“Bugs,” the two year old boy said as he pointed to an irritated patch of skin on his face. Mary Leitao looked closer, and although she found no visible insects, she was startled to find colored fibers sprouting from her son’s skin. It was a summer evening in 2001 that would change the lives of the Leitao family for years to come.

A medical researcher turned stay-at home mom, Leitao had never seen anything like it and neither had her husband, Edward, an internist at South Allegheny Internal Medicine.  Mary Leitao took her son to be examined by numerous doctors, but none provided a satisfactory explanation. Many suggested that it was a form of psychosis called “delusional infestation” or the conviction of being infected with parasites.

Images from the CDC study in PLoS One

Believing instead that she had discovered a new disease, Leitao named the condition Morgellons and in 2004 established a non-profit organization called the Morgellons Research Foundation (MRF).

Through the efforts of the MRF, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) conducted a three-year government study to research Morgellons.

The results, released last week, indicated that there was no diseased organisms or parasites present in the 115 case-patients.

The protruding fibers were found to be mostly skin fragments or clothing fibers stuck to the skin.

According to the report, the physical ailments were manifestations of “delusional infestation.”

From a recent article in WebMD, individuals with delusional infestation tend to be hyper-aware of normal body sensations and interpret them as medical illness.  The article notes, “This stress has real physical effects on the body and leads to a spiral of worsening physical symptoms…”

The suggestion that thoughts and stress can be manifested as physical maladies may be counterintuitive to anatomy-based medicine, but research increasingly supports the idea. For instance, The Washington Post reported, ”Nocebos[inert pills provided with a negative expectation] often cause a physical effect, but it’s not a physically produced effect,” said Irving Kirsch, a psychologist at the University of Connecticut in Storrs who studies the ways that expectations influence what people experience.

The CDC study, published by the open-access journal PLoS One, is available online.

The CDC also has an information page about Morgellons Disease.

The idea that the condition may be more mental than physical has always been unpopular among those who identify themselves with the disease. It has impelled them to fight on two fronts – working to gain credibility and help from the medical community and fighting the unfortunate stigma of mental illness.  With the significant setback of the CDC report, how many may be wondering, what next?  

I have compassion for those suffering from Morgellons.  No one should have to live with the painful symptoms or the mental anguish of feeling isolated, abandoned and uncared for. Yet, perhaps it’s time to consider the mental nature of the condition. Yet, perhaps it’s time to consider the mental nature of the condition. But I’m not proposing psychotherapy – but a spiritual approach.”

For instance, in the recent Jan. 29 issue of the Concord Monitor, a woman describes her recovery from disease as she changed her thought to a more prayerful perspective.  Shifting thought away from the body to seeking a greater understanding of her spiritual nature worked for her.

As the mental factors of many diseases become more widely understood, spiritual treatments, such as Christian Science, that focus on thought can be a valuable resource. The MRF website reports that fear and hopelessness are common among those who suffer from Morgellons. Working spiritually to lessen and eliminate these unhealthy mental states may be the best next step.

This article first appeared on Blogcritics.

A retired architect, Bill Scott writes about spirituality and health for Blogcritics.org and also serves as the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Washington State.

November through March winter weather often causes stagnant air that traps air pollution from outdoor burning, wood stoves, and fireplaces gets trapped near the ground, officials said.

Who is at highest risk?

Breathing polluted air can cause short and long-term health problems. People with heart and lung diseases are more likely to develop serious health problems. Sometimes, older adults have heart or lung disease that they’re not aware of, and it puts them at risk. Kids spend more time outside, where they’re exposed to air pollution for longer periods. Children’s lungs are more easily damaged because they’re still developing.

Exercise and air pollution:

When air quality is poor, people should limit outdoor activities and reschedule them for a time when air quality is better. When people exercise, they breathe more air and air pollution into their lungs. If you decide to exercise, choose a less strenuous exercise such as going for a walk instead of a run. And avoid exercising in higher pollution areas such as near highways or in neighborhoods with a lot of wood smoke.

