Lorraine Caron, ND

Hen egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies.  It is the second most common food allergy in children, although about 50% of these children will outgrow the allergy by the time they are an adult.  Fortunately, resources for people with food allergies are becoming more abundant, but it can still be overwhelming trying to figure out what to eat if you or your child are newly diagnosed.  Here are some suggestions to get you started.

 

First of all, if the allergy is life-threatening (anaphylactic), then eggs should be kept out of your house.  Teachers, other parents, coworkers, etc. should be notified and aware, and the allergic person should carry an EpiPen and know how to use it.  (EpiPen is a prescription medication.)  If the EpiPen is used, the person should then go to the emergency room or urgent care to be monitored.

 

If the allergy is not life-threatening, check with your doctor about a trial of duck eggs.  Some people with hen egg allergy are not allergic to duck eggs.

 

If the allergy is not life-threatening, and you have hen eggs in the house, wash your utensils and pots and pans thoroughly after cooking eggs, to prevent cross-contamination.

 

Make reading ingredients a habit. Egg is one of the "food allergy big eight" and is required to be labeled if it is an ingredient in any food product.  Of course, bad things happen, but if any egg-derived ingredient is in there, it legally should be labeled.

 

Going to restaurants can be a challenge.  Make asking about ingredients a habit.  TELL the server that you (or your child) are allergic to eggs and that it is important that you are not exposed.  With a life-threatening allergy, it's better not to go to restaurants that serve any egg at all, because of the risk of cross-contamination.  If the allergy is not life-threatening, ask about ingredients before you order.  Also, remember that many baked goods (cookies, cakes, etc.) contain egg, as do some kinds of pasta, ice cream, and some sauces and beverages (for example, egg nog and Orange Julius).

 

Get in the habit of bringing safe foods to pot-lucks, sleepovers, and other special functions.  This is especially helpful for children.  If an allergic child is going to a birthday party, make some egg-free cupcakes ahead of time for the child to bring with them, and consider sending along some egg-free ice cream as well.

 

Breakfast can be another challenge, but there are many ways to get protein at breakfast without eggs - yogurt, smoothies made with yogurt or protein powder, sausage, nuts, nut butters (like almond or peanut), or just "eating dinner for breakfast."  Leftover dinner meals can work well as a reheated breakfast.

 

Here are some egg substitutes. Each one is a substitute for one egg.  Some will work better in certain recipes than others, and none will work well if the recipe calls for more than 3 eggs:

• 1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon baking powder + 1 tablespoon liquid + 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1.5 tablespoons water + 1.5 tablespoons oil + 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 packet gelatin + 2 tablespoons warm water (don't mix until ready to use)
• 1 tablespoon pureed fruit such as apricots or bananas
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (flax meal) + 3 tablespoons water

For cakes and cupcakes, the flax seeds work pretty well, though if it's a vanilla cake, it might affect the taste a bit.  It doesn't change the flavor of chocolate cake at all.  Chocolate hides a lot of sins. 

 

A helpful cookbook is The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook - My family loves the "Grain-Free Pancakes," which are also egg-free.

 

A final quick tip:  if a food says "vegan" then it will be egg-free.

 

Starting an egg-free diet can be difficult at first, but it's worth it when you or your child feel so much better!

As a parent, you may wonder if there is any difference between a naturopathic doctor's visit and a  conventional one.  You may be curious about how a naturopathic doctor is trained.  (Find out here.)  You may already be considering naturopathic care for your family, but were waiting for the "right" time.  Whatever your situation, now you have the chance to give it a try!

 

This holiday season, I've decided to spend a day giving back to my community.  I'm offering a low-risk opportunity to experience the real difference between naturopathic care and conventional care. 

 

It is true that a naturopathic doctor's visit costs more than your typical insurance copay to see a conventional doctor - on the surface.  When you include the potential long-term expenses, however - additional doctor's visits, medications, surgeries, and a reduced quality of life - a holistic and preventative approach to health begins to make real financial sense.  There is no better time to start this than at the beginning - in childhood.

