Qvar - Inhaled Corticosteroid

It took me a long time to decide to start my daughter on Qvar, which is an inhaled corticosteroid, used to treat airway inflammation.  It is taken on a daily basis.  I didn't like the idea of having to "step up" to a daily dose of inhaled corticosteroids.  However, I didn't like the idea of feeling like her asthma just wasn't under control, either.  When your child has both asthma and life-threatening food allergies, it's pretty important to have their asthma well controlled.  Though she wasn't experiencing allergic reactions, she was needing her rescue inhaler more than I would have liked.  We also found ourselves using albuterol quite often.  I knew that I had to do something to get things under control.  I had already put allergen-protection covers on her mattress and her pillows, we washed her sheets, and even her light-blocking curtains, regularly.  We have a room air purifier, we change our air filters regularly.  Even with all these changes, we were still needing to use her other medications.

Articles I read noted that some children who take inhaled corticosteroids were about 1/2" shorter than their peers, on average.  My husband is 6'2" and I am 5'3", so odds are, she won't be that short, since she favors my husband more.  Even if she was to "lose" a half inch off her height, my thinking is, "better short, than short of breath."  I also learned that even with a daily dose of inhaled corticosteroids, it didn't come close to the amount that was in a single course of oral steroids.  (Though I am not averse to using those when needed, either.)

I took my daughter to her allergist and we discussed options.  As you can read in a previous post, my daughter was initially prescribed a medication that contained lactose and, therefore, possible traces of milk protein.  After a process of elimination, we ended up with Qvar.  Though the label states that it is for ages 5 and up, I was told it would be safe for my daughter, who was 4 years old, at the time.

Here is some information from the Qvar website about how it works:

How QVAR® Controls Asthma Symptoms
The importance of treating inflammation
What is inflammation? A rash is an example of inflammation on your skin. If you have asthma, you have inflammation in the large and small airways of your lungs. This inflammation is chronic, meaning it’s always there—even when you don’t have asthma symptoms.1 When left untreated, airway inflammation can cause asthma symptoms like coughing and wheezing,1 and may also cause serious damage to the lungs.2,3 By treating inflamed airways, you can reduce your risk of having asthma symptoms.4QVAR® is an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) that can treat chronic inflammation caused by asthma.4 After you inhale QVAR®, it goes to your airways and reduces the inflammation in your lungs. QVAR® has been shown to improve lung function and asthma control, and to reduce asthma symptoms.4

Inflammation is not our friend!
Image: Qvar.com

At first, I was giving my daughter the wrong dosage (too little) and I didn't see much of a change in the first two weeks.  After we got her on the correct dosage, and learned the proper technique, using a spacer, things started to improve.

We're coming up on her 1-year anniversary of starting Qvar and I feel it has done wonders for her lungs.  I can't say she never coughed, again, or anything, but we've hardly ever used her rescue inhaler, this entire year, and I actually had her albuterol vials expire on us, unused!  She still coughs, at times, when she runs around too much, too fast, but she doesn't have so many issues with coughing at night, which used to be a big problem, for her.  

Overall, I am very happy with the results and I haven't seen any adverse effects.  Asthma management is definitely something to be discussed with your healthcare providers, but I just wanted to share our experiences.  I know we all want our children to breathe easy, so that we can, too!

You can visit the official Qvar site for more information.  If you're looking for a great book, check out my post on Asthma Allergies Children: A Parent's Guide.  Here's another article that you might find helpful, if you're feeling a bit hesitant to start a daily regimen of inhaled corticosteroids.  (This is not a sponsored post.)

Freedible Thanksgiving Campaign

The wonderful community at freedible is gathering recipes to help "bring everyone back to the table" for Thanksgiving.  So far, I have not come up with any recipes to contribute, but I am thankful to those who are sharing their recipes.  If you have any "Custom Eater"-friendly recipes, please consider popping over there to share!

