I am left handed. I carry bags and babies on my right arm so my left hand is free to grab runaway children open doors. But! Businesses and doctors offices and post offices like to play tricks on unsuspecting lefties and unlock ONLY the right-hand door of a set of double doors. Why? WHHHYYY? This necessitates shifting the baby/diaper bag/purse combo to my left arm, all the while keeping track of the children orbiting around me. The children who aren't quite strong enough to open big doors yet because I like to run errands when at least ONE child is in school, preferably two. Every once in awhile I'll be prepared for this, as at church yesterday, where I reached for the right-hand door, and... it was locked. Just unlock both doors, people, as a Christmas present to me. I promise I will stay out of the way of the people exiting in the other direction.
We had corn pudding last night. This is the easiest corn pudding ever, from our local library cookbook. (Another business that unlocks only one door. *cough*)
Corn Pudding, adapted from library cookbook, and Leftover Corn Pudding Cakes
2 cans creamed corn (Creamed corn is dairy free.)
1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix (They sell Jiffy at Aldi now!)
1/2 cup Fleischmann's unsalted margarine, melted (Only the unsalted is dairy free. Go figure.)
I melt the margarine first in a 2-quart casserole dish, then mix in the rest of the ingredients to avoid dirtying a bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Now, here's my mother's brilliant invention. The next morning, shape the leftover pudding into little cakes and pan fry them in margarine. Serve them with warm maple syrup for breakfast. Mmmmm. read more..
Friday, 9 March 2012
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix-Corn Pudding
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Peanut Butter-Epinephrine-Cheerios
General Mills has come out with a new product you guys should be aware of:
Peanut Butter Multi-Grain Cheerios
I'm not sure what this means for other Cheerios products (e.g. not sure if these will run on a separate line), but be careful and read all labels on future Cheerios products, just to be safe.
What really is bothering me is that these look VERY similar to the regular Multi-Grain Cheerios. How's a little kid at daycare where Cheerios are the common currency going to know which ones are which (and which to avoid)?
So glad B isn't a fan of Cheerios! read more..
Bad air day? Here's how to survive
If you've ever seen a brown haze of pollution hanging over your city, most likely your response was, "Ugh. How can I avoid breathing that stuff?" But let's face it, even if you know it's a bad air day, you probably need to grab some sunshine, get in an outdoor run, or get to work. read more..
Vote for the Best Auto-Injector Case of 2012
How do you carry your epinephrine auto-injector? Do you strap it to your leg when you go for a run? Do you tuck it into your purse in a stylish pouch? Or do you wear it discretely under your clothes using a waist pack?
...Read Full Post read more..Organic Certifications-Certification Programs-Asthma Products-Green Products-Allergy Relief
In the industry that is allergy relief, just as with any market, there are a variety of products and providers available. One thing that manufacturers often do is proudly display any certifications they have attained for their products. But what do these seals and badges really mean or signify?Certifications can vary greatly across a wide spectrum. Some certifications come from large, non-profit organizations while others are literally run out someone's basement. This has been and continues to be a huge problem in the area of green products and environmentally friendly certification. As a new market, this space has seen a flood of certification programs that are little more than a money-grab.As any industry matures, the field of certifications offered, thins, and typically a select few will rise to the top of the certification list. In the case of green products, EnergyStar, LEED, and the new UL Environment certifications seem to have come out on top.For allergy and asthma products, which seals carry the most weight? Allergy & Asthma Frendly? AHAM? Organic certifications? The logos look great, but again, what do those seals measure and mean to you?Because seals and certifications are meant to inspire confidence as well as approval of a product, take the time to see what the ACTUAL standards are behind any seal or certification. If you cannot find the standards, criteria or testing guidelines, this can signal serious credibility issues with the seal.Seal or certification programs help to provide a much needed baseline when measuring and comparing similar products or services against each other. However, they are just one factor, in a list of many, that you should consider when making an informed decision about any product or service that concerns your health. read more..
Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners-Electrolux Ergorapido-Vacuum Attachments-Upright Vacuum
For decades, Electrolux has been a brand associated with caring for your carpet, and as technology and needs evolve, so too do the Electrolux vacuum cleaners available to you. We've recently added two new Electrolux models, each with unique features and suited for cleaning different areas of your home.When it comes to living in an apartment, having kids or pets buzzing around the house, there are bound to be spills. For sucking up the Cheerios that Jr. spilled or dirt that Max just tracked in on the kitchen floor, it can sometimes be a hassle to pull out the full size vacuum. This is where the Electrolux Ergorapido comes in handy.The Ergorapido is a compact stick vacuum that doubles as a handheld vac. While this lightweight sidekick isn't as powerful as a full size vac, it makes up for that with convenience and versatility. With no bags to replace, no cords to rewind, and about twenty minutes of run time, the Ergorapido is ideal for quick spills and tidying up when time is at a premium. It's also ideal for bachelors who, let's face it, generally aren't prone to bouts of deep cleaning.The second new model in our Electrolux offering is the Electrolux Nimble. As a full size upright vacuum, the Nimble features HEPA filtration, cyclonic suction and maneuverability that blends the Dyson Ball with the Miele Swivel Neck designs.A brushroll control switch allows you to quickly transition from carpet to smooth flooring, and a sealed system ensures no air leakage. So instead of kicking up allergens, you actually remove them. The included 3-in-1 Versa-tool is a unique add-on unlike most other vacuum attachments available. Designed for several purposes, this one tool makes cleaning carpeted steps or crevices easier. Like the ErgoRapido, the Nimble is well-priced to fit nearly any budget.So for quick spills, smaller living spaces or as an additional tool in your cleaning arsenal, the ErgoRapido is a great fit. And for full size and more powerful cleaning throughout the home, the Nimble is a vacuum worth checking out. read more..
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
International Food Allergy-Food Allergens-Food Allergies
The 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting is wrapping up in Orlando Florida. The conference, scheduled from March 2-6 this year, brings together more than 6,500 allergists, immunologists, related physicians, other health professionals and industry representatives to discuss new research and other developments in allergy, asthma and immunologic diseases. Over the coming days and weeks, I'll be reporting on some of the food allergy information coming out of the conference. In the meantime, if you want to see what's happening, check out MedPage's Facebook page for live streaming of the meeting or follow #aaaai on Twitter for updates. Allergy Notes supplies a very helpful list of specific allergists using Twitter to provide updates during the conference. Follow any of them for the latest info.
Here's a copy of the final conference schedule. Yes, it's 170 pages, but look at this small sampling of food allergy presentations:
- Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergens by Dr. Wesley Burks
- Challenges of Managing Multiple Food Allergies, Dr. Julie Wang and Dr. Michael C. Young
- Food-Dependent Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis with Dr. Anna M. Feldweg and Dr. Kirsi M. Jarvinen-Seppo
- Common Dilemmas in Caring for Children with FoodAllergies- Teri Holbrook, CRNP and Kim E. Mudd, RN MSN CCRP
- Food Allergy I–Diagnosis and Treatment
- Food Allergy Related Issues/Immune Skin Disease
- Dissecting Mechanisms of Oral Tolerance in Food Allergy moderated by Dr. Wayne G. Shreffler
- Induction of Tolerance with Baked Milk: Potential Mechanisms with Dr. Jennifer S. Kim
- Don’t Cross Me! Guiding Patients with Food Allergy Regarding Cross Contact, Ingredient Allergenicity and Precautionary Labeling, moderated by Dr. Stephen L. Taylor, and G. Lynn Christie, MS RD
Sublingual Immunotherapy-Allergic Reactions-Allergic Asthma-Food Allergies-Peanut Allergy
This summary was compiled from the tweets posted by @MatthewBowdish, an allergist/immunologist, who attended the 2012 Western Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (WSAAI) meeting. The tweets were labeled #WSAAI. The text was edited and modified by me.
Dr. Scott Sicherer discussed Future Treatments of Food Allergy:
Current management of food allergy includes avoidance only if proven food allergen, nutritionist counseling, growth monitoring, and EpiPen for anaphylaxis.
Anti-IgE (omalizumab) treatment can raise thresholds for food allergic reactions in most patients. However, 25% of patients do not respond.
Chinese medicine formula FAHF-2
Traditional Chinese medicine formula FAHF-2 stops peanut-induced anaphylaxis in mice, and human trials are currently underway at Mount Sinai medical center.
Immunotherapy for peanut: previous injection IT worked but there were a lot of reactions. Now efforts are directed toward oral or sublingual immunotherapy. Allergists are also looking at rectal administration of attenuated peanut allergen.
Oral immunotherapy for food allergy reduces basophil activation but it doesn't promote tolerance (it is more like desensitization).
Reactions to the maintenance dosing of food oral IT were associated with exercise, viral illness and menstruation.
Patients on SLIT for peanut could take more peanut than oral IT with associated immunologic changes concurrent with desensitization. In general, SLIT was not as good as OIT.
OIT is not a cure for food allergy, but quite possibly a treatment.
Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT), using skin to promote tolerance, showed increased peanut cumulative dose from 1.8 ml to 26 ml. However, EPIT is based on a limited number of subjects.
70% of children who are allergic to egg or milk can tolerate extensively heated forms of the protein (e.g. cookies, cake).
Prevention of food allergy and atopy through diet
With prevention of food allergy through diet, one must look at sensitization, inflammation and allergic disease. There a difference in preventing allergic disease or delaying disease.