 

For one day only, December 12, 2009, I am providing well-child visits for $30 (a $100 value for new patients).  Each 45-minute visit will include a physical exam, a developmental assessment, and information about nutrition and natural therapies for children.  (Read more about naturopathic well-child visits on my website.)

 

There are only five openings available, so make sure you don't miss out!  Call (970) 232-8447 today to schedule your child's appointment.  Experience the natural, compassionate, whole-child care that is naturopathic medicine.

Making changes can be overwhelming.  I know this from personal experience, and I talk with patients about it all the time, because so much of getting healthy is about changing habits.

   

In my own life, I find myself looking at my ultimate goal and thinking that it's all too much and I don't even know where to start.  Take cleaning the house, for example.  I really don't like housework, so it's a struggle to stay on top of two busy adults and three even busier kids.  I can clean a room and it will be like the aftermath of a tornado within half an hour.  Every few weeks, my husband and I spend a weekend in a cleaning frenzy, trying to get things in some semblance of order. 

   

Patients often tell me how overwhelmed they feel too.  As they learn about one healthy change, and then another, the information starts to snowball.  At first they may be simply trying to eat real food, and then they learn about hidden ingredients, and that leads them to organic food, which then encourages them to learn more about harmful chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA) and mercury contaminating food.  It can be enough to make a person go hide under the bed!

So what's the trick to getting where you want to go?

I think there are four big steps: 

1. Decide you want to change.  It won't work if you're doing it for someone else.
2. Start small.  Baby steps work because they are easier than giant ones. 
3. Focus on the change for one month.  It takes time for your mind and body to ingrain new information.  
4. Give yourself a break!  We don't always get things right the first time. 

So here's how I'm trying to put it into action at home.  I decided that we really do need help managing the housework.  I'm ready for change!  I found a great site, FlyLady.net, that has an excellent "Beginner BabySteps" program and I started today with shining my kitchen sink.  (I didn't use bleach, by the way.  The baking soda worked just fine.)  I will try to implement each of the changes for a month, and take a new step each day.  And I'll try to relax when I forget one day or am too tired, and will jump back in the next day.

When you're ready, you can make a small change too.  And know I'm working on it right alongside you.  :)

I have three kids and they have been looking forward to Halloween for over a month.  My eight year-old has actually been counting down and regularly announces how many days are left.  I am secretly pleased that they're more excited about what to be for Halloween than about how much candy they'll be getting, but I can't stop thinking about all that candy.

Every year I fret about the sugar, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, and food allergens we'll have to try to avoid.  I wonder whether I should just let them stuff themselves for one day and then throw the rest out, or dole it out piece by piece until it's gone.  I wonder if it's too late to introduce the "Halloween Fairy" or the "Sugar Sprite", who will come to my house to magically transform all the candy into fairy dust and presents.

I remember how much fun Halloween was when I was a kid.  My mom would help us create whatever bizarre costume we got it in our heads that we had to have.  My sister and I were witches and gypsies, princesses and doctors.  One year I was actually the Ace of Hearts.  And the candy!  We would go out and spend HOURS walking through our neighborhood trick-or-treating.  There was the weird guy who gave rolls of pennies and the dentist's wife who always gave out toothbrushes, but mostly there was candy!

