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In This
Issue:
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- One of our own
- You can get the word out
- Wakefield trial followup
- FDA: color additive reporting
- WalMart pulling toxic jewelry
- Epsom salt baths
- Aha! Parenting
- Autism conference in Canada
- Looking for you
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Autism Biomedical Conference in Canada
March 26-28, 2010
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Early Bird Special: register by March 10.
This conference is for students, parents, educators, physicians, & healthcare practitioners. It features some of the world’s foremost experts on Autism, PDD, ADHD, and related disorders.
Shula Edelkind will be speaking about the part the Feingold diet can play in ASD (autism spectrum disorders).
See more information.
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Looking for You
We're looking for photos
of your Feingold kids to include in the Feingold Family Pages! E-mail them to Cindy Harrell, Family Pages Editor.
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Time to
Renew?
If you have not been receiving Pure Facts, you may have let your subscription lapse. Renew your subscription to Pure Facts + the Foodlist now, you will also get the new Supplement Guide, Fast Food Guide, and Mail Order Guide at no extra cost.
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If your family has benefited from the Feingold Program, please remember us when it is time to give to charity.
As a nonprofit organization, all donations to the Feingold Association are
tax deductible,
and your donation will be helping us to help other families.
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Brooke & Trenton with his all-natural-color birthday cake in the foreground
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One of Our Own in the Public Eye
Renee Shutters is one of our volunteers whose Feingold story was recently published the Jamestown, NY Post Journal. The company she works for became interested in her "hobby" of working for Feingold in all her spare moments, and they recently sent an email with a link to the Post story to their entire international database. See it here.
Way to go, Renee!!
You Can Get the Word Out!
For all of you who want to do your part at getting the word out about Feingold, please post the following message on your Twitter and Facebook home pages:
For more than 30 years parent volunteers have been helping families address a wide range of problems that can be triggered by certain foods and food additives.
The Feingold Association has found effective, kid-friendly ways to resolve many issues by making simple changes in one's grocery shopping. But along the way we have discovered that any family can benefit from healthier food that tastes great and costs less. You don't need to have a family member with ADHD, asthma, ear infections, hives, bedwetting, headaches, eczema, depression or mood swings to enjoy our savvy supermarket strategies.
We have recently launched our "Feingold Family Pages" -- a free online newsletter with information on finding foods that are free of yucky additives. Also, see our seasonal hints, holiday ideas, crafts to enjoy with your kids, and ways to live better.
To access our Family Pages, visit our home page at feingold.org or ADHDdiet.org. Once you are there, click on the current Family Pages picture.
Wakefield Trial Followup
For those of you following the trial of Dr. Andrew Wakefield
and Professors Simon Murch and John Walker-Smith
in the UK, the verdict went entirely against them. See the story as reported in Times Online.
Moreover, the Lancet retracted the study that Wakefield et al had published in 1998. You can see the study here - complete with a large red "RETRACTED" stamp across each page. To actually read the study, see it here.
Some of our members have asked for the "other side" of the issue. The best person to give Dr. Wakefield's side would be Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center. See and hear her by clicking on the YouTube picture at right.
Throughout the history of medicine, there has been a tradition of ridiculing new ideas and persecuting those who advance them. The autism epidemic is so serious - even desperate - that we can't afford to silence any professional who introduces a new concept. New ideas need to be studied and tested, but it is essential that such testing be done by unbiased researchers, and not by those with a financial interest.
FDA: How Safe Are Color Additives?
When you look at the FDA Website on the How Safe are Color Additives? page, at the bottom you will find the following:
"FDA monitors reports of problems related to color additives. Report adverse reactions to color additives to your local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. (There is a link to a page of locations.)
"Or, report problems to CFSAN's Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) by phone at 301-436-2405 or email at CAERS@cfsan.fda.gov."
I wonder what would happen if all of you whose children (or yourselves) have had adverse reactions to food dyes would call or write?
Now would be a really good time to do so, since we are working with the Center for Science in the Public Interest to bring a request to remove food dyes (at least) to Congress. I will be joining several scientists next week for meetings with the FDA on this very subject.
WalMart Pulling Toxic Jewelry
Lab testing by the Associated Press in January found that cadmium could be present in children’s jewelry at levels exceeding 90 percent of the item’s total weight. What do children do with jewelry? As any parent can tell you: They put it in their mouths! According to Harvard professor Dr. Robert O. Wright, “Just small amounts of chemicals may radically alter development.” Wright’s work has demonstrated that as exposure to cadmium grows, children are more likely to manifest learning disabilities.
WalMart said the AP report was troubling, “and we have a responsibility to take swift action.” While a recall was begun at the end of January, According to my local Wal-Mart (Woodstock, GA), not only have these items been removed from the shelf, but if you recently bought some, they will take it back and refund your money.
It is believed that other sources of cheap children's jewelry, such as Dollar Stores, also have been carrying these products, but it is unknown whether they have taken action to remove them from their shelves.
See the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall order and an article from The China Post
Epsom Salt Baths
Some people find that Epsom salt baths calm their children. Children with autism sometimes seem to have improvement of symptoms as well. And a few children actually seem worse afterwards. Why should any of this happen? It seems to be a complex interaction of sulfate, enzymes, etc., and is nicely described in a document compiled by Mary Wetherby and Susan Owens.
Read it here.
Aha!Parenting
Linked here is a delightful article by Dr. Laura Markham, called Children Are Like Wet Cement. You may enjoy other articles in her website, as well, as she certainly seems to be on our wavelength.
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Next Month in PURE FACTS:
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Looking for some new ideas for lunches and pizza toppings? You'll be as excited as we
are about these natural meats that have just been added to our list. What's more,
they're gluten-free and most are Stage One!
- Does a picky eater live in your house? Ever wonder why most kids expand their
food choices once they get on Feingold? We have some clues about this, as well
as a wealth of practical suggestions on how to reform those veggie haters. The
March Pure Facts is a special focus issue on picky eaters.
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