Book Review! The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire...

So since my last miscarriage (brief moment of sadness allowed), I have checked out several books from the library concerning autoimmune disorders, purchased one that no library owned (to fulfill my need to sometimes highlight things), and done a fair bit of Internet research. I've also revisited two out of the 18 doctors on my Doctor Rundown List.

One of the books is The Autoimmune Epidemic: Bodies Gone Haywire in a World Out of Balance--and the Cutting-Edge Science That Promises Hope by Donna Jackson Nakazawa.

The gist of this book is that our autoimmune problems can basically be traced to the recent preponderance of chemicals, irritants, and pollutants we're exposed to on a daily basis. Early on, Nakazawa presents a snapshot of a middle-class mom cooking and running errands. Along the way, she uses a Teflon-covered pan, food from bottles and cans laced with BPA, sleeps on a mattress doused with flame retardant, walks on carpet lightly covered with stain-resisting-chemicals...you get the idea: "...over the past five years, they have begun studying pollution in people, and the findings are causing many researchers to reevaluate their assumptions about how successfully our bodies interface with the chemical-laden world in which we live..."

Some highlights:

In a 2003 study from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NYC: "each volunteer carried an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals."

In a 2004 CDC study which tested blood and urine: "Researchers working through two major laboratories found an alarming cocktail of 287 industrial chemicals and pollutants in the fetal cord blood of ten newborn infants from around the country, in samples taken by the American Red Cross. These chemicals included pesticides, phthalates, dioxins, flame retardants, and break-down chemicals of Teflon, among other chemicals known to damage the immune system. Shortly after, investigators in the Netherlands turned up similar findings: they discovered an array of chemicals commonly found in household cleaners, cosmetics, and furniture in the cord blood of thirty newborns."

And as far as my thyroid goes: "Researchers now understand that a wide array of  environmental chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors, affecting us at much lower doses than scientists previously thought possible." Oops. This is why I despise it when people say that something is in 'too small' a dose to cause harm. I don't think we're f***ing sure what dose will or won't cause harm.

A Dr. Gerard Mullin is quoted as saying: "'Drugs alone no longer suffice as quality care...we know so much about the potential for special diets and supplementation to help modulate autoimmune disease and we have to help patients reap those benefits." Emphasis mine because I love these words.

And of course, in addition to chemicals and crap from the inanimate objects around us, what about what we're actually ingesting? Nakazawa mentions that too: "We've gone from a whole-foods diet--one in which we digested whole grains, fruits, vegetables, poultry, and livestock produced locally or on our own land--to a processed-food diet. This processed-food diet often consists of highly preserved bread products, doughnuts, prepackaged coffee cakes, and cereals laden with sugar for breakfast...what fresh foods we do consume...are sprayed liberally with pesticides and fungicides."

I wrote down some of the specific plastics and chemicals mentioned, but quickly became overwhelmed by acronyms: PFOA, PBDE,PCBs?

Admittedly, I need to reread* this book because I missed the 'promises' of hope part promised in the title. What I came away with is a) slight depression, b) the desire to grow my own food and build my own chemical-free house, and c) the understanding that (in many cases) we're screwing ourselves with our own technological advances. I don't know how to avoid these chemicals. They're on the couch I'm sitting on, covering my mattress, and have infiltrated my food either through packaging (plastic) or pesticides. Happily, I did find some PFOA-free pans at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. Maybe the tide is turning!

While this book is a good read from a causal standpoint, I'm beginning to think I wasn't mentally prepared for the overwhelming reality of the situation...

*Footnote: I will update when I've reread and can elaborate on the hope part!

More Evidence That Auto-Immune Diseases Suck

One of the scariest things that I have been pondering lately is that my lovely envoy of doctors won't be able to find anything wrong, won't be able to pinpoint a cause for miscarriage. Remember how my Curly Haired Lady Doctor admitted that it is a possibility that my auto-immune problems* could be a cause, but that there was a) no way to tell if that was the case and b) no way to treat it? It's true. The bad news is that if you have thyroid antibodies, you're more likely to miscarry.

Stethoscope on Book by Gualberto107; freedigitalphotos.net

I recently found a site called Hypothyroid Mom! Posted there they have a series of articles. The one that sticks out to me is a post by another hypothyroid Mom (well, duh, I guess) who blames hypothyroidism for her miscarriage--Have You Suffered A Miscarriage? Your Thyroid Could Be To Blame. In the author's story, her doctors reassured her that there were no links between hypothyroidism and miscarriage (wrong!) and didn't adequately check and treat her hypothyroidism.

More evidence that hypothyroidism and thyroid antibodies could be to blame:

"The results showed that compared to normal pregnancy or spontaneous abortion, recurrent miscarriage was associated with a significant increase in the number of CD5+/20+ positive cells ...These women were also found to have a higher incidence of thyroid antibodies, with four out of the 11 patients being positive for thyroid microsomal antibodies. These results suggest that there may be an association between autoimmunity and recurrent miscarriage."

Another study found a "clear association between the presence of thyroid antibodies and miscarriage was found...This association may be explained by a heightened autoimmune state affecting the fetal allograft, of which thyroid antibodies are just a marker."

And here: "In the case of infertility, although the clinical relevance of TAI [thyroid auto-immunity] is somewhat controversial, when all available information is considered the results strongly suggest that when infertility is due to well-defined female causes, autoimmunity is involved and TAI constitutes a useful marker of the underlying immune abnormality, independently of thyroid function disorders. In the case of pregnancy loss, the vast majority of available studies clearly establish that TAI (even with no overt thyroid dysfunction) is associated with a significant increase in miscarriage risk."

Oh, joy! This study found that: "Thyroid dysfunction has been related to obstetrical complications such as premature delivery, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and placental abruption."

Although maternal thyroid antibodies have been associated with pregnancy loss, universal screening and possible treatment with exogenous T4 cannot be recommended because evidence is insufficient that such treatment lowers miscarriage rates. - See more at: http://www.jwatch.org/wh201208300000001/2012/08/30/management-thyroid-disease-during-and-after#sthash.LElk1di1.dpuf

Although maternal thyroid antibodies have been associated with pregnancy loss, universal screening and possible treatment with exogenous T4 cannot be recommended because evidence is insufficient that such treatment lowers miscarriage rates. - See more at: http://www.jwatch.org/wh201208300000001/2012/08/30/management-thyroid-disease-during-and-after#sthash.LElk1di1.dpuf

Although maternal thyroid antibodies have been associated with pregnancy loss, universal screening and possible treatment with exogenous T4 cannot be recommended because evidence is insufficient that such treatment lowers miscarriage rates. - See more at: http://www.jwatch.org/wh201208300000001/2012/08/30/management-thyroid-disease-during-and-after#sthash.LElk1di1.dpuf

Although maternal thyroid antibodies have been associated with pregnancy loss, universal screening and possible treatment with exogenous T4 cannot be recommended because evidence is insufficient that such treatment lowers miscarriage rates. - See more at: http://www.jwatch.org/wh201208300000001/2012/08/30/management-thyroid-disease-during-and-after#sthash.LElk1di1.dpuf

Although maternal thyroid antibodies have been associated with pregnancy loss, universal screening and possible treatment with exogenous T4 cannot be recommended because evidence is insufficient that such treatment lowers miscarriage rates. - See more at: http://www.jwatch.org/wh201208300000001/2012/08/30/management-thyroid-disease-during-and-after#sthash.LElk1di1.dpuf

More on placental abruption: "Antithyroid peroxidase antibodies are...associated with a threefold increase in the rate of placental abruption. However, this increase in placental abruption does not currently warrant routine antithyroid antibody screening during pregnancy."