So this year I've been thinking about how to change our Halloween tradition for the better, because I want my kids to have great memories too, and I'm not convinced that wallowing in junk has to play such a big part.  Here is some of what I've come up with:

What To Give Out

After searching a bunch of websites for ideas, I found three that I thought had the most to offer.  (Thank you to Suzi Milovanovic on realmomsguide.sheknows.com, Jayne Pupek on suite101.com, and Emily's blog, PaperSeed.)  Here is a list of "treats" that you don't eat:

• Art supplies: activity pads, coloring books, crayons, chalk, notepads, pencils, pencil toppers, erasers, play-doh, stampers, stickers, paint sets, child-safe scissors, modeling clay, markers, glitter, colored pencils, origami paper and instructions
• Toys and activities: balls, bubbles, glow sticks, maps, mini globes, books, mini magnifying glasses, matchbox cars, toy dinosaurs or animals, whistles, yo-yos, marbles, dominoes, decks of playing cards, small dolls, coins
• Dress-up: false teeth, temporary tattoos, bracelets, necklaces, key chains or clips, sunglasses, hair clips, ribbons, scarves, eye patches

Some of these are more expensive than others, but you can make some of them, or find many of them at a dollar store or thrift shop.  You may want a separate stash of child-safe goodies for the 3 and under crowd.

Halloween Traditions

I know that there can be much more to the fun of Halloween than just walking around the neighborhood getting candy.  Here are some of my thoughts:

• In Fort Collins we have a fun Old Town tradition for younger children, Tiny Tot Halloween, a morning-time trick-or-treat parade around Old Town Square.  This one does involve candy, but it's always so much fun to see all the kids in their costumes, and they don't have to be out after dark.
• Also, the Gardens on Spring Creek have a Halloween Enchanted Garden, complete with a garden tour, pumpkin painting, magic show, and stories.  Kids 2-8 are encouraged to get dressed up and come  have fun.
• There are many other events in our area for both kids and adults.  The Coloradoan has a list here.
• When my oldest was little, a group of friends arranged our own "trick-or-treat street" at our school.  We set up "houses" using sheets and the kids would go from "door" to "door", getting treats that we all felt comfortable with them having.  All the fun of the "real" thing, at least for the toddler and preschool bunch, without the stuff mom and dad don't like.
• For each holiday, we try to share with our kids where the holiday came from, its place in the cycle of the seasons, and different cultural ideas and celebrations.  Samhain, All Saints Day, and Dia de los Muertos are just a few that happen this time of year.
• One tradition that I would like to be more consistent with is taking a picture of each of my kids in their costume each year.  It is so fun to look back and remember the creativity and silliness from Halloweens past.

So, What About All That Candy!?

Now we're left with what happens when your little monsters (and ghosts and stockbrokers) DO go trick-or-treating and come home with all that sugary loot.

• Some families have started their own "Halloween Fairy" tradition, along the lines of Santa or the Tooth Fairy.  The kids leave their candy out, and in the morning the Halloween Fairy (or Sugar Sprite or Great Pumpkin...) has left them a little present.  I personally think this is a great idea, but I have a feeling my eight year-old wouldn't buy it at this point.
• Which leads me to the next idea - candy bartering.  Although it misses out on the "magic" of the Halloween Fairy, it gives kids the chance to pick their own gift.  Essentially, kids trade in their bag of candy for something else - a toy, tickets to a movie...whatever you and they can come up with together.
• Next is what I like to call the "Gorge and Purge" method.  It's an all-you-can-eat buffet of junk food - for one night only.  The benefits are that the kids get that liberating feeling of being able to eat as much candy as they want, and then they get the lesson of why that maybe isn't such a good idea.
• Or there's the "Trickle-Down" method.  A few pieces on Halloween, and then one a day until it runs out.  (Or whatever mom and dad decide.)  The benefit of this is that the junk is sandwiched between all the healthy food.  The biggest downside we've found in our family is that the candy lasts until the next Halloween.
• And then there's the one that my parents instituted:  mom and dad's candy tax.  When we got home and started counting out our treasure, 10% was swiped right off the top.  Laughing 
• Or you can mix-and-match one or more of these.

I'm going to try some new things at Halloween this year.  My hope is that Halloween can be a fun family celebration with a lot less of the junk.  We can do it!  And if any of you have great ideas for reducing the Halloween candy load, or if you would like to share your family's traditions, I would love to hear from you!