When I read about this campaign, it really touched me, as I do want to make a concerted effort to provide a table full of foods that my daughter can choose from and not feel like everyone else is eating something different from her.  In our family, we have various dietary needs and I often can't eat what she is eating and she can't eat what I'm eating, but on this occasion, I'm going to find the common ground, so she can see uniform plates all around!  (ETA: We don't eat my daughter's major allergens in our home, but we eat things that she doesn't like (she's not a fan of "mixed" foods) or foods that have not been cleared as safe, due to cross-contact, etc.)  Being that she just turned 5, she might not be all that concerned about having the exact same thing, but I have noticed that she looks for a link between her plates and ours, at meal times.  We often share a common vegetable or something, and she will note, "I'm having carrots, too!"  So, she might not need *everything* to match, but I want to have as much to match as I can.

This can be a very stressful time of year, for those of us with food allergies and dietary restrictions, so I wish everyone as much peace as can be had!

Happy Thanksgiving from Amazing & Atopic!

Food Allergy Labeling - Warning Free Does NOT Equal Allergen Free

Below we have two product labels.  

Given a tree nut and milk allergy, which one is safe?

(click to enlarge)

Some may feel that a label with no allergen warnings is safer than one with advisory labeling, but that is not always the case.  I usually buy "Store Brand A" oatmeal, for my daily breakfast.  While shopping at "Store B", I remembered that I was out of oatmeal and wouldn't have time to get to "Store A" before the morning, so I grabbed the "Store Brand B" oatmeal.  The next morning, in my sleepy haze, I was taking out the packet and I did a double-take.  Something looked familiar.  Later on, when I had a new box of the "Store Brand B" oatmeal, I did a side-by-side comparison of the packets and they were the same!  The "B" packet had slightly brighter ink on it, but they matched, even down to the tiny code written across the top.  I am 99% certain that this is the exact same oatmeal, placed into different boxes.  I even paid $0.50 more for one of them!

Now, with the knowledge that these two products are likely the exact same product, look back at the difference in labeling.  One has no allergy warning labels, yet the other mentions that the item is "produced in a facility that processes tree nuts, milk and soy."  Even with this information, though, we can't know the full story, without contacting the company, to get the specifics on their manufacturing process.  Are those allergens processed on the same line?  Are they merely present in the facility?

SnackSafely.com has a great visual about the limitations of food allergen labeling in the U.S.  Here are some more details about the current FALCPA labeling laws.  The "Top 8" allergens, which I believe we all know by heart, are considered "Major Food Allergens".  

The name of the food source of a major food allergen must appear:
1.  In parentheses following the name of the ingredient.
Examples: "lecithin (soy)," "flour (wheat)," and "whey (milk)"
– OR –
2.  Immediately after or next to the list of ingredients in a "contains" statement.
Example: "Contains Wheat, Milk, and Soy."

[Note the key word "OR"...If it's listed within the ingredients list, it does not have to be listed separately at the bottom.]

As for the "Advisory" Labeling: (my emphasis added)

FALCPA’s labeling requirements do not apply to the potential or unintentional presence of major food allergens in foods resulting from "cross-contact" situations during manufacturing, e.g., because of shared equipment or processing lines. In the context of food allergens, "cross-contact" occurs when a residue or trace amount of an allergenic food becomes incorporated into another food not intended to contain it. FDA guidance for the food industry states that food allergen advisory statements, e.g., "may contain [allergen]" or "produced in a facility that also uses [allergen]" should not be used as a substitute for adhering to current good manufacturing practices and must be truthful and not misleading. FDA is considering ways to best manage the use of these types of statements by manufacturers to better inform consumers. 

The only thing we can discern from those labels is that the product is certified organic by QAI.  The lesson here is that you cannot take all food labels at face value.  Sometimes reading the label is not enough.  Be careful and stay safe!

FABlogCon 2013 - Post Complilation

The conference was amazing and there are so many things to cover, so I need a repository to store all of my posts about it!

Food Allergy Bloggers Conference - Live Updates

FABlogCon 2013 - FABlogCon City

FABlogCon 2013 - The Sessions - The Company You Keep

FABlogCon 2013 - The Sessions - Honest Pay - Monetizing Your Passion

FABlogCon 2013 - The Sessions - Honest Pay - Monetizing Your Passion

This is a continuation of my coverage of the sessions I attended at FABlogCon 2013.  If you missed the first part, for "The Company You Keep", you can find it here.  I wanted to add that the sessions under the "Advocacy and Disease Management" track were recorded and, therefore, I will only be covering these two sessions from the "Blogging" track.  I am awaiting further information on when/how the recorded sessions might be made available.  Though I missed Mary Fran Wiley's "Nitty Gritty - Make it Pretty! Blog Tips and Tricks" session, she was kind enough to share her presentation slides.  (Many thanks, Mary Fran!) 

