Is Rantic, the supposed viral marketing firm behind the Emma Watson nude pics hoax, still playing the internet like a fiddle?

I’ve heard a few interesting hypotheses regarding the recent rise in severe allergies. One is that babies get so many vaccinations and boosters nowadays, that in some infants it overwhelms their developing immune system and makes it go haywire, so that it doesn’t recognize good guys from bad guys. By the time they’re a year old, they’ve had like fifteen different shots.

I freely admit that I haven’t read anything about that particular theory, but it really sounds like something an anti-vaxxer would have come up with.

Which, come to think of it, would make that a particularly easy theory to test: Just see if there’s a correlation between kids who have allergies and kids who are vaccinated.

About gluten allergies: I think it’s becoming trendy because it’s being diagnosed more for real. Tons of people are discovering that they’re wheat-sensitive and are going gluten-free and feeling way better.

But other people are seeing the “gluten-free” label on more and more things and are getting the idea that it just makes the food healthier, like “no MSG”. I’ve definitely talked to people who thought of gluten as a generically bad food ingredient that everyone would be healthier by avoiding.

…not gluten intolerant. Hail seitan.

But other people are seeing the “gluten-free” label on more and more things and are getting the idea that it just makes the food healthier, like “no MSG”. I’ve definitely talked to people who thought of gluten as a generically bad food ingredient that everyone would be healthier by avoiding.

Then there’s “gluten free” on my bottles of shampoo.

GrumpyOldMan, I like that sign your son had! I’d substitute tea for beer and have the same one.

I’ve had smokers tell me tobacco smoke could not possibly cause me to have an asthma attack.

Everyone should be careful about everything. I was at a BBQ lunch, sitting outside, a few of us were smoking and I was being extra careful about the known severe asthma sufferer in the group because I just presumed it would cause her problems.

Turned out that smoke didn’t bother her at all. (I should have realised, it was a BBQ after all. Smoky stuff everywhere.) The thing she was most afraid of was that someone would “freshen up” any of the rooms inside with an air freshener because she was known to drop like a stone when she inhaled the merest whiff of that.

Then there’s “gluten free” on my bottles of shampoo.

I have a bottle of shampoo that says “Not for oral, opthalmic, or intravaginal use.”

I have a bottle of shampoo that says “Not for oral, opthalmic, or intravaginal use.”

Ewwwwwwwwwwww!

The stench when a smoker gets on a train (o hai, it’s illegal to smoke at rail stations

That’s the rule here – but at an unstaffed station, I’ve seen someone board the train, keep smoking and only throw the end out onto the platform when the doors start closing. Then blow out the final lungfull while walking down the train. You know there’s a rule, why do you go three steps beyond it and *then* stop?

Newt, urgh, that’s gross. I’ve seen plenty of cigarette butts in trains (and it’s been illegal to smoke in trains here for many years) but seldom see any fucker being that blatant about it. I do see them smoking even at staffed stations, though, which pisses me off even more because the staff do nothing about it. Or there are the idiots who stand on the shifting platform between carriages to smoke their precious precious cigarettes. Darwin Award material waiting to happen.

I remember the case of one news presenter that almost passed out live because of the smell of paint thinner in the recently reformed studio.

Gah, that would be bad!

I freely admit that I haven’t read anything about that particular theory, but it really sounds like something an anti-vaxxer would have come up with.

Yeah, it does have more than a faint whiff of Jenny McCarthy about it (though it is worth noting that some of the common infant vaccines are cultured using casein, soy, or eggs – so kids are being exposed earlier than parents might be aware of, and perhaps underlying allergies are showing up and being diagnosed earlier). There’ve been studies done by the NIH, but none of them have supported the vaccine theory.

I’m more inclined to think there might be something to the dry-roasting theory. Dry roasting involves high temperatures and chemical changes, and it’s the most common way of processing peanuts in the West. In the East, where there are far fewer peanut allergies, peanuts are more likely to be eaten raw, boiled, or fried.

Thus Spake Zarakatz:

I freely admit that I haven’t read anything about that particular theory, but it really sounds like something an anti-vaxxer would have come up with.

It very likely is.

Which, come to think of it, would make that a particularly easy theory to test: Just see if there’s a correlation between kids who have allergies and kids who are vaccinated.

Actually, I know some statistical studies have been done on the topic. For example: Investigating whether allergy levels drop when vaccination levels drop. If vaccines cause allergies, then fewer vaccines should mean fewer allergies; allergy rates remained consistent even after vaccination levels dropped off, which strongly suggests vaccination is not a contributing factor.

I don’t know if much advanced research has been done on the topic, since it does not appear to be a fruitful line of inquiry.

Spouse has some pretty serious food allergies. They found out they were allergic to shellfish (later established as crustaceans-only, mollusks are okay) at a Christmas eve dinner when they were a child. Rest of the family told them to just “suck it up” and “stop being so whiny, it’s Christmas eve” and “just sit in the corner and suck on some ice”.

Needless to say, doctor was not happy with the family.

Spouse is also gluten intolerant, but they also have an allergy to tapioca – which is in virtually all of the gluten-free bread-y stuffs. I’ve imported a couple of gluten free cookbooks from France, they don’t seem to use tapioca much at all.

