To Your Health

Fish oil, specifically Omega-3, is hot right now and for a reason. It contributes to a healthy heart, reduces inflammation, can improve your skin, lessen joint pain, improve brain function and even may lower the risk of certain types of cancers.*

If you don't consume enough fish oil through your regular diet, there are a number of supplement options available. Fish oil capsules are one of the easiest and most accessible sources of fish oil outside of diet. When buying capsules, check the amount of DHA and EPA because that's what you should be measuring, not fish oil alone. The benefits of capsules include portability and cost. The downside is that many people have a difficult time swallowing the often large capsules and it's not uncommon for people to experience heartburn or a fishy taste after taking them. In addition, if one is taking a variety of supplements or medication for any reason, adding a number of fish oil capsules can exacerbate the feeling that you're constantly swallowing pills.

I take fish oil to help with my dry eye issues and recently, through an introduction on the DryEyeZone.com, decided to try Barlean's Omega Swirl as an alternative to capsules. One tablespoonful and I was sold. It tastes great (a slight fishy taste if you are really perceptive and let it linger on your tongue but it's barely perceptible), has a nice texture and rather than choking down 4+ large capsules, I simply take a spoonful of Barlean's twice a day. The only downside is that it costs more than capsules and requires refrigeration (not so hot for travel). I'm not a huge fan of lemon or orange so I purchased the Pina Colada flavor and I like it well enough that I'm looking forward to trying the other flavors. It's going to be tough to go back to capsules for travel.

Barlean's Omega Swirl rates Highly Recommended in my book.

*Fish oil has many health benefits but it is possible to consume too much, particularly if you have certain health issues. Please talk to your doctor and familiarize yourself with the side effects and risks if you are adding fish oil, or any supplement, to your diet.

**Note added 7/18/2011:
I emailed Barlean's regarding gluten and dairy in their products and I received this very nice & informative email back:

Thank you for writing into us! In regards to gluten, our products are formulated with gluten free components. Our facility adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) but we do not test all our products for gluten at this time. Our Omega Swirls are the only products that are specifically tested for gluten at this time. They are considered gluten free. Our Barlean's Greens contain Wheat Leaf and Barley Leaf- these are harvested at the shoot stage before they have had a chance to make gluten. There should be no reason our Greens contain gluten however again, we do not actively test them for gluten.

While we have no reason to believe there is gluten in our products, we do always have to take into consideration that there could be some sort of cross-contamination. This is particularly true as we deal with products that come from seeds (ie: borage and flax). A very possible example of this could be that a truck that was used to haul wheat might contain gluten residue. Or wind could carry some wheat kernels into a neighboring field of organic flaxseeds. The product is free of dairy, casein, and lactose. I hope that this is helpful. Have a wonderful day and best of health!

Danniel Davenport
Customer Service & Account Representative
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition
www.barleans.com

What I Wouldn't Do

At 26, I started having problems with dry eye. At least, that's when I can track my first doctor appointment to -- the one that, within a month led to my first punctal plugs, Restasis and expensive preservative-free eye drops after a round or two of glaucoma-causing Lotemax and whatever else to help with inflammation.

All of those things worked back then and summer was more pleasant than winter with it's dry, cold air and indoors, warm, dry heat (that's changed and it's bad year round now). I wore makeup and while dry eyes were a nuisance, they weren't life-changing.

Today, I'm 40, and frequently it feels like my dry eyes have taken over my life. I wear no makeup because it could further irritate my eyes. I have an hourly alarm set to put in either my serum drops, which must be refrigerated, or my preservative-free drops if I can't get to my serum drops. I follow each drop with 2 minutes of closed eyes, as prescribed by my specialist. I'm taking a round of (4) fish oil / (3) flaxseed oil and healthy-eye vitamins daily as suggested by my eye specialist, in addition, to a concoction of chia seeds, slippery elm root and aloe vera my naturopath has prescribed. I've been to numerous eye doctors, taken numerous prescriptions, seen a rheumatologist, consulted with another, gone to an allergist (followed by nearly 12 weeks of dairy-free & tree-nut free living with the tiny hope it would help -- it hasn't so far and I'm in my 10th week) regularly search the Internet for anything that might lead to a cause and / or (better) a cure. At night I put goop in my eyes and wake up at 2 or 3 am because my eyes are so dry I need to administer more eye drops. I use a humidifier at night and have a special humidifier for travel. I use a small thermos with tiny ice packs, cut to fit, to keep my serum drops cold when I travel. Recently, I've started wearing goggles to bed. In the morning and before bed, I spend about 20 minutes doing a procedure that requires a warm, damp compress over my eyes followed by rubbing a Q-tip saturated with sterile saline over my eyelids.