"Hone$t Pay ~ Monetizing Your Passion"

Presented by:

Alisa Fleming - GoDairyFree.org and Senior Editor of Allergic Living Magazine

Alisa Fleming - GoDairyFree.org

Though many of the other sessions were panels, Alisa was a one-woman show!  She was brimming with information.  She started off with commentary about how many times we, as bloggers, might feel like we shouldn't take money for what we do, fearing that it would somehow compromise our integrity.  She posited, "Just because you enjoy your job, doesn't mean you should get paid" for doing it.  Many of us have no qualms with accepting our paychecks from paying "regular" jobs, yet somehow feel guilty about making money doing something about which we are passionate.  She said many of us, as mothers, are "built for guilt".  We put a great deal of time into what we do, as bloggers and advocates and shouldn't feel so guilty about finding ways to bring in some revenue in exchange for the services we provide and for the time spent on our various endeavors.  She also explained we're working on building trust with those with whom we collaborate.  Making money and maintaining credibility are not mutually exclusive, as long as you stay true to yourself.  She tailors her services to the needs of the company with whom she is collaborating, creating mutually beneficial arrangements.    

Alisa also started with a point about appearing professional.  She related the story of an early business venture with her husband in which she would answer the phone, place potential clients on hold, then pass the phone to her husband, to give the impression that they were a larger firm.  Their clients were very impressed with the quality of their work, especially once they realized it was a team of 2 instead of 20!

Moving on to the monetization methods, she delved right into the different ways that you can make money doing what you love, from advertising to creating books.

Alisa is the author of the self-published, best-selling book, "Go Dairy Free - The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living".*  She suggested that everyone with a print book provide an eBook counterpart.  She noted that creating profiles on sites like CreateSpace is worth the time if you are timid about handling self-publishing on your own.  There are also sites that will convert your book to eBook format, if you are unable/unwilling to do so yourself.

Another form of revenue generation is working with brands (which was covered in the previous session).  She is a brand ambassador for Attune Foods, for example.  Alisa counseled attendees not to ignore Public Relations professionals, even if their product isn't right for you.  They may represent other brands and one of those might be a better fit for you.

Alisa also generates income through recipe creation.  Payment for this kind of work varies widely and often depends on the experience of the recipe creator.  She suggests thinking in terms of an hourly rate.  How many hours does it take to develop the recipe?  Per-recipe rates vary widely, depending on the level of expertise of the recipe developer, the company's budget, etc.  She suggests having an outside party test your recipes.    

Sources of revenue can sometimes come from unexpected sources.  They once posted a YouTube video called "Tetherball Bear", that went "viral", and they were able to raise money for the Animal Ark in Reno, NV.

Alisa also writes for publications like Allergic Living, for whom she is now a Senior Editor.  She has also provided training on various topics, and mentioned webinars as another option.  She also mentioned the use of the Amazon Affiliates program.  Affiliate links provide you with a small commission on products purchased, using your links.  (I have a Recommendations page, that uses Amazon Affiliate links, with the proceeds going to FARE.)

When considering taking an offer to attend an event, do not consider the travel accommodations as the full extent of your compensation.  There must be something value-added in it for you, because "your time is money" and covering travel expenses just gets you to the event.

Alisa also discussed how company budgets are set months, if not a full year in advance, which should be kept in mind.  She reiterated that your time spent is worth money, right now, and you need financial backing, if you wish to continue to share and help others, in the long term.

An audience member asked what was in a Media Kit, which was mentioned in the previous session.  Alisa explained that it was typically a 1-2 page information sheet with information about website traffic, Facebook and Twitter followers, target audience, demographics, etc.  It sometimes includes service offerings with and without prices.  She keeps hers simple and to the point and only provides it when asked.

Another question was asked about advertising and she said that you can customize advertisements to your website, but to keep the most standard sizes in mind: 300x250, 720x90 and 160x600.  She mentioned a service called Google Doubleclick, which she described as very useful, but the learning curve is a bit steep.