Happy Halloween!

More Colorado consumers are turning to naturopathic medicine and naturopathic doctors every day for help with their health concerns, but NDs are currently unregulated in the state of Colorado.  House Bill 1175, now before the legislature, attempts to address this.

 

HB 1175 is a very specific bill with two very specific purposes:

1. to set up a 3 year task force, run by the Dept. of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) and consisting of NDs and MDs (with input from any other person they feel necessary to give information about the issues) to study ND regulation in Colorado and present their findings to the legislature. 
2. to register eligible NDs in Colorado (those with a 4 year degree from an accredited, in-residence - vs online or distance - naturopathic medical school) and set up a scope of practice and other rules and regulations.  The bill "sunsets" (ends) automatically in 2014, by which time the task force must make recommendations about regulation.

 

There is clear, concise language in the bill which states that it does not apply to any other person.  Those affected by the bill will be:

1. those eligible to be registered as naturopathic doctors in Colorado and
2. anyone else calling themselves a naturopathic doctor or practicing naturopathic medicine (which, by definition in the bill must include diagnosis and treatment). 

 

There are those with non-accredited, distance learning, online degrees who currently call themselves naturopathic doctors.  They would not be allowed to portray themselves as such, but would still be allowed to use the term "naturopath". 

 

In fact, these people are already in violation of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, which reserves the title "doctor" for those who have received a doctorate through an accredited program.  HB 1175 simply reinforces this title protection and allows for regulation by the medical board.

 

This bill would have no effect on homeopaths, herbal practitioners, massage therapists, reiki practitioners, health coaches, dieticians, cooking schools, natural food/vitamin stores or anybody else, except as defined above.  In fact, Vitamin Cottage supports the bill and has sent people to testify FOR it.

 

I support this bill for many reasons, but the three most important are

1. it would allow me to practice legally in Colorado, albeit with a very limited scope compared to my training
2. it would protect the public from potential harm by both registered NDs and those falsely calling themselves such, and
3. it creates a group to study this specific issue in depth and present their findings to the legislature, who has little time for a real understanding of every issue.

 

I understand the desire to keep the government out of our business.  I support free enterprise and I believe that people should be able to offer and receive services of their choosing.  I don't think the government has any place in medical decision making. 

 

In my opinion, however, one of the functions of even a very limited government is ensuring public safety.  There are those who will say, "I can research my own health care practitioner, I don't need the government to do it for me."  To that, I have a couple of thoughts: 

 

First, there are those out there right now whose only drive is to make money.  They put fake diplomas on their walls and websites, list fake degrees and fake association memberships.  And, in fact, some of them hurt people.  At best, they are defrauding the public.  At worst, they are killing people.  And even if you are a person who will look beyond the fancy-looking diplomas (and I would offer that many people are not), it can be difficult to get to the bottom of who they really are.  Will you call the school they list to see if they are actually a graduate?  Will you find out if the "board" that supposedly "licenses" them is even real?  Will you find out if they actually belong to the professional association they claim to belong to, or if it is a real association?

 

Second, imagine, even for a moment, that all doctors were unregulated.  Would they have your best interests at heart?  Are you prepared to research where they went to school or if they actually did?  Will you put your health or life on the line to see a doctor?  There are good reasons for regulating doctors.  There is a higher standard for those holding themselves out as experts in their field.  I believe it is wishful thinking to assume that just because someone claims to be a healer or doctor, that they are honorable.

 

What it boils down to in my mind is this:  "Buyer beware" is not an appropriate standard for doctors.  You are not just putting your money on the line when you seek professional health care.  You are putting your health and potentially your life on the line.  It is an incredible honor and responsibility to be a doctor.  It takes real training and clinical experience.  If a person is going to call themselves a doctor, then I believe that the public has a right to know that they are, in fact, getting a doctor. 

 

This is where a well-informed government has an appropriate role, and this is what HB 1175 will provide - a means to not only regulate naturopathic doctors and provide for the public safety, but also to actually educate our legislators about this complex issue.

