It's high time that I mentioned Pizza Works. Pizza Works is a very creative pizza place located Bothell up on top of Juanita Drive. They have been around for many years and were the first place that I'm aware of to serve up gluten free pizzas.
But that's not all. They also do dairy free pizzas, vegan pizzas, and even garlic free pizzas! Now that last one is very unique.
They have a fairly extensive menu and they do deliver to the local area. If you miss pizza, I encourage you to look into this quirky but effective pizza joint, Pizza Works.
For more information visit www.pizzawrks.com. Near St. Edwars State Park at Inglewood Village Shopping Center, 14130 Juanita Drive NE, #103. 425-821-1300.
Dr. Stool
No. That's not me. But I have his calendar! Yes, believe it or not, I have the daily poo calendar. And yes, it is disgusting.
But it's also fascinating and quite funny. Every day I get to learn about things like Poo-phoria, Poo-nami, and the Life Raft. Since you're dying to know, I'll let you in on one of them.
A Poo-nami is described as the following:
"Diaper technology has improved over the decades, but there is yet to be an innovation that can suppress the Poo-nami. While most baby poos can be contained by a diaper, there are instances when nothing can stop the the poo from exploding beyond [its confines]. Dealing with Poo-nami is just one of the many challenges of parenthood."
That one was relatively tame. If you are really interested in more of this education, visit www.drstool.com, the website of Josh Richman and Dr. Anish Sheth, and order the "What's Your Poo Telling You?" 2010 daily calendar. Believe me, their mind are in the toilet.
But it's also fascinating and quite funny. Every day I get to learn about things like Poo-phoria, Poo-nami, and the Life Raft. Since you're dying to know, I'll let you in on one of them.
A Poo-nami is described as the following:
"Diaper technology has improved over the decades, but there is yet to be an innovation that can suppress the Poo-nami. While most baby poos can be contained by a diaper, there are instances when nothing can stop the the poo from exploding beyond [its confines]. Dealing with Poo-nami is just one of the many challenges of parenthood."
That one was relatively tame. If you are really interested in more of this education, visit www.drstool.com, the website of Josh Richman and Dr. Anish Sheth, and order the "What's Your Poo Telling You?" 2010 daily calendar. Believe me, their mind are in the toilet.
A Patient's Story
This is the story of Meredith. She used to have digestive problems and has shared with us her journey to better health. She does such a wonderful job of conveying the frustrations that I've heard from so many people that I wanted to you to be able to read what she has to say. I know that many of you will be able to relate.
It has been about a year and a half since my trip to IBS Treatment Center. I don’t think I am exaggerating to say that the trip changed my life. I have been suffering from symptoms of IBS since I was a child. I have vivid memories of scoping out the remote bathrooms at schools, malls, and work places. Road trips have always been routed based on the availability of bathrooms. This has always been an embarrassing and emotional subject for me and I’d mention it almost in passing to doctors and acted like I had it under control. After giving birth to my first child and the strain that delivering a 9 lb baby put on my body, the urgency became more of an issue. I finally got a referral to a gastroenterologist who ordered a sigmoidoscopy and a barium enema. The end result was “good news” that nothing was wrong and that I was just going to have to live with it. Don’t get me wrong, I was very relieved to know that there wasn’t something life threatening but there was also nothing I could do to fix me. As my first child got older, it wasn’t fair to ask him to wait in the ladies room with me over and over again. We would have to get out of line at amusement parks, leave the museum, etc. and he was such a trooper and never complained. At his kindergarten musical, he was selected to bring a flower to his mom and he couldn’t find me because I had to excuse myself. Wow, what “good news.” After having my second child (8.5 lb), living with it meant that I was afraid to leave my house and was raising my children from the bathroom. Working was a nightmare as I would have to excuse myself from client meetings not just once but several times and it is really hard to come up with enough polite excuses. My solution was basically not to eat whenever I knew we were going somewhere or if I had any sort of meeting. I was an emotional roller coaster and it was affecting my job and more importantly, my family.
I was desperate.