The good news is that there is some evidence that treating a woman who is positive for thyroid antibodies with artificial thyroid hormones can decrease the risk of miscarriage:

"The study clearly showed the benefits of levothyroxine administration in pregnant women with AITD [auto-immune thyroid disease] not only to correct maternal thyroid function but also to reduce markedly the rate of undesired obstetrical events and lower their prevalence down to that found in healthy controls. There is no reason to believe that levothyroxine administration played a role in altering underlying autoimmunity."

But apparently not enough evidence:

Like here: "Although maternal thyroid antibodies have been associated with pregnancy loss, universal screening and possible treatment with exogenous T4 cannot be recommended because evidence is insufficient that such treatment lowers miscarriage rates."

So, as I stare down another month of various tests, part of me hopes that there is something else 'wrong' besides my auto-immunity. Something more 'fixable', more 'understood' by the medical community. Whatever the case, it's out of my control and, well, "He's got the whole world in his hands...", so I might as well relax. Or at least try. :)

*I've helpfully (sarcasm intended) hyper-linked lots of terms in this post because I've been writing for so long about various issues, I think some people who are currently reading might not know what I've been through or even what an auto-immune disease is. The Internet to the rescue!

Miscarriage Recovery!

Check out my latest post over at Rocky Parenting!

The Encouragement of My Peers; Part 3

So, the incredibly uplifting side of having miscarriages is that it's time like these I am reminded of how loved I am. Let me show you pictorial proof: 

Flowers From Dad Q

I haven't taken pictures of all the edible love I've received. Dad Q bought me the best box of chocolates ever, a Toblerone, Andes mints, IntaJuice, and gluten-free take-out pizza. I have been showered in indulgence. One of my bestest friends mailed these beauties:

Godiva Truffles!

My kids were around right after the ultrasound in which I found out I'd be having another miscarriage. It was particularly sad because, though it's possible to hold things together emotionally for me initially, it is impossible to hold it together when someone I trust is around. As soon as I saw Dad Q I burst into tears.

Girl Q: "Why are you crying? Are you sad?!"

Me: "Yes! Kind of, yes!"

Girl Q: "Oh. Don't worry. We'll go home and I'll make you happy."

Me: "Okay!"

Girl Q: "I can make you a painting to make you happy."

Me: "I would love that!"

And later:

Boy Q: "Did the Doctor hurt you?"

Me: "No..."

Boy Q: "So, did you get a shot?"

Me: "No, no, nothing like that."

Boy Q: "So the doctor did hurt you."

Me: "No, Boy Q, I found out that there was a baby in me but it's heart stopped beating."

Boy Q: "Oh. So it's dead, huh?"

Me: "Yeah..."

Boy Q: "And that makes your tummy hurt?"

Me: "It makes my heart hurt."

Precious Q Kids. These are my Happy Paintings from Girl Q: 

Happy Paintings by Miniature Bob Ross

Every time she would bring me one, I'm not going to lie, it did make me happy. Most of them are flowers, but there's a sparkly greenish one near the middle that is a Christmas Tree.

There are many things I don't have pictures of. I don't have pictures of how often my parents checked in on me. I don't have a picture of how my in-laws drove a total of four hours just so Dad Q and I could go to the doctor together. I don't have a picture of the cousin who willingly watched our kids so we could figure stuff out and who (I'm still bowled over by this...) offered to drive here, take our children away, and then bring them back when it was appropriate! So many people have reached out and comforted us.

Today I worked at our small-town library and I had the pleasure of working with a woman who--wait for it!--has had three miscarriages, Lupus, several auto-immune conditions, and has lost a baby. I may have hugged her one too many times. It was a God Thing--a beautifully timed, much-needed, God Thing. 

For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.  

Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
    because of the greatness of his unfailing love.

For he does not enjoy hurting people
    or causing them sorrow.

Lamentations 3:31-33

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us."

2 Corinthians 1:4-7

My perfect box of chocolates:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Russell-Stover-Assorted-Creams-Fine-Chocolates-12-Oz/10533851

What The Doctor Doesn't Know; Part 2 (or Percocet Makes Me Dizzy!)

I'm not going to bore you with options for miscarrying. In the past, I have done it at home. This time around I recognized that a) my husband would be leaving town soon and b) I couldn't safely do it at home, with two kids, on Percocet, alone. So I opted to have an iPass. This is also known as a D&C, which is, crudely,  just sucking the tissue out. It takes ten minutes and then you recuperate for another couple weeks.

"Embryonic Development" by Dream Designs; freedigitalphotos.net

Humorously, as I was laying uncomfortably on the table, the Doc and her assistant realized they didn't have all the materials needed for a D&C. As their office is primarily focused on getting women pregnant, I'm not sure they do D&Cs all that often. They could get the right materials but it would take an hour. This is how I found myself choosing instead to take a horrible miscarriage-inducing pill that must be taken with great amounts of pain killers. This is also how, at this very moment, I am typing a blog spot while on Percocet! That's a first.

"Wooden Spoon with Pills" by nuchylee; freedigitalphotos.net

Some of you might be curious, as I am, what the Doctors are saying about what could be causing my miscarriages.

Let me transcribe the questions I have asked (with some embellishment) along with the Doc's answers:

Thyroid Hormone Levels:

Could my TSH levels be going above 2.5 (it's recommended that pregnant women be below 2.5 for baby-making and growing; TSH needs rise in pregnancy and therefore medication has to be increased) and could that rise be contributing to fetal demise? Yes.

Should I be raising my thyroid medication by more when I get pregnant? Maybe. There's no way to tell.

Auto-Immune Problems:

Could my thyroid auto-antibodies and the other auto-antibodies I have be attacking my embryos and killing them? Yes.

Is there any way to tell if this is happening? No.