 

If you would like to read the most current version of the bill (including amendments), it can be found here.

 

I did my training in Oregon, a state which has licensed NDs since the 1920s.  I am trained as a primary care physician.  I completed over 4,000 hours of didactic and clinical work to acheive my 4 year ND degree.  In my years at school I worked together with many different practitioners to provide quality care to patients.  There is no shortage in Oregon of other alternative health care providers.  Regulation of NDs doesn't preclude the practice of any other profession.  What there IS is a wealth of licensed NDs who can legally offer their kind of care to whoever wants it.  (And many insurance providers will even cover it.  Imagine that.)

 

I appreciate you taking the time to understand this issue fully.  I know many of you will be inundated with emails from those who oppose this bill and I'm glad to be able to present the facts as I see them.  If anyone has questions about the bill, about what I do, or anything else, I welcome your emails. 

I talk with every single patient about eating well because a nutritious diet is fundamental to wellness.  I often say that I have a lot of "tools in my doctor bag" for helping folks regain their health.  Vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathic remedies, hydrotherapy, exercise and stress management techniques are some of these tools, and they can support the healing process to a great degree.  But good health will not last if you do not nourish your body with good food.  And yet learning how to eat well is often one of the biggest challenges my patients face. 

Naturopathic doctors follow six guiding principles: the healing power of nature, identify and treat the cause, first do no harm, doctor as teacher, treat the whole person, and prevention.

The Healing Power of Nature.  Vis Medicatrix Naturae

Naturopathic doctors respect the body’s innate ability to heal and offer therapies that work with and support these natural processes.

Identify and Treat the Cause.  Tolle Causam

A naturopathic doctor will work with a patient to treat the underlying cause(s) of dis-ease rather than merely suppressing the symptoms that result. The goal is to remove the cause so the symptoms will not occur.

First Do No Harm.  Primum Non Nocere

Naturopathic doctors follow an order of therapeutics that is the least invasive of the patient as possible, avoiding harmful side effects, force and suppression of symptoms whenever possible.

Doctor As Teacher.  Docere

Information empowers patients to take charge of their health. A naturopathic doctor will educate each patient about his or her particular complaint as well as offer general education about lifestyle and self-responsibility.

Treat the Whole Person.

Naturopathic doctors recognize that their patients are human beings and take into account their mental, emotional and spiritual health in addition to their physical health, genetic predisposition and environmental factors.

Prevention.

Prevention is the best and most economical way to maintain health. Because of this, a naturopathic doctor will identify risk factors and suggest appropriate lifestyle and health screenings in order to reduce the chances of disease.

At the dawning of the 20th century, Benedict Lust brought together European nature cure, homeopathy, massage, spinal manipulation, therapeutic electricity and other natural therapies. He started the first school in 1901, the American School of Naturopathy, in New York City. Rightfully called "the father of Naturopathy," Lust set the stage for the development of naturopathic medicine through the last century.

Naturopathic medicine was popular and widely available throughout the United States and Europe well into the early part of the 20th century. In 1920, there were many naturopathic medical schools, thousands of naturopathic doctors, and tens of thousands of patients using naturopathic therapies around the country. One of those schools was in Denver. It operated from about 1920 to the 1960's.

By mid-century the rise of "technological medicine" and the discovery and increased use of "miracle drugs" like antibiotics were associated with the temporary decline of naturopathic medicine and most other methods of natural healing.

By the 1970's many Americans were realizing the limitations of conventional medicine, the many side effects of prescription drugs and the rising cost of health care. Millions began seeking alternatives and naturopathic medicine began to enjoy an increasing popularity.

Today, naturopathic doctors (NDs) are the nation's leading experts in natural medicine. In states where naturopathic medicine is regulated, NDs act as family doctors, often serving as primary care providers for insurance companies and general practitioners for families.