Regarding food allergies, while gluten intolerance is a big issue in the West, Japan has a growing buckwheat intolerance issue, which is virtually unknown here. Makes me wonder if there’s an environmental/dietary factor in the development of food allergies.

I’m more inclined to think there might be something to the dry-roasting theory. Dry roasting involves high temperatures and chemical changes, and it’s the most common way of processing peanuts in the West. In the East, where there are far fewer peanut allergies, peanuts are more likely to be eaten raw, boiled, or fried.

This one doesn’t make sense to me either, because kids aren’t just allergic to roasted peanuts. Or is it a thing where dry roasted peanuts cause the allergy, but then any kind of peanut can trigger it?

RE: katz

I freely admit that I haven’t read anything about that particular theory, but it really sounds like something an anti-vaxxer would have come up with.

Yeeeeeah, I was thinking the same thing.

RE: It’s A Furret

Then there’s “gluten free” on my bottles of shampoo.

Well, if gluten can cause skin rashes in people… maybe that makes some kind of sense? I really don’t know much about whether the rashes are from topical or digestive contact…

RE: katz

Or is it a thing where dry roasted peanuts cause the allergy, but then any kind of peanut can trigger it?

Enh, we’re allergic to raw broccoli. Our mother is allergic to ALL broccoli, but started only being allergic to raw; the allergy apparently diversified over time, much to her dismay. (She actually LIKES broccoli.) So far, thankfully, we aren’t following in her footsteps; nevertheless, I try to avoid undercooked broccoli for fear I’ll ‘encourage’ the allergy in some superstitious fashion.

:: puts on librarian hat* ::

Skin contact with gluten containing foods and products has not been shown to cause DH [Dermatitis Herpetiformis] outbreaks.

This means I can still scratch my head in puzzlement over things like gluten-free shampoo or makeup — although DH sounds so painful that maybe people with celiac disease just don’t want to take ANY chances.

* This is my librarian hat:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JVuwOuX5J5o/T8ceUPNJjYI/AAAAAAAABxo/chJffoxHBu8/s1600/hat2.jpg

Thanks cloudiah. That is a truly remarkable hat.

Excellent hat.

I would be a librarian if it meant I got to wear such a glorious hat!

Apparently gluten can’t be absorbed via skin, so I don’t worry much about it though I would avoid it in lipsticks. But I’m a big hippie who makes most of her own skin/hair stuff anyway, just for fun 🙂

My sympathies for those of you allergic or otherwise unable to use NSAIDS – that sucks.

I would be a librarian if it meant I got to wear such a glorious hat!

Apparently gluten can’t be absorbed via skin, so I don’t worry much about it though I would avoid it in lipsticks. But I’m a big hippie who makes most of her own skin/hair stuff anyway, just for fun 🙂

My sympathies for those of you allergic or otherwise unable to use NSAIDS – that sucks.

One thing that ought to be looked at:

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/health-risks/articles-about-risks-by-jeffrey-smith/Genetically-Engineered-Foods-May-Cause-Rising-Food-Allergies-Genetically-Engineered-Soybeans-May-2007

Levels of one known soy allergen, trypsin inhibitor, were up to 27% higher in raw GM soy. In addition, although cooking soybeans normally reduces the amount of this protein, the trypsin inhibitor in GM varieties appears to be more heat resistant. Levels in cooked GM soy were nearly as high as those found in raw soy, and up to seven times higher when compared to cooked non-GM soy.

There is at least one protein in natural soybeans that has cross-reactivity with peanut allergies.[10] That means that for some people who are allergic to peanuts, consuming soybeans may trigger a reaction. While it is certainly possible that the unpredicted side effects from genetic engineering soybeans might increase the incidence of this cross-reactivity, it is unlikely that any research has been conducted to investigate this.

So…GMO foodstuffs might be the culprit, or they might be perfectly harmless. What they are is unmonitored and not thoroughly tested.

It might be hygiene. It probably is underlying genetic sensitivity.
It might be cigarettes over generations:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/labr-gch030313.php

One experiment I can think of to try: Try fecal transplantation from nonallergic people into ones with severe allergies, see if allergies are improved.
That’s the treatment for clostridium difficile, BTW.
Wow, I know a lot of…crap…

Tracy: I would be a librarian if it meant I got to wear such a glorious hat!

You can’t. We only give them out in special secret ceremonies where the prospective new librarian dedicates their soul to Thoth.

Tracy: I would be a librarian if it meant I got to wear such a glorious hat!

You can’t. We only give them out in special secret ceremonies where the prospective new librarian dedicates their soul to Thoth.

::cries::

One experiment I can think of to try: Try fecal transplantation from nonallergic people into ones with severe allergies, see if allergies are improved.
That’s the treatment for clostridium difficile, BTW.
Wow, I know a lot of…crap…

I admit, the development of fecal transplants has produced some of my favorite news stories this year.

I would gladly be a fecal transplant donor, the gods know I have so much to give…*Looks up in a quasi-angelic fashion*

Actually, since I’m vegan and make a point of eating unwashed wild fruit, I probably have some unusual flora.