Is there any way to stop it if my body is attacking? No. Trials have been done giving pregnant women with auto-immune diseases immune-system suppressive drugs and it is more dangerous for mom and baby.

So my body's immune system is SO "GOOD", it's attacking my healthy tissue as well as my little Q Beans?! Could be.

Scar Tissue:

Could there be scar tissue from my C-section interfering with baby-growing? Probably not.

Could there be scar tissue from previous miscarriages interfering with baby-growing? Maybe.

Miscellaneous:

Could I be ovulating too close to my period so that the lining of my uterus isn't thick and lucious enough for a little baby to grow in? Yes.

Could there be a genetic predisposition to chromosome problems with Dad Q and I? Yes. You just have two normal kids because it was luck. Statistically they should be mutants.

To sum up, it could be many things. Some of those things are quantifiable and testable and many are not. The "problem", as my Curly-Haired Doc said, is that with recurrent miscarriage it's just plain hard to tell. This is one of those doctor games where we will rule out things and then look at what's left over.

The Advanced Maternal Medicine office was all set to run some other tests on me--the saline ultrasound (which would reveal any obstructions like polyps, cysts, scar tissue, etc.), some gene karyotyping, etc. but then we got pregnant. My current instructions are these: Miscarry. Don't get pregnant. Do diagnostic tests. Check!

There's one positive thing I can say about Percocet. Despite the nausea, I'm finding myself to be very apathetic. I'm a fan. :)

The TragiComedy of My Life, Part 1

"Uterus" by cbenjasuwan

Last week I found out I'm going to have another miscarriage. This brings the tally up to a chemical pregnancy, a miscarriage at eight weeks, a missed miscarriage, and now another at eight weeks. Exactly one year ago on the same day, I found out the same exact thing. Halloween has become kind of a drag for me.


We weren't even trying to get pregnant this time; it was just fortuitous. I am lucky in that I don't have trouble getting pregnant. I am terrifically unlucky in that, aside from my two healthy children, I can't seem to have another.

Our experience this time around has been tinged with apprehension and anxiety. I found a doctor at the Advanced Maternal Medicine* office whom I like very much. Mostly this is because she has personally had miscarriages but also because she is very pragmatic. She also has jealousy-inducing curly hair.

At our first two appointments, she matter-of-factly gave us the good news that she could see the heartbeat, thumping merrily along. At the third, she matter-of-factly told me she couldn't see one. Later she hugged me and told me I didn't have to tell her it was "okay". She is one of the good docs who will take the time to answer my questions.

For the last year we've been trying to have another baby.

These are the moments I can't forget: 

• Wondering if all the other women in the waiting room feel like I do.

• Getting blood drawn again and again and again...sometimes to confirm I'm pregnant and sometimes to confirm I'm not.

• Standing in the shower, watching blood go down the drain like my own personal horror movie.

• Staring at the ample supply of condoms (for intrauterine ultrasounds) and glowing sanitizing instruments in the ultrasound room.

• Looking at the kids I do have and wondering how I missed what a miracle it is that they're here.

• Explaining to my kids why I'm crying.  

• Making a mental list of people I know who have endured losses and have survived.

•  Realizing that a) there's nothing I can do to change anything and b) there's really not much the doctors can do either. 

• The Piece de Resistance? Dad Q and I went out to eat last night to discuss some tough choices and initially we were seated alone. "Triumph!" I thought. "Privacy!" Alas. A group with a PREGNANT LADY was seated right next to us. God had given me no warning for the test I was about to endure. (See: Pregnant Women Are Smug.) Conversation topics covered, in no particular order: morning sickness, general nausea, food cravings, paternity leave (seriously?), maternity clothes, newborn clothes, and obstetricians. I understand that I'm being selfish but I really wanted to punch her. She's allowed to be overjoyed. I'm allowed to be bitter. :) I was there to prepare for a miscarriage and she was there to share news of her pregnancy. What are the f***ing odds? Thankfully I was able to text a friend who understood my situation and totally understood my inclination towards violence. Somehow having someone support you in sucker punching a pregnant woman totally alleviates the need to do so.

An Otherwise Update:

No Big D, not really. I have been drinking coffee lately (I know I shouldn't, but some good news--see here) and sometimes it actually helps with Big D. I don't get it. I don't care. :)

My thyroid medicine is still on the highest dose to keep my levels in a good place to get pregnant. I might have to re-evaluate--meet up with the Reproductive Endocrinologist and just try to wean off medicine now instead of 'waiting' forever to have another kid.

I need to sleep more.

I have been doing horribly with diet stuff. Mostly because over the last year I feel beat down and hopelessness has crept in. If, when I was sticking to organic fruits and veggies and doing everything right I still have a miscarriage, then what's the point?I know that isn't logical. After all, things like good habits, hygiene, and good nutrition are really their own reward. It was much easier to eat well when I thought I was helping prepare my body to sustain another pregnancy. Now I struggle with finding the point. I'll get there, I just need some time. It's time to feed myself and my family well and live well just for nutrition's sake.

The Good? We love where we live. I'm starting to be a Librarian again. I have an awesome family. We bought a puppy. We have everything we need and more. We are surrounded by people who care for us deeply and that's worth more than words can say. You know who you are. :) Plus my husband buys me chocolate and flowers to console me. It could be worse.

Coming Up: What The Doctor Doesn't Know; Part 2 and The Encouragement of My Peers; Part 3.

*I would love to go back to the Cool Acupuncture Guy, but insurance doesn't cover him. So if every appointment is around $200 and I have to see him more than once a month...well, I'm not good at math but it doesn't bode well for our budget. 

How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick In America

I haven't posted in awhile, but I promise real updates are forthcoming! For now, a review.

I read a book a few months ago and forgot to post a review of it! Dr. Otis Webb Brawley "is the chief medical and scientific officer of The American Cancer Society, an oncologist with a dazzling clinical, research, and policy career."

Here's part of the book description from Amazon: "Brawley tells of doctors who select treatment based on payment they will receive, rather than on demonstrated scientific results; hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that seek out patients to treat even if they are not actually ill (but as long as their insurance will pay); a public primed to swallow the latest pill, no matter the cost; and rising healthcare costs for unnecessary—and often unproven—treatments that we all pay for. Brawley calls for rational healthcare, healthcare drawn from results-based, scientifically justifiable treatments, and not just the peddling of hot new drugs."


It's full of individual patient stories and snapshots that help Dr. Brawley make his points, which makes it easy to read.

Favorite quotes: 

In regards to a woman who was told that, in addition to other treatments, a bone marrow transplant would eradicate her cancer but then found out later it was semi-experimental and did more harm than good:

"The problem is, we don't use our expensive drugs and technologies appropriately. Instead of using these interventions to benefit patients, we use them to maximize revenues, and often harm patients. If we could learn to practice medicine rationally, the money we would save would help us provide the most basic care for those who are now shut out of the system. Health care for the rich would benefit as well, because in medicine gluttony equals harm."