She closed with a reminder that there is enough room for everybody and camaraderie is key, which tied in with the earlier session's discussion about finding your voice.  It was quite an informational, enlightening and thought-provoking morning!  

My overall takeaway message from Alisa's session was that there is no reason to feel guilt over making money at something you feel passionate about, as long as you stay true to yourself and do not promote anything that you do not truly believe in, or believe will be helpful to your readers.  Our goal is to help people and generating revenue helps us continue in that pursuit.

*Amazon Affiliate Link - Proceeds sent to FARE.

FABlogCon 2013 - The Sessions - The Company Your Keep

OK! I have the Live Updates, which you can still look at to keep up with #FABlogCon-related feeds and I posted my FABlogCon City write-up, about the general flow of the conference, and now it's time to cover the sessions!

Look familiar? That's because I made the brochures! ;)

"The Company You Keep"

Panel Members: 

Tess Masters (The Blender Girl), Joel Warady (Enjoy Life Foods CMO), and Annelies Zijderveld (Attune Foods)

The first session I attended was "The Company You Keep", which covered forming partnerships and interacting with brands/companies.  Though it was an interactive panel, with each panelist taking turns back and forth, it might be best to address each speaker's wisdom, separately.  The panelists were very open and I was riveted, throughout the presentation.  I can't remember who made this starting point, but it was said that this new social media realm is still very new and free-form.  It's like "The Wild West", with opportunities for definition.

Tess Masters discussed seeing yourself as a "brand".  She discussed considering things for the long term and seeing short-term choices as serving long-term goals.  One of the many great pieces of advice was to consider what your "currency" is and noted that getting paid is a pretty short-term strategy.  You also have to be careful when getting paid for something.  She compared working with brands to dating and gave a colorful analogy about not coming across too eager.

She advised that one should play to their strengths and not try to be everything to everyone.  Within 30 seconds, your blog content and visuals should give a strong impression of who you are and your purpose.  Tess encouraged collaboration with other bloggers and said that, "social media is about celebrating others", as opposed to relentless self-promotion.

Tess, being on the blogging/individual brand side of the aisle, discussed some of the campaigns in which she participates and/or organizes.  She does giveaways very sparingly, as they require a great deal of effort, with little reward.  She does product launches, recipe development, etc.  She has written books that have included other blenders aside from the Vitamix, over the years, so you need not be exclusive to one brand, though you may eventually reach Brand Ambassador status with them, as evidenced by the fact that she is now the "The Face" of Vitamix's recipe and technique videos.

My overall takeaway message from Tess Masters was to always keep your eye on the long-term and focusing on getting paid can often be short-sighted.

Joel Warady discussed how they look for professionalism in those they seek to do business with - noting, "we want to do business with business people".  He said they review bloggers and look for comments on their blog.  He wants to see how engaged your audience is, because even though a blogger may have a smaller following, they might be very active.  They're not looking for bloggers to only provide positive reviews - they're looking for transparency and genuineness.  He goes straight to LinkedIn to search for a profile and even consults other bloggers to inquire about the blogger under review.  He searches Instagram, as well.  When discussing bloggers being "a brand", he pointed to Keeley McGuire's picture of her and her daughter, sticking their tongues out and how that was funny, memorable and recognizable.  ("She made sticking out your tongue famous before Miley!")

He counseled bloggers not to bombard a company with pitches when they are at a trade show or conference - they are there for the customers and it's not the right time or place.  If you have a well-thought-out idea for an awesome campaign, they'd be interested, if presented at an appropriate time.  As much as he understands that many of us are mothers and they very much love their customer base, he did note that they are not particularly interested in videos of young children trying and enjoying their products. (*putting away my video camera*)  However, they are very interested in "digital first" and would love new ideas involving Vine, Instagram, etc.  He reminded the audience that they are in the advertising industry.  They are always looking for the next big thing.  He suggested an article by Tom Peters titled, "The Brand Called You".

As far as payment goes, Joel stated that they do not typically pay, but there are certainly times that they have paid for campaigns.  Sometimes bloggers get perks, in lieu of payment, such as being the first to receive a new product before it is available on store shelves.  As previously stated, they are always open to new, creative ideas.  During the discussion on "Brand Ambassadors", Joel noted that they don't collaborate with bloggers in that capacity.

