The New York Times recently reported, again, on the influence that drug companies have on medical care. But you may be surprised to learn that the influence is even more deep seated than you thought. Students at major medical schools are being taught by professors who are paid by pharmaceutical companies.
This is probably no surprise to anybody in the industry, but the public doesn't realize that the care that you receive from your doctor has been influenced and directed by big business from the day they stepped on campus.
Will this change? Not likely anytime soon. It is rare in our culture for companies, including schools, to turn down piles of money in order to be more ethical. This change will have to come from the public and from the students. But I always thought that Harvard was the best that money could buy. I guess that's still correct.
To read the full article visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/business/03medschool.html?em.
Food Allergy Labelling Not Always Accurate
One of the more common food allergy questions that I get is what to make of labels that say "may contain traces of...." or "made on equipment shared with products that contain...." Of course, you can't really tell what these statement mean because the situation can vary so much from one place or product to another. Now there is finally a small study on this exact issue.
U.S. News reported this month that a study has finally ascertained what was suspected all along - that some of these products do in fact contain a food allergen. They went on to blame smaller companies, which I think is unfortunate and probably has as much to do with volume as it does quality control. Big companies produce gigantic amounts of a product, reducing the potential for an allergen to show up in it even if it is made on shared equipment. It is simply a matter of statistical probability. But it's still useful information.
However, the bottom line is that the more processed food that you eat, the more likely you it is that you will ingest something that you didn't intend to ingest. Processed food simply isn't as healthy as whole food, no matter how you slice it.
To read the article visit http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/03/16/food-allergy-labeling-not-always-accurate.html
U.S. News reported this month that a study has finally ascertained what was suspected all along - that some of these products do in fact contain a food allergen. They went on to blame smaller companies, which I think is unfortunate and probably has as much to do with volume as it does quality control. Big companies produce gigantic amounts of a product, reducing the potential for an allergen to show up in it even if it is made on shared equipment. It is simply a matter of statistical probability. But it's still useful information.
However, the bottom line is that the more processed food that you eat, the more likely you it is that you will ingest something that you didn't intend to ingest. Processed food simply isn't as healthy as whole food, no matter how you slice it.
To read the article visit http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/03/16/food-allergy-labeling-not-always-accurate.html
Cafe Piccolo
I made a very pleasant discovery this weekend when my wife suggested that we visit a local Italian restaurant in Seattle called Cafe Piccolo. When I inquired about gluten free options, the owner, who also happened to be the server, informed me that they make their own gluten free pasta in-house. I just about fell out of my chair!
I asked her what had inspired their gluten free interest and she told me that a friend had celiac disease and the she herself had been diagonosed with a gluten allergy and felt much better after eliminating it from her diet. She also noted that she avoided dairy.
She was obviously very familiar with these issues and provided great service and understanding of food allergies. I only wish that I could remember her name? We each had a very nice meal and I'll certainly be going back again.
Cafe Piccolo is located in north Seattle at 94th and Roosevelt. It is a relatively new restaurant, I believe, and is the epitome of a nice neighborhood haunt that only the locals might know about. It is family run and their hours are limited to evenings. They are closed Sundays and Mondays.
Their website is still very simple, but it will provide you the basics. You can find it at www.piccoloseattle.com. More importantly, give them a visit!
I asked her what had inspired their gluten free interest and she told me that a friend had celiac disease and the she herself had been diagonosed with a gluten allergy and felt much better after eliminating it from her diet. She also noted that she avoided dairy.
She was obviously very familiar with these issues and provided great service and understanding of food allergies. I only wish that I could remember her name? We each had a very nice meal and I'll certainly be going back again.
Cafe Piccolo is located in north Seattle at 94th and Roosevelt. It is a relatively new restaurant, I believe, and is the epitome of a nice neighborhood haunt that only the locals might know about. It is family run and their hours are limited to evenings. They are closed Sundays and Mondays.
Their website is still very simple, but it will provide you the basics. You can find it at www.piccoloseattle.com. More importantly, give them a visit!
Robin Maynard-Dobbs, Aware Eating
Being someone who frequently tells people that they shouldn't eat certain types of foods, you can imagine that sometimes there is resistance to this idea. This is natural, and most people discover that they feel much better when they avoid their food allergens. But that still doesn't always make it easy.
Food is a very powerful part of our life and often plays far more than just a nutritional role. This months guest speaker at our support group meeting, Robin Maynard-Dobbs, addressed this exact issue.
Robin likes to be referred to as an eating coach. Her focus is on helping people to identify emotional factors that are often related to the types of food that we eat and the way that we eat.
Her process is called "Aware Eating." Many people seek her out with regard to weight loss, but the principles apply to food allergies and food addictions as well. Her personal coaching helps people who struggle with emotional / compulsive eating learn to listen to their bodies and eat in harmony with their unique nutritional needs.
At our meeting last week Robin led us through some exercises to help us begin to identify some of the feelings that we hold in conjunction with our food. The comments from the people who attended were very interesting and enlightening, both for them and the rest of us.