In regards to money as a medical motivator:

"Too often, helping the patient isn't the point. Economic incentives can dictate that the patient be ground up as expensively as possible with the goal of maximizing the cut of every practitioner who gets involved. When we, doctors, are at our best, we set aside our self-interest and put the patient's interest first. When we aren't at our best, the public pays more in fees, insurance premiums, taxes--and poor outcomes."

Without Permission, Life Slogs On...

After the last two years of horrible health crap and moving twice, I like to think things will start to settle down. ;) A fellow blogger offered up a pictorial update and I am following suit.

The Capital-C Calendar--preschool, doc's appointments, substituting at the local library (!), the hubby's schedule, etc.

Nutrition: 

• It's extremely hard to eat well when you're moving and resettling. It's been about five months and I am finally getting my 'kitchen legs' back and making an attempt to ensure we are getting our veggies. Let's not talk about the quality of our nutrition for the last five months....:/

My current produce-laden fridge. I'm optimistic.

•  My parents have come to visit our new home many times; my mom is obsessed with cheese and brought so much cheese last time that I was forced to eat some. I'm not sure if this is good or bad for me. At the very least, it's not been horrible for me. She also brings along some stupendous gluten-free bread made in South Dakota.

Health:

• The newest member of the Quinby family, our puppy, is still fighting ringworm. But our house seems to be fungus-free!

An anti-fungal arsenal. Three kinds of bathing products for puppy, Lysol and bleach for disinfecting, anti-bacterial spray because he keeps causing infections on himself, and, oh yeah, anti-fungal cream/spray.

•  The kids and I have developed some sort of allergy-induced cold. This makes me ANGRY. :)

• I have been running myself ragged. Don't get me wrong, we rest, but it's got to get done. De-fungify the house (and pets, and clothes, and kennel....), feed the children, paint the house, move us in, organize doctor's appointments, get Boy Q into preschool, etc. etc. This is the life of a stay-at-home parent, indeed. Photographic evidence of some time-suckers:

Evidence of our ever-growing To Do List. Seen here are a discarded bathroom vanity, new bathroom lights, a new bathroom vanity, paint for so many things, a bike that will likely take two years to re-hang somewhere, and post-hole diggers and concrete tubes to anchor our shed to the ground. So it doesn't blow away. !

My first experience ripping out and replacing some nasty bathroom drywall. Texturing and painting are next.

Repainting all the kitchen cupboards and adding hardware.

Painting the shed.

 Mental Health: 

• Our new home is beautiful. There are tiny blue birds that flit around outside. Entire days go by when I don't see other people. Hard work ends up being it's own reward.

• Sometimes I feel like I'm living a life other than my own; mostly this is because I thought we'd have a third kiddo by now and, in lieu of this, I am trying to focus on our kids and on getting some paid work coming my way. It feels forced, I guess, like I'm trying to do what I know I should be doing. My heart isn't in it. 

• I don't know what to do about having another baby. I don't know if we should try again. I don't know if we should get rid of our baby stuff yet or wait. I desperately want to get rid of it out of spite but then I think how frustrated I would be (and how much money I would spend to replace it all...) if we do have another baby. 

A mountain of baby and toddler clothes.

She's Gonna Be The Death of Me: A Note About Fevers

Re-posted from my other blog, Boy Q and Girl Q.

I have never worried about someone as much as I have worried about Girl Q.

Let's take a refresher course. There was the time she:

• Almost died in utero,
• Was born with "super scary" (read, not scary at all) sacral dimples, 
• Fell down a flight of 15 stairs THREE times,
• Decided to be allergic to Amoxicillin,
• Had The Fever From Hell (FFH).

This past week Girl Q has had a fever that ranged from 99* (when on Tylenol or Ibuprofen) to 107* (when the drugs wore off). We alternated Ibuprofen and Tylenol about every four or five hours. Some peds recommend this and some don't--it worked for us.

Despite this high number, we were encouraged by the fact that she responded to medication, was eating and drinking normally, and was active when she felt well. She was sleeping quite a bit. When her fever spiked I stripped off her clothes and gave her cool baths.

The "I-Feel-Like-Crap" Face

In case you don't believe me about not freaking out about the 'number' of a fever and running to the ER, see here, here ("...How sick your child seems is more important than how high the fever is running."), and here. This last page from Washington Pediatric Associates in Missouri is my favorite because the side bar has a list of Myths and Facts about fevers:

• "MYTH: All fevers need to be treated with fever medicine.
• FACT: Fevers only need to be treated if they cause discomfort. Usually that’s fevers over 102 or 103 degrees F.

• MYTH: Without treatment, fevers will keep going higher.
• FACT: Wrong. Fevers from infection top out at 105 or 106 degrees F or lower, due to the brain’s thermostat.

• MYTH: With treatment, fevers should come down to normal.
• FACT: With treatment, fevers usually come down 2 or 3 degrees F.

• MYTH: Fevers cause brain damage or fevers over 104 degrees F are dangerous.
• FACT: Fevers with infections don’t cause brain damage. Only body temperatures over 108 degrees F can cause brain damage. Fevers only go this high with high environmental temperatures (e.g. confined to a closed car)."

And a new tidbit I learned--"Some parents may be aware of what are called febrile seizures...These result from an inherited genetic tendency present in about 5% of people. They are usually brief, almost never harmful, and contrary to what you would think, aggressive treatment of fever and infection has not been shown to prevent them."

On Day Three of The Fever From Hell, we took her to a pediatrician because the FFH was lasting longer than we were comfortable with. As we expected, the Kid Doc said that it was most likely a viral infection but that, since it's common in little girls, we should do a urine test for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

Unfortunately, bacterial cultures take time to grow. The rest of the week she continued to have a high fever that spiked at certain times and responded well to medication. 

On Day Six of the FFH, the Kid Doc called to say that in the teeny tiny drop of urine we were able to extract from our toddler, they had indeed found bacteria. Hallelujah! Antibiotics were started immediately. She had no burning when she went pee, no irritation on her Queen Victoria, and yet a UTI! The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse site says that: "Symptoms of a UTI range from slight burning with urination or unusual-smelling urine to severe pain and high fever. A child with a UTI may also have no symptoms." Good to know.

It is now Sunday, Day Eight, T-minus 36 hours after antibiotics and hefty helpings of cranberry juice chews were started. Girl Q's temperature is normal!

Parenting is hard and Praise. The. Lord. We're all celebrating:

A mid-morning Birthday/No Fever Cupcake.

