Newsweek |
Boy Goes Blind After Eating Only Meat, Potatoes and Cereal, for 'Eczema Treatment Diet'
Newsweek Updated | When it comes to heart health, the importance of a good diet is often talked about, but the effects of what you eat on eye health are discussed less often. The case of an 11-year-old boy in Canada who went blind after failing to eat … How a diet of potato, meat and Cheerios made boy go blind | Daily … 11-Year Old Boy Experiences Vision Disruption due to Strict Diet |
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Boy Goes Blind After Eating Only Meat, Potatoes and Cereal, for ‘Eczema Treatment Diet’ – Newsweek
Newsweek |
Boy Goes Blind After Eating Only Meat, Potatoes and Cereal, for 'Eczema Treatment Diet'
Newsweek Updated | When it comes to heart health, the importance of a good diet is often talked about, but the effects of what you eat on eye health are discussed less often. The case of an 11-year-old boy in Canada who went blind after failing to eat … Boy, 11, is left blind after following a strict diet of potato, meat, apples, cucumber and Cheerios due to his … Boy's Diet of Pork, Cheerios Nearly Made Him Go Blind 11-Year Old Boy Experiences Vision Disruption due to Strict Diet |
The Eczema Diet and Your Salicylate Sensitivity
Another great post from itchylittleworld.com – Natural remedies for eczema to soothe your itchy little world..
By Karen Fischer (see bio below)
When my daughter Ayva was ten months old, a nurse from the local Early Childhood Centre who had seen her a few months earlier exclaimed, ‘Has your child still got eczema?’ I thought: what a rude comment, eczema is a genetic condition and what could I do about it? As soon as the nurse mentioned “Ayva’s eczema might be triggered by salicylate sensitivity”, a light bulb moment happened. I thought: I know how to fix that.
Salicylate sensitivity runs in our family. My teenage years were a series of stressful and embarrassing events thanks to having severe hand dermatitis and psoriasis. I once gargled aspirin (a salicylate medicine) and ended up in hospital with a severely swollen throat. I was diagnosed with salicylate sensitivity, which has now resolved since treating it.
My nine year old son does not have eczema, but a couple of years ago he had mysterious stomach pains which meant he missed about 30 days of school one year, plus he suffered with headaches, constipation, bad moods and the inability to sit still in class. He was a wriggler!
I noticed he acted like a hyperactive ‘silly cat’ after eating apples so I suspected salicylate sensitivity but I still wanted to rule out other factors. So after about a month of seeing gastrointestinal specialists and having allergy tests, X-rays and ultrasounds (and nothing showing up, thank goodness), he was finally diagnosed with salicylate sensitivity.
Two weeks after changing his diet, he was a different child: no more constipation, headaches, foul moods or stomach pains. My little angel became happy and chatty. He was always smart but we noticed his grades dramatically improved when he adheres to the diet. On the contrary, when he eats high salicylate foods, such as blueberries or sushi, he becomes moody and the stomach pains return.
Salicylate sensitivity was first discovered back in the 1960s, when Professor Eric Bywaters reported a patient attacked him with a knife after consuming salicylates. In the 1970s Dr Ben Feingold discovered that salicylates could make children hyperactive and his research confirmed that some children perform poorly at school after ingesting salicylates. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the link between salicylate sensitivity and eczema was confirmed.
Australian researchers from RPA Hospital Allergy Unit in Sydney, tested 936 people with eczema and found the following:
- Salicylates trigger eczema in 52% of people with eczema.1
- Salicylates trigger hives in 62-75% of people prone to hives.1,2
- Salicylates trigger or worsen irritable bowel in 69% of people prone to IBS.1
While some cases of eczema are relatively easy to treat with a healthy diet and skin creams, I have seen hundreds of eczema patients with eczema, who have tried everything, and their eczema persisted until they discovered they were sensitive to salicylates and other chemicals including amines, MSG and food additives. For this group of people, temporarily avoiding salicylate-rich foods changed their lives – they could wear short sleeves again, swim in pools and socialize without embarrassment. And most of them were able to gradually expand their eczema diet to include a wider range of foods.
What are Salicylates?
Salicylates (pronounced suh-lis-a-lates) are a natural pesticide chemical produced by plants for self-protection.
Salicylate Sensitivity Symptoms include:
Topical reactions via the skin:
- sudden eczema/dermatitis/hives/rashes
- worsening of existing eczema
- facial flushing/red skin
- rosacea
- psoriasis
Respiratory/Nasal reactions:
- runny nose (nasal drip)
- nasal obstruction
- sneezing
- asthma
- flu-like symptoms
- perfume intolerance
*anaphylactic reactions – a true salicylate allergy can cause immediate reactions and anaphylaxis. In these cases it’s best to seek emergency medical treatment.