Robin has a passion and a gift for helping people to be more mindful eaters. If this is something that you struggle with then I encourage you to contact her. She works with people in person and over the phone if you are from out of town, and she offers a free half hour first session to anyone interested in her coaching service. You can learn more at www.awareeating.com.
Food is a very powerful part of our life and often plays far more than just a nutritional role. This months guest speaker at our support group meeting, Robin Maynard-Dobbs, addressed this exact issue.
Robin likes to be referred to as an eating coach. Her focus is on helping people to identify emotional factors that are often related to the types of food that we eat and the way that we eat.
Her process is called "Aware Eating." Many people seek her out with regard to weight loss, but the principles apply to food allergies and food addictions as well. Her personal coaching helps people who struggle with emotional / compulsive eating learn to listen to their bodies and eat in harmony with their unique nutritional needs.
At our meeting last week Robin led us through some exercises to help us begin to identify some of the feelings that we hold in conjunction with our food. The comments from the people who attended were very interesting and enlightening, both for them and the rest of us.
Robin has a passion and a gift for helping people to be more mindful eaters. If this is something that you struggle with then I encourage you to contact her. She works with people in person and over the phone if you are from out of town, and she offers a free half hour first session to anyone interested in her coaching service. You can learn more at www.awareeating.com.
Vitiligo and Food Allergies
I want to share with you a case that I saw this week. A gentleman came to see me about a year ago for digestive issues. It turned out that he was allergic to dairy and to cane sugar. Avoiding these foods resolved his digestive problems, and he has been doing fine.
Interestingly, this individual had very noticeable vitiligo. Vitiligo is the name of a skin condition where one looses the pigmentation of the skin. That area then looses color in contrast with the skin around it. The cells that create the pigmentation of the skin are destroyed by what is assumed to be an autoimmune reaction. (Autoimmune reactions are when our immune system attacks our own body.)
Seeing him again this week he noted that his vitiligo had greatly improved, which was apparent upon seeing him. He also noted that his brother, who had the same condition, had also improved when he too had changed his diet and avoided dairy and sugar cane. (As a note, food allergies are usually genetic issues.)
I thought that this was a very interesting case because I had often wondered if there was a relationship between vitiligo and food allergies. There is very little record of this in the medical literature and I do not believe that it has ever been well studied. Hopefully someday it will be. It is certainly worth pursuing.
Interestingly, this individual had very noticeable vitiligo. Vitiligo is the name of a skin condition where one looses the pigmentation of the skin. That area then looses color in contrast with the skin around it. The cells that create the pigmentation of the skin are destroyed by what is assumed to be an autoimmune reaction. (Autoimmune reactions are when our immune system attacks our own body.)
Seeing him again this week he noted that his vitiligo had greatly improved, which was apparent upon seeing him. He also noted that his brother, who had the same condition, had also improved when he too had changed his diet and avoided dairy and sugar cane. (As a note, food allergies are usually genetic issues.)
I thought that this was a very interesting case because I had often wondered if there was a relationship between vitiligo and food allergies. There is very little record of this in the medical literature and I do not believe that it has ever been well studied. Hopefully someday it will be. It is certainly worth pursuing.
Next Monday I'll be at UW Bookstore at 7 p.m.
Next week on Monday, March 9th, I'll be at the University of Washington Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, in Seattle at 7:00 PM. I'll will be doing an author presentation of my new book, "Healthier Without Wheat."
This will be a very informal discussion of my experience with patients who are gluten intolerant and how I came to write this book. I will also take you on a little walk through the book and cover some of the more interesting highlights found in it. In particular will be a focus on the non-celiac aspects of gluten intolerance.
Everyone is welcome to attend and I hope to see you there.
This will be a very informal discussion of my experience with patients who are gluten intolerant and how I came to write this book. I will also take you on a little walk through the book and cover some of the more interesting highlights found in it. In particular will be a focus on the non-celiac aspects of gluten intolerance.
Everyone is welcome to attend and I hope to see you there.
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
The release of my new book, Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance has prompted many requests for me to speak about this topic. Therefore I will be out and about in the Pacific Northwest and across the U.S. over the coming year.
If you would like to hear more about the book or about gluten intolerance, then I encourage you to attend one of the many upcoming engagements. A complete list is now available on a new page on our website www.IBSTreatmentCenter.com called Public Appearances. Check back regularly, as this list is updated as new engagements are scheduled.
If you would like to request me as a speaker for your group, please let us know. You can send an email to info@ibstreatmentcenter.com or call my office at 206-264-1111 or 1-888-546-2684 and ask to speak with Thomas Mercer.
I look forward to seeing you in 2009!
If you would like to hear more about the book or about gluten intolerance, then I encourage you to attend one of the many upcoming engagements. A complete list is now available on a new page on our website www.IBSTreatmentCenter.com called Public Appearances. Check back regularly, as this list is updated as new engagements are scheduled.
If you would like to request me as a speaker for your group, please let us know. You can send an email to info@ibstreatmentcenter.com or call my office at 206-264-1111 or 1-888-546-2684 and ask to speak with Thomas Mercer.
I look forward to seeing you in 2009!
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