They begged and begged. I finally gave in. Sometimes bad things are so good. :)

There were times in the past week when I wondered if we should be panicking and camping in the Emergency Room. There were times that I let other people's panic make me feel like a bad parent. In the end, I'm glad we kept it cool, stayed patient, and got things figured out.

Down the Rabbit Hole, Part II

In our last adventure, I wrote about how I a) had another miscarriage and b) was recommended to an Advanced Maternal-Fetal Medicine office.

After banishing my children from the waiting room, I took a seat in the completely rotund waiting room. I couldn't see anything from where I was sitting because of a huge pole going up to the ceiling. Nonetheless, I found great joy in passing the time by chatting with my fellow inmates and ridiculing the photos of Vogue. Facebookers have seen this one:

From Vogue. By Some Photographer, Not Me.

I was finally taken into the back by a lady Doc from Poland. She actually asked my opinion about a vaginal birth versus a Cesarean birth--she had a C-section because her baby was breech. We talked for a long time and then she excused herself to go talk to "the doctor." Gah! I feel like this Bait And Switch happens all the time in doctors offices.

When the real Doctor came, he turned out to be a pleasant Jewish dude.

http://www.jjudaica.com/dont-worry-be-jewish-smiley-face-kippa-yarmulke

The sum up: these doctors were kind of at a loss since I already have kids. It's almost like I don't really have a problem, excepting that apparently my body has newly declared a moratorium on carrying babies. They ruled out hormone imbalances as a cause because of, uh, regularity. Things worth checking included blood clotting disorders and the condition of my uterus (detected via ultrasound).

Jewish Doc was nice, if a little indirect. About everything. 

"Oh, well, I've had multiple ultrasounds recently." 

"This type of ultrasound is different than a normal ultrasound."

"So....how? Is it more invasive somehow?"

"Well, that's not for me to say. It's okay for you to say, but..."

"Okay, so what type of ultrasound is it?!"

"Well, we put a little bit of saline solution in to help us see if there is something preventing an embryo from implanting well, like a polyp or adhesion..."

"It doesn't sound too uncomfortable."

"I think they're all uncomfortable, so it's not for me to say..."

In the end, I was very nervous about the results of all these blood tests for no reason at all. They checked for anti-phospholipid antibodies, lupus anti-coagulant, beta-something, and apparently another test to check my fertility levels. All the clotting ones were NEGATIVO. Which is good...and also bad, because there's no answer to be found there. But mostly this is good news!

I had no knowledge they conducted any other tests, but when the nurse called me back she let me know that my eggs were plentiful and healthy:

"...so everything there was negative. We also drew an Anti-Mullerian test-"

"A what?! Malaria?"

"Oh, it doesn't have anything to do with Malaria. It's just a test to see the quality and quantity of your eggs. And yours is good!"

"Oh, great! What...I mean...what sort of units of measurements are we looking at here? What's bad and what's good?"

"Well, anything under a two is too low. We like to see it above that. You're at a 5.6, so that's just great."

"Oh! Fantastic!"

I still find this a weird factoid to know about myself. Do you know your egg health number?! Does the dude in your life know his sperm count?! In any case, now it is up to me to call these people back at my leisure and schedule an extra-uncomfortable, super-invasive ultrasound. I haven't done this yet because, if you couldn't tell, I'm not super excited about it.

Down the Rabbit Hole, Part I

It's drizzling at our new house while I write this post, which I suppose is fitting.

In toto, I have officially had three miscarriages in the past year. I only count one as being "real" because of how it impacted me emotionally. The first one was too early, the third didn't seem real (there wasn't a little baby developing), but the second one really felt like a Q Baby that didn't make it.

This last time around, we found out we were pregnant right as we were getting ready to sell our house, search for a new house, buy a new house, move into a new house, etc...needless to say, it was stressful. Even though it was joyous and exciting, it was also stressful. It's not surprising that I had another miscarriage.

After we got so darn excited last time around I was loathe to let myself get so happy this time. When I went in for the 8 week ultrasound, I wasn't surprised to hear that there basically wasn't a baby developing. Between the ultrasound and my miscarriage, about two weeks passed. I miscarried en force the very day we moved into our new house. Super bad timing!

If you're wondering how I'm doing, the answer is all right. I'm sad that we haven't been able to have more kids but I'm happy that we already have two kids. When I have to unpack a box that's filled with baby paraphernalia, I get overwhelmed by a sense of sadness. I indulge in it before just Moving On. It might seem trite, but I have a roof over my head, loving family, and food in my belly. "Quit yer bitchin'!" But I have relaxed some of my dietary constraints and started eating cheese again to console myself. Too much cheese is a definite no-no, but a little is just yummy. ;)

In any case, this is the point where doctors start to take you seriously. I visited with my Nurse Midwife Ann (who is a sweet, adorable woman who probably bakes cookies regularly).

http://woldfitness.com/2009/07/win-the-flat-stomach-battle/

It's very frustrating going to an OB office when you are in fact, miscarrying. There are pregnant women everywhere and everyone is sad for you. This was the basic gist of my convo with Ann: since it's happened three times, we can start looking at some possible issues that might be causing miscarriages: blood clotting disorders, chromosomal defects, hormones, etc. I feel compelled to add that, as we humans (*Shocker!*) don't know everything, it is a possibility that they won't find anything wrong and will officially be at a loss as to the cause of my miscarriages.

Even though the Maternal-Fetal Medicine folks usually see women after yet more sad stories, Ann was going to pull some strings and try to get me in to see them now. More on that appointment in my next blog post, though it is the office I wrote about here.

Lessons In Inappropriateness From Nicky

I visited an Advanced Reproductive Medicine office recently to figure out why I might be having miscarriages.

There was considerable debate in the Q. Household before the appointment about whether or not our kids would be welcome in the office. Never having visited such a place before, I wasn't sure whether or not this was truly a place where various reproductive issues were dealt with or whether it was primarily an infertility clinic. I have previously brought my children with me to almost every other type of doctor--endocrinologist, rheumatologist, dermatologist, family practice, urgent care, nurse midwives, etc.

We were planning on going somewhere else as a family after my appointment and, if DH could be present with the docs, the more the better. Logistically that meant our kids would be with us. (Other options included tricking the staff into watching them, leaving them in the car with the windows cracked, or dropping them off at various public places and hoping for the best.)

When we got to the office, we allowed Boy Q to go up with me. The waiting room was glass, plastic, and round. No toys, no other children, not even a Highlights magazine. To boot, the room was small with high ceilings. This = fantastic acoustics.

http://eucalyptusway.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-flash.html

As an office that probably has a great many couples coming through who desperately desire children, I see the logic in this. It's adding insult to injury if the waiting room is full of objects that remind them that they don't have children.

Imagine my great horror when I stepped in with a living, breathing child! The women who were already in the waiting room looked not at me, but at my son.

