Hashimoto's and Gluten By Dr. Justin Marchegiani, D.C.

Every once in a while I read a blog post or article that I just have to share with you. Hashimoto's and The Gluten Connection by Dr. Justin Marchegiani, D.C. is one of those articles. It is a well written article about how the autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto's is directly effected by eating gluten. This is a subject close to my heart, as I too, have Hashimoto's.

Since I was exposed to large amount of gluten molecules during the reconstruction of my kitchen this past April, my thyroid has been struggling to function properly. You can read about gluten  in construction dust in my post written Thursday, May 7, 2015, called, Did You Know Gluten May Be In Construction Materials?  I am not only on medication for this but a series of thyroid supplements to try and support my thyroid. I am often sluggish now. I find myself sleepy early in the evening, when before this exposure, I could go all night long, if I wanted to. I am having difficulty keeping weight off, whereas before this I could easily maintain my weight. Etc, Etc.

Please click here to read the article and learn as much as you can about keeping your thyroid healthy.
Please share your stories with us below in the comment section.

This picture is from Dr. Marchegiani article, "Hashimoto's and Gluten"

TUSHIES BEWARE

WOW, WOW, WOW

For those of us who are extremely sensitive to gluten whether it is ingested or simply touched BEWARE we now have to worry about what we wipe our tushies with. 

A few months ago, I had a reaction to construction materials, while my kitchen was being redone. I was sick for over 8 weeks and was determined to find out what the cause of this severe gluten reaction was. As I researched construction materials and gluten, I came across an article that suggested that a "company" had figured out how to use straw to make toilet paper, paper towels.

Truthfully, I never thought about what "straw" is but the article intrigued me so I did some digging.  According to dictionary.com, straw is: "a single stalk or stem of a certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats and barley."   So many questions started racing through my mind:.
            What is straw used for? 
            Am I exposed to straw on a regular basis and don't know it?
            Does this explain my strange skin reactions? 
            Etc, etc, etc ............

I recently found an article from the Associated Press, written by Roxana Hegeman about wheat straw and paper products. The article stated that Kimberly-Clark Professionals would be using straw in it's environmentally friendly line called, Green Harvest. 

Green Harvest: Toilet Paper and Paper Towels Contains Wheat Straw

Kimberly-Clark,under the brand Scott,developed the line called Green Harvest which will use 20% plant fiber including wheat straw and bamboo for its commercial toilet paper and  paper towels. This will reduce the use of tree fiber by 20% and give the wheat farmers a possible additional source of revenue. I am in full support of any company that tries to be environmentally conscious. BUT this one is scary for people who can not touch gluten without a reaction, like me.

Scott, Green Harvest Line: Contains Wheat Straw

Currently, these products will only be sold to commercial businesses such as stores and restaurants.

                                   BUT   Tushies Beware.
                                                    




References:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/straw?s=t
Hegeman, Roxana, Associated Press, Paper Towels, Toilet Paper latest use for Wheat Straw., April11, 2015 http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-paper-towels-toilet-tissue-latest-uses-for-wheat-straw-20150411-story.html

Gluten-Free Candy 2015

As the Holiday Season approaches, people begin to ask me what candy is gluten-free. Every year I go on the search to find gluten-free candy. The process takes weeks and the results are usually very similar to the Celiac Support Association (CSA) list. 

So this year I am using the Celiac Support Assocation list of gluten-free candy. CSA is a great organization and has helped me through my journey. I belong to the O.C.Celiacs: CSA 14 in Orange County, CA and enjoy the friendships I have developed with people who have similar issues to me. 

Thank you to the Celiac Support Association for all the hard work you put in to keep us safe.

Cliff Bar & Company: Fruit Rope

Dove: Large Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate Bunnies 

                  Flat and Oval Eggs, Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate

http://us.mms.com/us/legal/allergen.html

Endangered Species Chocolate: All candy bars are gluten-free

http://www.chocolatebar.com/docs/esc_faq.pdf

Hershey: Kisses and Nuggets

Please visit website for full gluten-free list: http://www.thehersheycompany.com/nutrition-and-wellbeing/nutrition-information/special-dietary-needs/gluten-free-products.aspx

Gimbals Fine Candies: All candy is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, peanut-free

http://www.gimbalscandy.com/allergen-free.html

Jelly Belly: Jelly Beans

http://www.jellybelly.com/frequently-asked-questions

Just Born: Mike and Ike, Hot Tamales, Peeps (verify labeled gluten-free), Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, Teenee Beanee    

http://www.justborn.com/get-to-know-us/faqs

Natural Candy Store: specialty candies made for the holidays may differ from traditional packaging. Always check the label!

Necco: They make the following products which do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley:

• NECCO Wafers
• NECCO Chocolate Wafers
• Candy Buttons
• CANADA Mints & CANADA Wintergreen
• Mary Jane
• Banana Splits Chews
• Mint Julep Chews
• Haviland Thin Mints
• Haviland Wintergreen Patty
• Sky Bar
• Sweethearts (Valentine's Day)
• Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses (Halloween)

http://www.necco.com/FAQs.aspx

Nestle: Baby Ruth, Nips, Divine filled Chocolate, Sno Caps, Raisinettes (dark and milk chocolate), Oh Henry, regular size and original flavored Butterfinger (snack size not gluten-free)

M&M’s: Plain and Peanut    (Not pretzel m&m’s)

http://us.mms.com/us/legal/allergen.html

Premium Chocolatiers: Makes a variety of gluten and dairy-free chocolate

http://www.premiumchocolatiers.com/valentines-c-28.html

See’s: All candy is gluten-free.

http://www.sees.com/pdf/SeesAllergenInfo_2014.pdf

Surf Sweets: All candy is gluten-free.

Organic Fruity Hearts

Organic Fruity Bears

Organic Spring Mix Jelly Beans

Gummy Bears

http://www.surfsweets.com/faqs/#toggle-id-4

Tootsie Roll: All candy is gluten-free including Andes Mints, Baking Chips, Candy Carnival, Blow Pops, Charm Pops, Sugar Babies, Carmel Apple Pops, Charm Blow Pops Minis, Charms Flat Pops, Dots, Crows, Tootsie rolls (all flavors), Cry Baby Extra Sour Candy, Cry Baby Extra Sour, Bubble Gum, Double Bubble (all flavors), Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy, Junior Mints, Frooties (all), Sugar Daddy, Tootsie Pops, Nik-L-Nip Wax Bottles, Razzle’s

http://www.tootsie.com/faqs

Wrigley: all products are gluten-free, except the Altoid mini peppermints, including Starburst, Orbit, Juicy Fruit, Wrigley’s Spearmint, extra gum, Doublemint gum, Skittles, Lifesavers, Eclipse Gum, Winterfresh Gum, Lifesavers, Airwaves .

http://www.wrigley.com/global/brands/us-brands.aspx

Yummy Earth: All candy is gluten-free including Sour Beans, Fruit Snacks, Gummy Bears, Lollipops and Drops

http://yummyearth.com/

Product packaging can change, and seasonal products may be packaged in a separate facility that handles gluten. Always read the label when verifying gluten-free.