Shaklee Products

I was recently introduced to the Shaklee line of cleaning products.  With a company history dating back to the 1950's, a stellar record of environmental stewardship and support of social causes and proven product performance, I'm quite surprised that I've not heard of Shaklee before now.

I was lucky enough to be sent a Get Clean Starter Kit by a local distributor.  It felt like Christmas opening the box of cleaning products for all areas of my home...laundry, dishes, bathrooms, kitchen, etc.  I agreed to review the products after the distributor shared with me how his then 3 year old daughter's asthma and allergies would flair up after their routine house cleaning, and that when they switched to this line of cleaning products, her asthma symptoms subsided.  For the last 2 1/2 years since switching to the Get Clean products, she's required neither a Nebulizer or steroid inhalers.  Maybe coincidental, but definitely note-worthy.

With asthma and allergies going hand and hand, I was intrigued, and I thought my readers would be also.  Common cleaners can actually increase the risk of kids developing asthma which has increased more than 160% in children under the age of 5 from 1980 to 1994, and is the most common serious chronic disease of childhood.  And, this is important, with the exception of the Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes which includes soy, the Get Clean line of products is free of milk/dairy, peanut, soy, wheat gluten, fish, shell fish, mango, sesame, sunflower, kiwi, tropical fruits, melons, eggs and seed ingredients making the products a great choice for food allergy sufferers.

As if that's not enough, Shaklee claims that the Get Clean product line out-cleans or matches 22 national brands, and if you don't see that type of performance, they offer a 100% money-back guarantee.  Unlike many of the competitive brands, the products are safe and do not include hazardous chemicals.  All of the product packaging is "green", i.e., the ingredients come from natural sources, the packaging is recyclable and the products do not include chlorine bleach, phosphates, nitrates, borates, etc.

For example, the Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate can be used indoors or outdoors, and when used as directed, can tackle grease, grime and dirt on any washable surface..  One bottle (at just $12.15) equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of the 26 ounce size of Windex.  In fact, by me receiving the starter kit, 108 pounds of packaging waste should be kept out of landfills and 248 pounds of greenhouse gas eliminated.  For someone that becomes more of a tree-hugger by the day, that's exciting!

But, how did I like the Get Clean line of products?  My dishes are spotless, my windows shine and my clothes look, smell and feel great.  Truthfully, I expected all of the products to work well.  What was surprising was the feeling that I was doing something really good for my family, for my home environment and for my planet every time I used them.

What is my favorite?  So far, I think the Soft Fabric Dryer Sheets are the most clever.  Shaklee makes them with a 100% vegetable-derived softener on fragrance and preservative free, biodegradable sheets.  The sheet breaks in two in the dryer so that there is a more even distribution of softener and less static cling.  What I find really cool is that when your laundry is dry, you can put the used dryer sheet in with your recycling.  My favorite product though is the Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate that I mentioned earlier.  Per the instructions, I put 16 ounces of water and just 2 drops of the concentrate in the spray bottle.  Using the special cleaning cloth that came in my kit, I tackled my chandelier.  The results were so phenomenal, that I literally went around my house and cleaned every single item (excluding my windows...wasn't up for that project) that I could...mirrors, picture frames, computer monitors, TV screens, light fixtures, etc.  Love, love this product!

I'm quite impressed with the Shaklee products, economical pricing, support literature, company history, award portfolio and corporate environmental initiatives.  I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to try out and review the cleaning products.  And, rest assured, had I not liked them, you would have known.

If you would like more information on the products that I've mentioned or the other Shaklee products including their line of nutritional, weight management or beauty products, then check out their website at http://allergyhelper.myshaklee.com/us/en/.

Halloween Success Story

Halloween is but a fond memory already pushed aside by Christmas merchandise and Christmas music playing in the stores.  But before we put Halloween completely away until next year, I wanted to reminisce about a positive experience we had this year.

Holidays are difficult for people with severe food allergies because food is often the center of attention.  Kids especially have a difficult time with Halloween and trick-or-treating.  At 7, Abigail has a complete understanding of the fact that she'll get a lot of candy that she cannot eat.  New this year though was that instead of sorting candy with me, she traded with a friend.  As soon as they got back from trick-or-treating, the girls dumped out their bags of candy in the floor of the garage and proceeded to trade non-safe candy for safe candy.  Abigail has gotten so good at knowing what candy she can eat that she ended up with not a single questionable piece.  I was very proud that she did this on her own, but somewhat melancholy that I was not needed.  And, maybe a little disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to sneak a candy bar or two knowing that most of those end up in the discard pile.  That was until I remembered that my 3 year old also had a big bag to sort!