DH parked the car and then came up with our little bit of a daughter. A friendly fellow patient smiled at my kids longingly. I spoke to DH through a crack in the door, "There are no toys! Get them out of here!" He took them to play in the elevator.

Later, after chatting with some of the couples in the waiting room, one of the women said to me, "Was that your husband? You have a boy and a girl?" I nodded. "Your family is beautiful, just beautiful." 

The gift of that day, despite our struggles with having a third Q Kid, was seeing my family through a stranger's eyes.

Anecdotal Evidence, Or How This Cold Is Kicking My A**

Our family has been under an abnormal amount of stress lately--getting our stuff moved out, semi-cleaning our old house, getting moved in (kind of) to my in-laws house again, finding a new home...

The week before we moved, my daughter got a nasty cold. She was up all night coughing. Of course we noticed but there was so much hustle and bustle she probably didn't get as much coddling as she needed.

In any case, the insidious little virus worked its way into me this past week. I haven't really slept because I'm coughing so f***ing much that I literally. Cannot. Sleep. My Dear Husband has good-naturedly put up with my incessant nighttime coughing by not sleeping in the same room with me. :)

Today the Mighty Husband has fallen. He woke up, ambled toward me (in my quarantined sick-bed) in a zombie-like stupor, and said, "I coughed all night long. I get what you meant when you said you were so excited you could finally sleep."

Now it's 11 am and he's still sleeping.

What does this have to do with diet, you ask? For the last three weeks--since I packed up our dishes and basically stopped buying groceries--we've been eating crappy fast food, microwaved food, leftover food, roadkill, etc.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason this cold has hung on so long is because our bodies don't have the right nutritional tools to fight it off. Viva Vegetables! Maybe if I start cooking homemade meals again we'll conquer the beast...

http://www.pawannabe.com/2012/01/interview-redux-sick-again.html

Here Piggie....

I'm going to be honest. For someone that likes to eat fairly healthily...I really like lunch meat and salami. My dad's family is 100% German and they've always had a "healthy" obsession with cheese, Summer Sausage, and crackers.

Recently, the Interweb told me that this wasn't healthy at all, which isn't surprising but is still sad.

After I sobbed all over my plate of gluten-free crackers and salami, I decided to do some reading.

http://www.thefutureofhealthnow.com/new-study-links-processed-meat-and-cancer-risk/

Huff Post says: "The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine and conducted by researchers from the University of Zurich, shows an association between processed meat and higher risks of dying from heart disease and cancer...even after taking into account other factors, processed meat consumption was still shown to raise risk of dying from heart disease and cancer. Meanwhile, researchers did not find an association between poultry consumption and increased risk of premature death."

Eating processed meat also increases your risk of cancer and Type 2 diabetes: "...another study from Harvard researchers showed that regularly eating processed meat could actually affect your body's ability to use and produce insulin -- thereby raising risk of Type 2 diabetes."

As far as other variables factor in, The Star (Oh, Can-a-da!) mentions that "...eating a lot of processed meat and red meat were clear markers for a generally unhealthy lifestyle that included the consumption of fewer fruits and vegetables, more cigarettes and alcohol and less exercise."

Another cool point discovered: "Eating fruits and vegetables appeared to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease for people who ate a lot of processed meat, however. 'Fruit and vegetables might counteract, for example, some of the effects of some carcinogens as they are antioxidants or may act in other parts of the mechanism of carcinogens,' Rohrmann explained."

Here's what I'm wondering. Often times we get uncured Applegate Farms or Hormel Natural lunch meat, which doesn't have any chemical preservatives that I've found in other brands. I wonder if people who eat "less processed" (but still processed a little?) meat are still at such a high risk.

The Star answers this question too: "Deli meats are 400 times higher in sodium, which is used as a preservative and for taste, than in non-cured meats...In the short term, a high sodium diet raises blood pressure. In the long term is contributes to heart and blood vessel stiffness and kidney damage and increases our risk of heart disease and stroke...High sodium diets are linked to stomach cancer."

Further, "Labels on processed deli meat products may be misleading. A product may be labelled “natural” or “nitrate free” when it contains “cultured celery extract,” a form of sodium nitrate...processed varieties may contain additives, dyes and chemicals and may be composed of meat scraps, rather than higher quality cuts."

This pisses me off. I can guarantee that the lunch meat I have been buying is plastered with lovely, empty promises about being nitrate-free.

Grr.

"Not when DEATH is on the line!"

My friend and I have been talking about teeth lately. Trips to the dentist could go better. 

They Lady Dentist we go to is always quick to remind me we should be using fluoride toothpaste,  but I've heard that there's more than enough fluoride in our water already.

http://www.whale.to/d/fluoride.html

Fluoride Debate: Against!

Some background from an opinion piece:

"Fluoridation is a 1940's concept begun with the mistaken belief that one milligram fluoride ingested daily from one liter of water reduced children's tooth decay while teeth formed. Now children consume up to six times that amount of fluoride from water, food, beverages, and dental products negating the need for water fluoridation and putting Americans at unnecessary risk of fluoride's adverse effects and overdoses. Further, swallowing fluoride doesn't stop cavities. Fluoride hardens outer tooth enamel topically, not systemically, according to the CDC."

From a study by the Center for Endemic Disease Control in China:

"The ratio of osteoprotegerin ligand (OPGL) to osteoprotegerin (OPG) determines the delicate balance between bone resorption and synthesis...The results indicated that OPG and OPGL may play important roles in skeletal fluorosis, and that fluoride may enhance osteoclast formation and induce osteoclastic bone destruction."

Apparently fluorosis is this:

http://blog.listentoyourgut.com/why-you-should-avoid-fluoride/

This study purports that the fluoride in toothpaste can't even be digested or absorbed by our bodies:

"Currently, diet and fluoride toothpastes are the main sources of fluoride to children at the age-risk for fluorosis development. However, when estimating the risk of fluorosis from toothpaste inadvertently ingested, it has not been considered the systemic fluoride bioavailability."

This one seems strange to me because if ingested fluoride isn't bio-available, why the heck is it in our water at all? 

Fluoride Debate: For! Kind Of.

Cancer.gov admits there has been ample speculation about the link between fluoride and cancer:

"A possible relationship between fluoridated water and cancer risk has been debated for years. The debate resurfaced in 1990 when a study by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, showed an increased number of osteosarcomas (bone tumors) in male rats given water high in fluoride for 2 years...However, other studies in humans and in animals have not shown an association between fluoridated water and cancer."