Then I found Dr. Wangen’s book. In tears, my husband and I decided we needed to come up with the money for me to make the trip from Minnesota to Seattle. The wheels were in motion. I made the trip to Seattle to visit the clinic. After my visit, we discussed my results over the phone rather than have to fly back out to Seattle. My results were a bit shocking and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry with every doctor I had ever seen before. I had necator americanus or in other words, hookworm.* Not once had a doctor ordered a stool sample previously and who knows how long I have been living with this parasite. This species has been [thought to have been] virtually eradicated in North America and it is anyone’s guess where I picked it up. I was shocked and embarrassed to say the least. My yeast was elevated and my Bifidobacter (one of the good bacteria) level was very low. On top of that I also have some food intolerance, primarily to dairy (which I already suspected) and to sugar cane. Sugar cane has been the hardest because labels don’t have to disclose if the source of sugar is cane or beet. Dr. Wangen provided me with great resources for my specific food allergies. There are more and more dairy free alternatives becoming available, but most use cane sugar because it is perceived as healthier than beet sugar. Ironically, at a time when high fructose corn syrup is getting criticized, it is my best friend!
Shortly after starting my treatment plan, we found out we were expecting our third child and I had such a wonderful pregnancy! We have gone on vacation, I have volunteered at school, taken my kids to amusement parks, and the list goes on and on! Getting rid of the parasite was easy and although adjusting my diet has been a challenge, it has been worth it. I’ll be honest and admit that there are times I just can’t resist a bakery item or something else that I know I will pay for later but at least I am in control.
Thank you,
Meredith
* Note: This parasite rarely shows up on conventional stool testing. It is likely that even with previous stool testing this parasite would have been missed. The DNA/PCR testing that Meredith used is far more advanced than the testing available to most doctors.
It has been about a year and a half since my trip to IBS Treatment Center. I don’t think I am exaggerating to say that the trip changed my life. I have been suffering from symptoms of IBS since I was a child. I have vivid memories of scoping out the remote bathrooms at schools, malls, and work places. Road trips have always been routed based on the availability of bathrooms. This has always been an embarrassing and emotional subject for me and I’d mention it almost in passing to doctors and acted like I had it under control. After giving birth to my first child and the strain that delivering a 9 lb baby put on my body, the urgency became more of an issue. I finally got a referral to a gastroenterologist who ordered a sigmoidoscopy and a barium enema. The end result was “good news” that nothing was wrong and that I was just going to have to live with it. Don’t get me wrong, I was very relieved to know that there wasn’t something life threatening but there was also nothing I could do to fix me. As my first child got older, it wasn’t fair to ask him to wait in the ladies room with me over and over again. We would have to get out of line at amusement parks, leave the museum, etc. and he was such a trooper and never complained. At his kindergarten musical, he was selected to bring a flower to his mom and he couldn’t find me because I had to excuse myself. Wow, what “good news.” After having my second child (8.5 lb), living with it meant that I was afraid to leave my house and was raising my children from the bathroom. Working was a nightmare as I would have to excuse myself from client meetings not just once but several times and it is really hard to come up with enough polite excuses. My solution was basically not to eat whenever I knew we were going somewhere or if I had any sort of meeting. I was an emotional roller coaster and it was affecting my job and more importantly, my family.
I was desperate.
Then I found Dr. Wangen’s book. In tears, my husband and I decided we needed to come up with the money for me to make the trip from Minnesota to Seattle. The wheels were in motion. I made the trip to Seattle to visit the clinic. After my visit, we discussed my results over the phone rather than have to fly back out to Seattle. My results were a bit shocking and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry with every doctor I had ever seen before. I had necator americanus or in other words, hookworm.* Not once had a doctor ordered a stool sample previously and who knows how long I have been living with this parasite. This species has been [thought to have been] virtually eradicated in North America and it is anyone’s guess where I picked it up. I was shocked and embarrassed to say the least. My yeast was elevated and my Bifidobacter (one of the good bacteria) level was very low. On top of that I also have some food intolerance, primarily to dairy (which I already suspected) and to sugar cane. Sugar cane has been the hardest because labels don’t have to disclose if the source of sugar is cane or beet. Dr. Wangen provided me with great resources for my specific food allergies. There are more and more dairy free alternatives becoming available, but most use cane sugar because it is perceived as healthier than beet sugar. Ironically, at a time when high fructose corn syrup is getting criticized, it is my best friend!
Shortly after starting my treatment plan, we found out we were expecting our third child and I had such a wonderful pregnancy! We have gone on vacation, I have volunteered at school, taken my kids to amusement parks, and the list goes on and on! Getting rid of the parasite was easy and although adjusting my diet has been a challenge, it has been worth it. I’ll be honest and admit that there are times I just can’t resist a bakery item or something else that I know I will pay for later but at least I am in control.
