Directory of health resources for healthcare professionals.

As well as being a food in itself, com (or maize) is used very commonly as a sweetener, and as a starch in food processing. To avoid com you have to stop eating the following foods:

Buttercorn Sweetcom

Corn on the Cob

Cornflakes

Popcorn

Maize

Maizemeal

Polenta

Corn Snacks

Do not use the following in cooking:

Corn Oil Maize Oil Cornflour Baking Powder

Avoid any processed foods containing corn or maize. Read labels. Avoid any foods containing the following, which are derived from com:

Corn Meal Com Starch Corn Syrup

The following ingredients are usually derived from corn, although they can be from other sources. Avoid any food containing these to be absolutely sure:

Dextrimaltose Fructose

Dextin Glucose

Dextrose Glucose Syrup

Avoid the following glucose products that are usually corn-based:

Glucose drinks (e.g. Lucozade) Glucose tablets (e.g. Dextrosol)

Avoid the following ingredients, which are derived either from corn or wheat:

Cereal Starch Edible Starch Modified Starch Starch

If a product contains vegetable oil of unspecified nature, it can often be corn oil. Avoid this. Similarly, if a product contains sweet ening or syrup of unspecified nature, it may well be corn. Avoid these.

To avoid all the above ingredients means avoiding most processed foods, especially sweetened ones such as snack foods, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and puddings. Children’s sweets are a common source. Pies, sauces, prepared savoury dishes, sauce mixes, custard powder, gravy mixes and stock cubes also often contain corn in the form of starch and oil. Corned beef and some brands of instant coffee also contain corn, although this is not always clear from the labels. If in doubt, leave a product out of your diet.

Corn is often, with other cereals, a base material for beers, lagers and spirits. Avoid these while excluding corn.

Corn is used in tabletting and coating many drugs, and in syrups for medicines. Take your doctor’s advice about avoiding prescribed medicine. Stop taking any home medicines. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is sometimes derived from corn.

Corn is sometimes used as a glue on envelopes and other similar uses. Avoid licking envelopes and stamps.

Corn starch is sometimes used to stiffen and seal paper and waxed cups and cartons. Avoid using these for food use. It is sometimes used as a starch on cotton clothes, for instance on some denim clothes, but washes out readily, and should not cause problems on contact after clothes have been washed several times.

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Now the detective work starts. If you have an obvious suspect, you may not need to read the rest of this section. If you feel ill after you eat a particular food that you eat only seldom – say on holiday or if you go out to eat – then you could go straight for that. Do you feel ill during or after visiting friends or family? If so, it could be something in their house – their pet, their gas fire, their carpet, their soap powder.

Do you feel unwell only if you wear certain clothes, or if you dress up to go out? If so, it could be the fibres or the clothes, or it could be toiletries or cosmetics that you do not usually wear. Do you get symptoms after doing DIY, doing a particular hobby, after specific lessons or activities at school? Think hard about when and where your symptoms occur.

You can also keep a symptoms diary. For a week or longer, note down whenever you feel particularly bad. Look and see if there’s any pattern. Do it for a few weeks, or longer if you need to.

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If you cannot tolerate wool or synthetics, keeping warm is one of life’s real challenges for the allergy sufferer. Here are some useful tips

Wear lots of layers. Layers of thin clothing trap air and keep warmth in. Lots of thin layers of clothing can be surprisingly warm. Wear a vest under a T-shirt under a sweatshirt. You might feel like the Michelin Man but you won’t look it! Wear thin socks under thicker ones, or leggings. And don’t forget the old string vest.

Cover your head. Fifty per cent of body heat loss is from the head. Wear scarves or knitted hats. Wear a scarf under a hat in really cold weather. Wear a hat or scarf indoors if you need to. Wear a nightcap – they had their uses!

Use silk if you tolerate it. Silk jersey underwear is relatively affordable, and offers lightweight warmth. Larger children can wear smaller women’s sizes. It washes well in a machine on a delicate cycle. Wear silk scarves, glove liners, socks and balaclavas.

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Buying or Borrowing Secondhand

Buying or borrowing equipment or toys secondhand, or using passed-on equipment, can often be a good solution for the chemically sensitive since fumes from new synthetic materials have usually worn off well. You need to take care, however, that anything you use has not been washed or cleaned with cleaning or laundry agents that you or your baby do not tolerate. Ask what has been used on anything you are thinking of acquiring. Take extra care with baby clothes and nappies – in particular, avoid anything washed in biological agents. Wash and air anything you buy before using yourself.

If you or your baby are sensitive to pets, animals, house dust mites, or tobacco smoke, also check that anything you buy is free of the things that upset you.

Toys, Books and Games

Hard plastic toys are rarely a problem for the chemically sensitive once they have been washed and aired for a while. Buy, open up and air toys before giving to baby to play. Washing plastic toys in a solution of domestic Borax or sodium bicarbonate (one tablespoonful to a bowl of warm water) helps speed the process of airing.

Wooden toys sometimes give problems with fumes from paints and varnishes when new. Again, allow them to air when new, or wipe with a solution of Borax or sodium bicarbonate.

For full advice on preventing and controlling house dust mites in soft toys. Buy washable soft toys wherever possible and wash and air frequently. If you or baby are very sensitive to synthetic materials, make or knit soft toys in cotton, and stuff with kapok.

Air new books before use to remove fumes.

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Skin tests for animal inhalant allergens are reasonably reliable at detecting allergy to animals, although results can depend on what precisely you are allergic to. If you are allergic to your cat’s saliva or urine, for instance, and you have a skin test for cat hair, the result will be negative even though you are allergic. Some people also find that they can be allergic to one breed or type of animal, but tolerate others; or that they react to one particular individual animal and not to others. Tests, therefore, are not always helpful. Your doctor can refer you for skin tests.

One simple test, which you can do yourself, is the Eye Test. Stroke the animal or bird for a few minutes. Rub one eye with your hand for a few seconds. If your eye becomes itchy and swollen, then this is an indication that you are sensitive to the animal or bird.

You can also do a Sniff Test on bedding, or litter, to check if these upset you. Sniff these gently, and see if symptoms develop.

Another method of detecting animal allergy is to avoid the animal or bird you suspect totally for a period of a week, and see if symptoms improve. If the animal or bird you suspect is your domestic pet, and you are not highly allergic, it will be sufficient to keep the animal or bird totally outside the house, and for you or the person affected not to go near it at all during that week. Try this first. For birds, this should be a conclusive test.

If, however, this is not conclusive for animals, or if you are more severely affected, you will need to carry out a rigorous cleaning programme to clear up traces of allergens from your home before you can be sure that your domestic pet is the source of trouble.

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