June 2011         
  
In This Issue:
  - Bluebook Blues
  - Benzocaine Blues
  - Stimulant Blues
  - Story of Stuff
  - More Stuff: Story of Cosmetics
  - And the critique ...
  - Petition: Tell SC Johnson
     Their Toxic Scents Stink!
  - Notes from Down Under
  - From the Mailbox
  - Food & Mood
  - Wild & Natural
  - Who Owns Organic?
  - Organic Spies Find Lies
  - Salicylates & Hyperactivity
  - Nice Blog


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Food & Mood
One of our professional advisors, Dr. Richard Carlton, was recently interviewed by Health Media on Radio AM 1240 WGBB. Dr. Carlton is a psychiatrist who has 35 years' experience using non-drug approaches to treat ADHD and depression.

For both of those conditions, Dr. Carlton's first approach is to identify possible "trigger foods" - that is, commonplace foods (and/or food additives) that frequently worsen conditions like ADHD and depression. Then Dr. Carlton adds in nutrients that improve neurotransmitter function. That helps ADHD sufferers to focus and to perform better, and it also helps to relieve depression.

Listen to the interview as an MP3 file provided by the station here or as an audio file provided by one of our members here.

Wild & Natural
Wild, a Germany color manufacturer, said it is collaborating with extrusion technology specialists Extrufood to overcome the technical challenges associated with extrusion products. The demand for natural colors is growing by 7.5 percent a year now that they are preferred in Europe.

This sounds good, except for the reference to "synthetically-derived nature-identical colors" which appear to be included in "natural colors." Also, the companies making extruded candies don't have to change their machinery to use the natural colors, which means in real life that they can use both natural and synthetic colors in the same machine on the same day. How much cross-contamination may occur? Are we the only people worrying about this? See article.



Click chart to see full size
 Who Owns
Organic?
Increasingly, companies selling products with labels that "look good" to our members are refusing to fill out our forms. Why is this?

Well, we don't have an answer, but we do have an interesting chart.

Click on the little chart above to make it big enough for you to read the small print and you will see just who owns what in the field of organic and natural foods.

It certainly makes us wonder ... are their employees just too lazy or illiterate to fill out forms? We don't think so.

Are their lawyers worried about getting sued for lying? Oh no ... did we say lying? As in ... are they hiding something?

We don't know. But we plan to help you ask. Watch for a special email about this in the next few days and more from time to time.


Organic Spies
Find Lies
Organic Spies Find Lies is a short video documentary showing the connection between board members of the Organic Trade Assn (OTA) and companies that profit from using genetically modified (GMO) foods.

For more information, see the June 9 issue of Organic Bytes.



Salicylates & Hyperactivity
Here is a British article on salicylates, which you may find interesting.

And for those of you concerned with salicylate sensitivity, or just beginning the diet, here is a helpful list of salicylate-related ingredients to watch for in medications and personal care items.

Nice Blog
More and more parents are beginning to blog about their experience with the Feingold diet. Terri G wrote to ask us for permission to link to us. Enjoy her story at Accidentally Homeschooling.

Time to
Renew?

If you have not been receiving Pure Facts, you may have let your subscription lapse.

Click to Renew

If your family has benefited from the Feingold Program, please remember us when it's time to give
to charity.

Click here to donate
The Bluebook Blues
Many of you have ordered our 45-page Bluebook for yourselves, for your doctor, teacher, or friends. It is part of the professional packet for teachers and doctors, is provided for lectures, workshops, classes, and conferences, and is also available to read on line.

Well, the time has come - we are running low on them, and we must update and reprint it. However, we have a few questions, that only YOU can answer. Feel free to return this email by REPLY and comment on the questions below:

  1. Are you yourself a parent? A teacher? A doctor?

  2. Did you find the book useful for whatever reason you ordered it?

  3. Would a copy of our small brochure have been equally useful?

  4. Is this book too hard for parents to read?

  5. Should it be limited to professionals?

  6. Should it be divided with a part for parents and the part on research labeled "For the Doctor?"
Benzocaine Blues
Benzocaine is a chemical frequently used in over-the-counter sprays and gels sold to relieve pain from sore throats, teething (in babies), canker sores, and irritation of the mouth and gums.

