (which Tim can tolerate if it's IXL brand) but
the brand was different and one hour after eating it, he vomited.
When he had just turned 3,
he came down with pneumonia and was hospitalised for a week. During this time,
the nursing staff gave him children's panadol which was orange flavoured. Every
time they gave it to him, he would vomit it immediately. Eventually we found
that the cherry/vanilla baby panadol was the only one he could tolerate. I also
had to speak to the catering staff and give them copies of what foods and
cooking processes he could manage. It certainly was challenging and we did have
to bring in our own supply of meals because the hospitals couldn't cope with
the particulars (especially the hidden ingredients in foods).
Since then we have always
been very particular on the types of food bought, made and at parties because
of Tim's reactions. We learnt early to cook our own bread, buy only food
without amines, buy fresh white fish and make his own party food to go to
places. Many people thought we were going overboard and being too picky but we
didn't want Tim to always be sick and we wanted to give him confidence in
eating nutritional foods rather than always being wary.
Tim is now five years old
and attending full-time school and I am finding it a challenge regarding the
availability of foods without additives and spices etc. He loves sausages, but
our butcher has admitted that the meat and additives in them aren't perfect.
Tim is very tempted in trying new foods that his mates bring to the school and
we know there will be times when he will try and not feel so good but we are
educating him to the best that parents can. - by email, Qld
[613] ‘
Our older daughter was well
within the scope of a 'normal' child before the elimination diet. The only reason she did it was because the
whole family did it to support her sister.
We would never have sorted out why she was always covered in bruises,
got such growing pains and frequent headaches, why she was always restless and
talked loud and why she was so skinny. All these disappeared on the diet.
Thanks to our dietitian we found she is, among others, intolerant to gluten. –
by email, Qld
[612] Recurrent stress fractures in shins (February 2008)
My husband used to suffer
from recurrent stress fractures in his shins. This turned out to be a
nutritional deficiency in zinc, vitamin D and certain amino acids (also causing
low hormones) due to his undiagnosed gluten intolerance. He was as stunned as I
was at our reactions to the challenges following the elimination diet and now
actively avoids additives and gluten as he has experienced how they affect his
well-being. If not for the diet, he would still be an incredibly frustrated
sportsman sitting out the remainder of the season after his shins flared up yet
again. – by email, Qld
[611] 160b: Migraine, headbanging and violence from annatto
160b (February 2008)
Through the elimination
diet and challenges we found out that annatto 160b causes a severe reaction in
our 7 year old daughter. Symptoms include migraine, loss of fine motor control,
head banging, violence and aggression, screaming and yelling, loss of rational
thought and temporary memory loss, beginning 24 hours after ingestion and
gradually diminishing over two weeks. Luckily for us (and by chance) I seldom
purchased products containing annatto prior to the challenge, I shudder to
think where we would have ended up if she had been consuming annatto regularly
all her life. – reader, Qld
[610] Severe reaction to a chromium supplement with unlisted
benzoate (February 2008)
I recently purchased a
bottle of liquid Chromium Picolinate supplement which I was told contained
water and the mineral. I took 1ml of the liquid with my lunch - 5ml is the
correct dose but I always need to be cautious. Within 10 mins I started to feel
spaced out and then over the next 2 hours had blurred vision, heart
palpitations, was disorientated and needed to lie down. My tongue and throat
had the feeling of swelling and breathing was slightly laboured. After a few
hours my joints became swollen, inflamed and painful.
My husband phoned the
telephone number on the bottle to see if there was anything added to the liquid
other than those things stated on the bottle. He was told that it has a
preservative in it called Methyl Paraben or Methyl 4-Hydroxbenzoate
[preservative 218]. There is nothing on the bottle to suggest this.
I am intolerant of many
preservatives, additives, salicylates and amines etc. but never before have I
had such and quick and violent reaction. Today 24 hours later I'm feeling much
better but certainly nothing like normal.
My reason for writing is
that the firm did not take any responsibility for not having the bottle
labelled, were unconcerned about my condition and refuse to credit us the price
of the product which cost $16.50. To whom can I write and complain about this
appalling breach of labelling and also warn others of its danger?
[answer:Consumer Adverse Medication Events Line: Ph 1300 134 237, http://www.tga.gov.au/adr/bluecard.htm]
– by email
[609] 621: MSG and inability to remember (February 2008)
A few years ago I was
suffering from dizziness, especially going down stairs and an inability to
remember numbers and facts. I also felt like I was on the verge of getting the
flu because my glands in my right arm were always sore.