Speaking of parents sneaking a piece or two of their kid's candy, I came across a few fun Halloween candy facts in the weekly "Parade" newspaper insert that I wanted to end with.

• 68% - the number of adults that admit to pinching their kid's Halloween candy.  See, I'm not alone!

• 7.2 billion - the number of Smarties (15 per roll) in kid's trick-or-treat bags.  And...Smarties is safe for peanut allergies.

• $2 billion - the amount spent on Halloween candy this year.

• 9 billion - the number of pieces of candy corn produced in 2010 - enough to circle the moon nearly four times.  I never did find any this year that were safe for Abigail.

• 19 million - the number of pounds of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups made in October (about as heavy as the Eiffel Tower). 19 million pounds of potentially hazardous material for our peanut allergic kids!

Now on to Christmas preparations.  But stop...wait a minute!  Aren't we forgetting about Thanksgiving?  Apparently, there's no money to be made in Thanksgiving.  Guess the stores are skipping that holiday.

We're not and will be celebrating Thanksgiving with our families.  At Thanksgiving, Abigail always looks forward to her GiGi's pecan pie made with pecans from the tree in their backyard.  It's the only tree nut she can safely eat because there is zero chance of peanut cross-contamination.

Here's to making it through another Halloween safe and sound and to the upcoming celebrations with family and friends.

Kellogg's and Kashi

If you're kept up to date by the Organic Consumer's Association, then this is old news; however, with an image like this, I find it very fitting to write this post here at Halloween.

Recently the OCA asked that consumers join them in boycotting Kellogg's based on their use of genetically engineered ingredients.  The catalyst for the boycott was a response received by a Kellogg's Consumer Specialist excusing the use of these ingredients by stating that because organic ingredients are subject to cross-pollination with other genetically modified (GM) ingredients than there's no need to bother eliminating the GM ingredients...or something to that effect.  I've copied the response from the OCA Take Action Alert:

Thank you for your comments regarding the use of biotechnology ingredients. Like you, we want only the best ingredients to go into our products.

Biotech ingredients are safe and have become common in the open market. Sixty to seventy percent of packaged foods in the U.S. include biotechnology crops. Even organic ingredients can contain biotech ingredients due to cross-pollination.

We use biotech ingredients based on the backing of groups including the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the American Medical Association that confirm there are no safety concerns.

Given that I was already unofficially boycotting Kellogg's, having already removed their products from our grocery cart due to their use of GM ingredients, this was no big sacrifice.  That is until I realized that Kellogg's owned Kashi.  Now it's an entirely different story.

I like the Kashi products and have highlighted them in past posts.  A big reason for that is I feel that the company is very responsible in their food allergen labeling, that their product is a healthy alternative to the main stream brands and that the company has a great focus on the environment and sustainability.  In a company profile, I learned that Kashi itself isn't a big company (if you take Kellogg's out of the equation) consisting of just 70 employees.  I had my suspicions about their use of GM products so I limited our purchases to their breakfast cereals.  My kids like the cereals and don't complain when they're served it for breakfast instead of something with an animal mascot on the front of the box.  Frankly, it's quite hard to find cereal that meets my high standards and is also safe for Abigail.  Most "organic" cereals are processed in a plant with other peanut products.

I recently contacted Kashi about their use of GM ingredients, and got the following response:

Thank you for contacting us about our products and the use of genetically modified organisms. At Kashi Company we believe in providing pure, delicious, minimally processed foods for our consumers.

The basis for our product line is our proprietary blend of Seven Whole Grains & Sesame. The whole grains include oats, long grain brown rice, hard red winter wheat, rye, buckwheat, barley, and triticale. None of these grains are commonly harvested using genetically modified organisms.

We do not voluntarily source ingredients that are genetically modified. Due to cross-pollination at the level of the farm and manufacturer it has created an environment in North America where GM is not sufficiently controlled therefore we cannot guarantee that the ingredients we source are GMO free.

Certified organic products are grown using non-GM seeds, but even organic products face significant challenges when it comes to controlling for contamination. Kashi does offer an organic line of cereals called Organic Promise™. 

I can see the Kellogg's influence in their statement concerning the cross-pollination of non-GM plants.  In addition to my reply, here's a link to a message board discussing Kashi's ingredient sources for some of their other product lines.

Here's what I decided.  My favorite cereal is the Organic Promise Cinnamon Harvest cereal and my kids go through a box of Oat Flakes & Blueberry Clusters every couple of days.  My cereal is organic, and the kid's cereal is made using their blend of whole grains none of which are high on the GMO list.  I've found a couple of other safe cereals at Trader Joe's that I now purchase in large quantities to add some variety.  As for the rest of the Kashi products, I don't purchase those anymore.