How to check air quality

Be sure to check air quality (http://www.airwatchnw.org) before heading out for outdoor activities, especially if you’re in a high-risk group. Often air pollution can’t be seen or smelled, so it’s hard to judge air pollution levels.

Burn bans:

Several burn bans have been issued across the state recently because of poor air quality. Smoke contains fine particles and toxic gases that can be breathed deep into lungs. Some counties in the state are under a burn ban. Before you burn, check to see if your county is under a burn ban (www.waburnbans.net).

To learn more:

• More information about how air quality can affect your health (www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/smokefactsheet.pdf) is on the Department of Health website.

Mildew from a wooden soap dish - Photo by Bob Baylock

By Glenda Fauntleroy, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service

A new evidence review finds that ridding homes and offices of mold and dampness can help reduce respiratory infections and troubling symptoms for asthma sufferers across the globe; however, the best way to eliminate the mold remains unclear.

Mold is one of the most important environmental triggers of symptoms such as coughing and wheezing, according to National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

“Mold is found in many homes with basements, in apartments and walkouts that are partially or fully below ground, and in buildings that have been flooded or have poor humidity control,” said Peter Thorne, head of the occupational and environmental health department at the University of Iowa. “Homes and office buildings alike have problems.”

But does “remediating” or relieving homes, offices and schools of dampness and mold make a big difference? Lead reviewer Riitta Sauni at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Tampere, Finland, said that results are mixed.

PHOTO: Bob Baylock under Creative Commons license

Key Points:

• Ridding homes and office buildings of mold can reduce the incidence of respiratory illness and decrease asthma-related symptoms, a new Cochrane review finds.

• While removing mold from offices and homes can reduce coughing and wheezing, the best method for mold removal remains to be determined.

• Mold can be costly to remove from buildings, which can be re-infected even after cleaning and fungicide treatments.

“We were happy to find evidence that remediation of mold-damaged houses decreased the severity and amount of symptoms in patients with asthma and respiratory infections,” Sauni said. “Unfortunately, we did not find evidence that remeditation could prevent these diseases.”

The review appears in the September issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates research in all aspects of health care. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing trials on a topic.

Remediation of mold and dampness requires total or partial renovation of a building, or cleaning with a fungicide or bleach solution. Sauni and her team looked at eight studies with 6,538 participants who had their homes, schools or workplaces remediated by a mixture of these methods.

The reviewers say that because the available studies did not offer high-quality evidence and sample sizes were small, “drawing hard conclusions was difficult.”

Nonetheless, the review found that when compared to doing nothing at all, repairing houses decreased asthma-related symptoms as well as the amount of respiratory infections in adults.

Remediation also decreased the number of acute care visits in children and students’ visits to physicians for common colds.

In one South Wales study, for instance, 115 members of the group who had their homes remediated with the complete removal of visible mold, a fungicide treatment and installation of a fan, were more likely to see improvement in their respiratory symptoms for six and 12 months afterwards, compared to those in the control group whose homes were not cleaned.

The reviewers, however, could not determine which method of remediation was superior to significantly improving asthma symptoms.

“The studies have shown that after cleaning and fungicide treatment, a large number of the buildings were soon re-infected with molds, and also a partially remediated office building had to be repaired more thoroughly,” Sauni said, adding that mold removal can be costly.

“Sometimes, if the structures are damaged widely, the easiest and most cost-effective possibility is to pull down the damp building and build a new one,” she said.

The reviewers concluded that better research is necessary to give evidence of improved outcomes.

Health Behavior News Service is part of the Center for Advancing Health

The Health Behavior News Service disseminates news stories on the latest findings from peer-reviewed research journals. HBNS covers both new studies and systematic reviews of studies on (1) the effects of behavior on health, (2) health disparities data and (3) patient engagement research. The goal of HBNS stories is to present the facts for readers to understand and use for themselves to make informed choices about health and health care.

