The chips, made by Pepsico Canada, for the most part have always been made without gluten, but now customers can be assured that Lay’s facilities and manufacturing processes have been verified by a third party. (Only one variety, Lay’s BarBQ Flavour, won’t bear the new CCA logo.)

Paul Valder, the consultant developing the CCA’s certification program, says this is just the first of a number of certified products consumers will see over the coming months.

The CCA is in discussions with a major retailer for certifying its private label line, and also in the gluten-free pipeline are: a national brand that makes crackers and cookies, a national bakery, and a generic drug manufacturer.

Asthma can be tricky for a doctor to diagnose, especially in young kids. Symptoms can mimic other diseases and spirometry, the breathing test to diagnose asthma, requires the patient be able to breathe into a tube, which isn’t possible for most small children.

“The hypothesis has been that people with airway disease will have different metabolism compared to those without disease,” says Dr. Darryl Adamko, head of pediatric pulmonary medicine for the Saskatoon Health Region.

That is, the chemicals in their urine will have a unique compound that could be tested for. His team, based at the University of Alberta where he used to work, is using a technology called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and they believe they have pinpointed what the metabolism of an asthmatic looks like in urine.

They are now working with groups in the United Kingdom and Canada to see how well testing urine for this compound predicts asthma. (Adamko is also testing the theory with COPD, bronchiolitis and allergic rhinitis.)

The researchers are still trying to recruit groups large enough for a robust study, but based on the early results, “it does look like it can differentiate asthma versus COPD or asthma versus no asthma,” says Adamko.

The pediatric respirologist hopes this test will do more than just diagnose. “As you get sicker, your metabolism changes,” he says. That means if someone comes into a clinic or hospital with asthma symptoms, a urine test could tell doctors whether the symptoms will get worse. While Adamko is optimistic his team will be successful, he says it’s at least five years before such a test is used in common practice.

First published in Allergic Living magazine.
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The CTA deemed Sarah Daviau, David Spence and Katherine Covell disabled because of their cat allergies in regards to air travel and had ordered major carriers Air Canada and WestJet to create policies that would remove barriers to travel for people with severe cat allergies.

But rather than ban cats in plane cabins outright, as the complainants requested, the CTA has given the airlines the option to create a five-row separation or buffer zone between the cat and the allergic passenger, as well as having airplanes equipped with specialized air filters.

While not final until approved by the CTA, WestJet’s proposed policy opts for that buffer zone. The airline says a five-row separation between an allergic person and a cat will be guaranteed with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice. In Air Canada’s proposal, a buffer zone will also be offered on most aircraft, which have the required type of air filter.

On Air Canada’s regional flights, where the planes do not have the appropriate filters, booking will be on a first-come, first-served basis for people with cats and those who are allergic to them.

For Covell, it just isn’t enough. “I’m confused by the idea that with the five-row barrier and filters, everything is going to be OK,” she says.

Next: Balancing customer demands

When you have food allergies, reading packaged goods labels becomes a way of life. But recognizing if your allergen is in the product isn’t always easy. Sometimes allergens can be hidden (e.g. as “natural flavours” or “spices” or “hydrolized protein”) or referred to in consumer-unfriendly scientific names.

In Canada, the allergy and celiac communities have been frustrated by long delays in getting regulations that would make reading food labels easier.

In July 2008, Canada’s former health minister announced that the federal government was moving to make it law that food manufacturers list priority allergens in plain language on packaging, not just in scientific terminology (e.g.: “milk” would be shown as an ingredient, not just “casein”). Ingredients of ingredients that are priority allergens would also have to be listed. For example, manufacturers couldn’t simply list “flavouring” if the source of that flavouring included a priority allergen, such as sesame.

Health Canada then published proposed new labeling regulations for priority allergens, gluten and sulphites in Canada Gazette Part 1. That was followed by several months in which the public and stakeholders (food manufacturers, allergy groups, etc.) were allowed to comment on the proposed regulations.

Health Canada reviewed all the comments received. In late 2009, it announced some significant changes to the proposed regulations (including making mustard a priority allergen). When the full consultation and review period was completed in early 2010, the regulations were expected to be published in Canada Gazette Part 2, at which point they would be final.

