Cosmetics, shampoo, etc...

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Tessa
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Cosmetics, shampoo, etc...

Post by Tessa »

Hi, I cannot remember if we talked about this already, but I was wondering if having a high intolerance to gluten, we have to avoid all kind of products with gluten, say for instance, shampoo, bodymilk, etc.

Thanks for your comments,

Love,
Tessa
DX Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency= Panhypopituitarism,POTS & MC. Anaphylactic reaction to foods & some drugs.
Gluten & Dairy free diet+hydrocortisone, Florinef, Sea Salt, Vit B Complex, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium...
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Post by starfire »

Tessa,
I am thinking that Jean or possibly Luce has a problem with things like that which have gluten in them.

I'm sure one (or both) will be along sometime today and give you a better idea about it.

:pulsinghearts: Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
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Post by MaggieRedwings »

Hi Tessa,

I have been lucky and do not have any problems with products that I do not ingest. However, I still look at labels and do my best to avoid shampoos, etc. with any gluten.

Love, Maggie
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Post by moremuscle »

Tessa,

I don't have any problems with cosmetics, skin lotions, hair products, lip stick, lip balm, or tooth paste - I don't even read the labels on those products; I just pick what I like and I don't have a reaction to any of it. As you know I am intolerant of gluten, dairy (casein), soy, yeast, and corn. I figure that the intolerance is to ingested proteins from the allergens mentioned; as long as the allergen doesn't enter the digestive system I don't react to it. IOW skin contact isn't a problem. I also touch allergenic foods with my bare hands when I prepare meals for my family - again, no problems.

If you are still experiencing reactions (gurggling, gas, bloating, diarrhea etc) you are probably still ingesting a food that you are intolerant of. It is possible that you still somehow get a hidden source of gluten/dairy since you are still new to the diet but it is also possible that you have other intolerances that you have not yet identified. Try zooming in on soy - it bothers quite a few of us.

Love,
Karen
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Post by Jean »

Tessa,

What a good question. I started avoiding all products with my intolerances in them and have added some back in. I've learned that skin contact doesn't cause a reaction, but if the product gets on my lips and then into my digestive system it is a problem. Tooth paste is definitely a problem for me, so I use straight baking soda.

I am especially careful about what I put on my lips. I went to the health store and got lanilin for when my lips are really chapped. I don't wear lip stick. I also don't put face creams close to my lips. Coppertone makes a sunscreen that is safe for me, in a blue bottle. I can look it up for you if you want.

I did stop using hair conditioner, but have started again. I'm careful not to get it on my face in the shower. After I do my hair, I wash my hands just to make sure. I even worried about tampons, but found them not to be a problem. Mucus membranes don't absorb our intolerances.

I use paper towels a lot. Especially in the kitchen. I live with gluten eaters who are not always careful. I have been contaminated by kitchen towels and sponges, bottoms of plates that stack on top of mine after touching the kitchen counter (after my daughter made cookies). I think it was Polly who discovered that her son was making mac and cheese and then not cleaning the pan very well. She got sick when she used the pan for something else. Even dish washing liquid can be a problem, so I make sure my dishes are well rinsed.

I can touch intolerances, but I try to wash my hands right away. I am very likely to touch my lips and stick things in my mouth. The hardest habits for me to break were holding things in my mouth when I needed two hands (like the bird's millet) and licking envelops!

I'm pretty sure I was contaminated by the outdoor grill. I cooked corn and brats for the family. The next time I used it I got sick (I figured the intolerances would burn off).

I do feel like I'm being paranoid, which is completely out of character for me, but it's worth it to not be sick.

Love, Jean

PS Have you heard Polly's favorite story about my contact with gluten in soap?
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Post by moremuscle »

It's interesting to read your post, Jean -

You mentioned living with gluten eaters and using a lot of paper towels, washing your hands frequently, and being a little paranoid, which is out of character for you.

I definitely nodded my head in recognition of those behaviour patterns.

I find myself wiping/cleaning the counter tops and all surfaces many times during family meal sessions to make sure I don't get crums or cheese leftovers etc into my food. I clean a knife before cutting my own fruit or vegetables just in case my husband had used it for cheese or bread or something like that prior. Otherwise, I pick up a clean knife out of the drawer rather than re-using what's already on the counter top. I usually turn over the cutting board(s) to use the back of them if I am afraid some bread has been cut or prepared on the board beforehand.

I usually don't encourage my family members to help much in the kitchen because I know they will be using milk/cheese/corn chips/yoghurt/bread/crackers/deli meats/pasta etc as soon as I turn my back to them. They don't mean to make my life complicated; they simply consider those foods normal (LOL!!) and for weird reasons, that I don't understand (sigh), desirable.

The paranoia that Jean described is simply using good judgment and being cautious - we can never let our guards down when it comes to food contamination; it is very real for us.
However, it is important to figure out whether or not some of the things we avoid are actually necessary to avoid such as for example regular tooth paste. I recall a long discussion of the topic in the old GF-Kitchen; some MIs were using baking soda for brushing teeth, other MIs had been using regular tooth paste for years w/o reacting to it. Personally I have learned that I don't react to tooth paste but I did go through a period of using baking soda while I was still not sure what made me react. When I re-introduced the regular tooth paste I stayed normal.

It sounds like you are well on your way to getting a good grip on your GF diet, Tessa - I hope you are reading these posts and that you will let us know how you are doing.

Love,
Karen
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Post by Lucy »

Hi Tessa,

Wouldn't be too concerned about the cosmetics, at least right at first. Tootpaste and mouthwash might be something that you'd want to check with local celiacs about first. Also, if you're on any medications, you might have to work with your doc, either to switch to a form that doesn't have your "allergens" in it, or else have a compound pharmacist make you up some "allergen"-free version.

By the way, in the States, regular Colgate toothpaste is supposed to be acceptable, just in case you have that readily available there. That's the one I use.

By the way, I noticed in that last line on your post that you've been worried about the victims of Katrina. In terms of those who evacuated to Houston, they are receiving more TLC here than many have experienced in their whole lives, and most actually want to stay here, mainly because of that. Mainly, it's the churches and individuals have given the most immediate and direct help -- it's unbelievable how much has been and is being done.

The Astrodome is closed as a shelter, and the most difficult families to find housing for are the large families. There are dwellings that are now going through the inspection process to make sure they are in good shape for new occupants, so hopefully, they too will soon be in a good situation.

I know that there has been great distortion in the European news sources, but just ignore it. I've been monitoring both what my friends who've been putting in long hours volunteering and talking with evacuuees in the shelters, and it's nothing like what some of even our national news sources have reported. Also, I've watched things on our local tv stations real time when actual events were happening, and also, on the N.O. channel that was being broadcast in Houston and other cities with larger evacuuee populations, so I've been rather shocked at some of this reporting, as well as some of the impressions some of the Hollywood types have tried to give of situation of the storm victims here and other places.

Barbara Bush was right -- for many, this is a God-send as they would never have been able to get out of New Orleans to a better life somewhere else had not this storm occurred. This is what was heard all throughout the Astrodome by people I know well. Barbara was merely echoing what she'd just heard immediately after hearing it time and time again while visiting with many evacuues in the Astrodome.

Time doesn't permit me to repeat all the distortions and false impressions, not to mention absolute lies that I've heard from various news sources! If you have any specific questions, please use the private message service that is part of this website, and I'll do my best to put your mind at ease.

Yours, Luce
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