Where the hell would gluten come from in shampoo anyway?

Just for clarification, we don’t actually put a family member’s poo up your bum when we do a fecal transplant.

I read a dumbass antivaxxer’s blog once. Their autistic kid’s symptoms were particularly bad at the time. A commenter suggested a DIY stool transplant (because these people think autism is caused by gut trouble.) They clearly didn’t understand what a stool transplant actually is though. What they told the blogger was basically to poop, put that poop in a cake icing bag and squirt the poop up their kid’s bum. These people are scary.

Marinerachel – no? Sure sounds like it…

http://thefecaltransplantfoundation.org/what-is-fecal-transplant/

“Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is a procedure in which fecal matter, or stool, is collected from a tested donor, mixed with a saline or other solution, strained, and placed in a patient, by colonoscopy, endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or enema.”

Or, in other words, sticking a sh*t smoothie where the sun don’t shine.

Sound silly, but as the old saying goes – if it’s silly and it works, it isn’t silly.

Huh, I thought they’d put the poo in a slow-dissolve capsule.
O.o
They do actually put it up your behind.

“Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is a procedure in which fecal matter, or stool, is collected from a tested donor, mixed with a saline or other solution, strained, and placed in a patient, by colonoscopy, endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or enema.”

Thank God they strain it. I wonder if the pre-procedure instructions for donors say “no corn within 48 hours.”

We call it fecal bacteriotherapy because it’s the bacteria we’re transplanting, not the poo. When you’re doing the dissolve, strain, dissolve, strain in solution you’re isolating the bacteria and removing the waste matter. Then, yes, it’s up the bum.

No, we certainly do not put undigested corn someone else pooped out up your bum when you have this procedure.

Phoenician in a time of Romans:

It’s not quite that simple. There’s lots and lots of, um, prep that goes on beforehand.

(TW: pure grossness):

From what I’ve read about the procedure, the pt is on a clear liquid diet at least three days ahead of the procedure, and on bowel prep two days before the procedure (bowel prep is basically drinking a jug of heavy duty laxative as anyone who has ever had a colonoscopy is no doubt well aware of), and if I’m recalling correctly, enemas until clear the day of. And of course the donor has to be screened for all the diseases, and then must produce a fresh specimen in desired quantity the day of procedure. So yeah, a fun time is had by none.

But it beats intractable c-diff.

One of the steps outlined in the procedure actually had the line, “A blender is optional.” So, there’s that.

Sorry for going on at lengths about poo.

Is it wrong that I want the fecal transplant of a skinny person so I can lose weight? It’s only been done in mice or rats, I forget which but it worked for them. I’d definitely sign up for a test on humans.

This tangent is less disgusting than the OP, so go ahead.

(This might be influenced by my biology background. Bacteria: can’t live without them.)

Is it wrong that I want the fecal transplant of a skinny person so I can lose weight?

Nah. I’m surprised someone’s not offering that in some “spa” in Costa Rica or something.

In a tangential note, LDR guy and I noted that the NSA and/or GCHQ was doubtlessly monitoring our messaging…so we immediately discussed our bowel habits in great detail.

I think it’s darkly amusing that some poor schmuck in GCHQ knows I’m a regular pooper.

I just lost a bunch of weight on a very low calorie diet. Now I only poop, like, twice a week. Three times on a busy week.

3 times a week? O.o wow.
…That sounds painful.

(Yes, of course fecal transplants are actually a proper medical procedure done in a safe and hygienic manner. They’re just so funny to talk about.)

I don’t eat enough to poop anymore than that. I’m not bunged up.

I’m glad my C-diff responded to Flagyl but when I told my wife that I might need a fecal transplant, she replied in shock, “You mean you’re not full of shit enough already?” [Just kidding.]
C-diff IS quite unpleasant.

Sounds like your wife would have fit right in at my last job, GrumpyOldMan – that’s exactly the sort of thing my boss and I would have said in such a conversation. 🙂

3 times a week? O.o wow.
…That sounds painful.

I spent three weeks in a hospital bed with opiates being shoved into my system.

I think I went about three times. And yes, there was a considerable amount of pain involved.

I will never laugh at constipation jokes again. Never. Really, really not funny.

Sad bit funny c-diff story. C-diff is one of the special contact isolation required things at the hospital (where I’m a casual employee -2nd job). We also have roll around commuter stations, that are awesome…

… Until a doc rolled one into the c-diff room and left it there, and they had to chuck it afterwards because they couldn’t ensure that it didn’t have c-diff in the fans…

Grumpyoldman, hope you feel better soon! C-diff ears dead mice. 🙁

Contra, your auto-correct really went on a rampage!
I have had nearly all the standard special-contact-precautions bugs and it was the assortment of antibiotics I had to take for them that probably caused the C-diff. That was back in April; I’m fine now. But it is one of the more fiendish ways that your gut can make life miserable for you.
Kitteh, my wife didn’t actually SAY what I said she did — she’s afflicted with the politeness virus — but you could tell she was thinking it.

Dear Internet, today I learned something I never had before…

(Seriously, science is weeeeird.)