Unfortunately, in November 2010, the regulations still sat in limbo, finalized but still not passed. Allergic Living and fellow allergy and celiac advocates launched the write-in campaign to the Prime Minister. Following much community pressure, the government finally passed the regulations into law in February 2011, with the new regulations in effect as of August, 2012.

NEXT: Labeling FAQ

Scientists in Australia are reporting that they’ve found the culprits within gluten that make the protein intolerable to people who have celiac disease.

The study, which put 123 people with ragweed allergy in a specially-controlled room with their allergen for three hours, found that those who were also allergic to dogs, cats and dust mites developed symptoms faster, or experienced stronger symptoms, than those who didn’t have the other allergies.

However, the differences between the two groups lessened as the hours went on (they filled out questionnaires every 30 minutes) suggesting that once ragweed season is in full swing, everyone is affected equally.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Anne Ellis, and her team at Kingston General Hospital in Ontario suggest that to avoid this early, intense reaction, ragweed, allergy sufferers should treat their other allergies with immunotherapy or year-round allergy medication.

Another option is to limit exposure to dogs or cats leading up to ragweed season.

The findings showed that people with asthma saw a health-care professional 72 per cent more often (for ailments other than asthma) than other people, went to the emergency department twice as often, and required a hospital stay 66 per cent more often.

Dr. Andrea Gershon, the study’s lead researcher, says that because this study was based on administrative records such hospital discharge records, there are not a lot of specifics on what diseases people with asthma tend to have. But what they saw most commonly fell into three areas: respiratory diseases other than asthma, psychiatric disease and musculoskeletal disease.

It’s also not clear what the association is. “We don’t know for sure if it’s asthma that’s causing the other diseases, or the other diseases that are causing asthma.” Or, she says, something else entirely could be causing both health issues.

The idea of a chronic disease being associated with other conditions isn’t new, however, says Gershon. “When you think of a heart attack, somebody gets their cholesterol checked right away. If you think of diabetes, they get their kidneys checked, and their eyes checked.”

She and her team will next endeavour to find out more about what diseases are associated with asthma and why. Then doctors can start to look for other diseases in asthmatic patients to better diagnose and treat all conditions. Read more here.

Dr. Hugh Sampson, head of the Consortium of Food Allergy Research in the United States, told Allergic Living magazine that U.S. researchers got the idea from French research, in which scientists have developed immunotherapy patches for cow’s milk allergy.

Those researchers placed a milk-containing patch on dairy-allergic patients every other day for three months. The results were that the patients were able to consume, on average, 12 times more milk without a reaction than they could before the treatment.

Armed with this encouraging research, a company formed by the French researchers is now set to begin a safety trial on a comparable peanut patch. If the safety trial is successfully completed, Sampson and the researchers in CoFAR hope to begin the next level of clinical trials: to see if the patch works to desensitize patients allergic to peanut. Read more.

SYMPTOMS

Some signs of asthma include a chronic cough, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, or wheezing. Talk to your doctor if you or your child has a cough that keeps you up at night, a cold that won’t go away, shortness of breath or wheezing after exercise, or coughing, wheezing or chest tightness that seems to occur at a certain time of year or in conjunction with your allergies.

DIAGNOSIS

A physician will diagnosis asthma based on one or more of the following: a history of symptoms, physical examination of lungs and nasal passages, a breathing test, such as spirometry, or a trial of asthma medications. Other tests that might be performed include allergy testing, chest X-ray, bronchial challenge tests or exercise challenge tests.

Not all breathing difficulties are asthma. Conditions such as cystic fibrosis, pneumonia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may mimic the symptoms of asthma. If you’re not comfortable with your diagnosis or an aspect of your treatment, ask to be referred to a respirologist.

ASTHMA TRIGGERS

Each person’s asthma triggers are different, and an important part of managing the condition is identifying what your triggers are. Some triggers are considered inflammatory, meaning they cause mucus and inflammation in the airways.

Allergens: They could be allergy triggers, such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites or mould. Viral infections can also cause inflammatory symptoms.

Irritants: Other triggers are called irritants, and are not allergy-based. They cause the muscles in the airways to contract. Irritants include cigarette smoke, exercise, cold air, chemicals, fragrance and air pollution.