All this because and in spite of, the fact that I am in agony and terrifiedmy eyes will get worse. By worse, I mean, the corneal damage (abrasions) that can lead to all sorts of horrors; horrors such as Tarsorrhaphy and corneal transplants. The constant pain and burning, apparently, isn't enough to hold over my body and mind so the threat of surgery looms.

It's taxing. Between the lack of sleep, due to waking in the night to put eye drops in, the worry and responsibility, I rarely relax. If I fail to put my drops in regularly, I suffer more and even the regular preservative-free drops don't seem as effective as the serum drops. Nevermind that I'm terrified of needles and I've had a gazillion test performed (all negative) and the serum drops require 10 vials of blood to be drawn. The needle fear has gotten better. I still feel nauseous just thinking about them and I always have to play Jedi-mind tricks in order not to hyperventilate before or during a draw. I still cry every time but it's gotten better and to be fair, I cry a lot these days. I'm only 40 and despite overall health, I feel like I'm falling apart.

The worst part about crying is that it ends with my eyes worse than before. Strange as that sounds, crying tears are different than regular tears, or they seem to be. The puffiness that normal people get after a good, solid emotional cry, only further devastates the inflammation I already have and for days, I can look like I've had some horrible allergic reaction where my eyes puff up so much and redden even more, I look more freakish than usual. The inflammation seems to make my eyes even dryer as an added bonus.

I see my eye specialist every 4-6 weeks and so far, no matter what I do, there's been no improvement. The doctor won't tell me much so I wonder if, perhaps, the problem is getting worse. I've stopped asking because I know I'll just cry even longer after my appointment, or more humiliating, during my appointment. I'm pretty sure, at this point, he's only seeing me, anymore, to make sure I don't end up with glaucoma from all of the steroids.

What I wouldn't pay, what I would do, for a cure, to feel better, to go on with my life without the hours I spend taking care of my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm lucky. I can afford the expensive drops, tests and whatever else has gone along with my eye care. I am, overall, very healthy and I have a family that has been supportive, including my dad, a retired M.D., who has spent countless hours researching dry eyes on the Internet for me, and my mom, who despite her own debilitating, chronic back pain has listened to me cry again and again, over this, and my four year old daughter, who, when she hears my eye drop alarm go off, reminds me to put eye drops in. Still, imagine the good I could do with the money I've spent treating what seems to be un-treatable, or the hours I've spent taking care of my eyes.

Get A Little Dirty

From @foodsmatter:
Gender and hygiene: could cleanliness be hurting girls – 01/11

Lessons I've learned along the way...

I've learned or been reminded of a number of things in my path to find the cause of my dry eyes. Here are some:

1. Family, friends & neighbors (if you're lucky, like me, your neighbors are friends too) are amazing. Making soup, driving for hours to help, playdates, phone calls, just being there, these are the things that make the world go round and I feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.

2. Label-reading can be surprising. Who would have guessed my chewable vitamin C contained dairy? Or the fancy mustard in my fridge?

3. The prospect removal of a major food group (dairy, in my case) is much more mentally palatable than an incurable disease.

4. The difference between lactose and casein issues are that lactose is digestive and casein is an allergy.

5. An awful lot of dairy-free items contain nuts or nut-products, which really sucks if you also have an allergy to nuts.

6. The disappointment of learning that a common everyday item like margarine frequently contains dairy is outweighed by finding a vegan substitute that is available at most or all of the major grocery stores you frequent.

7. A daily affirmation feels a bit hokey but sure is handy when you're having *another* blood draw.

8. Discovering a soy milk that you like can result in lasting joy. Pearl Unsweetened doesn't have that funny taste that so many soy milks have.

9. If you think you have an allergy, consult an allergist and get a scratch test. A Vega Machine isn't going to give you accurate results. Food allergies are difficult to diagnose to begin with and while it may seem appealing, the Vega Machine just isn't going to cut it. My Vega results diagnosed me with wheat issues but no dairy. My scratch test diagnosed me with casein (dairy) but no wheat. Even my naturopath said to trust the scratch test over the Vega results. Ultimately, the only way to know is to eliminate the food in question to begin with but a scratch test is going to be a much better starting point than a Vega test. Of course, this is my opinion and I'm not a medical doctor, naturopathic doctor or doctor of any kind. I'm just speaking from my personal experience and the advice of my naturopathic physician.