My overall takeaway message from Joel Warady was to be professional and consistent, if you want to work with other professionals.

Annelies Zijderveld stated that they are looking to raise brand awareness.  One should ask themselves -  What does my brand stand for, and does my blog design align with that?  She asked that bloggers ensure that their private personas match with that of their blog.  Annelies suggested that your email address be easy to find on your site.  Brands cannot contact you without an easy-to-find contact email.  

She said that they provide samples, but never with the expectation of a review.  Annelies said that they usually do pay bloggers for campaigns and there was discussion about the determination of budgets, which are typically set a year in advance.  She related that there have been cases where a blogger has approached her with an idea, and it just so happened to be the same one that was about to be launched.  Even though they couldn't work with that blogger on that particular project, they are certainly kept in mind for future projects.  Another piece of advice was to be very specific when approaching a brand with an idea.  These specifics pertain to the concept for the promotion or campaign, but she counsels bloggers to shy away from submitting lists of "sponsorship opportunities" with prices listed, which may be seen as too "forward".

When Attune works with Brand Ambassadors, it is usually a seasoned blogger.  While Joel is not so much interested in demographics, Annelies is very interested, which points to the need for bloggers to get to know the companies with whom they want to collaborate.  It seemed pretty universal, though, that unsolicited Media Kits, end up in the circular filing cabinet.

My overall takeaway message from Annelies Zijderveld was to find your voice, be true to yourself and approach companies with a friendly, yet detailed and organized approach.

---

During Q&A time, Erica Dermer of Celiac and the Beast asked a question about whether being "edgy" was detrimental to her work as a blogger/brand.  Tess Masters was pretty emphatic that it was not.  She said there was no need to change who she was and that being different is OK.  Annelies added that finding their voice can be hard for many bloggers, so just be true to yourself.  Tess added that you won't be right for everybody and that's OK.

I asked the question about those who are "in the middle", who aren't completely dedicated to being a "brand" (even though we already are, from the moment we hit "Publish" on that first blog post).  I explained how sometimes I have more ideas than time, and was curious if they'd be interested in hearing ideas that we, perhaps, wouldn't be available to execute.  They were polite about it and said, "sure", but I think I knew by this point in the session that there would come a time when each blogger, myself included, would need to make a concerted effort to decide on your overall vision.

I know, personally, I just sat down, one day, frustrated with the lack of information provided after diagnosis, along with the unnecessarily lengthy road to diagnosis and started writing to put out information as I received it, hoping to shorten the learning curve for others.  Next thing I know, two years have passed!  Soon, I will have to take a moment and ponder the future...

Well, this single session has taken up an entire blog post, so I will have to make this a series! Until next time... 

FABlogCon 2013 - FABlogCon City

I had the great privilege to attend the inaugural Food Allergy Bloggers Conference, in Las Vegas, NV, last weekend!  It was such a amazing experience and I'm not sure how to cover it all, but I will give it a try.

Base image from IconShock.com

I was thinking about the conference and as I was drifting off to sleep, the song "We Built This City" popped into my head.  If you're not familiar with the Starship hit from the 80s, you can find it on YouTube.  The main chorus includes, "We built this city on rock and roll."  This community has been building and growing over the years, and Jenny and Homa "built" a city in which our virtual community was able to live for a few days.  Sometimes we might feel like The Sims, interacting online, but we're obviously real people and this gave us a 3D space to inhabit.  These industrious city planners found a location with safe food (no easy task!), entertainment, education, and accommodations.  When I was there, I felt like I was living in a custom-made world, where I could walk down the lane and visit all of the members of this bustling city...There were product and service providers ("stores"), book authors ("the library"), information powerhouses ("school teachers"), even doctors - all of whose skills and offerings were tailored to our specific communities needs and wants.  There were different neighborhoods - the Gluten-Free Garden, the Anaphylaxis Atrium...OK, I'm totally making those up, but I feel that FABlogCon City was fairly well represented and there was warmth, compassion and understanding among the neighbors.    

