Your World and You: Tips to Improve Your Family’s Health – Issue 2 (Premium)
Environmental and Nutritional Tips to Improve Your Family’s Health
This feature highlights reports, studies, and feedback from families on efforts that can make a positive impact in our quest for health. We invite you to share material with us that you think would be of interest to our readers.
Topics featured in this article:
- Taming Children’s Allergy to Peanuts
- A patient’s journey: non-coeliac gluten sensitivity
- A parent report: A new Toyota aggravated my chemical sensitivities
- Rats and mice reacted differently to caramel coloring – but they both got cancer
- Expert on electromagnetic fields and public health warns against smart meters
- Power to the petitions: Subway restaurants remove chemical from bread
1) Taming Children’s Allergy to Peanuts
Allergy to peanuts is an increasingly common medical disorder with the potential to be deadly. It’s tragic when a severe peanut allergy claims the life of a child due to accidental ingestion of a minute amount of peanut. New research is focused on reducing the extreme response so peanuts can be better tolerated.
An article published in The Lancet reports the results of a trial assessing the efficacy of peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) in 99 children aged 7–16 years. The study found that after 6 months of OIT, 84–91% of the children could safely tolerate daily ingestion of 800 mg of peanut protein— at least 25 times as much peanut protein as they could before the therapy and equal to about five peanuts.
[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’Premium Article Guest Message’ user_error=’Premium Article Basic Message’ ]
2) A patient’s journey: non-coeliac gluten sensitivity
Might you or someone in your family be experiencing symptoms that are due to an unrecognized food sensitivity? Don’t underestimate the ability for foods to be aggravating or causing negative health symptoms.
A patient, whose case was highlighted in the British Medical Journal, spent twenty years searching for answers to his multiple health problems before discovering—on his own— that he was sensitive to gluten and lactose.
He did not have celiac disease but noticed that when he did not eat in preparation for a medical procedure, his symptoms disappeared or were greatly reduced. Read his report in the British Medical Journal.
3) A parent report: A new Toyota aggravated my chemical sensitivities
I get increased tics when driving at night or when there are long shadows on the road when riding. I also tend to react with more tics when I’m riding or driving in cars, in general. I don’t know if it is related to gas fumes.
But something different related to cars happened 16 months ago. My husband bought a new Toyota with leather seats. I spent time in the car and have not felt well since. I’ve seen your recent article on toxins in new cars.
After my reaction we purchased a Foust auto air filter with a charcoal filter. That has helped a lot. But, we live in Florida and the fumes that outgas from the seats, even after a year and a half, build up fast in a hot car. We have noticed that the filter in the air purifier gets filled faster in the heat. Of course, opening all the doors and windows before you get in helps a little. The filter takes up a good amount of room but is worth it.
4) Rats and mice reacted differently to caramel coloring – but they both got cancer
In an intriguing study, toxicologists found that when rats and mice were given a caramel coloring agent used in many popular sodas, they had different adverse,reactions. The carmel coloring agent is known as 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI).
The animals were given the coloring over a two-year period at levels matching what humans might drink with minimal, moderate or high intake.
The rats with the highest doses showed a higher incidence of leukemia than the control group. The mice in the study did not get leukemia. But, they developed a higher incidence of lung tumors than the control group.
The study shows that all animal species to do not react the same way to specific chemicals. And of course we know that results of all animal studies cannot be applied to humans. However, it is more than sobering that cancer developed from consuming this very common additive.
Not all caramel coloring contains (4-MEI). According to Consumer Reports, the highest levels in tested samples were in regular Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi One, Malta Goya and 365 Everyday Value Dr. Snap regular. The lowest were in Diet Coke, Coke Zero and regular Coca-Cola. (Clear sodas don’t contain the coloring, of course. )
5) Expert on electromagnetic fields and public health warns against smart meters
David Carpenter MD, a graduate of Harvard Medical Schoo, has worked in the area of electromagnetic fields and public health for 18 years. He warns against the widespread practice of forcing customers to use smart meters just for the convenience of the utilities companies. He believes that that exposure to radiofrequency radiation at elevated levels for long periods of time “increases the risk of cancer, damages the nervous system, and adversely affects the reproductive organs.”
This is a short video interview. See it on YouTube here.
6) Power to the petitions: Subway restaurants remove chemical from bread
It’s a sign of the times—and a good one —that the removal of a single additive in sandwich buns made major news headlines last week. From TV to newspapers and the internet, word that Subway was adjusting its bread recipe was a a top story.
The additive being removed is a chemical called azodicarbonamide. Popular food blogger Vani Hari started a petition asking Subway to stop using the ingredient. The operator of FoodBabe.com said Subway uses azodicarbonamide in its bread “as a bleaching agent,” and noted that the chemical is also used to make yoga mats and shoe rubber, the Associated Press reported.
Subway claims the chemical was being phased out before the petition was launched, but hasn’t said when the change began or would be completed.
[/am4show]