Thank you,
Meredith
* Note: This parasite rarely shows up on conventional stool testing. It is likely that even with previous stool testing this parasite would have been missed. The DNA/PCR testing that Meredith used is far more advanced than the testing available to most doctors.
Why Supplements Vary So Widely In Quality
I recently received this letter from Thorne, the manufacturer of (in my opinion) the highest quality supplements in the United States. I don't choose supplements lightly, and the ones you find on my website were carefully selected. As one example of the huge differences between the large number of supplements out on the market, I've attached a recent letter that I received from Thorne on why they were unable to provide a product which I use in my practice.
The Betaine Backorder Situation
Two years ago, the only manufacturer in the United States of betaine hydrochloride (betaine HCl) closed their manufacturing facility for a complete plant overhaul and refitting. Thorne Research purchased this manufacturer's entire remaining stock of betaine HCl (several thousand kilos) in anticipation of Thorne's future manufacturing needs. When this reserve began to run low, we attempted to find another quality manufacturer of betaine HCl; unfortunately, to no avail. There are no U.S. prime manufacturers, only brokers of this raw material that is manufactured in China. While many raw materials are manufactured in China in ISO level plants to high quality standards, many raw materials are not."
The following is what you, the practitioner, never sees.
We obtained a sample of betaine HCl from a potential supplier that easily passed Betaine our quality control for purity, identity, heavy metals, etc. It was beautiful crystalline powder. We therefore ordered 3,200 kilos from the supplier and received seven lots into our quarantine warehouse. You should know that the typical dietary supplement manufacturer in our industry would usually sample just one drum, test the material, and if the material passed, then the entire shipment would be approved. What we found, however, you can see in the pictures below. Mixed in with the product were a number of unknown contaminants, which would probably not be readily apparent in taking only a small sample from a single drum. Contaminants were found after screening several drums from each one of the seven lots of product - and contaminants were found in all seven lots. Some of the contaminants were even embedded in the betaine HCl crystals. The most interesting contaminant, seen under the microscope, is the blue crystalline sapphire-like structure.
But this was just the beginning of this saga, as you will see. We rejected the material and all 3,200 kilos were returned to the supplier. The supplier had already sold thousands of kilos of this material to other supplement manufacturers and informed us it had not received a single complaint. And it ostensibly had no problem selling this material to our competitors, who apparently were merely grinding up the contaminants, perhaps never seeing them. You see, 21 C.F.R Part 111, the FDA's newly implemented Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines for the dietary supplement industry has a major flaw - the FDA's new GMPs do not apply to raw material manufacturers. And neither are raw material manufacturers included in the FDA's new inspection protocol, these manufacturers only fall under food GMP. Therefore, the duty of assuring the quality and identity of ingredients falls squarely upon the manufacturer of the finished dietary supplement. "Know your supplier" really takes on meaning here.
Round two was to obtain a sample of raw material from every potential U.S. supplier, as well as a certificate of analysis (CofA). The first roadblock is the reluctance of many suppliers to provide the "original" CofA, so they are not circumvented in the purchasing process. Many times the original CofA document from the actual manufacturer is cut-and-pasted by the supplier onto the supplier's letterhead. The next problem is that upon obtaining the CofA of the Chinese company from whom the supplier purchased the ingredient, you find that this company is not the actual manufacturer, but merely a Chinese broker for the ingredient. You have to move up the food chain to the next level, a more involved process.
The samples that came to us from the various potential suppliers were very similar in appearance to the initial material we analyzed - beautiful powder. Each supplier agreed to air-freight one drum of material from their respective Chinese broker. One supplier claimed to have 30,000 kilos available in Ontario, California. Each drum, upon subsequent screening by us, had the same type of contaminants - some of them also included the mysterious blue crystal. The CofA differed from supplier to supplier, but the supposedly different materials inexplicably contained the same contaminants.
We have a longstanding reputable supplier of Chinese raw materials who had a representative flying to China to source materials who agreed to look into this situation on our behalf. Upon actual inspection of the largest Chinese manufacturer, it was found that the mystery blue crystals are actually flakes of ceramic coating from a poorly maintained reactor, one of hundreds of "government-issued" reactors used in many Chinese manufacturing plants. This single large manufacturer makes thousands of kilos of betaine HCl and then down-chain distributors put their company's name on the product and brokers sell the product with the multiple-distributor cut-and-pasted CofA representing the product as being from an individual manufacturer.