Given I am a scientist, the
loss of balance and remembering ability was freaking me out big time. I was
only 30 at the time (I am 34 now) and was too scared to tell anyone. I was
writing notes that I would read and re-read to compensate for the inability to
remember large strings of data. Bear in mind remembering a 20 digit number had
been no problem for me and all of a sudden remembering 2 digits was difficult.
I had been on a diet to
lose weight and kept my calorie intake below 1600 calories a day. I was also
working long hours therefore was eating a lot of quick foods like noodles (with
those flavour sachets). I would get woozy but it would never occur to me that
there was something majorly wrong.
I was in a Chinese
restaurant with friends and ordered the Chicken and Corn soup. Within ten
minutes of eating the soup I started getting pains in my arms, chest and face.
I thought I might be having a heart attack (what did I know?). I felt like my
face was swelling and then I crashed. I was soooooo tired. I only ate white
rice after the soup. It was almost as if my body was demanding it. It was a
friend at the table who had an intolerance to MSG that told me what was
happening. I asked the waitress, she laughed and told me it was the MSG.
The first thing I did when
I left that restaurant was buy four bars of candy and a bag of jelly belly
candy. I can eat a lot of sweets but never as much as I ate that day. I was
lying down on shop stools because I was so tired. It took four days for me to
be able to stay awake for more than a few hours.
I would cry whenever I saw
soup stock cubes or anything else that contained MSG in my kitchen and would
quickly throw it away. The wooziness and dizziness slowly disappeared as did
the persistent swollen gland feeling in my arm.
Why am I telling you this?
It is the remembering ability. It was not mentioned on any website that I have
looked at. About ten months after I stopped eating MSG I was working on an
instrument in
I might not have been able
to remember facts a year before but all of a sudden I could remember 10 digits
again after having looked at the number only a couple of times. I still cannot
remember 20 digit numbers but my mind improves everyday.
If MSG was affecting my
ability to remember in my ‘old age’ of 30, and I was not exposed to it on a
regular basis as a kid, what is it doing to kids in our schools? What is
happening to their little brains? If I had my way I would ban all additives in
foodstuffs. There are other ways to preserve foods that do not include
additives. Furthermore, fresh is best and is it really that hard to prepare a
meal? No. I just wanted you to know exactly how bad MSG can be affecting young
minds. – by email,
[608] The changes to our food in 17 years (February 2008)
I have four children: two
adult children, and two under the age of 5 years. My adult children muddled along in the world,
not knowing much about all the bad things in particular foods. However, looking back I can see they too
would have benefited from this way of life.
My youngest two though,
have multiple intolerances. It is just amazing to watch. Because I had a 17
years gap between my children, I have seen first hand the difference between
the years. What I grew up with was home cooked things. My adult children had
combination of home and 'very occasional' takeaways. However, my youngest
children, both know all the main take out places ie Maccas, KFC, Hungry Jacks
etc. It shows the difference in how we live now.
I have started on three
separate occasions with the elimination diet with success each time. It has
only been through inconvenience that each time I have gradually allowed the bad
items to creep back in to their diet. Once it gets crazy around home again I realise
I must stick to what I know they can and can't have!
This time around, both
children and one granddaughter have been ‘detoxing’ for fours days, and the
improvement is out of sight yet again. I actually had a peaceful drive for 15
minutes yesterday. Usually I am repeatedly telling them to stop the unruly
behaviour, the silly noises, the repetitiveness, the fighting, the whining etc
and the list goes on. Yesterday I had to look in the mirror to see if they were
asleep! How nice.
I just want to thank you so
much for showing an interest in not only what was happening in your own family,
but to extend that and show all who want to listen that what is happening to
our children (and us) is not normal. That we can help what is happening to our
bodies. – Cathryn, Tas
[607] ‘Do you know what McDonald’s is, mate?’ (February
2008)
I simply wanted to write a
quick note to say thanks for your work. I have read and watched your website
and interviews/DVD and find everything you say to be completely common sense.
In fact, today on Christmas day I had my 74 year old Dad sit down and watch
your DVD, so he can appreciate why we live and eat the way we do - and to help
him see why we avoid treats like the ones so often given. I was raised on a
dozen of soft drink, chips, meat and three veg and chocolate!!
