I hope everyone recognizes the reference to Lord Of The Flies in the title of this post — and doesn't think I take asthma, or allergies, lightly. I take both topics very seriously, all the more so since my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac's disease this June.
Celiac's is an hereditary, autoimmune disease characterized by a sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. In persons with Celiac, also known as Coeliac disease, the small intestine sustains repeated trauma that leads to the malabsorption of nutrients from food — and ultimately to a host of illnesses caused by nutritional deficiencies.
While Celiac's is neither an allergy nor a breathing disorder, it has many things in common with both. Each of these diseases create short and long term problems in those who suffer and, the number of those diagnosed with each is accelerating at an alarming rate.
This is especially true for children, and parents know they have one more thing in common.
Namely that, at the present time, Western Medicine offers no cure for any of these except the application of daily medication and the acceptance of the attendant, and sometimes very troubling side effects of same — such as irritability, racing heart, sleepiness & sleeplessness, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate and chronic, reoccurring infections — not to mention the expense. (In the case of Celiac's the only present "cure" is to remove all gluten from one's diet which, thankfully, allows the intestines to heal.)
More and more, parents are seeking better, more long-lasting relief for their kids and themselves in what is commonly (and condescendingly) referred to as "alternative" treatments. We hope to de-mystify a few of these holistic practices for you here, with the following articles. And to point you to the work of Jen Maidenberg, a local mother whose own life-long battle with asthma and allergies, and her own children with food allergies, inspired her to start a non-profit company called Mindful Living NJ, which promises to connect folks with alternative practitioners and increase education about these treatments.
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Happy Meals
Freelance writer and Maplewood mom Judie Hurtado brings you the second installment of her family-friendly restaurant review column for The MotherHood, with a visit to Legal Seafood at The Mall at Short Hills. (And for our Celiac sisters and brothers, we are happy to report that this restaurant offers a wide, gluten-free selection!)
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Living Mindfully
by Jen Maidenberg
Acupuncture and the Treatment of Allergies & Asthma
by Joy Lindquist
Treating Asthma & Allergies with Chiropracty
by Dr. Andrew Halperin
Happy Meals: The Family-Friendly Restaurant Review
by Judie Hurtado****************************************************************
