To avoid wheat, you have to stop eating foods made entirely or mainly from it:
Breakfast wheat cereals Wheat bran Bread Wheat germ
Pasta Cracked wheat (bulgur)
Most of the following foods are commonly made with wheat;
unless you know for sure they are made totally without wheat, you must avoid them:
Biscuits Breadcrumb stuffing
Crackers Batter
Pastry Battered foods (e.g. fish)
Pies Pancakes
Sausage rolls Waffles
Cakes and bakery Yorkshire pudding
Puddings Dumplings
Breaded food (e.g. fish, chicken legs) Suet puddings
Gravies and mixes Pretzels
Sauces and mixes Snack foods
Stock cubes Croutons
Casserole sauces Melba toast
Soups Baking powder
Wheat is commonly used as a cereal filler and thickener in processed foods. Read labels and avoid foods containing the following which are usually wheat:
Cereal binder Cereal protein
Cereal filler Flour
Avoid the following ingredients which are derived either from wheat or corn:
Cereal starch Modified starch
Edible starch Starch
To avoid wheat as an ingredient in processed foods, you may have to avoid the following which often contain it. If not absolutely sure, avoid the food.
Sausages Pastes
Frankfurters Spreads
Luncheon meats Powdered beverages Pates
Wheat is often, with other cereals, a base material for beers, lagers and spirits. Avoid these while excluding wheat.
Wheat is used in tabletting some drugs and home medicines. Take advice from your doctor about avoiding prescribed medicines. Stop taking any home medicines.
Wheat is sometimes used as a glue on envelopes and similar uses. Avoid licking envelopes and stamps.
Communion wafers are made of wheat. It is best to avoid swallowing or licking these if you can. Your minister or priest will be able to advise you on what to do. Holding the wafer in your mouth without touching it, or touching it without licking it, is often a satisfactory solution.
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Laboratory tests for allergy include the eosinophil test. Eosinophils are white blood cells always present at the place where an allergic reaction takes place. Samples of blood, or of sputum, or of secretions from nose or eye, are taken. The cells are stained with a red dye, eosin, and are counted under a microscope. A high count indicates an allergic reaction is taking place, but it can be an indication of other diseases as well, and it can also be found in symptom-free individuals. Steroid tablets suppress the level of eosinophils and can cause misleading results. The eosinophil test cannot identify allergy to specific sub-stances.
A useful but expensive laboratory test for allergy is the radio-aller-gosorbent test, or RAST test. It can measure the levels of IgE antibodies in the blood specific to a particular allergen, such as pollens, house dust mites or food proteins. The blood sample is passed over an extract of the allergen attached to an inert substance. The IgE antibodies will bind to the allergen if they are present in the blood, as during an allergic reaction. Then another liquid, containing anti-IgE antibodies marked with radioactivity or colour, is passed over the sample. These will adhere to any IgE bound to the allergen, or will simply wash away if none is there. The level of IgE in the sample can then be taken by measuring the level of the marked anti-IgE that does not adhere.
The RAST test is more helpful than skin tests in cases of food allergy, and its results are not influenced by medication. However, results can vary – some people allergic to seasonal allergens, such as moulds or pollens, will have negative results outside the season, but positive results when exposed to their allergen. Similarly, if you have not eaten a problem food for some time, you may get a negative result, whereas you could get a positive result if you eat it regularly.
A modified version of the RAST test can identify false food allergy, as well as true allergy.
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What Are Resins?
A significant proportion of allergic reactions and sensitivity to clothing are caused by resins, applied to give easy-care properties. The resins used are mostly formaldehyde polymers. They make fabrics more resistant to shrinking, creasing, and going out of shape. They improve dye absorption and restrict fading. The feel of clothes, and the way they hang, can also be improved. Formaldehyde resins are used for stain and grease resistance, waterproofing, and permanent pleating and pressing.
Resins and additives other than formaldehyde resins can also be applied (such as acrylates to reduce creasing and silicates to improve the feel of fabric). Catalysts can also remain in the fabric but are removed when the garment is first washed. These are not generally known as major causes of reactions.