We now have a representative actually present at a high-quality Chinese Manufacturing facility that is manufacturing product for our inspection. Thankfully, the U.S. plant who is our original supplier is now doing pilot batches and is close to re-opening and taking orders.
While Thorne Research obviously regrets our current backorder situation involving those products containing Betaine HCl, we want you to always know and be assured that we will never compromise quality. Thorne Research strongly suggests that practitioners question those supplement manufacturers for any betaine HCl containing products purchased during the past 18 months. It may be prudent to pursue obtaining a CofA for betaine HCl from your supplement manufacturer and request that the CofA be from the material's primary manufacturer, along with an invoice showing your manufacturer's purchase of the material within the past 18 months. If the CofA indicates a U.S. or Canadian company, call them yourself to find out whether or not they are an actual manufacturer. If they are not, demand to know where the betaine HCl was manufactured and request a CofA from the actual manufacturer. If you have any questions about a CofA you have received, or you need additional information, please contact Thorne Research.
Sincerely,
Al Czap
President & CEO
THORNE RESEARCH
the original specialists in pure encapsulations™
The Betaine Backorder Situation
Two years ago, the only manufacturer in the United States of betaine hydrochloride (betaine HCl) closed their manufacturing facility for a complete plant overhaul and refitting. Thorne Research purchased this manufacturer's entire remaining stock of betaine HCl (several thousand kilos) in anticipation of Thorne's future manufacturing needs. When this reserve began to run low, we attempted to find another quality manufacturer of betaine HCl; unfortunately, to no avail. There are no U.S. prime manufacturers, only brokers of this raw material that is manufactured in China. While many raw materials are manufactured in China in ISO level plants to high quality standards, many raw materials are not."
The following is what you, the practitioner, never sees.
We obtained a sample of betaine HCl from a potential supplier that easily passed Betaine our quality control for purity, identity, heavy metals, etc. It was beautiful crystalline powder. We therefore ordered 3,200 kilos from the supplier and received seven lots into our quarantine warehouse. You should know that the typical dietary supplement manufacturer in our industry would usually sample just one drum, test the material, and if the material passed, then the entire shipment would be approved. What we found, however, you can see in the pictures below. Mixed in with the product were a number of unknown contaminants, which would probably not be readily apparent in taking only a small sample from a single drum. Contaminants were found after screening several drums from each one of the seven lots of product - and contaminants were found in all seven lots. Some of the contaminants were even embedded in the betaine HCl crystals. The most interesting contaminant, seen under the microscope, is the blue crystalline sapphire-like structure.
But this was just the beginning of this saga, as you will see. We rejected the material and all 3,200 kilos were returned to the supplier. The supplier had already sold thousands of kilos of this material to other supplement manufacturers and informed us it had not received a single complaint. And it ostensibly had no problem selling this material to our competitors, who apparently were merely grinding up the contaminants, perhaps never seeing them. You see, 21 C.F.R Part 111, the FDA's newly implemented Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines for the dietary supplement industry has a major flaw - the FDA's new GMPs do not apply to raw material manufacturers. And neither are raw material manufacturers included in the FDA's new inspection protocol, these manufacturers only fall under food GMP. Therefore, the duty of assuring the quality and identity of ingredients falls squarely upon the manufacturer of the finished dietary supplement. "Know your supplier" really takes on meaning here.
Round two was to obtain a sample of raw material from every potential U.S. supplier, as well as a certificate of analysis (CofA). The first roadblock is the reluctance of many suppliers to provide the "original" CofA, so they are not circumvented in the purchasing process. Many times the original CofA document from the actual manufacturer is cut-and-pasted by the supplier onto the supplier's letterhead. The next problem is that upon obtaining the CofA of the Chinese company from whom the supplier purchased the ingredient, you find that this company is not the actual manufacturer, but merely a Chinese broker for the ingredient. You have to move up the food chain to the next level, a more involved process.