Breast feeding is good for everyone, especially when given exclusively for 4-6 months.
Having fish in maternal diet was protective against development of eczema (probably mediated through synthesis of PGE2).
Delaying introduction of solids is unlikely to be helpful in prevention of atopy. On the contrary, earlier introduction of solid food is now thought to be more protective. Late introduction of wheat, egg, milk, etc. were all assoc with increased risk of atopy. Allergists are awaiting Learning About Early Intro ("LEAN") study results for more evidence-based answers.
There is no evidence for restricting maternal diet while breast feeding. Soy formula selection doesn't protect against atopic disease.
There are some additional benefit for use of extensively hydrolyzed formula vs. partial one, but the number needed to treat (NNT) is high.
Risk factors for peanut allergy include soy consumption as infant, eczema, and use of topical ointments with peanut oil.
More peanut in environment (especially “messy” snacks like peanut butter) can cause more peanut allergy but ingestion of peanut is less likely to be associated with peanut allergy (i.e., early oral intake is good, but skin exposure is bad).
Sibling risk of peanut allergy is about 7%. Should we test siblings before introducing peanut?
8 foods cause 90% of food allergies (click to enlarge the image). The likelihood of a negative oral food challenge is shown in relation to the respective values of skin prick test (SPT) and serum IgE (sIgE):
The jury is still out on the use of probiotics for treatment of atopy but they may be helpful in prevention (but there is no good evidence). It is well established that there are more bacterial cells in your body than the total number of your own cells.
read more..
The Emergency Room-Graham
Two weeks ago tomorrow, I was changing 14 month-old Graham on our very high bed, and I turned to grab the wipes. He fell off the bed, hitting his head on the nightstand on the way down. I picked him up and he looked fine, until he turned his head. On his beautiful, perfect forehead was a 1-inch gash, pushed in, with blood streaming down his face. "Out is good, in is bad," I remembered a nurse told us once regarding head injuries. "SCOTTTT!" Scott was bathing the two middles but came running. "I'M TAKING HIM TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!" I yelled. Scott got my keys, an extra diaper, my purse, made me take a few deep breaths, and let me go.
I burst through the emergency room doors and ran over to the nurses station, with both of us crying. The nurses quickly... turned their heads with no visible change of expression or large body movements, then... turned back to what they were doing. ER has a lot to answer for regarding my emergency room expectations.
I ran over to the admission desk where the grandmotherly lady there said, "OH! This baby needs to be triaged!" Thank you. A little companionable panic is all I ask. She sent me right into the triage room.
After a few minutes of crying and rocking Graham, a nurse came in. "Let's see, you hurt your head, and Mommy is very upset. Let's just cover that with gauze so it doesn't upset Mommy so much." Oh please, you think covering his gaping head wound with a bit of gauze is going to--oh, that is much better.
The nurse took our information then sent us back to register while they prepared a room. After registering with the nice, grandmotherly lady who calmed me down a bit, we were sent to our little cubicle.
We waited and I cried and nursed and cried and rocked and wished I could have that moment back to do over again. Another nurse came in saying she would be taking care of us. "So, I hear you hit your head and your Mommy is very upset!"
Okay. Now, I wasn't tearing my hair out and rending my garments, I was just silently crying. I'm sure they see everything in the ER, but... isn't it more unusual if the parent isn't upset? (My friend who works in the hospital proper: "Yes. That's when we call CYS.") Yet apparently the news of hysterical mommy with baby had already made the rounds. Awesome.
She put some sort of numbing agent on Graham's head and he was able to fall asleep. The doctor came in and looked at the cut and said he needed stitches. He didn't say anything about checking for concussion, so I asked if we should be worried about that because of the height of the fall and force of the hit. Doctor: "OK, we'll order a CT scan." Dude! I just wanted you to check his pupils or something. But now I feel like I can't refuse. That bill is going to be fun.
He slept through the CT scan, and then we went back to our little room to wait for the doctor. And I tried to be rational about why I was so upset. I've been here with my other children for injuries and life-threatening allergic reactions for pete's sake. Why was I coming unglued? Yes, he's the baby, but I think there's more to it. For me it goes back to how his birth story almost had an unthinkable ending. And it's not just me who thinks so My OB often sees my parents at various social events, and he always asks them about the baby first, my parents always thank him, and he always says, "It wasn't me. It was God." He talks about his concern and how he went into the next room to pray before delivering Graham and how never in his career had he seen anything quite like that. Graham is our miracle baby, and I SCARRED HIM FOR LIFE.
When it was time to do the stitches, the nurse explained the procedure and then told, did not ask, me that I was going to wait in the waiting room. I didn't argue. Sitting waiting for Graham while I listened to him scream was terrible. Just awful. Then the nurse came through the door carrying him and said, "He needs you." Wow. If read more..