Systemic reactions:
- brain fog
- headaches
- migraine
- fatigue
- anxiety
- depression
- panic attacks
Gastrointestinal reactions:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- diarrhea
- stomach ache
- colic/reflux
- flatulence
- leaky gut
Behavioral reactions:
- ADHD/ADD
- aggressive behaviour
- poor attention span
In severe cases, salicylate sensitivity can trigger strong feelings of anger, aggression, suicidal thoughts and physical pain (these symptoms can be caused by other factors as well so speak to your doctor if you are concerned).
Foods with salicylates in large amounts
A normal healthy diet usually contains 100mg of salicylates and up to 200 mg if you are vegan. That’s a lot! People with eczema often don’t realize they are sensitive to salicylates, so they continue eating foods high in salicylates and they can suffer for years as a result.
It’s best to reduce your intake of foods with salicylates in large amounts. Please speak with a physician or nutritionist before modifying your or your child’s diet.
Here is a list of foods high in salicylates:
- Spices
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Coconut
- Honey
- Most nuts
- Most fruits
List of low salicylate foods
Here are a few surprising foods that are good for an eczema diet because they are low in salicylates – eat them in abundance for their healing properties as noted below.
Papaya (and pawpaw)
Papaya is low in salicylates and contains the digestive enzyme papain, which is used in some digestive supplements to aid protein digestion. Papain kills parasites in the gut and after antibiotic use or a bout of illness you can eat a serving of papaya daily to promote recolonization of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
Saffron
Saffron is a low salicylate spice which has been used for centuries as a natural antiseptic, digestive aid and antidepressant. For people with digestive issues, adding saffron to your dishes may reduce your symptoms.
Spring onions (scallions)
Spring onions, also referred to as scallions and shallots, are part of the onion family and, like the onion, spring onions contain histamine-lowering, anti-inflammatory quercetin. But don’t get them confused with their onion cousins: the low salicylate varieties have the straight green stem, with no bulb.
Flax seeds
Flax seeds, also known as linseeds, are small brown seeds best known for their rich content of anti-inflammatory omega-3 oils. The seeds are a source of phytochemicals, plus silica, mucilage, oleic acid, protein, vitamin E and dietary fibre for gastrointestinal and liver health.
After changing my daughter’s diet and giving her supplements for salicylate sensitivity (when she was aged two), Ayva’s eczema cleared up. Friends and family suggested Ayva had simply grown out of her eczema. As I am a skeptic, I thought they might be right so I stopped the regime and Ayva’s eczema returned. I put her back on the program and once again her eczema cleared up. After ten years of prescribing a diet low in salicylates to my patients, and after positive feedback, I finally had the confidence to write and publish The Eczema Diet book, which addresses eczema healing via a low salicylate diet and natural skin care.
It has been a long journey developing and refining this diet, but I am so grateful for the lessons that having chemical sensitivities has taught me. Ayva is now 16 years old and has beautiful skin. She does not need to follow the diet anymore but we often eat the recipes from the book just because we really, really like them.
****
Looking for Topical Eczema Relief – Check Out these Posts:
Why Manuka Honey Heals Eczema Naturally
The Best Essential Oils for Eczema
Our Eczema Trials: Wet Wrap Therapy
****
Bio: Karen Fischer is an Australian nutritionist and the author of five health books including The Eczema Diet and 
The Healthy Skin Diet, which was awarded ‘Best Health, Nutrition or Specific Diet Book’ at the Australian Food Media Awards in 2008. She also has a Bachelor of Health Science Degree and special skills in nutritional biochemistry. Karen’s passion is helping people with eczema. After more than a decade treating thousands of patients at her eczema clinic in Sydney, Karen now devotes her time into developing eczema products, including Skin Friend AM, the supplement that helped her daughter’s eczema. Visit her store at Eczema Life.
References
Loblay, R.H. and Swain, A.R., 2006, ‘Food Intolerance’, Recent Advances in Clinical Nutrition, retrieved from:
www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/rpa/Allergy/research/foodintolerance_racn.pdf
Warin and Smith XXX Swain, A.R., Dutton, S.P. and Truswell, A.S., 1985. Salicylates in foods. J Am Diet Assoc, 85(8), pp.950-60.
Bywaters, E., 1968, ‘Comment on salicylate toxicity’, in Lamont-Havers RW, Wagner BM (eds) ‘Proceedings of the Conference on Effects of Chronic Salicylate Administration, New York City 1966. US Dept of Health, Education and Welfare, National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Disease.