The samples that came to us from the various potential suppliers were very similar in appearance to the initial material we analyzed - beautiful powder. Each supplier agreed to air-freight one drum of material from their respective Chinese broker. One supplier claimed to have 30,000 kilos available in Ontario, California. Each drum, upon subsequent screening by us, had the same type of contaminants - some of them also included the mysterious blue crystal. The CofA differed from supplier to supplier, but the supposedly different materials inexplicably contained the same contaminants.
We have a longstanding reputable supplier of Chinese raw materials who had a representative flying to China to source materials who agreed to look into this situation on our behalf. Upon actual inspection of the largest Chinese manufacturer, it was found that the mystery blue crystals are actually flakes of ceramic coating from a poorly maintained reactor, one of hundreds of "government-issued" reactors used in many Chinese manufacturing plants. This single large manufacturer makes thousands of kilos of betaine HCl and then down-chain distributors put their company's name on the product and brokers sell the product with the multiple-distributor cut-and-pasted CofA representing the product as being from an individual manufacturer.
We now have a representative actually present at a high-quality Chinese Manufacturing facility that is manufacturing product for our inspection. Thankfully, the U.S. plant who is our original supplier is now doing pilot batches and is close to re-opening and taking orders.
While Thorne Research obviously regrets our current backorder situation involving those products containing Betaine HCl, we want you to always know and be assured that we will never compromise quality. Thorne Research strongly suggests that practitioners question those supplement manufacturers for any betaine HCl containing products purchased during the past 18 months. It may be prudent to pursue obtaining a CofA for betaine HCl from your supplement manufacturer and request that the CofA be from the material's primary manufacturer, along with an invoice showing your manufacturer's purchase of the material within the past 18 months. If the CofA indicates a U.S. or Canadian company, call them yourself to find out whether or not they are an actual manufacturer. If they are not, demand to know where the betaine HCl was manufactured and request a CofA from the actual manufacturer. If you have any questions about a CofA you have received, or you need additional information, please contact Thorne Research.
Sincerely,
Al Czap
President & CEO
THORNE RESEARCH
the original specialists in pure encapsulations™
New: Sandwich Petals
This morning as I was packing my lunch I decided to bring the leftovers from last night's burrito fixings. I didn't have any more tortillas, but I figured that it wouldn't be a problem. I was more right then I knew. Lo and behold, when I arrived at the office, waiting for me was a box of tortillas! Shazam. Just like that, I was back in business.
So who sent me tortillas? The lovely people at Sandwich Petals sent me a box of what they call "The Original Gluten Free Flat Bread." They make their tortillas with a mix of 10 grains: corn, flax, sesame, buckwheat, brown rice, sorghum, millet, quinoa, teff, and amaranth. Sound like a complicated mix. But when I ate them I discovered that it was well worth it.
Sandwich Petals come in three different flavors: Agave Grain, Spinach Garlic Pesto, and Chimayo Red Chile. I was impressed with the names because when I tasted each one they really did have a noticeably unique and flavorful taste. This was obviously far more than just marketing.
Another part of their success is reflected in the quality of the tortilla itself. If you follow the directions and heat it up for 30 seconds, you really do get a nice rollable tortilla that holds together much better than a corn tortilla. It also has a nice texture and a thickness that you just can't get in a corn tortilla.
I really do like these tortillas and I'm looking forward to eating them again tomorrow as I continue through the leftovers. Note: you don't have to freeze or refrigerate these babies either. The are supposedly shelf stable for 30 days.
I encourage you to look into getting some for yourself. I don't know if they are available locally, but you can order them online at www.sandwichpetals.com. And if you order on Mondays before noon you can get 2 for the price of 1! Whoa! What day is it?
So who sent me tortillas? The lovely people at Sandwich Petals sent me a box of what they call "The Original Gluten Free Flat Bread." They make their tortillas with a mix of 10 grains: corn, flax, sesame, buckwheat, brown rice, sorghum, millet, quinoa, teff, and amaranth. Sound like a complicated mix. But when I ate them I discovered that it was well worth it.
Sandwich Petals come in three different flavors: Agave Grain, Spinach Garlic Pesto, and Chimayo Red Chile. I was impressed with the names because when I tasted each one they really did have a noticeably unique and flavorful taste. This was obviously far more than just marketing.
Another part of their success is reflected in the quality of the tortilla itself. If you follow the directions and heat it up for 30 seconds, you really do get a nice rollable tortilla that holds together much better than a corn tortilla. It also has a nice texture and a thickness that you just can't get in a corn tortilla.
