Some Frustrations

I went to the dentist last Saturday for a regular cleaning and check-up. All is well, except I have a little cold sensitivity in a couple places. To help regulate it, my dentist gave me a product that is to be rubbed on the gum line to help recalcify those areas of my teeth. Great! The product went in the dental goody bag alongside the other samples he sends home with you, and off I went. Later on, though, when I went to try it for the first time, I see on the front of the box a cautionary notice printed in red. It reads something along the lines of "Caution: The propietary ingredient is derived from milk casein. Do not use on patients with a milk protein allergy."

Hmm. One of the areas that I'm still navigating with some frustration is finding suitable vitamins, supplements and the like. The dental product is just one example. Yesterday, I stopped by one of the groceries I use, and noticed that they had a new brand of vitamins that were purported to be gluten- and dairy-free. Hooray! My jubilation was short-lived, however, because upon reading the label, I discovered that the product contained soy and barley grass.

The soy immediately disqualified it for me. I have found some products that are free of gluten and casein, but soy ingredients continue to be problematic. So I'm still looking for a multi-vitamin that I can tolerate. A bigger concern is that these vitamins contain barley grass but are labeled gluten-free. Barley grass can contain seeds, which would render it unsafe for those following a gluten-free diet. Perhaps the company has ensured the formulation is free of gluten, but even if I could take these vitamins, I would be skeptical and follow up with the company before taking them. Even then, I'd closely monitor for any adverse reactions after taking them.

With regard to the dental product, at least the caution notice was clearly visible. While I essentially read every label before I ingest anything (restaurant fare notwithstanding), there are those who don't. Worse is that because the vitamin line is touted as gluten-free, some people could -- and probably will -- take it at face value, use the vitamins, then wonder what is wrong if they have a reaction. Getting sick (a.k.a., having a reaction) and not knowing the cause is very frustrating, and quite frankly, a little frightening, too, but I'll save some of those experiences for another time.

The allergen labeling requirement that took effect in 2006 has helped celiacs avoid unfriendly products and inadvertent consumption, but it certainly hasn't been foolproof. The FDA's new gluten-free labeling guidelines are due in August. Here's hoping they'll be more effective.