Invisible, but not alone

In earlier posts, I've mentioned the invisible illness that haunts me daily. I'm thankful that it is relatively mild, but the associated conditions that may develop in later years frighten me. Knowing that its not myself that faces it, but my daughter deeply saddens me.

My daughter was initially diagnosed with Selective IgA Deficiency days after her first birthday, and was recently reconfirmed. We were concerned because our healthy baby girl dropped in weight from the 50th percentile to the 3rd, while simultaneously developing a chronic cough and mucousy diarrhea. My first fears were of Cystic Fibrosis and Celiac. It was during the testing for Celiac, that we discovered my daughter has no IgA.

Hers is a fairly common primary immunodeficiency disease. Thankfully, her symptoms are pretty mild. She is still prone to a chronic cough. Her weight is starting to come up, as long as she avoids certain foods. She primarily has a food allergy to dairy, casein to be more specific. Dairy allergy is a common occurence in people who have Selective IgA Deficiency.

Exposure to casein results in days of diarrhea. Unfortunately, many people don't realize hidden sources of dairy and casein. Most people can accept that she can't eat cheese, but don't realize that she also reacts to soy cheese. In child care settings, she's constantly being exposed to these hidden sources. The diarrhea has made it very difficult to potty train her. Its hard for a child to learn to use the toilet when their belly hurts and they cannot control their bowels.

I worry about the future for my daughter.  Will she catch a virus at school thats benign to everyone else, but more threatening to her? Will she develop autoimmune disorders? Systemic Lupus Erythematosis is already present in the family. Will she develop asthma? If she ever needs a transfusion, will she go into anaphylaxis? Then there's the fear that she will go on to develop a more severe combined immunodeficiency.

For now I simply try to be a good mother. I treat my daughter like any other child. I make clear to caregivers that she cannot have dairy/casein. I remain patient with the potty training, and hope that one day her diet will be free from hidden casein. I feed her a good diet and make sure she lives an active life. I let her be the wonderful vivacious child that she is.

I share our story with you so you might realize that there are many of us who live daily with invisible diseases. Even happy seemingly healthy pre-schoolers can be effected. I hope that this will serve as a reminder to parents, please don't send sick children to school/child care. Remember, one of your children's classmates may have an immune deficiency.

I welcome comments by others who face an invisible disease. I hope that another parent in a similar situation will read this post and find companionship. If you are facing an immune deficiency disease, please visit the Immune Deficiency Foundation to get more information.

For more information about dealing with invisible diseases please visit, http://invisibleillnessweek.com/. Remember, you are not alone.

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• Selective deficiency of IgA - All Information (umm.edu)
• Could You Have A Food Allergy? (lifescript.com)
• What teachers and parents should know about severe food allergies (cbc.ca)

Access to Health Information

Image via WikipediaHow much of your health information do you get by reading? How would your health be effected if you couldn't read?
Today is International Literacy Day. With this in mind, I want to remind all of you of a skill that many of us take for granted, our ability to read. Did you know that one in five adults cannot read, and 2/3 of them are women! We need to help reverse this.
One organization I recommend is Reach Out and Read. They have partner groups all over the US. If you have some time, or money, to spare please consider contacting them. If you have a spare dollar, there is currently a fundraiser being hosted by BloggersUnite to buy books for children who are being taught to read.


What have you done to help teach people to read? What are ways to get health information to those who can't read? Do you know of any good resources?

BPA

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By this point, most people have heard about bisphenol A (BPA) and the negative impacts it may have on health. Nation-wide protest occurred to get BPA out of beverage containers, especially baby bottles. Although the desired legislation did not always pass, most companies have now given in to consumer demands and started making alternative BPA-free containers. However, BPA is not just limited to plastic bottles.

The Environmental Working Group(EWG) released a recent study which found high levels of BPA in 40% of cash register receipts. The receipts do not need to contain BPA. The leading manufacturer of thermal paper in the US, Appleton Papers, Inc does not use BPA.

The exposure to the consumer from BPA laden receipts is very low, however cashiers are being exposed to a large amount of BPA laden paper. According to EWG, retail workers carry an average of 30% more BPA in their bodies than other adults. Retail outlets and receipt manufacturers are being urged to switch to BPA-free alternatives.

In the meantime, EWG has some advice for consumers:

• Don’t let infants or children handle receipts.
  
• Avoid paper receipts entirely when electronic or email alternatives are available.
  
• If you save receipts, keep them in a separate envelope.
  
• After handling receipts, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before preparing and eating food (and that’s a good practice even when you haven’t handled receipts).
  
• Don’t use alcohol-based hand cleaners after handling receipts; they can increase absorption of BPA through the skin.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Environmental Group Sues FDA over BPA in Food Packaging (environmentalleader.com)
• High Levels Of BPA Found In Cash Register Receipts, What You Can Do To Protect Yourself (treehugger.com)
• Studies Prove BPA Can Cross Placenta To Fetuses (science.slashdot.org)
• BPA found in some cash register receipts (sfgate.com)
• BPA: Paper Receipts Found To Contain Disputed Chemical (huffingtonpost.com)
• Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and many popular stores give out BPA-tainted receipts (mnn.com)
• European scientists call for EU ban on BPA in plastic containers, baby bottles (nationalpost.com)
• California State Assembly Passes BPA Bill (yubanet.com)
• "BPA makes canned food risky for pregnant women" and related posts (pregnancy-blog.parentingweekly.com)

Dirty Hairbrush? A Step-by-Step Cleaning Guide

Image via Wikipedia

How often do you buy a new hairbrush? Why do you get a new one? If you're buying new brushes because of lint build-up, stop! There's no need to create more trash simply because your brush is dirty. Cleaning a hairbrush is a rather simple process that doesn't take much time.