The Eczema Diet and Your Salicylate Sensitivity appeared first on itchylittleworld.com. Come read more about natural remedies for eczema!
Can a gluten-free diet help with psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition. While there is no cure, a gluten-free diet may help some people better manage their symptoms.
Eczema / Psoriasis News From Medical News Today
Diet tips for psoriatic arthritis: Foods to eat and avoid
In this article, learn about the foods to eat for people with psoriatic arthritis. Also find how to maintain a healthy gut including the use of probiotics.
Eczema / Psoriasis News From Medical News Today
Eczema myths busted: Your diet isn’t to blame, you CAN shower every day and exercise doesn’t make it worse… – Daily Mail
Daily Mail |
Eczema myths busted: Your diet isn't to blame, you CAN shower every day and exercise doesn't make it worse…
Daily Mail From cutting out bread to avoiding exercise, there are many remedies claiming to cure eczema. The long-term condition causes the skin to become itchy, red, dry and cracked – and in some cases, infected and weeping. Up to five per cent of children and … |
How Eating A Plant Based Diet For Eczema Encourages Healing
Another great post from itchylittleworld.com – Natural remedies for eczema to soothe your itchy little world..
By Debbie Adler (see bio below)
My son was born with severe eczema as well as life threatening food allergies to practically all of the top 8 food allergens, which include dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.
The eczema was easy to spot. His face, the backs of his knees, and his arms were covered with angry red, blotchy patches from the time he was six months old.
The food allergies were not so obvious. We learned the hard way. After my son ate some frozen yogurt, when he was one-years-old, he almost died.
Eventually, we found out his body DID NOT want to have anything to do with dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, sesame and flaxseeds.
Glop upon glop of gels and creams did not afford ANY relief for my son’s eczema.
And every day I wondered how on earth I was going to feed my son when he was allergic to so many foods.
As desperation set in, I started looking for answers to a diet for eczema. Research was the only way I knew how to get a grip, since our pediatrician did not have any answers for us.
And what I discovered, after reading scientific journals, books and results of clinical studies, changed the course of my life forever.
Here it is in a sunflower seed (I couldn’t bring myself to say nutshell):
- When you are dealing with autoimmune disorders, which is what eczema is, the last thing you should ingest is DAIRY. In the groundbreaking book, The China Study, they proved that casein, the protein found in dairy, wreaks havoc with the immune system.
- Since eczema results in inflammatory symptoms (red, itchy blotches on skin) it is imperative to DECREASE INFLAMMATION in the body if you want relief. A plant based diet rife with vegetables, fruits and whole grains is naturally anti-inflammatory.
- When our vital organs are in between digesting foods, is when our bodies do their HEALING. Animal protein is very hard to digest so it leaves less time for your body to heal. The less healing, the more eczema hangs around. Plant based foods are much easier to digest and therefore eating them frees up energy so our bodies can repair damage.
- Studies show that many foods such as dairy, eggs, meat, shellfish, sugar, peanuts, soy, and wheat are triggers for eczema. When you eliminate these triggers you will probably see the eczema disappear.
- A healthy microbiome (also referred to as gut flora) is key to keeping our immune system healthy. It’s important to eat probiotic foods for this purpose. Things like sauerkraut, pickles, miso soup and kimchi. This beneficial bacteria helps heal the gut, which in turn helps boost immunity and fight inflammation. This helps eczema tremendously.
What I didn’t tell you is that while this was happening, I was breastfeeding my son. So, of course, I had to eliminate these allergens from my diet as well. Otherwise they would be passed through the milk, to him, and his eczema would flare.
Read More: Food Allergies and Breastfeeding: 7 Tips for Undergoing a Breastfeeding Elimination Diet
My life changed once I cut out all the allergens and started eating a plant based diet. Here’s what happened:
- My skin started to clear up and look more youthful
- I started to have more energy
- Little aches and pains I used to have disappeared
- I lost some excess weight naturally, without trying, and have kept it off (without trying)
- My passion for preparing delicious allergy-free/plant based meals led to a book deal with the publishers of The China Study and Sweet, Savory & Free was born!
So every which way you turn points to the elaborate benefits of a eating plant based diet.
And when you’re dealing with auto-immune issues, like eczema, you will see the results right before your eyes.
Have you or your loved one experienced similar symptoms? Sometimes healing eczema from the inside out is the only thing you really need to relieve your eczema.
