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Just have to rant and rave here for a minute. For those who don't know me, I was diagnosed with MC over 10 years ago and have managed it with diet alone. (I have multiple intolerances). Despite my best intentions and compulsive detective work, I am wondering if I have ever really been totally free from my intolerances over those years.
A few nights ago I was in the grocery store buying some tea. I find out now that many of the brands I have been enjoying for years are "contaminated" - especially with soy. Go figure. Apparently many of the "natural flavors" in teas are made from soy. This floored me! Thank goodness that we now have the labelling laws that we do - this is the first time that I have seen this info on the box. So for years I have been inadvertantly ingesting soy, which many here will attest to being one of the worst intolerances. Right, Joe? This is a good lesson about constant vigilance.......sigh..........the saga just goes on and on. Can you tell I am angry?
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
and as it has so many names and derivatives it was one of the hardest to remove from my pantry and t is the main blocking point for me to be able to eat out.
My reactions to soy are like gluten within 20 - 30 minutes.
The amount of GF products that are now Soy Free, that werent SF 12 months ago is huge, so there must be many others with the intolerance
I check the ingredient listing on every product even if I bought it 2 weeks ago, i dont trust ANYONE!!!
any wonder we can become slightly obsessive!!!
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
That's frustrating, for sure, but consider this: You've proven that one doesn't have to have perfect compliance in order to eventually achieve a state of normal colonic epithelial histology. You've proven that there is a reaction threshold dosage rate, below which healing can occur, and be maintained. Of course, such a state of "limited" dosage is not desirable, since it amounts to "pushing the envelope", and it implies that only a tiny additional intake at any time, might tip the balance.
There's a silver lining to every cloud.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Good point, Tex. Of course, now I'm wondering how much of my recent flare (which I attributed solely to stress) might have been from reaching a soy tipping point. Maybe stress lowers the tipping point threshhold somehow???
That dosage issue may be a major factor in MC flares, or perhaps even explain continued inflammation with difficulty coming off of Entocort, IMHO. Do you have any other thoughts on it?
Gabes,
You are correct - soy IS evil and everywhere. And so many think it is even healthful. That's probably why it is often added to foods.
I am angry with myself for missing the "natural flavors" red flag for so long. I always used to call the manufacturer to double check how an ingredient was made. Somehow when I saw the "gluten-free" designation, my mind was tricked into thinking the natural flavors were OK. Thank goodness soy now has to be listed.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
I have to admit that the same thought crossed my mind, (that the soy certainly might have been a factor in your "stress-triggered" flare). But more than that, like you, I wonder about the effect that stress may have on any of our reaction thresholds. Presumably, we have an "individual" reaction threshold for each separate sensitivity, and a "combined" reaction threshold, for the sum total of all of them, that may even be subject to synergistic effects, depending on various sub-threshold contamination rates, and/or other influences, (such as stress). Or, maybe we have a true reaction threshold for stress alone.
I'm inclined to think that rather than having a reaction threshold for stress, per se, stress may impose it's effects on us as a "wild card", that can have powerful effects on our reaction thresholds, because it is known that stress can suppress the effectiveness of our immune system, and if you read my post about research showing that Crohn's disease may be caused by a weak immune response, (rather than an overactive immune system), then it is easy to see how stress could tip the balance to cause a reaction with any IBD.
Just thinking out loud, here.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
So sorry to hear that the teas are contaiminated but maybe it was stress only. I have found over the past 6 monhts - finally after 10+ years like you - that I am introducing some things tentatively back into the diet. Never more than once every other week and in small amounts. Soy is the one that I am being especially careful with and eggplant - it just hates me.
I hope you can find some non-soy tea and do hope the flare is calming down for you. It has been too long.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
For the most part, I learned to stick strictly to green and black teas without additional flavoring. Celestial Seasoning is a favorite.
Well, it looks like not only is soy being used but be on the lookout for GLUTEN as well. This floored me but then again, I'm not surprised. Probably used in the "woodsy flavoring" for some reason.
I was surprised at how often ingredients in food I thought were safe...changed. For a long time I could drink Sam's cola.. then they switched sweeteners.. and I didn't realize it til it was too late and THEN I read the label.
Same with the brand of canned chicken I was buying.. packed in water.. and for years it was water only on the label.. then they added "natural flavoring"... soy and who knows what else. Latest addition to the brand of canned chicken I am buying is "sea salt". Now it is too salty but at least no soy.
Grocery shopping is like a trip to the library where you feel you have to read everything you pick up..no matter how many times you have bought it.
grannyh
Very interesting forum post, Joanna, especially what that one member said about the vehicle the flavoring may come in, or ingredients in the packaging not having to be listed in the ingredients.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Yes, I wasn't aware of the tea. Guess I'll check mine.. but I am always trying to avoid vegetable broth (nearly always made with soy). Most tuna brands seem to use it. Hard to find one that doesn't. It's a constant battle.
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
Oh Polly, I can understand your frustration so well, you keep on wondering WHY do they have to add all those useless ingredients so simple products. But thanks for bringing it to our attention. I am one of those label freaks too, I even check tea (infusion/herb/normal) labels.
What I have discovered recently (and what is as frustrating as finding out your tea contains soy), some gluten, diary and corn free products that I found contain...soy. Inside I am screaming than WHY???? For example I found some gluten, corn and any other wheat free rice muesli or rice pops. And what do you think? Of course soy added to it. Another example, one of the major supermarkets here, they sell now chocolate on rice milk basis, oh oh oh, gluten and dairy free. But what is the use of it if they add...yes of course soy to it? Another example I have been writing about before here, the dark swiss chocolate is one of the view soy free chocolates, only they have decided to add milk fat to it, sigh. That's quite recently, another example of why you always have to keep on checking labels. But thanks god we have food labeling now.
But I keep on wondering, what is the use of adding the soy to almost any kind of processed food.
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
I hear you all - I have to bring my reading glasses when I shop! I feel like an insane label reader! It's so crazy. I am grateful that there is better labeling, but.... I agree with the soy thing too - it's everywhere - you know that it will be a really big allergen soon.
My friend's little boy is only two and has dairy, soy and eggs for his allergens - he vomits almost immediately, and gets terrible ezema. Well, the allergist didn't mention to my friend that her son's blood test was showing an allergy to wheat. His reasoning - it was lower than the others, but six months later, which is when she found out, when the allergist said, "wow all his allergies are worse, even his wheat allergy". My friend is a very kind and patient woman - but, when I talked with her, she was in tears, she felt like such a bad mom = but, you can't treat what you don't know exists. But, this poor little boy was so itchy from the wheat, that he would scratch until he bled and cried! Sorry to go off here - I am grateful for labeling and testing - so long as it's all truly exposed to us! Why are manufacturers so afraid to disclose the truth? Or doctors for that matter?
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
For those who don't know me, I was diagnosed with MC over 10 years ago and have managed it with diet alone. (I have multiple intolerances). Despite my best intentions and compulsive detective work, I am wondering if I have ever really been totally free from my intolerances over those years.
Just thinking out loud, here.