Whether in muffins, rolls, or loaves, wheat bread is found in most households. But few consumers may appreciate the substance that helps the dough rise, keeps the bread from falling apart, makes it chewy, and adds to its flavor.

That substance is gluten. Breads, cakes, cereals, pastas, and many other foods are made with wheat or added wheat gluten to improve their baking quality and texture.

Technically, gluten represents specific proteins that occur naturally in wheat. However, the term “gluten” is commonly used to refer to certain proteins that occur naturally not only in wheat, but also in rye, barley, and crossbreeds of these grains and that can harm people who have celiac disease. The only treatment for this disorder is a life-long gluten-free diet.

Eating gluten doesn’t bother most consumers, but some people with celiac disease have health-threatening reactions, says Stefano Luccioli, M.D., a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allergist and immunologist. They need to know whether a food contains gluten.

FDA has been working to define “gluten-free” to:

• eliminate uncertainty about how food producers may label their products.
• assure consumers who must avoid gluten that foods labeled “gluten-free” meet a clear standard established and enforced by FDA.

FDA’s actions on Aug. 2 bring the agency one step closer to a standard definition of “gluten-free.” On this date:

• FDA reopens the public comment period on its proposed gluten-free labeling rule published on Jan. 23, 2007.
• FDA makes available, and seeks comments on, a report on the health effects of gluten in people with celiac disease. The report includes a safety assessment on levels of gluten sensitivity in people with the disease.

Celiac Disease

According to the National Institutes of Health, celiac disease affects as many as 1 percent of the U.S. population.

The disease occurs when the body’s natural defense system reacts to gluten by attacking the lining of the small intestine. Without a healthy intestinal lining, the body cannot absorb the nutrients it needs.

Delayed growth and nutrient deficiencies can result and may lead to conditions such as anemia and osteoporosis. Other serious health problems may include diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and intestinal cancers.

“Some people don’t get immediate symptoms, but when they do, they are typically gastrointestinal-related, such as abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea,” says Luccioli. “In infants, there may be a lot of vomiting, and they don’t grow and thrive.”

And some people do not have any symptoms at all, adds Luccioli, but still may have intestinal damage and risk for long-term complications.

It is important for individuals with celiac disease, who may vary in their sensitivity to gluten, to discuss their dietary needs with their health care professional.

Grocery shopping is challenging for people with this disease, says Andrea Levario, J.D., executive director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance. “When they find a product labeled ‘gluten-free,’ they don’t necessarily know what that means because today there is no federal standard for the use of this term.”

Having a federal definition of “gluten-free” is critically important, says Levario. “If we have one national standard, the individual will know that all products labeled ‘gluten-free’ will have no more than a minimal amount of gluten.”

Is Gluten-Free for Me?

“Eating gluten-free is not meant to be a diet craze,” says Rhonda Kane, a registered dietitian and consumer safety officer at FDA. “It’s a medical necessity for those who have celiac disease.”

“There are no nutritional advantages for a person not sensitive to gluten to be on a gluten-free diet,” she adds. “Those who are not sensitive to gluten have more flexibility and can choose from a greater variety of foods to achieve a balanced diet.”

Gluten-free is not synonymous with low fat, low sugar, or low sodium. For people who must be on a gluten-free diet, Kane says it’s important to check the ingredients list and Nutrition Facts information on food labels to find the most nutritious options.

How Is FDA Proposing to Define ‘Gluten-Free’?

In 2007, FDA proposed to allow manufacturers to label a food “gluten-free” if the food does not contain anyof the following:

1. an ingredient that is any type of wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds of these grains
2. an ingredient derived from these grains and that has not been processed to remove gluten
3. an ingredient derived from these grains and that has been processed to remove gluten, if it results in the food containing 20 or more parts per million (ppm) gluten
4. 20 ppm or more gluten

In the notice reopening the comment period, FDA states that it continues to believe the proposed definition of “gluten-free” is the correct one.