I really do like these tortillas and I'm looking forward to eating them again tomorrow as I continue through the leftovers. Note: you don't have to freeze or refrigerate these babies either. The are supposedly shelf stable for 30 days.
I encourage you to look into getting some for yourself. I don't know if they are available locally, but you can order them online at www.sandwichpetals.com. And if you order on Mondays before noon you can get 2 for the price of 1! Whoa! What day is it?
Soy and Dairy Free Chocolates
They do exist! I didn't realize that you could get soy free chocolate until a patient recently brought it to my attention. (Thank you!)
As many of you know, most chocolate contains dairy. As fewer of you know, almost all chocolate contains soy. This is especially problematic for my dairy and soy allergic chocolate loving patients. The soy in chocolate is the form of soy lecithin. Please say that word slowly. It's pronounced "le-si-thin."
Many of you out there said lethicin. I know. I've heard you. It's really no big deal, but there is no such thing as lethicin. Whew. I'm glad I got that off my chest. It's been bothering me for a long time.
Ok, so who has this rare form of chocolate, and where do you get it?
First, Lindt has two chocolate bars that are free of both dairy and soy. These are the Lindt 70% & 85% cocoa varieties.
Theo also has one called the Fig Fennel & Almond Dark Chocolate Bar. (Sounds a little weird to me, but I'll let you decide.) Unfortunately they don't put the ingredients on their website.
Chocolate Emporium makes Soy Free Chocolate Chips and has numerous dairy and gluten free offerings. Definitely check them out online. The soy free choc chips are down toward the bottom of this link.
Dagoba may have some too. But they also refuse to list the ingredients on their website, so I'm not sure which ones they would be.
And to add to the variety, Artisana has a what they call Cacao Bliss. It's a chocolate and coconut oil based butter. It's dairy, cane sugar, and soy free. I'm sure you can find all kinds of creative things to do with it.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did notice that Lindt had this to say about their soy free chocolates:
"This ingredient can be found in our regular dark chocolate products, as well as milk and white chocolate. The Excellence 70%, 85% and 99% bars are our only products that do not contain soya lecithin. Unfortunately, no Lindt Product is 100% guaranteed soy allergen safe. The product may contain minute traces of soy because they do run on the same lines as products which do have this ingredient. All Lindt manufacturing facilities process milk dark, and white chocolate products, so there is a potential for cross contamination. Though Lindt incorporates the most thorough cleaning process, trace amounts may cross contact with other products within the factory."
It's probably a similar story from the other guys as well. So gauge for yourself whether or not it may appropriate to take this level of risk.
Where do you get them? I'm not a chocoholic, so I don't have the GPS coordinates marked down. They are definitely available online. Also check your favorite chocolate aisle at a quality grocer. And as always, read the ingredients for yourself to make sure that things haven't changed.
There must be others out there. Please let us know when you find them.
As many of you know, most chocolate contains dairy. As fewer of you know, almost all chocolate contains soy. This is especially problematic for my dairy and soy allergic chocolate loving patients. The soy in chocolate is the form of soy lecithin. Please say that word slowly. It's pronounced "le-si-thin."
Many of you out there said lethicin. I know. I've heard you. It's really no big deal, but there is no such thing as lethicin. Whew. I'm glad I got that off my chest. It's been bothering me for a long time.
Ok, so who has this rare form of chocolate, and where do you get it?
First, Lindt has two chocolate bars that are free of both dairy and soy. These are the Lindt 70% & 85% cocoa varieties.
Theo also has one called the Fig Fennel & Almond Dark Chocolate Bar. (Sounds a little weird to me, but I'll let you decide.) Unfortunately they don't put the ingredients on their website.
Chocolate Emporium makes Soy Free Chocolate Chips and has numerous dairy and gluten free offerings. Definitely check them out online. The soy free choc chips are down toward the bottom of this link.
Dagoba may have some too. But they also refuse to list the ingredients on their website, so I'm not sure which ones they would be.