Honestly, so far, this article from Science Daily is the only one that is reassuring to me:

"Fluoride is known to help prevent dental cavities, but long-term ingestion of excessive amounts could cause bone problems. The average person ingests a very safe amount, 2 to 3 milligrams, daily through fluoridated drinking water, toothpaste and food. It would take ingesting about 20 milligrams a day over 10 or more years before posing a significant risk to bone health."

Good ol' Dr. Weil (whom I like quite a bit) isn't worried a bit:

"High amounts of fluoride over several years can cause brittle bones, but this is extremely rare. Fluoride is toxic in very large quantities and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms and sometimes even death. But you'd have to ingest about 20,000 times more fluoride than what's in an 8-ounce glass of fluoridated water to see such an effect. On the other hand, I believe the evidence is overwhelming that fluoride builds and maintains strong, cavity-free teeth. The addition of this mineral to most public water supplies is credited with preventing tooth decay between 40 and 60 percent in both children and adults who live in fluoridated communities."

Fluoride Debate: Hurts Your Thyroid?

On About.com, Dr. David Derry mentions that "...what is important is fluoride is in the same chemical family as iodine and can replace iodine in the body if the iodine is deficient." Lest we forget, your thyroid needs iodine to make thyroid hormones, so if fluoride is taking iodine's place, your thyroid won't have the tools it needs.

More on this from dearthyroid.org:

"According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, fluoride in the range of 2-5 mg per day is enough to slow down thyroid function.1 In fact, fluoride was used to treat hyperthyroidism before more powerful medications were developed."

Clearly, no one agrees. It's clear that too much fluoride is bad for you, some is good for your teeth, and none is bad for your teeth. The real question is if the amount in our water supply is too much or just enough.

What I really find weird is that any government entity is putting anything in our water without our consent. What else is going in there?!

Inspiration From Unlikely Places

I recently read a book called Overcome: Burned, Blinded, and Blessed by Carmen Blandin; she is a woman who was beaten and chemically burned by her husband of nine years. Carmen writes around the event to give background (she's a nurse) and afterwards to show where she is today (she might get a face transplant).

I expected to feel immeasurable sadness (even depression!) reading her story, but instead I felt compassion, anger, and pride--never pity.

Carmen is a wonderfully clear and straight-forward narrator; perhaps the reason I didn't feel so much sadness for her is that she doesn't often let herself feel sadness at her situation. Sure, there are moments when she's overwhelmed by circumstances, but her first thoughts throughout her ordeal were of her daughters well-being.

Her story is an absorbing one. Not only because of the horror of what happened, but also because Carmen is a nurse with a unique perspective on what has happened to her. My husband works in a hospital and has always claimed health care workers have to have a unique sense of humor. Carmen certainly does--she makes fun of her missing ear by waving her 'ear flap' around. Further evidence of a resilient sense of humor comes from a conversation between Carmen and her sister:

"Well," I said to Kess, frustrated, "at least I don't have to dress up for Halloween." 
"What do you mean?" Kess asked.
"I can go as an accident victim." 

Carmen's visions while she was in a drug-induced coma were the most memorable to me. Interspersed with hallucinations and dreams about Dr. Phil, she received one clear message: Life is a choice. I think we often forget how much our attitudes and actions can affect the path our lives take.

The takeaway for me: be thankful and content. Carmen, now blind, briefly regained sight in one eye with an artificial cornea. When she lost that precious bit of sight again, she realized how important it is to be thankful for what we do have in the here and now.

Sweet Nectar of the Gods

You know I'm talking about coffee.

http://www.spotcoffee.com/

 Since a certain cousin moved into our house, I've been drinking a lot of coffee because it's there, it's hot, and it's delicious. I put in a little (sometimes a lot) of soy vanilla creamer. I know, I know, soy can inhibit thyroid function, but my grocery store doesn't have any more delicious options.

Yesterday I had two ginormous cups of coffee. I felt SO GREAT all morning and then crashed all afternoon, complete with headache and muscle pain.

What was happening?

My friend Google tells me that coffee, in particular caffeine, can inhibit absorption of thyroid hormone.

I'm going to go weep into my cup of morning tea now...

"Why Is My Poop Blue?!"

http://www.stonyfield.com/blog/food-dyes-linked-to-hyperactivity-in-children/

My Facebook feed has been blowing up with updates from 100 Days of Real Food and with Food Babe's updates on their campaign to get Kraft to stop using food dyes in their U.S. products. It's all over the news too--MSN, Huffington Post, and a slew of local news stations are reporting.

I lazily try to avoid food dye, but not very seriously. Luckily since we avoid lots of processed foods already, not many of them have dye. But we do treat our children to M&Ms, Jolly Ranchers, and the weekly free suckers from church. But because of Food Babe, I started doing some reading.

From Dr. Oz's site: "These synthetic ingredients have been proven to have their own slew of problems. Some claim that these dyes are toxic – possibly toxic enough to cause cancer. While some dyes have been banned from use in the United States, seven dyes remain on the FDA’s approved list for use in the United States. These food dyes include Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6."

Just like with BPA, it seems the U.S. is reluctant to ban things that are difficult to eradicate. A paper explaining the FDA's decision is here. It basically says that some kids do react to synthetic colors, but that it's just because that particular kid and that particular food don't mix.

Stonyfield's site (the yogurt people!) says that after Europe saw many studies pointing to food dyes adversely affecting children, they banned them. So "many American-based companies make two different versions of their products so they can be sold in Europe as well as the United States: one with chemical food dyes sold in the U.S. and one without sold in the U.K. For example, McDonalds makes its strawberry shakes in the U.S. with Red 40; in the U.K. they use actual strawberries! Mars’ Starburst and Skittles candies sold in the U.K. are colored by natural coloring. Nestle has discontinued all food colorings in its candy line, changing the recipe for 79 products sold in Europe. But none of those companies are making the same dye-free options available in the U.S. The FDA is unconvinced that there are any problems with food dyes. Last March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected a petition filed by consumer advocates calling on the agency to label foods containing food dyes, as was done in Europe. The FDA panel found no proof that food dyes cause hyperactivity in children."

http://foodbabe.com/

The original post from Food Babe about their petition to Kraft lists some of the harmful effects of the Yellow 5 & 6 food dye:

• Are man-made in a lab with chemicals derived from petroleum (a crude oil product, which also happens to be used in gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt, and tar).
• Require a warning label in other countries outside the US.
• Have been banned in countries like Norway and Austria (and are being phased out in the UK).
• Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 specifically are contaminated with known carcinogens (a.k.a. an agent directly involved in causing cancer).
• Cause an increase in hyperactivity in children.
• Have a negative impact on children’s ability to learn.
• Have been linked to long-term health problems such as asthma, skin rashes, and migraines.
• Add absolutely no nutritional value to the foods we are eating and are used solely for aesthetic purposes.

 Being a curious person, I decided to look for some hardcore studies myself.