10. I miss cheese. Oh, and Twitter is an amazing resource for things like allergies. I've gotten recommendations, tips & encouragement from people that have been-there, done that and it really helps.

The Road to Wellness

It's been a bit of time since I've written and I've gone through much. At least one of my physicians seems convinced I have Sjogren's. After a stumble in confidence and an additional visit to the rheumatologist, I feel confident that I do not have Sjogren's. It IS possible that I have Sjogren's but at this point, there is no reason to believe that I do.

While it is possible that I have Sjogren's, my blood test results have all been negative for indicators and I have no dental or saliva problems. No cavities, no gum disease, my last dental visit was, as usual, a fabulous experience (yes, it's true, I'm one of those weird people that actually love going to the dentist). I feel blessed, I'm persistant, I'm ornery and I have the intelligence and resources to continue my search, even though many of the medical professionals I've encountered are less-than-enthusiastic in my pursuit to find a cause for my dry eye that resists traditional treatment, including glaucoma-inducing Lotemax, hourly preservative-free tears, Restasis, warm compresses and more.

One of my best resources has been my dad. A retired physician, he's been willing to weed through various websites and other information to help me determine what's worth pursuing and what's not. Dad has been a huge support for me when I wanted to give up and when I just didn't know where else to look.

Last Tuesday, I returned to the rheumatologist. She said I *might* have Sjogren's but I definitely *might not* and there was no reason to presume, at this point, that I do have it. The following day, I went to an allergist. My primary was placating me when she wrote the referral and no one else seemed to think it was necessary either. The allergist, himself, told me that under normal circumstances he wouldn't test me but given what I've gone through (I brought all of my medical records), he was willing to do the scratch test for me.

The results were in some ways surprising and others, not so much. I'm very allergic to just about every pollen out there -- that was not surprising. I've always had hayfever, particularly grass, although I was a little surprised that I was allergic to pretty much ALL pollens, year round. I knew I was allergic to cats and dogs but not the degree to cats -- through the roof. And then we tested major food allergies. THAT was the surprise.

I think I wrote that the naturopath I visited over the summer declared me sensitive to wheat and a number of other things. Well, the allergy test showed that I was NOT allergic to wheat but I AM allergic (and strongly) to casein, a milk protein, and almonds. We didn't test all tree nuts so he said to be safe, I should eliminate tree nuts, in general, to see if it makes a difference or not. Milk. Butter. The naturopath's test said those were free and clear and here I was, experiencing a pretty big reaction from the scratch test FROM MILK.

This time around, removing a food product doesn't seem so bad. I don't have the anger I did when I thought I had to remove gluten. It's not because gluten is more important than milk; it's because the possibility of a food allergy, as a solution, is SO MUCH more appealing than an auto immune disorder. Sometimes you have to go a lot further before you realize how lucky you really are. I still *might* have Sjogren's but for now, I'm going dairy & tree-nut free. Some of the physicians I've spoken too feel confident there would be other symptoms besides dry eyes (and inflammation) if dairy / nuts were the problem; I'd be remiss if I didn't try though.

I realize that I may not have any symptom relief for at least 8 weeks and it is possible that eliminating dairy and tree nuts may not make a difference but it's worth a try and the prospect of a diet change making such a big difference in my health, makes me feel pretty good. Plus, it turns out, there's a lot of good dark chocolate out there that contains neither dairy, nor nuts!

What to do...

The other night I ate wheat products. I hadn't planned to but it happened. I hadn't made it the full 8 weeks without gluten but I was close, ok, at least halfway there.

Yesterday, the day after I ate wheat, I had no symptoms. No puffiness, no dry eye (in fact, I didn't use eyedrops at all that day), nothing. Today I had minimal problems with dry eye but certainly not what I've experienced in the past.

Does this mean wheat is not my problem? Since I stopped eating wheat, I've only had days of relief. I've been told you need to go approx 8 weeks to feel relief of symptoms but wouldn't you feel *some* improvement? And wouldn't consuming gluten cause more symptoms, not the lack of symptoms I had?

Moving forward, I went to a rheumatologist today, had a blood test and spoke with her about my symptoms (dry eye) as well as a number of other things, including my diet. She seemed very convinced that wheat is not my problem. So, how much do I rely on a Vega test result when an M.D. who specializes in auto-immune disorders tells me there is no connection between wheat consumption and dry eye issues?