As people moved into FABlogCon City, they were met with quite the welcome wagon!  Aside from the Welcome Packet, they were handed not one, but two bags of swag!  When I was handing out those goodies, I felt like the Swag Fairy!  Whole Foods wasn't an event sponsor, but they graciously provided bags for the event.  Elyse Hahne (Live Learn {through} Everyday Life) and Sharon Wong were kind enough to lend me photos of their swag, as I didn't manage to get any - oops!  One entire bag was stuffed with tasty Try-Mes from Gold Presenting Sponsor - Enjoy Life Foods!

Las Vegas reusable bag - Yes!

A WHOLE bag of Enjoy Life Foods goodies!
Photo Credit: Elyse Hahne (Thanks for lending me a pic, Elyse!)

Look at all this loot!
Photo Credit: Sharon Wong (Thank you so much, Sharon!)

Speaking of sponsors, HUGE thanks go to Sanofi US, for being the Platinum Presenting Sponsor for the event, making the event possible.

Many thanks for helping make this event possible!

It takes the generous support of a great many sponsors to make the building of such a "city" possible.  Here are those "FABlogCon City Boosters":

FABlogCon 2013 Sponsors

The event kicked off with a Welcome Party.  We were reminded of why many of us do what we do, as Jenny read a list of names of those we lost to food allergies, this year.  Jenny gave a speech, thanking everyone for sharing in her vision and marveling at the life everyone breathed into her dreams for a conference, such as this...Next, she introduced Nevada Senator Debbie Smith, who spoke about the process of getting Stock Epinephrine legislation passed, with the help of an organized and supportive group of people, including Caroline Moassessi of Grateful Foodie.  She told the crowd that SIX lives have already been saved, since the legislation was enacted.  The Senator was presented with flowers and "Thank You" cards from the local schoolchildren.

Senator Debbie Smith of Nevada
with Jenny Sprague

Next up was Dr. Eric Edwards, co-inventor (along with twin brother Evan) of the Auvi-Q epinephrine injector.  He gave an inspiring speech, noting that the assembly of passionate, dedicated individuals could bring about great change.

The evening was whirlwind of hugging, chatting and picture-taking (see slideshow at the end of this post).  I was pretty exhausted by the end of the party, being 2 hours out of my time zone (I am a sleepyhead, these days!)

I was so excited to have Jennifer Roberge, of The Eczema Company and Itchy Little World, as my roommate!  We're been friends online (she lives in Montreal, Canada and I live in Texas) and it was great to be able to meet her, in person.  Getting to just sit and talk to her, like besties on vacation, was wonderful.  

Jennifer Roberge & Selena Bluntzer - Roomies!

(Sessions will be covered in a separate blog post.  It's a lot to cover!) 

The second night we had the Wine & Sign Cocktail Party.  I packed some of my books and was happy to have them signed by the authors.  There were some books that I didn't have room for in my luggage and I was bummed.  It was another great evening, whiling the hours away, getting to soak up as much as I could of those I could manage to visit.

The final night allowed a spot of time to take Elizabeth Goldenberg (Onespot Allergy / EpiCenter Medical) and Jennifer Roberge to see "The Strip".  I was also happy that Lacy Wade (Making it Milk Free) and Sarah Hoskinson (Don't Feed My Monkeys) could join us.  We ate dinner at the Aria Buffet and then popped over to The Bellagio for a brief and lucrative stop at the roulette table for myself and Sarah!  It was a great ending to the trip.

Sarah, Lacy, Selena, Elizabeth, Jennifer

On Tuesday morning, I got to share a cab to the airport with Jennifer, and get just a little more time with her, which was great.  It was a simultaneously energizing, yet completely exhausting trip and I loved it!

Many heartfelt thanks to Jenny and Homa, for taking the helm and building us this "city" for us to commune and collaborate in, with others who share a common understanding.

Now, for the photo slideshow!

Food Allergy Bloggers Conference - Live Updates

I know that I am incredibly lucky to be attending the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference in Las Vegas and am very grateful.  I know there are many who want to attend and are unable, so please forgive my profuse excitement.  With as excited as I am, I am also aware that I am attending as an (extremely willing) ambassador for all those who cannot be present.  If you have any questions you would like me to ask, or issues to bring forth, please send me a message and I will do my best!  If you'd like to keep up with what's going on at the conference, I have made some widgets:

@AmazingAtopic Tweets

Tweets by @AmazingAtopic

#FABlogCon Tweets

Tweets about "#FABlogCon"

Instagram Feed: