cornfreedom.com

Did you know that your compounded medication recipes are older then 20 years? Did you know all the new medications in the past 20 years are kept under patent by the companies so your compounding pharmacist cannot get the ingredient to create your medication? This creates many issues for you. 1. some bacterias are resistent to the 20 year old antibiotics. 2. medical advancements have created new me…dications that pin point a specific bacteria and works faster to stop an infection, like the flesh eating disease, Amoxicillin, not the best choice. 3. Lyme Disease can be quickly combated with newer medications then Amoxicillan. 4. If you or your child would benefit from ADHD or ADD medication, you have to use the Ritalin 20 year old recipe that has been abandoned by other drug companies. IF you have to go to the hospital for an emergency situation they will only have medications, creams/topicals, injections, that contain corn in the ingredients as a binder, filler, preservative, color, flavor…

Please write a letter to me in the message box so we can help bring this extremely dangerous issue to the vast public in hopes to make a huge change. Work together!!! Times’ rushing away from us. It takes years to make a change, and we needed it done YESTERDAY! Please write a message in the message area, you can remain anonymous just let me know you do not want your name on the letter.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/corn-freedom/264504334407?ref=tn_tnmn

Please include your stories about CORN ALLERGIES, SENSITIVITIES, how you were diagnosed; IF you were diagnosed, what precautions you need to take daily, what State or Country you live in. IF you run a web page or blog spot or support group PLEASE include that link so the shows can then follow your information and populus too. Thank you so much, these letters are going to be combined with our Specialist to target large public forums such as the Dr. Oz Show, Ellen Show, Rosie Show…etc. etc. even News stations local and National. We need to be heard and the only way to make “ratings” is to show that we are going to pull in numbers for the shows. The only way to do that is to step up now and send me the letters. We have medical support. Let’s take this opportunity to make a change.

Thank you. Nicole

Click here to write your message on the Facebook page Corn Freedom. This is where the letters are being read and utlized, only serious letters please. thank you.

EXAMPLES OF THE LETTERS THAT ARE BEING RECEIVED, THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!!

• Dear Corn Freedom,
• Trevor was born June 13, 2007. Around 18 months, he started the terrible 2’s. And they just kept getting worse. So bad that at around age 3 ½, I had him evaluated by the local school district. He scored one point away from needing services for Asperger’s. My husband and I, still worried, talked to a psychologist. Our list of complaints were; social isolation, high anxiety, easily frustrated, very loud, impatient, inability to anticipate things, unmotivated, inability to make a decision, hates places with a lot of people, high energy, sleep problems, tummy aches, bored often, short fuse/bad temper, interrupts constantly, easily confused, loses stuff a lot, distractible, difficulty with transitions, yells a lot, demands all of my attention all the time. After testing, he was diagnosed with high anxiety, moderate depression and possible ADHD. He was 4 at this time.Because his brother and sister have multiple food allergies, on a whim, we had him tested. He has many food allergies, but the two we found directly correlated with his behavior the most are corn and soy. Upon removing all his allergens, he is 80% better. Because Trevor is hypersensitive to corn, we have to buy special soap, lotion, laundry detergent and we have to be careful when going out in public. If someone has perfume on or if there is a popcorn machine around, we have to move him away quickly. I have to be prepared just to go to Target as they have a popcorn machine in the store. So I just bite the bullet. He has reacted to our local library and the Phoenix zoo due to cleaners and food smells that contain corn and soy.He is starting kindergarten in 2012. We have decided to homeschool him. In a public school where there are chemicals used to clean, food being prepared, and other children who have corn, soy and other allergens in their school lunches, we don’t think that that environment is conducive of learning. He behavioral reactions would keep him from getting the most of his education.
• Nikki Tomasky Sharp
• Arizona

My story for the Dr. Oz write-in campaign:

My children are both allergic to corn. They are 6 months old and 2.5 years old. Although they test negative to standard skin and blood tests, multiple elimination diets and careful trials of corn containing products with our pediatrician have confirmed that they do not tolerate corn products, regardless of how sincerely a company claims that their product “contains no corn protein.” We discovered my older child’s corn sensitivity when he reacted quite badly to one of the elemental formulas usually suggested for children with severe food issues; the main ingredient was corn syrup solids. We returned to nursing him at 3 months, eliminating all corn from my diet, and my miserable, colicky son turned into a completely different child — one who was actually happy most of the time. I’m sorry to say that we still didn’t realize the can of worms we had discovered.