Keep track of where and when your asthma flares up. If it’s normally at home, than something in the house, such as a pet or dust mites, might be the trigger.

If it’s always in springtime, then pollen allergies are a likely culprit. Your doctor or asthma educator can help you identify your triggers.

See Triggers

TREATMENT

Asthma treatment is generally two-fold. First you should avoid your triggers wherever possible. Secondly, your doctor will prescribe you medication. Generally this will include a controller (or preventer) medication and a reliever (or rescue) medication.

Controller medications are taken on a daily basis and treat the underlying inflammation of the airway. Some people stop taking their controller medications when they feel well, but this can lead to worsening asthma symptoms, and can be dangerous. If you reduce the inflammation in the airways with medication, when you’re confronted with a trigger, you’re less likely to have a significant reaction.

On the other hand, reliever medications are used when you are having an asthma flare-up. They work to open up the airways quickly – you should feel relief within five to 10 minutes and it will last up to four hours. Rescue medications should be used sparingly. If you are using your reliever more than three times per week, your asthma in out of control.

See Asthma Medications

THE ASTHMA EDUCATOR

An asthma educator is a health professional who is certified to help people with asthma understand their disease and how to manage it. In Canada, they are called either Certified Asthma Educators (CAEs) or Certified Respiratory Educators (CREs) and they have taken specific courses and passed exams in respiratory health.

They work in conjunction with physicians and other health professionals to optimize the health and lifestyle of a person with asthma. Find a CAE or CRE near you.

See Also:
Why So Many Allergies Now?
Pet Allergies: A Gander at Dander
Non-Allergic Cat: Soon A Pet To Get

Studies have shown that more than half of people with asthma are not properly managing it. Uncontrolled asthma can lead to frequent doctor and hospital visits, missed school or work and “presenteeism” where people show up to the office but aren’t working at full capacity because they’re having symptoms, or they’re exhausted from not sleeping well.

Experts say asthma shouldn’t affect your ability to do day-to-day activities. When asthma is interfering with your sleep, your ability to go to work or school or your ability to exercise, it is time to makes some changes to bring it under control.

Signs of Control

If the following statements are true, than your asthma is under control:

-Daytime symptoms less than four days a week
-No night-time symptoms
-Normal physical activity is not limited
-Mild, infrequent exacerbations
-No absenteeism from school or work
-Use of reliever medication less than 4 times/week (except for exercise).

Source: Canadian Thorasic Society Respiratory Guidelines

How to Control Asthma

Asthma is controlled by avoiding triggers and by reducing inflammation in the airways with medication.

Triggers
It is important to know what triggers your asthma, so that you can avoid that trigger as much as possible. Triggers can be either allergens or irritants. Allergens that could set off someone’s asthma symptoms include pet dander, tree, grass or ragweed pollen and mould. Irritants include cigarette smoke, smog, chemical fumes and perfumes.

See: more on asthma triggers

Medications
A key component in asthma control is taking the proper medications prescribed to you by your physician. There are two general types of medication to treat asthma: controllers and relievers. Controller medications reduce inflammation in the airways so that when you do encounter a trigger, you are less likely to develop asthma symptoms. Reliever inhalers are there for when you do start to develop symptoms: they work quickly, and temporarily open up your airways to allow you to breathe more easily.

See: more on asthma medications

Asthma Action Plan

An asthma action plan is a set of written, personalized instructions for managing your asthma. It helps you recognize when your asthma is out of control, and tells you how to adjust your medication accordingly. Ask your doctor to help you develop your action plan.

Download Asthma Action Plan

Asthma Educator

If you’re having difficulty controlling your asthma, you may wish to speak with an asthma educator. Asthma educators are health professionals who are certified to help people with asthma understand their disease and how to manage it. In Canada, they are called either Certified Asthma Educators (CAEs) or Certified Respiratory Educators (CREs) and they have taken specific courses and passed exams in respiratory health.

They work in conjunction with physicians and other health professionals to optimize the health and lifestyle of a person with asthma.
Find a CAE or CRE near you.

See Also:
Why So Many Allergies Now?
Pet Allergies: A Gander at Dander
Non-Allergic Cat: Soon A Pet To Get