We are very conscious of
what food we eat, have an organic food box delivered weekly, and minimise the
consumption of nasty foods to parties and the like for people who know no
different (and aren’t about to listen!!).
We realise that our
children behave differently when they have certain foods (mostly manic crazy behaviour
and a complete lack of ability to listen or focus, lots of running around,
shouting, and animated hand movements) but find it so hard to eliminate it
completely from the homes of others. Luckily many of our friends eat in the
same way as we do.
I wanted to tell you a
little story about our oldest son. He is four this coming March and I asked him
‘Do you know what McDonald’s is, mate?’
‘Yes’ he said and laughed
at me and told me that I was a duffa for not knowing. ‘It’s old McDonald had a
farm!!!’
He is yet to go to the
Golden Arches for anything more than a water at the drive through and has no
idea of the marketing pull those companies have, as we avoid mainstream TV and
instead have some quiet time every now and then with chosen DVDs appropriate for
their age. We are so lucky to have such
wise little people in our lives, who are happy being nurtured on fresh whole
foods (as they know nothing else!) Thank you for helping us feel safe and happy
in our decisions, and to know that we can happily be different based on solid
scientific evidence that we are doing a great thing for our children. – Donna,
Vic
[606] One liners (February 2008)
Keep up the absolutely
fantastic work, you will be vindicated and become a mythical hero in the future
(she-who-fought-the-beast-before-we-even-knew-it-was-there) ;-) – Roman, by
email
My friend’s son who had
suffered for years with fierce rashes on his body is now completely free of
sores. I am totally in awe of your program, you are saving many children from a
life of misery. – by email
Attention to preservatives
and colours, particularly in sweets, like Neapolitan ice cream, jelly and
flavoured milk has resolved my son’s bedwetting problem. – reader, NSW
The diet really isn't as
bad as we first thought, now we know how much it helps. I've just come home
from carols by candlelight at my new school, it was brilliant, but you should
have seen all the red ‘Christmas’ food they were selling - I hate to think what
the kids will be like tomorrow. Most of them were misbehaved and cranky on
Friday. We weren't though. – Anita, aged 10.
We have managed our
daughter's salicylate and amine sensitivity with failsafe eating for almost
seven years now and are happy to report that her problems with salicylates are
now much reduced, although amines are still a problem for her. (They tend to
give her stomach pains and mood swings). She is now able to concentrate at
school and has a circle of friends. We would like to thank you for your work
and we are pleased that we never had to resort to medication for a girl who
could easily have been diagnosed as ADHD. – Gabrielle, Vic
We have been eating
failsafe for nearly a year now. Our daughter is both amine and salicylate
sensitive. Although we don’t always have things perfectly controlled, our lives
are infinitely better. The improvements we have seen has meant my daughter and
I could salvage our relationship which I had feared was being permanently,
irreparably damaged. We now see the loving, compliant, creative, intelligent
person that was trapped for so long. - Sally, by email
The paediatrician gave me
your web address and I am so grateful. We have six children and I am amazed at
the difference in all of them in the three weeks that we have been doing the
failsafe booklet - I have even helped my husband and myself and my baby with
problems I have no idea were food related. I borrowed Fed Up with ADHD from the
library. It is like reading about my own children. - Sue, Qld
I cannot thank you enough
for helping me and my family with our food-related illnesses. I feel like I
finally understand the roller coaster that I have been on since a terrible case
of food poisoning in 2000. Your book The Failsafe Cookbook is helping all of us
be a happier and healthier family. My 2 year old is finally sleeping through
the night and my husband is elated to have me ‘back to normal.’ Carolyn, NZ
[605] Joint pain from intolerance to soy (February 2008)
I am soy intolerant. More
specifically I suffer from a legume intolerance which is only now apparent
after 13 years of suffering and frustration. My intolerance manifests itself in
the form of hives, large red itchy welts that, in a severe attack can cover
almost all of the body, be unbelievably itchy and uncomfortable to say the
least. In my situation, my symptoms got worst and extended to lethargy, aching
and swollen joints, sleepless nights and eventually an emotional feeling of
hopelessness of ever being able to stop the relentless onslaught. See the rest of this story on the website - story [314]: ‘13 years of intolerance to soy’
[604] 'Awful joint pains' from salicylates in 'loads of
fruit and veg' (February 2008)
From the age of 15 I slowly
became more and more tired and foggy headed. Gradually I found it impossible to
walk to school anymore, and regularly got 12 hours of sleep or more a night. I
found out a few years ago that gluten does awful things to my energy levels and
brain function, I wish I had known that when I was at school as I'm sure it
held me back. In the last two months I was put on a rotation diet where I had to
eat a huge variety of fruit and vegetables but could only have each every fifth
day. I have NEVER felt so foggy headed, had such blurry vision or had such
awful joint pains. All from eating loads of fruit and veg. Consequently, I have
high hopes for Failsafe!