A study that came out in January points to the dye Brilliant Blue can enter the blood stream, which I guess was previously though impossible: "The finding is troubling because several studies show that these dyes might inhibit cell respiration, Hojerová says. “If the process of creating energy and respiration does not take place properly, there are many failures,” she notes. Both dyes, for instance, have been linked to ADHD, allergies, and asthma...when Brilliant Blue was used as a dye in feeding tubes, the FDA issued a public health advisory because of side effects like blue-tinged skin, urine, and feces, as well as hypotension and death...They recommend that the dyes be banned in hard candies and certain cosmetic products to reduce consumer risk."

Another article points to the potential of food dyes to cause things like ADHD: "New research suggests some food dyes trigger the release of histamines, which are part of the body's immune system. An experiment reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggest differences in genes that control histamines might explain why some children are affected and others are not."


From the study Effects of maternally exposed coloring food additives on receptor expressions related to learning and memory in rats: "Exposure to artificial food colors and additives (AFCAs) has been implicated in the induction and severity of some childhood behavioral and learning disabilities...Our results indicate that exposure to AFCAs during the fetal period may lead to alterations in expressions of NMDARs and nAChRs in adulthood."


From the study Effect of food azo dye tartrazine on learning and memory functions in mice and rats, and the possible mechanisms involved: "The present study was conducted to evaluate the toxic effect of tartrazine on the learning and memory functions in mice and rats. The results indicated that tartrazine extract significantly enhanced active behavioral response to the open field, increased the escape latency in Morris water maze test and decreased the retention latency in step-through tests. The decline in the activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as a rise in the level of malonaldehyde (MDA) were observed in the brain of tartrazine-treated rats, and these changes were associated with the brain from oxidative damage."

From the study Prolonged use of the food dye tartrazine (FD&C yellow no 5) and its effects on the gastric mucosa of Wistar rats: "Tartrazine is one of the most widely used artificial foods, drugs and cosmetic dyes. It is a nitrous derivative and is known to cause allergic reactions such as asthma and urticaria, as well as having been the focus of studies on mutagenesis and carcinogenesis due to its transformation into aromatic amine sulfanilic acid after being metabolized by the gastrointestinal microflora."
 
Dietary sensitivities and ADHD symptoms: thirty-five years of research : "Artificial food colors (AFCs) have not been established as the main cause of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but accumulated evidence suggests that a subgroup shows significant symptom improvement when consuming an AFC-free diet and reacts with ADHD-type symptoms on challenge with AFCs."

In Risk Assessment for the Combinational Effects of Food Color Additives: Neural Progenitor Cells and Hippocampal Neurogenesis, the study states: "In the current study, the potencies of single and combination use of R40, Y4, Y5, R2, and B1 were examined on neural progenitor cell (NPC) toxicity, a biomarker for developmental stage, and neurogenesis, indicative of adult central nervous system (CNS) functions. R40 and R2 reduced NPC proliferation and viability in mouse multipotent NPC, in the developing CNS model. Data indicated that combinations of tar colors may adversely affect both developmental and adult hippocampal neurogenesis; thus, further extensive studies are required to assess the safety of these additive combinations." (I'm thinking that the word 'tar' is a word that didn't translate.)

A lot of these studies and articles report that the FDA just simply says they 'need more research' in order to make a decision to ban food dyes. I understand that in some situations it's best to wait. This sort of thing boggles my mind though.

http://www.inhabitots.com/diy-organic-rainbow-cake-without-toxic-chemical-food-colors/

 There are plenty of alternative food dyes out there (they're all over our 'organic' fruit ropes and snacks) that would work fine. So why wait? Turmeric, beets, berries, paprika, pumpkin, carrot, etc. offer great alternatives.

Hippocrates, That Dude Knew Some Sh**

http://www.citelighter.com/philosophy/philosophy/knowledgecards/hippocrates

One of my favorite quotes about food ("Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.") comes from Hippocrates*. I wondered if he'd said anything else worthwile--turns out YES but also...dude said some things that now sound crazy:

The Good: 

"Walking is man's best medicine."

"Everything in excess is opposed to nature."

Speaks to our Prone-to-Gluttony American Society...

"Whenever a doctor cannot do good, he must be kept from doing harm."

Unnecessary c-sections anyone?

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a mater of opportunity."

I hate this one because I know it's true and I find it hard to live out!

The Not So Good: 

"A physician without a knowledge of Astrology has no right to call himself a physician."

“Eunuchs do not take the gout, nor become bald.”

Um, okay. Though if the one about eunuchs is true, color me curious.

Philosophical Differences:

"There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the later ignorance."

My problem? Science is often mistaken for 'fact', when in reality it's our best guess at any given time. It changes with every new amazing discovery. 

*"Hippocrates of Cos (c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC) was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles (Classical Athens), and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is referred to as the father of Western medicine in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field as the founder of the Hippocratic School."

Your Human Guinea Pig, The Trendsetter

I've been seeing headlines about just how many people have been avoiding wheat:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/gluten-free-diet_n_2818954.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Those of you who know me know that I still don't eat wheat and milk. Originally suggested by a chiropractor and an acupuncturist to 'down-regulate' my overactive immune system, it seems to work for me. I'll continue to stick to my diet lifestyle regardless of what's trendy, but I have to admit I am curious about the trend.

Huff Post reports that there has been an increase in the number of people diagnosed with Celiac Disease, but "another reason is simply the supposed health benefits of forgoing gluten. Make no mistake, gluten-free is a diet trend that has gained popularity in pop culture and the media. The majority of people going gluten-free are not doing so out of medical necessity."

Some lovely people even made a video about it called One Grain More:

CNBC reports that "...restaurants have released a bevy of new gluten-free items and menus, while grocers have lined their shelves with new options from food manufacturers that eliminate the ingredient. Some even advertise products as "gluten free" that naturally lack the ingredient."

I'm all for that! Cater to me! But will it last? "...in some ways...gluten awareness is just another diet trend, like the low-carb craze, which was inspired by the Atkins and South Beach diet craze of the early 2000s...every product has a lifecycle regardless of whether it's part of a diet trend...the market will certainly shrink as attention moves to the next thing." (I chopped the heck out of this quote, but didn't change the meaning. Go to CNBC to see who said it.)

Looking around on the web, I found an article from USA Today in 2008 that talked about the growing gluten free trend: "...many gluten shunners may have no real trouble with gluten...they feel better because they consume fewer fast and processed foods, which tend to contain gluten." That sounds good to me!

I have to think that the new Paleo Diet trends have something to do with the popularity of avoiding wheat as well. I hate to say it, but I think this commercial explosion of wheat avoidance is just a fad. But I'm going to enjoy the glut of Nicky-Friendly Products while they're here...