For a long time, we thought my son was allergic to everything: rice, pears, milk, flour, eggs, salt, etc. It took us months to discover that he wasn’t allergic to everything, it’s just that corn is IN everything — and it doesn’t have to be labeled or disclosed. In fact, he’s not allergic to any of the above foods, when we manage to find them corn free. The hardest part of all of this is that corn doesn’t have to be disclosed as being present in products, since it’s not recognized as a major allergen. According to some companies, it’s not an allergen at all, since the FDA doesn’t require it to be labeled.

Currently, there is no help for the corn-allergic individual. Corn based ingredients aren’t labeled as corn. Corn based processing aids aren’t usually included on ingredient labels at all. Few to none of the foods offered by my local WIC program, Food Bank, or other assistance programs from low-income families are safe for my corn-allergic children. We eat the same 15 foods day in and day out, because it’s the only food we can source safely, and it costs us $600-$800 each month to buy safe food for my family — a family of four with an AGI of 16k last year. Not even medicaid is a fail-safe here, because we have to have my children’s medications specially compounded for them. This usually involves finding a medicine that isn’t processed with corn (no small feet) and then compounding the raw (bulk) active ingredient in a simple water solution. But compounds made using raw ingredients like this are not covered by insurance plans or medicaid. We paid $100 out of pocket last month to treat my son’s ear infection with a corn-free antibiotic, and my daughter’s reflux medicine costs us around $100 each month as well. As if adding insult to injury, we often don’t have prompt access to medicine, because companies do not keep corn information on hand, so it can take weeks to find a safe medicine once we have a diagnosis.

My biggest plea is to get awareness of corn allergy out there, and ask companies to label corn in their products. I’m so scared for my children, because I can’t protect them from corn right now, and they have their whole lives ahead of them. Please help me help them.

Deanna, Lincoln NE

My name is Cathleen Morrison, I am 28 years old. I was diagnosed with a corn allergy in 2008, at the age of 25. I grew up in Germany & Illinois, but I have lived in Nebraska for about 10 years. (And yes, I get that crazy look, followed by: You live in Nebraska?! And you’re allergic to Corn?!) Don’t worry, I still love Cornhusker Football! I was engaged at the time of my diagnosis and am so thankful to have a supportive husband whose life has changed completely with mine and a step daughter who has tried her hardest to embrace all of these changes.

It all started in April of 2008 when my lips began swelling up. It went away, but then my fingers swelled up and were hot to the touch. I didn’t know what was going on so I made an appointment with my primary care physician. I was given antihistamines, but it didn’t get better. The next 5 months or so were a living Hell. I had over 15 Doctor appointments. I was diagnosed with Lupus. I was diagnosed with Angioedema and a few other “diseases.” I spent many hours in the ER due to swelling of my tongue & cheeks and general pain. Because my throat wasn’t swelling, it wasn’t a real emergency. But I can tell you that I was very uncomfortable and very upset. I had horrible gas and bloating. My feet were twice the size. I had aches and pains up and down my arms and legs. All during this time, I was given Prednisone, Augmentin, Antihistamines (these are the ones I remember off the top of my head)… all of which were not helping.
Finally, in September of 2008 I asked my primary care physician to refer me to an allergist because I was doing my own research & being my own advocate and thought it was food allergies. I got the referral. I went. Within 2 hours I had been diagnosed with a corn allergy. As it turns out, all those medicines I was being given contained corn. No wonder I wasn’t feeling better.

At first I cut out the obvious things; corn syrup, corn starch, corn anything… soon I learned that corn was hidden. I actually obtained a list from the web that held over 300 words that mean corn! So, I learned to read labels. Over the last 4 years I feel like I have had to change everything about my life. I used to wear contacts, but my contact solution contained corn. I stopped wearing contacts & changed back to my glasses. Two years after this, my vision corrected itself. I have 20/20 vision now. I don’t know if the corn allergy affected my sight. No professionals were able to tell me if there was a definite connection. Below is a list of the products in my daily life that have had to be substituted with home-made equivalents or I have searched high and low for a corn-free version.

Shampoo
Soap
Toothpaste/ floss/ mouthwash
Lotion
Deodorant
Toilet paper/ other paper products
Make-up
Sunscreen
Cleaning supplies for the home
Dryer sheets/ liquid detergent/ powder detergent
Medications/ Band-Aids
And of course FOOD

Not only have I had to change all of the above, but my family has had to also, for the most part. My husband was using his same old toothpaste, but when he would kiss me, my lips would swell up. He had to change his toothpaste for the sake of kissing his wife! So, while I am the one that suffers the outward signs and behavioral problems, he has had to adjust his lifestyle to keep me safe & happy. My Mom is so amazing to me. When we have family dinners and even on holidays, she makes a version for me that is corn free. She somehow understands how hard this is and even if it’s a pity meal, I’ll take it!