And to add to the variety, Artisana has a what they call Cacao Bliss. It's a chocolate and coconut oil based butter. It's dairy, cane sugar, and soy free. I'm sure you can find all kinds of creative things to do with it.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did notice that Lindt had this to say about their soy free chocolates:
"This ingredient can be found in our regular dark chocolate products, as well as milk and white chocolate. The Excellence 70%, 85% and 99% bars are our only products that do not contain soya lecithin. Unfortunately, no Lindt Product is 100% guaranteed soy allergen safe. The product may contain minute traces of soy because they do run on the same lines as products which do have this ingredient. All Lindt manufacturing facilities process milk dark, and white chocolate products, so there is a potential for cross contamination. Though Lindt incorporates the most thorough cleaning process, trace amounts may cross contact with other products within the factory."
It's probably a similar story from the other guys as well. So gauge for yourself whether or not it may appropriate to take this level of risk.
Where do you get them? I'm not a chocoholic, so I don't have the GPS coordinates marked down. They are definitely available online. Also check your favorite chocolate aisle at a quality grocer. And as always, read the ingredients for yourself to make sure that things haven't changed.
There must be others out there. Please let us know when you find them.
What's Wrong With This Medical Article?
Below is a typical example of a review on food allergies published in a respected medical journal. In this case the journal is The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? And yet the abstract of this article, shown below, is full of holes and bad assumptions.
This is not unique to these kinds of articles. Many similar articles are published every month in highly respected medical journals. I don't bother with most of them, but I want to highlight one so that you can get a better understanding about why your doctor and the medical community as a whole has such a poor understanding of food allergies and intolerances.
To start off, it is stated that 5% of young children and 3-4% of adults have food allergies. Ironically, although this is far lower than reality (discussed below), it is higher than the numbers quoted by most other articles.
The one other tiny bit of related insight found in the article is that they consider both IgE and non-IgE mediated food allergies. This initially gave me a split second of hope that they were including celiac disease and other IgA and/or IgG mediated food allergies. (See our webpage for more info on this.) However, that hope was immediately dashed when in parentheses they ruled that out by defining non-IgE mediated allergies as "cellular." I won't get in to details, but it doesn't include antibodies other than IgE.
In fact, the article is nothing more than a rehash of the same lack of perspective that has been provided over and over in other articles. You'd be surprised how often this occurs. Many medical articles are people simply repeating what's already been said. It's an easy way to say you've published something. Unfortunately, it's less common in the food allergy and intolerance world for a medical article to include truly novel and useful research.
This article is a prime example of how allergists continue to refuse to acknowledge gluten intolerance and related immune responses to foods, even though the evidence continues to mount (see Innate Health Foundation research page). Celiac disease alone affects 1% of the population, and gluten intolerance likely affects at least 10% of the population. And this can be easily shown with blood tests.
But that is only considering the reaction to one protein in one food. When we broaden our perspective to look at all foods, we find that the percentage is much, much, higher. How high? No one really knows yet, but I estimate that at least 50% of the population has a food allergy.
What does this mean? Interestingly, doctors are likely to ignore this even if they do ever test for it. To quote from the abstract below, "Diagnosis is complicated by the observation that detection of food-specific IgE (sensitization) does not necessarily indicate clinical allergy." What they mean is that if they don't see symptoms in the patient, then they ignore the results even if the blood tests are positive.
The problem with this approach is highlighted in celiac disease. Most celiacs are asymptomatic. But we clearly know that they should still avoid gluten because damage is occurring in the body, even if its affect is not clear to the sufferer.
Of course, the authors of the review also aren't taking into consideration the hundreds of potential symptoms that can be caused by a food allergy. They are only looking for hives, anaphylaxis, and a handful of other symptoms.
Now you have a slightly better understanding of how health care works and how doctors and researchers think. It may be a bit complicated, but I hope you found it useful. If it didn't quite make sense, please read my new book "Healthier Without Wheat." I had a little more time to explain all of this!
Here is the abstract:
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2009 Dec 28. Food Allergy. Authors: Sicherer SH, Sampson HA.
From the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"Adverse immune responses to foods affect approximately 5% of young children and 3% to 4% of adults in westernized countries and appear to have increased in prevalence. Food-induced allergic reactions are responsible for a variety of symptoms and disorders involving the skin and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts and can be attributed to IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated (cellular) mechanisms. Genetic disposition and environmental factors might abrogate oral tolerance, leading to food allergy. Disease outcomes are influenced by the characteristics of the immune response and of the triggering allergen. Diagnosis is complicated by the observation that detection of food-specific IgE (sensitization) does not necessarily indicate clinical allergy. Therefore diagnosis requires a careful medical history, laboratory studies, and, in many cases, an oral food challenge to confirm a diagnosis. Novel diagnostic methods, including ones that focus on immune responses to specific food proteins or epitopes of specific proteins, are under study. Currently, management of food allergies consists of educating the patient to avoid ingesting the responsible allergen and to initiate therapy (eg, with injected epinephrine for anaphylaxis) in case of an unintended ingestion. Improved therapeutic strategies under study include oral and sublingual immunotherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, anti-IgE antibodies, and modified vaccines."