[603] Arthritis started after a car accident (February 2008)
My arthritis started after
a car accident at the age of 19, also ringing in the ears. The arthritis was to
the point where I would soak my hands in hot water each morning to get them ok
to work. Both my arthritis and ringing in the ears disappeared totally on
failsafe, it was incredible. Four years on, it remains largely stable, is
clearly affected by mainly salicylates and sulphites and to a lesser extent
amines and MSG. Medication was generally ineffective. - by email, Qld
[602] Aching joints began during pregnancy (February 2008)
I began the elimination
diet after reading Fed Up with Asthma [now out of print, the asthma information
from this book has been incorporated into the 2008 edition of Fed Up]. I was
pregnant with our second child. My first pregnancy was fraught with pain from
aching joints, hips especially, from which I d never suffered before. The pain
was very great and continued after childbirth, though not troubling me much,
just now and then. My joint movement continued to be impaired. In this
pregnancy the pain began in the first trimester, whereas it had begun late in
the previous pregnancy. I suffered much sleeplessness and worried how I would
last 9 months like this. After 2-3 weeks on the diet (dairy and gluten-free as
well) I no longer needed ventolin at all, just one puff daily of my preventer
(I'd been using ventolin up to 8 times daily with little effect and 4 puffs of
the preventer). Also, no joint pain at all, and the return of a normal range of
joint motion. - Elizabeth, by email
[601] Bernard's arthritis story (February 2008)
The most remarkable story
comes from Bernard in Wollongong. Now active and virtually arthritis-free,
Bernard suffered from painful and crippling arthritis for nearly 30 years. In
1994, he was told that if his arthritis was not controlled by daily use of
medication, he had 'only four or five years of active life left'. After
extensive reading, Bernard opted to try an elimination diet against the
recommendation of his specialist, and achieved remarkable results. He warns
that arthritis sufferers may need extra time. Bernard wrote:
'If you think that the time
span of the food effects on children and their behaviour is long you should try
solving the rheumatic and inflammatory disease problem. You are looking at an
abstinence time of up to 12 weeks before challenges, symptoms that could take
more than a week to identify, and challenges that could take four months or
more to complete. I am still improving after eight and a half years on low
chemical foods. NOTHING will make me eat the foods I once loved so much.' ...
When Bernard challenged
salicylates, on the morning of the eighth day he found his arthritis had
returned with such a vengeance that it took him an hour to get out of bed. Artificial
food colouring took two days to aggravate his arthritis.
After so many years of
needless pain and suffering it is not surprising that Bernard and others like
him feel angry about misinformation from experts. When a well-known Australian nutritionist
wrote that there is no truth in the rumour that people with arthritis should
not eat tomatoes, Bernard added his own comment: 'like hell there isn't!'
You can read about the
effects of additives and natural chemicals in fruit and vegetables in Bernard's
‘My life with arthritis’ story: ‘I have suffered with the pain and swelling of
arthritis in my arms, hands, neck, back, legs and feet for almost half of my
adult life. At times my condition was so bad that I was only able to walk about
50 metres without a rest. The constant pain I suffered was unbearable ... ‘ on
the website: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~btrudget/.
[600] Arthritis
one-liners (February 2008)
·
My
daughter was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when she was three. By the time
she went to school, at five, she was crippled with it. She's now 25. Three
weeks after she started her elimination diet, she told me: ‘Mum, the pain's
gone. For the first time in 23 years, I have no pain’. - by email, NT
·
My
mother, grandmother and aunt all have arthritis. I've been failsafe for six
years and I'm pretty sure if I wasn't failsafe I would have arthritis too,
because I can notice my hands get stiff if I break my diet and eat too many
salicylates. - by email, NT
·
My
8 year old daughter has rheumatoid arthritis. It's hard to believe, after three
weeks on failsafe foods, she is free of pain for the first time in years. - by
email, NT