Read More: To get started on an elimination diet, make sure to check out this post:
Our Eczema Elimination Diet Success (How You Can Do It Too!).
Looking for plant based skincare for eczema? Check out The Eczema Company for vegan eczema treatments.
Bio: Debbie Adler is an award-winning author and her cookbook Sweet, Savory & Free is available wherever books are sold.
Pin this post for later:
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Comment on Following the low FODMAP diet long term…What is a modified low FODMAP diet? by Research on the reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet
There is a new term starting to emerge in relation to the low FODMAP diet and this is the modified low FODMAP diet.
Put simply this is the long term diet the majority of people follow after completing the reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet.
People with IBS who have been fortunate enough to see a dietitian will understand that there are actually 3 phases to a low FODMAP diet. Those who could not get access to a dietitian or have chosen to try the low FODMAP diet themselves may probably not have realised the low FODMAP diet has 3 phases. Certainly if you obtain most of your information from the internet the reintroduction phase and the long term maintenance phase are rarely mentioned. I have to admit the research into FODMAPs and IBS is pretty slim on these important phases too! The figure shows these 3 phases and is explained below.
So what are the 3 phases of the low FODMAP diet?
1. The first phase is the low FODMAP restriction (or elimination) diet. This is what most people know as the low FODMAP diet but this phase of the diet should only be followed for 2-6 weeks.
2. The second phase of the diet is the reintroduction phase. This involves both re-challenging and reintroducing FODMAPs to test your tolerance levels to FODMAPs and understand your FODMAP threshold. This phase takes about 10 weeks to complete. In a way it continues indefinitely as your tolerance to FODMAPs can change over time and you continue to re-challenge and reintroduce FODMAPs. More on reintroducing FODMAPs here.
3. The final phase is termed a modified low FODMAP diet. Once you have completed the reintroduction phase and reintroduced FODMAPs back into your diet most people will still restrict some high FODMAP foods. This combination of eating high FODMAP and low FODMAP foods to personal tolerance results in a modified low FODMAP diet.
The final terminology for these 3 phases has yet to be agreed or published but will be similar to what is discussed above. There is limited research available on what people do once they have completed the 2-6 week low FODMAP diet. Earlier this year I presented an abstract while working at King’s College London at the Digestive Diseases Federation conference which looked at the long term effects of the low FODMAP diet in the UK and answered some very interesting questions.
1. Do people reintroduce FODMAPs after starting a low FODMAP diet?
YES!
In fact 97 out of 103 people completed the reintroduction phase.
2. What sort of diet do people follow in the long term after completing the low FODMAP restriction diet and the reintroduction phase?
Out of the 103 participants when followed up one year later:
78 of them continued to follow an adapted low FODMAP diet. Meaning they had reintroduced FODMAPs to their own tolerance levels.
19 followed a normal diet. Meaning they had reintroduced FODMAPs and no longer followed any FODMAP restrictions.
6 continued to follow a low FODMAP restriction diet in the long term (a year later).
Therefore the vast majority of people do reintroduce FODMAPs but continue to follow a modified low FODMAP diet as their normal diet.
3. After you have reintroduced FODMAPs do you still have relief of your IBS symptoms in the long term?
YES!
There are two statistical points here. First of all 61% of people found relief of their IBS after following a low FODMAP restriction diet. This is similar to other studies looking at the effectiveness of the restriction phase of the low FODMAP diet. Importantly in those 61% of people 70% of them continued to have relief of their symptoms a year later.
This shows that in the vast majority of people who find the low FODMAP restriction diet effective, even once they have reintroduced FODMAPs they still have relief of their IBS symptoms in the long term.
The abstract is available here.
The full programme from the event is available here.
It is great that these questions are starting to be answered as it helps the low FODMAP diet become a long term treatment option for IBS symptoms. It also means that the full information about the low FODMAP diet will become known to more people. Hopefully this will result in more support for those who are following only phase one of the low FODMAP diet and unnecessarily restricting their diet.
The study also looked at quality of life, the long term nutritional adequacy and acceptability of the diet with some really interesting findings which I will discuss in a later post.
Want more information on the low FODMAP diet and IBS? Click here for the latest changes and important updates.
We are currently travelling around the world and plan to bring you‘Around The World In 80 Low FODMAP Dishes’ – a collection of the best low FODMAP foods and recipes as we travel the globe. See more on our low FODMAP diet travel section.
Good news! The first ever book dedicated to reintroducing FODMAPs is now available to purchase on Amazon Kindle. The book is titled ‘Re-challenging and Reintroducing FODMAPs – A self-help guide to the entire reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet’. Click on the logo for more details.