I've had the same hairbrush since at least 2000. I remove loose hair from it, when it builds up, probably every 1-2 weeks. I know other people who clean out the hair after every use, but you don't have to. Many people recommend thoroughly cleaning your brush every 1-2 weeks, but I didn't do it until this week after a decade of use.

1. Remove all the loose hair from the brush. A wide tooth comb is useful for this step, but not necessary.
2. Fill your bathroom sink with hot water and add a squeeze of your shampoo to it.
3. Place your hairbrush, bristles down, into the sudsy water.
4. Sleep! :)
5. In the morning drain the water and remove build-up from the brush with a wide-tooth comb, nail brush, or fingers.
6. If there's still build up, repeat the next night.

Stylish?

By now, we all know that smoking is bad for you. Every year on May 31st, the World Health Organization (WHO) urges us to observe World Tobacco Free Day. This year, the focus is on women. For too many years, we have been the focus of advertising trying to convince us that smoking is somehow sexy. It's time for us to wake up!

Smoking is not chic, no matter what the form. Many young women do realize that smoking cigarettes is dangerous, they fail to realize that hookahs are just as dangerous. Many people reason that hookah smoking is not as dangerous. A recent article by the Canadian Press, points out the dangers of hookahs. Smoking sessions with hookahs generally last for over an hour, with the smoke exposure being equal to 100-200 cigarettes! 

Image via Wikipedia

Waterpipe smoke contains harmful constituents- nicotine, carbon monoxide, carcinogens. And it may contain greater amounts of tar and heavy metals, including cobalt, chromium and lead...Waterpipe use has in fact been linked to lung cancer, heart disease, infectious disease and pregnancy related complications. So that's a list that would certainly raise my anxiety.

The smoother smoke experienced with hookahs is a result of the moisture content. The water provides moisture, but does not effectively filter out toxins! Unfortunately, myths about hookahs spur their widespread use.

Group B strep poses risk for newborns

Published Friday July 10, 2009
The Observer, La Grande, OR

Focus on Health
Tristin Mock, N.D.

Group B strep poses risk for newborns

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterium that can cause serious illness and death in newborns.

Approximately one quarter of women in the U.S. are carriers of the bacteria. These women often do not have symptoms, but can pass the infection on to their children during the birth process.

Group B strep is the most common life-threatening infection in newborns. It can be avoided, but there is no vaccine to prevent infection. GBS is more common than rubella, congenital syphilis, and spina bifida, yet many people have never heard of it. In 2001, around 1,700 newborns were infected.

Group B strep can infect and be carried by anyone. GBS is not the same infection as strep throat. It’s usually found in the gastrointestinal tract (guts) and can then spread to the vagina and rectum. GBS is not a sexually transmitted infection.

Most women are screened for group B strep during the 35th to 37th week of pregnancy. Infected women generally have no symptoms, although some may have a bladder infection. If the mother tests positive for GBS she will need IV antibiotics during labor to prevent passing the infection on to her child. The bacteria regrow rapidly, so antibiotics before labor are ineffective. According to the CDC, “a C-section should not be used to prevent early-onset group B strep infection in infants.”

Group B strep can be contracted at times other than birth, although the birth process is the most common time for transmission. Pre-natal transmission often leads to stillbirth. Late-onset cases can occur in children more than one week old. GBS can cause babies to catch pneumonia, get meningitis (inflammation of the brain), suffer sepsis (blood infection), have lifelong handicaps or die.

If you’re pregnant, please talk to your healthcare provider about testing for group B strep. Not all babies born to infected mother’s contract group B strep, but it is devastating for those who do.

For more information about group B strep please visit http://www.groupbstrep.org/ or http://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/.

Tristin Mock, N.D., is an Americorps VISTA volunteer with the Center for Human Development in La Grande.

Take precautions against mosquitoes

Published 11 June 2009 The Observer, La Grande, OR

Focus on Health
Tristin Mock, ND

Take precautions against mosquitoes
Tristin Mock, ND
AmeriCorps VISTA

As we enter the warm days of late spring, mosquito season is starting. Now is the time to start taking precautions to protect yourself from bites. Not only are mosquitoes annoying, they also can transmit West Nile Virus.

West Nile Virus can be transmitted by mosquitoes to humans, horses, and birds. In humans symptoms can vary widely. Some people may have a mild fever, or flu-like illness. In others the disease can progress to encephalitis (brain inflammation) and possibly death.

Killing mosquitoes should not be your goal. They provide food for animals including fish, frogs, birds, and bats. Mosquitoes can even pollinate flowers! Instead, focus on preventing mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding sites around your home.

There are several simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from West Nile Virus. You should avoid mosquito bites by using repellant, covering up, and staying indoors at dusk and dawn. Classic synthesized repellants include DEET and picaridin. Repellants need not contain harsh chemicals. Some naturally derived mosquito repellants recommended by the CDC are oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD (para-Menthane-3,8-diol), and IR3535 (3-[N-Butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester). No matter what type of repellant you use, be sure to read and follow the label directions before applying it!

You should also mosquito-proof your home. This includes installing or repairing screens, avoiding standing water, and cleaning up possible sources of standing water. Remember to clean your gutters so water doesn’t collect in them. Water sources, like bird baths and water troughs, should be cleaned at least once a week.

The last step in limiting the spread of West Nile Virus is to report dead birds. The virus can infect birds. If you find dead crows, ravens, jays, magpies, hawks, eagles, or red-breasted robins please report them to Union County Vector Control at 963-2974. These reports aid in tracking the spread of West Nile Virus in Union County.

Together we can prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. For more information on the virus, please visit the Center for Human Development, Inc website www.chdinc.org, or call 962-8801.