It makes me both sad and mad at the same time that this much thought, effort and research has to go into the food we purchase.  I'm also disappointed to find an otherwise healthy line of food made toxic by the use of genetically modified ingredients.  Kashi, take note....there are other really good food manufacturers doing what it takes to ensure that they use quality, organic ingredients.  And, as soon as Abigail finishes this clinical trial, and can eat foods processed in a plant that uses peanuts, we're switching!!

Another trip to Duke by way of the beach!

It's been over 3 months since we've last been to the Duke Clinical Research Unit for the peanut SLIT trial.  In fact, our last visit was the food challenge when Abigail consumed up to 8 to 10 peanuts.  Since then it's been status quo.  She continues to consume nothing with peanuts, nothing made using the same equipment or nothing even manufactured in the same facility with other peanut products.  She still takes 8 drops once a day under her tongue, holds them there for 2 minutes and eats nothing before or after for the specified time period.

This visit was short and served only as a "check in" to answer questions and get more drops.  Our next visit, 3 months from now, will be a little more involved.  There will be another blood draw, skin prick test and saliva collection.  This routine will continue until May of 2012.  Every 6 months, testing, 3 months in between, a "check in", maybe even by phone to save us a 2 1/2 hour drive.

I did hear a few updates at this visit.  Our doctor and staff have written a paper with the findings to date.  It's in edit now and should be published by the end of the year.  It's pretty exciting that we've been in the study for long enough that initial results are ready to be made public.  Also, that we are part of those results.

There is also not going to be a food challenge at the 2 year mark as originally planned.  The protocol indicated that a challenge to up to 15 peanuts would be given.  I think they've determined that the food challenge process does not warrant knowing if a child can consume 5 to 7 more peanuts.  If some of the participants in the study can eat 8 to 10 peanuts then they've proven that you can be "desensitized".  Staying on the drops for 3 years is a means to become "tolerant".  Abigail will be food challenged again at that 3 year mark.

I've mentioned in a prior post that the immune system is slow to change, and in the case of food allergies, can take 3 years or more of daily dosing to build up tolerance.  The peanut flour trial has been going strong for over 3 years.  Participants are now eating peanuts on a daily basis, but what happens when they stop eating peanuts.  Will their body remain tolerant?  That question is still unanswered.  Some of those participants stopped for as long as 3 months and were able to then pass the food challenge again.  But Duke has not had them remove peanuts from their diet for any longer than that?  I definitely didn't sign us up for that study!

We incorporated a long weekend at the beach in with this visit.  It was much needed and well deserved.  We finally got our house officially on the market, but it's been an exhausting process.  A trip to the beach was just what we needed.  The weather was fabulous, and we did nothing but play and rest.  There were tidal pools out in front of the house every day that the kids loved swimming in (yes, swimming in October).  Abigail was a real pro at building sand castles as seen in the picture.  So, another trip to Duke, but only after a great weekend at the beach!

Food Allergy Bullying

As parents of peanut allergic children, worrying about an accidental exposure is not our only concern.  We also need to be aware of the potential for possible malicious exposure.  According to a recent study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 1 in 4 children, teens and young adults are teased, bullied or harassed about their allergy.  JoNel Aleccia, a health writer for msnbc.com, reports the details of the new study in her article, "Peanut menance? Allergy bullies use food to torment allergic kids." She begins her article with a horrifying tale of a high school student in Washington State who purposely smeared peanut butter on the face of a student with a serious peanut allergy.

As to be expected, the percentage of reports of bullying rises according to age.  Remove children 5 and under from the study of 353 families and the percentage of instances increased to 35%.  That number jumped to 50% for children in grades 6th through 12th.  The study also indicated that most of the bullying came in a verbal form of teasing and harassment, but 35% of the bullying involved actually take on a physical form.

I'm not surprised, and preparing Abigail to deal with possible physical threats from her own peers is something that I intend to address as she gets older.  I've already had to soothe tears over a verbal taunt.  Last year in 1st grade one of her friends was in a grumpy mood and told Abigail that she would wave her peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her face if she didn't play what she wanted.  Right or wrong, at the time, I didn't report the incident to either the teacher or the friend's parents.  The little girl was 6, and giving her the benefit of the doubt, she probably had no idea of the implications of her taunt.  I did explain to Abigail that had she actually put the sandwich up to her face, that would have been a different matter entirely.  We also talked about how in general she should stand up to her peers and not do something she feels uncomfortable doing because of a threat.  We're still working on that lesson.