FDA’s notice also describes current analytical methods that can reliably and consistently detect gluten at levels of 20 ppm or more in a variety of foods.

The agency is interested in hearing from the public and industry. The public comment period on the proposed rule will officially open after noon on Aug. 3, 2011, and will remain open for 60 days. To submit comments electronically, go to www.regulations.gov and

1. choose “Submit a Comment” from the top task bar
2. enter the docket number FDA-2005-N-0404 in the “Keyword” space
3. select “Search”

After FDA reviews and considers the comments, the agency will issue a final rule that defines “gluten-free” for labeling food products, including dietary supplements.

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

Aug. 2, 2011

Consumer Updates on Nutrition and Healthy Diets

Photo by Brainloc

Since 2006, it has been much easier for people allergic to certain foods to avoid packaged products that contain them, says Rhonda Kane, a registered dietitian and consumer safety officer at the Food and Drug Administration.

This is because a federal law requires that the labels of most packaged foods marketed in the U.S. disclose—in simple-to-understand terms—when they are made with a “major food allergen.”

Eight foods, and ingredients containing their proteins, are defined as major food allergens.

These foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies:

• milk
• egg
• fish, such as bass, flounder, or cod
• crustacean shellfish, such as crab, lobster, or shrimp
• tree nuts, such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts
• wheat
• peanuts
• soybeans

The law allows manufacturers a choice in how they identify the specific “food source names,” such as “milk,” “cod,” “shrimp,” or “walnuts,” of the major food allergens on the label. They must be declared either in:

• the ingredient list, such as “casein (milk)” or “nonfat dry milk,” or
• a separate “Contains” statement, such as “Contains milk,” placed immediately after or next to the ingredient list.

“So first look for the ‘Contains’ statement and if your allergen is listed, put the product back on the shelf,” says Kane. “If there is no ‘Contains’ statement, it’s very important to read the entire ingredient list to see if your allergen is present. If you see its name even once, it’s back to the shelf for that food too.”

There are many different ingredients that contain the same major food allergen, but sometimes the ingredients’ names do not indicate their specific food sources. For example, casein, sodium caseinate, and whey are all milk proteins.

Although the same allergen can be present in multiple ingredients, its “food source name” (for example, milk) must appear in the ingredient list just once to comply with labeling requirements.

“Contains” and “May Contain” Have Different Meanings

If a “Contains” statement appears on a food label, it must include the food source names of all major food allergens used as ingredients. For example, if “whey,” “egg yolks,” and a “natural flavor” that contained peanut proteins are listed as ingredients, the “Contains” statement must identify the words “milk,” “egg,” and “peanuts.”

Some manufacturers voluntarily include a “may contain” statement on their labels when there is a chance that a food allergen could be present. A manufacturer might use the same equipment to make different products. Even after cleaning this equipment, a small amount of an allergen (such as peanuts) that was used to make one product (such as cookies) may become part of another product (such as crackers). In this case, the cracker label might state “may contain peanuts.”

Be aware that the “may contain” statement is voluntary, says Kane. “You still need to read the ingredient list to see if the product contains your allergen.”

When in Doubt, Leave It Out

Manufacturers can change their products’ ingredients at any time, so Kane says it’s a good idea to check the ingredient list every time you buy the product—even if you have eaten it before and didn’t have an allergic reaction.

“If you’re unsure about whether a food contains any ingredient to which you are sensitive, don’t buy the product, or check with the manufacturer first to ask what it contains,” says Kane. “We all want convenience, but it’s not worth playing Russian roulette with your life or that of someone under your care.”

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

PHOTO CREDIT: Brainloc

May 11, 2011

For More Information

• Food Allergies: What You Need to Know.
• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

Related Consumer Updates

• Food Allergies: Reducing the Risks.
• Food Label Helps Consumers Make Healthier Choices
• Problems Digesting Dairy Products?