To our knowledge, none of the common brands containing benzocaine are actually free of the other additives we eliminate, but even if you find a brand that is free of additives, you should avoid it. In this case, the problem chemical is the main ingredient: benzocaine.

The FDA has reported receiving many reports of a side effect called methemoglobinemia. In methemoglobinemia, the blood cannot carry enough oxygen. Symptoms include pale, gray or blue colored skin, lips, and nail beds; headache; lightheadedness; shortness of breath; fatigue; and rapid heart rate. In some cases - mostly in children under two who had been treated for teething pain - death can result. More . . . and See FDA safety alert
Stimulant Blues
In June, 2011, doctors at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL, reported that a 9-year old child with ADHD was brought to them with blue toes. She had no pain or swelling, but part of both feet and all her toes were blue-purple and cool to the touch. She had been taking Adderall-XR, a long-acting stimulant medication, for six months before these changes were noticed, and was otherwise healthy.

"I found it incredibly interesting and found it was important to publish, so that perhaps future patients can be spared the very expensive workup that I performed before making the connection."
~ Dr. Anthony Mancini,
corresponding author
After several tests - all negative - her doctors spoke to another doctor at the hospital who had once seen a patient with similar symptoms. The effects of stimulant medication can include cardiovascular symptoms and elevated blood pressure, and they have been reported to make Raynaud syndrome (lack of blood flow to hands and feet) worse in children, so the doctors recommended that the child discontinue her ADHD medication to see if that would help. It did. The doctors hypothesized that the blue toe syndrome in this child was caused by peripheral vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels in hands and feet) brought on by the drug.

Although the drug the child was taking was Adderall, all the stimulant drugs have similar symptoms, so this is something for parents to be aware of when their child is taking any of the stimulant drugs. In this case, it took six months for the blue toes to appear; they should not be ignored, even if painless, because it indicates all is not well with the child's blood circulation.    Full Text || Request Password



The Story of Stuff

This is the Story of Stuff .... where it comes from, what it does, who does it, where it goes, and how we all fit in, narrated by Annie Leonard.



More Stuff: The Story of Cosmetics


One of our members sent this to me
and it is just too good
not to share.




And the critique . . .
This video claims to disprove everything Annie Leonard says. Narrated by a young man whose name I could not find, from an organization called "How the World Works," he has some interesting ideas. To read his highlighted sentences, which are presumably his scientific proofs, you must stop the video repeatedly, but it is worth doing, to see what he is (and isn't) saying.



Petition: Tell SC Johnson Their Toxic Scents Stink!
A petition begun by Healthy Child Healthy World asks us to join them in telling SC Johnson that we don't appreciate their using toxic fragrance ingredients like galaxolide and tonalide in the products they want to sell us. See more . . .

As "the family company," SC Johnson has a very attractive website listing all the ingredients in all their products, with really nice pictures of each product.

Their promise: "As a family company, we believe you should know what you're bringing into your home, so we're working to share our ingredients, right down to the fragrances and dyes."

That sounds really great!

I paged through the website randomly, and found that some items - such as the cleaning agent in Drano - are labeled Proprietary Surfactant Blend (which means it is a secret). And every time I found a product with fragrance in the ingredients, it says Fragrance information will be added soon.

Why? Don't they know what perfume chemicals they put in their product? Or don't they want to tell us?

Or did their lawyers tell them that "right down to..." actually can also mean "but not including?"



Notes from Down Under

One of our members living in Australia has shared some tips on baby care both here and there.

Diapers
  • Nearly all diapers contain lotion w/ aloe vera. Aloe vera is very high in salicylates. Pampers was very bad even though I love the rest of their technology!
  • We found Moltex (imported) which has zero lotion in the diaper. I believe Earth’s Best and 7th Generation are what I used when I visited the US. Neither of them have lotion (as of May 2010).
  • Huggies is lotion irritation which my little one only tolerated after we got off a bunch of products and foods.
Diaper/rash cream
  • Eucerin or sheep wool oil.
  • All traditional diaper creams, and especially the “all natural” ones are extremely high in irritants, e.g. aloe vera, lavender.
Soap
  • Use liquid soap. In Australia, I’m using QV Wash which is known for being low irritant and good for sensitive skin.
Diaper pails
  • We found Angelcare diaper bin as the only commercial product that would come with unscented bags/liners.
Diaper wipes
  • We used plain warm water and washcloth at home.
  • Out and about, we use J&J’s unfragranced wipes.
  • We had significant issues with all natural stuff such as Gaia which is also heavy in aloe vera.
We addressed a majority of my 9 m/o baby’s issues with the above adjustments. The rest of our solution came with:
  1. More careful monitoring of the solids we had introduced. I dropped several.
  2. Later dropped soy formula (used as the vitamin boost due to milk intolerance) and I have a fabulous toddler now who no longer gets the “heebie jeebies.”

From the Mailbox

Some of the unsolicited comments on email or order forms since last time:
  • Member renewing from CA - "Can't believe how much this has helped my six year old with sensory dysfunction. His OT thought this was wonderful. You can finally reason with him - something you never could have done before Feingold."

  • Question by new member on order form - "I would very much appreciate information on dye-free stimulant medications. My two sons take Vyvanse (orange and white capsule) and Adderall (blue and white capsule)." See our answer.

  • Renewing in VA - "Feingold saved my son! We were able to get him off 400mg Seroquel; within 2 months of starting the program!! He improved drastically! I tell everyone our story, every chance I get. :) Thank you!!"

  • Renewing in DE - "love your program! Thank you."

  • Renewing from PA - "My husband & I love this program & we have recommended it to at least 8 families this year alone."

  • New member in OR - "When my son was born, we went to see Dr. Feingold and now this is for my grandson. Thank you for the help."

  • Renewing in VA - "I LOVE the Feingold program - the message board & Food List are invaluable. My son & I were recently enjoying a Starbucks treat when he said "Why would anyone want to eat food with artificial colors?"

  • Renewing from CA - "I LOVE YOU GUYS. I have been a member for years."

  • Renewing in KS - "I am so truly grateful to have found the Feingold Association over 2 years ago. What a wonderful journey!"

  • Renewing after a long lapse in CA - "We have been using an old version of the Feingold diet and are able to afford updated material and I am very excited. Our 9 year old has improved so much."

  • Renewing in WI - "The Feingold community saved our family. We will be forever grateful."

  • New member in PA - "Why is this info not mentioned by pediatricians offices? Shouldn't it be discussed before medication is even considered? I will share anything I find with our ped office!" [We agree ~ editor]

  • Renewing in MD - "Thanks for the great job you do! We are definitely much better off."

  • New member in TX - "I have been reading "Why Can't My Child Behave?". It has helped us so much! I've since sent 2 other moms your way and told many, many others. I will be blogging about it on RealKidFriendly.com soon!"

  • New member in MA - "I've known about this program since I was a child. now as an adult and Special Educator, I've come to realize the importance of this for me and my students."

  • Renewing from MA - "We love the Feingold Program. We have been living the Feingold way for 5 years and it makes an amazing difference in our lives. Thank You!!!"

  • Comment from UK - "I am a CBT therapist and heard of the Feingold Diet in the early 1980s when my osteopath husband recommended it for young hyperactive patients. We had successful results when we, also, followed the diet for our youngest daughter, who had several food intolerances, suffered migraine headaches and displayed hyperactivity."
Coming in July-August 2011:

  • The next issue of Pure Facts will be the combined July-August newsletter, which will be sent out in July. Watch for your preview here next month.

  • The new Feingold Cookbook is almost ready - hopefully I will have a picture and details by next month.
Notes

Planning to change your address? Don't forget to let us know - use the force ... I mean the form ... so you will not be out of touch.