The biggest change for us is eating, in general. I can go out to eat, but I order a salad and bring my own dressing. I try to avoid going out because socially, I feel awkward about it. It sometimes strikes peoples interest, but don’t count on it. It’s not just corn. It’s table salt, vinegar, most premade or highly preserved, boxed or canned goods, cured meat, frozen foods, sweet treats… ugh. So many things I miss. We do have one place, a locally owned little joint called Blue Planet Natural Grill. There are maybe 5 things I can have from here & this where I go for my birthday, anniversaries and eating out with friends. The owner, Jeff and all of his staff, are so friendly and actually take my request seriously when I ask for the whole wheat bun instead of their normal breads. I wish more places were helpful, natural & healthy like this one! (they even have uncured bacon!) Some of our best friends buy us gift cards to Blue Planet for Christmas and birthdays because they know how fun and special it is for us. There are also a couple other places in Omaha that are corn friendly, for me at least. I cook almost every meal in my kitchen. Most things are made from scratch and we eat a lot of meats from Fareway (great store), seafood, vegetables, whole wheats and natural dairy products. Whole Foods & Farmers Markets are a savior! (Even your fresh fruits from the store have wax on them that are derived from corn)

I am becoming more and more sensitive to corn every day. It took my body two and a half years to react to corn in my lotion and shampoo. We have Popcorn Wednesdays at my work and I have to stay out of the lunch room on those days because I get an instant headache. When I do ingest corn or its derivitives, it usually takes me a good 1-3 weeks to feel like myself again. I suffer a lot of different reactions when subjected to corn, but not alays all of them at the same time. The following have occurred;

Swelling of cheeks & tongue (no anaphylaxis shock)
Swelling of fingers, hands, toes, feet, ears
Facial redness
Diarrhea/ Constipation (depends)
Gas/ bloating
Headaches
Hives on scalp, forehead, arms, legs (especially shins), armpits
Irritability/ Lack of concentration
General anxious feeling

I have had to get all my medications made at a compound pharmacy. Thank God I do not get sick very often, but I always have Antihistamines on hand to help me recover from my reactions when I fail to read a label properly and completely.

My primary doctor & his nurses aren’t medically trained in food allergies and every time I go in I have to explain everything all over again. I have to tell them that I cannot have that medicine they suggested because it has corn in it and it has to be compounded, you cannot use that latex glove on me because it has corn starch on it…. If you aren’t educated, you don’t know, but I think primary care physicians need to have a little more education on food allergies/ topical allergies in general. I had a bad experience with the Allergist I was referred to (Grumpy Old Man) so I am actually in process of finding a new one. I have an appointment next week to get a serious grasp.

Since becoming allergic to corn I have developed sensitivities to rice, oats, bananas (although no latex reactions as of yet), pineapple, apples, oranges, grapes (raisins & wine!), cantaloupe… I’ve been told to check/ did some research on my own to look into an allergy to unripe fruit, of which all of this will be addressed with my 3-4 hour appointment with a new Allergist next week.

I have found Corn Freedom and Shuck Me!- The Corn Allergy Info Page on Facebook which are helpful with tips, reminders and also the sick relief that other people are suffering just like me. While it is becoming a large community I can vouch that as an adult, I have been bullied in reguards to my food allergy. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it is to deal with this as an adult; where people are stuck in their ways and changes in their friends lifestyles bring out the UGLY in them. I have not learned how to handle it because I’m still so shocked by it. The way I dealt with it was cut those friends out of my life because my health and well-being are far more important. I actually overheard someone at my work ask another person if ‘so and so’ was allergic to anything because he was going to rub it all over his desk. WOW! These are adults, apparently. Kids are now learning, willing or not, about food allergies and bullying in school. I hope that the lessons will stick with them throughout their lives.

Because corn is such a huge component in foods and personal items, it is not impossible, but extremely difficult to fit this allergy into your daily life. Corn is so largely produced. If we grow a lot of it, it will be used. I believe there are things that are meant to have HFCS in them, have at it. Do it right though. But I also believe that it has become too prevelent in everyday items. The high exposure to HFCS could be the beginning. high fructose CORN syrup.

If corn was acknowledged as a top allergen my life would change dramatically. Proper labeling in general has become less of a priority, in my opinion. I cannot imagine how ecstatic I would be to go into a store & be able to see corn labeled. That would be such a relief.

Of course I always hold onto HOPE, but this is my life. It’s not easy. Learning how to deal with this has been one of my biggest struggles, but one of my biggest accomplishments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
-Cat,     Nebraska