Which Clothes Are Treated?
Fabric resins are not applied to silk, nor to pure synthetics. They are rarely applied to wool or to linen. Virtually all cotton, viscose and polycotton fabrics are treated with formaldehyde resins.
Some sensitive people learn to develop the ability to judge whether a fabric is highly treated or not. There is often a distinctive, sweet, aromatic smell to the fabric which a sniff (gentle, just in case!) can detect. Some people can tell by the feel of the fabric; some say that their skin prickles when they hold it. Another test is to place one drop of water with an eye-dropper on the fabric. If it holds in place without being absorbed, then there is a finish to the fabric.
Generally speaking, the more glazed, stiff and shiny the fabric, the more likely it is to have high levels of resins. If clothes are labelled, ‘Easy Care’, ‘Permanent Press’, ‘Sanforised’ or any variant of these, then they will be treated heavily. Cotton poplin, stiff cotton drill and denim are often treated and may be best avoided.
Conversely, cotton jersey (including cotton loopback), cotton fleece, towelling, knitted cotton sweaters and cotton corduroy are much less treated and are often no problem once washed. Brushed cotton is also sometimes untreated. Some cotton lawns and voiles are treated; others are not. Indian and Third World cotton fabrics are less likely to be treated heavily, and thus are often acceptable to people who are sensitive to most other fabrics.
Watch out for shirt collars on men’s cotton shirts. These are sometimes much more highly treated than the shirt itself. Look for shirts with softer collars.
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If you do not know where to start, your simple course of action is to:
• Take precautions against house dust mites
• Use the Pillow Test to work out what fibres you react to before making any major changes
• Do not replace everything at once. Try out one piece (e.g. a pillowcase or pillow) of a new material to see how you go
• Use anti-dust mite bedding and covers if you tolerate synthetics
• Use pure cotton bedding unless you are allergic to cotton
• Test out bedding in small samples before making any major purchases
Allergy and chemical sensitivity are very idiosyncratic. What works for one member of your family or for a friend may not work for you.
So keep an open mind, stay flexible, take it one step at a time, and with luck you will not waste time and money. Use the Pillow Test to test out materials before deciding what to buy. Borrow bedding from relatives or friends to test them out before replacing yours. Buy one pillowcase, or one pillow rather than a whole set at once.
It is often enough just to replace the bedclothes that immediately surround your head, where you inhale. Some people find, for instance, that if they replace their pillow or pillowcase, or use an anti-mite pillow cover, it can be enough to stop problems. Another trick is to place a piece of fabric which you tolerate over the top of the sheet, duvet or blanket where you breathe in. If this works, you may not need to replace sheets or duvets. It is also a good way of testing out fibres fully before making a major purchase.
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If you are exceptionally sensitive, be careful about where you or your child go if you visit people who have animals, or be careful with visitors coming into your home. Get them to leave coats and jackets outside the door. Research has shown that cat allergens, for instance, have been found at surprisingly high levels in cat-free homes, brought in by visitors. Beware of travelling in cat owners’ cars.
When choosing holiday accommodation, ask whether pets are allowed in the place. If so, and you need to avoid them, stay elsewhere.
If looking for a new home, check whether pets have previously lived in the house or flat, and which parts of the place they have particularly used. If you have any concerns, do not move into somewhere where pet-owners lived previously. Remember that you can develop allergies to lingering allergens months or even longer after you have moved, and that you can be allergic to saliva and urine, not just to hair and fur. Be prepared to have to replace flooring and do a rigorous cleaning programme (see above) if you find that you do become sensitive to a new home.
Finally, if you have a strong family tendency to allergy to pets, it is preferable to avoid keeping a pet if you have a baby or young children. Children under two are particularly vulnerable. If you do have a family pet, then follow the avoidance measures above and keep your home as free as you can of allergens. Preventative measures with young children may help them avoid lifelong problems with allergy. If you must keep pets, try goldfish or tropical fish – maybe not as lovable as a cat, dog or small furry mammal – but allergy free!
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