More information on Reintroducing FODMAPs here.
Low FODMAP recipes here.
We are offering very reduced rates for Skype consultations while we are travelling the world. For more information and for contacting R&MDietetics you can enquire here or email info@rmdietetic.com
Comment on End of Week 1 on Low FODMAP diet by RMdietetics
Well now that we are at the end of the first week of following the low FODMAP diet I can see why some people find it very difficult to follow strictly. If you’re the sort of person who eats everything outside of the home the diet is really hard, there just isn’t enough non-wheat options always available (especially for a short lunch break!); let alone also then trying to find suitable low FODMAP foods from the small selection presented to you. We have had a busy week, meaning we have had plenty of opportunities to test out the difficulties of the diet – including a sunny bank holiday weekend involving lots of eating with friends. Here are some of the things we found out this week:
Eating Out
I had to grab some lunch in Pret a Manger last week and was limited to two choices of Salad, which when you are really hungry sometimes isn’t what you always fancy – and especially hard if you want to eat on the move (luckily I did have time to sit down). I fancied a soup but all the soups had onion or some other high fodmap veggie so I opted for the chicken salad, and only had to remove the pistachio nuts. It was actually really tasty and not having any carbs wasn’t a problem (if you did want these you were probably limited to a packet of crisps or popcorn). We relied on taking lunches into work, usually leftovers from the night before – which is probably the way forward when following this diet. I also ate out on 2 more occasions, one at restaurant with a very small selection of food and so opted for…yet again…a chicken salad – this one a little dry and boring so left feeling quite unsatisfied. Our usual Saturday morning trip for brunch was again a little difficult with limited wheat free options, however Fego’s ( www.fegocaffe.co.uk) did give us some amazing tasty steak and chicken salads which really hit the spot. Sharing a portion of chips also meant we could still be a bit more indulgent on the weekend.
Snacks
Nuts and suitable dried fruit have become my mainstay for snacking at the moment. I also tried the original 9bar (http://www.9bar.com/products/) which was great but at 222kcals per 40g it might put people off if they are trying to watch their weight. Having said that most of the calories are from seeds so definitely not wasted calories and it did seem to fill me up for a while. Eat natural bars are also wheat free and so long as you avoid the problem fruits…are a good snack on the go and available everywhere. Otherwise I have been snacking on fruit through the day such as grapes and strawberries.
Breakfast
This will be a blog post on its own soon, but this week we have been making our own cereal using oats, oatmeal, seeds, nuts, dried fruit, banana chips etc. We have also been making our porridge the night before, and having it cold in the morning mixed with fruit and soya yogurt. We have been trying a variety of gluten free breads, some of which are really great and perfect for weekend eggs on toast.
Mistakes
Yes even a dietitian screws up sometimes! We bought a grape juice fizzy drink in Pret which had a large percentage of apple juice…showing us reading labels for ALL new foods is so important. As far as trying new products go… It was probably a mistake trying Waitrose Love Life free from gluten bread which was really sweet and not particularly nice especially with eggs. We have been trying lots of gluten free breads and products already which definitely require their own blog post. Some are really great and make following the low FODMAP diet so much easier.
Main tip for the week
One of the best foods discovered this week was garlic infused oil which really does give a good flavour of garlic which we made a pesto with for our gluten free pasta, and was perfect (recipe to follow!)
Symptoms
We have both noticed a general reduction of symptoms, with more settled stomach in general after just one week. With having a break for one day, the return of these symptoms was noticeable that day and the next – shows sticking to it is worth it.
We are definitely getting used to the restrictions already and have found great products to replace with and so for the moment it is not feeling difficult. It feels that preparation is the key, and the difficulties are buying lunch or dinner on the go and eating at other peoples houses! We have got some really good low FODMAP recipes already which we will be sharing. Here goes week 2!
Want more information on the low FODMAP diet and IBS? Click here for the latest changes and important updates.
We are currently travelling around the world and plan to bring you‘Around The World In 80 Low FODMAP Dishes’ – a collection of the best low FODMAP foods and recipes as we travel the globe. See more on our low FODMAP diet travel section.
Good news! The first ever book dedicated to reintroducing FODMAPs is now available to purchase on Amazon Kindle. The book is titled ‘Re-challenging and Reintroducing FODMAPs – A self-help guide to the entire reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet’. Click on the logo for more details.
More information on Reintroducing FODMAPs here.
Low FODMAP recipes here.
We are offering very reduced rates for Skype consultations while we are travelling the world. For more information and for contacting R&MDietetics you can enquire here or email info@rmdietetic.com