Most of the the bullying does come from other students, but the study reported that 20% of those families asked had experienced teasing and/or harassment from teachers or other school staff.  We can relate to that also.  In Kindergarten, Abigail's teacher made a very insensitive remark that left Abigail feeling betrayed by a really important role model, and me just downright angry.  I'm sure the teacher never gave the remark a second thought, but it was a topic of discussion for quite a while in our house.

I haven't figured out the best time to inform Abigail that someone might actually purposely try to harm her by using her food allergy against her.  I'd like to keep that innocence a little while longer.  I'd love to hear how some of you handled that discussion.

So, what happened to the teenager in Washington that wiped peanut butter on the peanut allergic student?  He was suspended from school, faced an assault charge and spent 4 days in jail.  When asked why, it was reported that he didn't understand the seriousness of the allergy.  Do we all find that hard to believe??  Because food allergies are a daily part of our existence, I'd immediately say yes!  But, how many people do we run across on a daily basis that just don't get it??

I started out writing about food allergy bullying, but am ending by stating that if there was more food allergy education, and if kids, their parents and the community as a whole better understood the potential life-threatening results of waving a sandwich or smearing peanut butter on the face of someone who has a serious food allergy, then society would have to stop using the term "bullying" and start using verbage like physical abuse, cruelty and assault.

Not your normal product recall!

Recalls of products due to undeclared food allergens are usually no laughing matter, but I must admit that this recall listed on the US Food and Drug Administration website had me laughing out loud.  It was a rare moment of being able to see humor in the all too serious nature of food allergies. 

Suzipoo Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Allergen in Lobster Poo

Contact:
Sue Pollard
207-251-0523

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 22, 2010 - Suzipoo Ogunquit, Maine is voluntarily recalling Suzipoo Lobster Poo, 4 oz bags, because it may contain undeclared peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The product is in a small plastic bag with a red bow on the bag and the label on the front reads. "Lobster Poo" – Slogan – I went to Maine and here's the scoop I came back home with Lobster Poop.

Product was distributed to three retail stores in Maine from August 1-August 18, 2010. Each store has been visited and product labeling has been corrected. Ten- 4 oz. bags may be incorrectly labeled.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that product (burnt red peanuts) was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of peanuts.

Consumers who have purchased the product are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-207-251-0523.

So, if you've been to Maine recently and purchased a sachet of lobster poo...please handle with care!

Sorry, Suzipoo, that I'm so easily amused.  Hopefully all of the additional publicity has been a blessing in disguise.

Changes are Coming!

Sorry, I'm not writing an exciting post about new allergen labeling regulation requirement changes or new policies mandating companies segregate their manufacturing processes for nut products or that there's been a huge change and a new trend is emerging and food allergies are on the decline.  Nope, nothing as exited as news of any of those changes would be, but changes are definitely coming for my family.  My husband has a wonderful new job, and we're moving.

After several weeks of keeping secrets, talking behind closed doors or in code, we finally broke the news to Abigail and now to our friends.  As sad as it's going to be to leave behind a house that has been our home for 12 years, a wonderful church, fabulous friends and neighbors, a nice community and great schools, we're looking forward to a new house, new opportunities, new adventures and a new town.  The move keeps us within our home state but puts us closer to both sets of parents/grandparents, closer to Duke and in a really nice region.

Actually, Abigail took it much better than I expected.  She's been asking to paint her room pink for a while now, and she'll be able to in the new house.  She also is envisioning a decor of peace signs, hearts and stars.  If that's all it takes, I'll happily accommodate!  It's going to be very hard to leave school mid-year, but I remind her repeatedly, that she's fabulous at making new friends, and that she's lucky because she'll have her friends here to e-mail and Skype and have a bunch of new friends there.  The move only takes us about an hour drive away from where we are now so visits aren't out of the question either.

What the move means for me, is that I'm busy every waking minute of the day.  We've accumulated a lot of stuff in the last 12 years of living in this house.  I'm in mass purge mode.  So, while taking large loads to Goodwill, I'm still packing up boxes to take to a storage unit in an effort to better "stage" the house....and be able to park a car in the garage!  Then there is the painting, cleaning, flooring, landscaping...ugh!!  It's all a bit much.  I'm anxious to get a "For Sale" sign up so we can start house shopping!  That's the exciting part for me.

Big changes are in store for us. While I can't quite report that yet in regards to food allergies, changes are in the works.  We've got to believe that doctors and scientist aren't too far away from determining why there is such an increase in the number of kids and even adults who have food allergies, and then determining what changes need to be made in our diet/lifestyle to avoid new allergies.  While it doesn't sound like a cure for food allergies is close by, at least with all of the clinical trials taking place, it does sound like a change will happen soon to allow us to better manage our food allergies, particularly life-threatening food allergies.  So, yes, changes are coming!