Copyright © 2009 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
This is not unique to these kinds of articles. Many similar articles are published every month in highly respected medical journals. I don't bother with most of them, but I want to highlight one so that you can get a better understanding about why your doctor and the medical community as a whole has such a poor understanding of food allergies and intolerances.
To start off, it is stated that 5% of young children and 3-4% of adults have food allergies. Ironically, although this is far lower than reality (discussed below), it is higher than the numbers quoted by most other articles.
The one other tiny bit of related insight found in the article is that they consider both IgE and non-IgE mediated food allergies. This initially gave me a split second of hope that they were including celiac disease and other IgA and/or IgG mediated food allergies. (See our webpage for more info on this.) However, that hope was immediately dashed when in parentheses they ruled that out by defining non-IgE mediated allergies as "cellular." I won't get in to details, but it doesn't include antibodies other than IgE.
In fact, the article is nothing more than a rehash of the same lack of perspective that has been provided over and over in other articles. You'd be surprised how often this occurs. Many medical articles are people simply repeating what's already been said. It's an easy way to say you've published something. Unfortunately, it's less common in the food allergy and intolerance world for a medical article to include truly novel and useful research.
This article is a prime example of how allergists continue to refuse to acknowledge gluten intolerance and related immune responses to foods, even though the evidence continues to mount (see Innate Health Foundation research page). Celiac disease alone affects 1% of the population, and gluten intolerance likely affects at least 10% of the population. And this can be easily shown with blood tests.
But that is only considering the reaction to one protein in one food. When we broaden our perspective to look at all foods, we find that the percentage is much, much, higher. How high? No one really knows yet, but I estimate that at least 50% of the population has a food allergy.
What does this mean? Interestingly, doctors are likely to ignore this even if they do ever test for it. To quote from the abstract below, "Diagnosis is complicated by the observation that detection of food-specific IgE (sensitization) does not necessarily indicate clinical allergy." What they mean is that if they don't see symptoms in the patient, then they ignore the results even if the blood tests are positive.
The problem with this approach is highlighted in celiac disease. Most celiacs are asymptomatic. But we clearly know that they should still avoid gluten because damage is occurring in the body, even if its affect is not clear to the sufferer.
Of course, the authors of the review also aren't taking into consideration the hundreds of potential symptoms that can be caused by a food allergy. They are only looking for hives, anaphylaxis, and a handful of other symptoms.
Now you have a slightly better understanding of how health care works and how doctors and researchers think. It may be a bit complicated, but I hope you found it useful. If it didn't quite make sense, please read my new book "Healthier Without Wheat." I had a little more time to explain all of this!
Here is the abstract:
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2009 Dec 28. Food Allergy. Authors: Sicherer SH, Sampson HA.
From the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"Adverse immune responses to foods affect approximately 5% of young children and 3% to 4% of adults in westernized countries and appear to have increased in prevalence. Food-induced allergic reactions are responsible for a variety of symptoms and disorders involving the skin and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts and can be attributed to IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated (cellular) mechanisms. Genetic disposition and environmental factors might abrogate oral tolerance, leading to food allergy. Disease outcomes are influenced by the characteristics of the immune response and of the triggering allergen. Diagnosis is complicated by the observation that detection of food-specific IgE (sensitization) does not necessarily indicate clinical allergy. Therefore diagnosis requires a careful medical history, laboratory studies, and, in many cases, an oral food challenge to confirm a diagnosis. Novel diagnostic methods, including ones that focus on immune responses to specific food proteins or epitopes of specific proteins, are under study. Currently, management of food allergies consists of educating the patient to avoid ingesting the responsible allergen and to initiate therapy (eg, with injected epinephrine for anaphylaxis) in case of an unintended ingestion. Improved therapeutic strategies under study include oral and sublingual immunotherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, anti-IgE antibodies, and modified vaccines."
Copyright © 2009 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
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