The No-No List

For a number of years I've been having problems with my eyes. Specifically dry eyes. I've gone to a number of doctors, followed a lot of advice (warm compresses, preservative free eye drops, gel drops, washing eyelids, take fish oil capsules (a whole variety of them including TheraTears and Omega 7) and taken a number of prescriptions including Restasis. For a period, the preservative free eye drops and Restasis worked.

...And then nothing did.

One of the eye doctors I went to spent a good deal of time researching and trying to find a solution for me to no avail. I stopped by Pharmaca a few times for fish oil drops and various vitamins I'd heard might help (Vitamin C and A in particular). The first time, they recommended Omega 7; it wasn't enough. The second, much to my horror, they suggested I might be gluten intolerant. Gasp. I LOVE bread and pasta. Besides vegetables, I LIVE for starch products. Besides, gluten intolerance had to be a scam, the latest fad, right?

Well, the well-timed discovery of an excellent article ("Against the Grain" Columbia Magazine) in one of my husband's alumni magazines and desperation can make a person consider all sorts of things and I found myself in a naturopath's office to see if I really could be gluten intolerant. I was given a test using a Vega machine where we discovered a sensitivity to:

Peanuts (tragic to the nth degree; I've eaten peanut butter nearly every day of my life)

Additives: Nutrasweet, Saccharin, Splenda & MSG (no real loss since I don't tend to eat "diet" foods and I've had issues with MSG before)

Alcohols: Grain alcohol, beer, white & red wine (barely sensitive), tequila (severe sensitivity) and sake (barely sensitive)

Grains: Wheat flour, sprouted wheat, spelt, barley, oat, rye, triticale & kamut

Sugars: Refined sugar and corn syrup

Caffeine: Cocoa, chocolate (the ultimate tragedy), coffee, black tea, decaf coffee; pretty much anything with caffeine in it, no matter how little.

The naturopath did say while the test gives us a starting point, it is fallible and suggested some bloodwork as well. My initial "prescription" based upon extensive questioning about my diet & lifestyle is to cut the above items from my diet for 6-8 weeks, increase my fat intake (apparently I'm not getting near enough fat in my diet) and overall, eat better. From there, we'd see if I had any improvement and work on adding foods back to see if any particular food was the prime culprit. Sounds easy enough except it turns out, wheat products and corn syrup are in just about *everything*. It's unbelievable.

It seems daily I find another item that contains something on the No-No List (my name for it).

My favorite tartar sauce and barbecue sauce contain corn syrup and / or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Okay, so I'll make my own, right? Turns out most pickles contain corn syrup and or / HFCS, so do most ketchup brands. Tough to make something when the ingredients used to make the product contain the very things you're not supposed to eat. Argh! Thanks to Twitter and a lot of label reading, I was able to find some products without corn syrup / HFCS.

Heinz makes an organic CS/HFCS-free ketchup.

Woodstock Farms and Nalley both make CS/HFCS-free pickles

I'm in my second week of the No-No List and I've had a few failures. A couple of glasses of wine, an entire bag of wheat & MSG containing pretzels, and today, I ate tea sandwiches and chocolate cake and drank multiple glasses of iced tea at an afternoon party. Time to get back to the business of being healthy.

For dinner tonight, I decided to make peanut sauce (with almond butter) and noodles only to discover that soy sauce contains wheat and / or gluten (some contain just one, some contain both). My friends on Twitter suggested Tamari (check the label because some brands do contain wheat / gluten) as a substitute. I heavily modified a sauce recipe I found a few years ago and it turned out pretty well.

Rice Noodles

Raw Veggies: thinly sliced carrots, thinly sliced radishes, sugar snap peas, bite-sized red pepper chunks, thinly sliced mushrooms. Thinly sliced green onions and jicama would make good additions as well.

Chicken or turkey would be a nice addition too although I didn't use either.

For Sauce:

6 T almond butter

2-5 T Tamari (I only used 2 but the original recipe calls for 5)

2-3 T warm water + more as needed for consistency

1 T sesame oil

1 T rice vinegar (I only had about a 1/2 T so I used a bit of apple cider vinegar to get the full tablespoonful)

1/4 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp or to taste, crushed garlic

Mix together in blender or small food processor.

Cook noodles as directed, coat with sauce and top with veggies. A meal in minutes.