By Frederick and Christine Cheng, Pharmacists

GLUTEN SENSITIVITY AND COELIAC DISEASE

Nowadays, it is common to find, “No wheat, no gluten” advertised in the fine print of supplements and packaged food products; this is for the benefit of people with Coeliac Disease.   Even a little bit of gluten in the fillers may trigger an attack of abdominal pain and diarrhoea in these individuals. Patients with celiac disease are sensitive to gluten, which interacts with the individual’s abnormal immune response to form immune complexes that damage the intestinal lining, leading to nutrients not being absorbed properly.  Symptoms of celiac disease include abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool, and weight loss. In adults, the digestive symptoms just mentioned may not be as prevalent. Instead, we may see iron-deficiency anemia, fatigue, bone or joint pain, arthritis, bone loss or osteoporosis, depression or anxiety, seizures, or canker sores inside of the mouth.

It is estimated that one in 133 Canadians may have gluten sensitivity.  The most effective management is for these individuals to completely exclude gluten in their diet, which is tough! Gluten is a protein that is commonly found in wheat, rye, and barley products, but may also be found in vitamins, minerals, medications, and lip balms.   In the case of wheat, the protein is called gliadin.   This is the substance that gives flour its binding properties and is widely used in processing commercial foods and even supplements.  Hence Coeliac patients have to be very careful in reading labels.  Excluding gluten from the diet will allow the intestinal lining to heal. In addition to being sensitive to gluten, Coeliac patients usually develop secondary lactose intolerance.  As a result, they have to exclude dairy products from their diet as well.  In natural medicine, repair of the mucosa can be facilitated by supplements like N-acetyl-glucosamine, RR Formula and probiotics, which also shrink and soothe the mucosa.

In addition to excluding gluten from the diet, enzymes can be used in Coeliac Disease to digest away unpredictable or accidental contamination in the food.  This will be useful when a Coeliac patient dines out or visits a friend for dinner. There are specific enzyme preparations designed for this purpose and the patient takes a couple of pills just before consuming the meal.  One such preparation is called Gluten Defense® made by Enzymatic Therapy.  This comprehensive supplement helps gluten sensitive individuals dine out more freely.   A specific enzyme called DPP IV specifically for digesting gluten and casein is included in this preparation.  This protease enzyme works under a wide range of pH conditions so it works both in the stomach and the intestine.  In addition, Gluten Defense also contains amylase, lipase, phytase, lactase, cellulase, and sucrase.  The lactase helps the secondary lactose intolerance and the other enzymes help the general digestive weaknesses.     The source of all these enzymes is from plants so it is suitable for vegetarians.

Coeliac disease can be difficult to recognize as its symptoms may mimic other medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, or anemia and as such, requires proper diagnosis by a doctor. Prior to trying this or any other supplement, make sure you consult with your doctor and/or your pharmacist to make sure it is appropriate for you.

(Christine and Fred Cheng are a sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique family-owned and operated Pharmasave in Cloverdale, BC.  They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use.  They would love to hear from you! 604-576-2888; www.cloverdalepharmasave.com. Of course, before you begin any activity program or try any OTC supplementation, check with your physician and pharmacist.)

By Roxanne Griese

Umbrella Stands, are rarely used as actual umbrella stands; a shame. The shapes, materials and designs, are unique and quite often beautiful; sadly no umbrellas.

A repurposed umbrella stand makes a distinctive bathroom, laundry room, or office waste bin; adding that touch of the unexpected. Galvanized steel stands add a modern feel, while more traditional types can add style and warmth.

Short on space in a bathroom for a guest accessories. Fold a towel in half, then roll the towel tight, placing it in the umbrella stand; roll a coordinating wash cloth then tuck the cloth, in front of the towel. Do not forget a nice bar of soap tucked at the top of the rolled towel for your guest. The attention to detail will make a guest feel welcome.

Small powder rooms can lack storage for the essentials. Umbrella stands make a terrific place for storing extra rolls of toilet paper, or to use as a trash receptacle, the shape of the umbrella stand fits nicely beside a toilet or tucked in a corner of a powder room.

Umbrella stands repurposed for unconventional purposes, makes for great conversation starters.

The umbrella stand was used as early as the Ming Dynasty. If you have an umbrella stand stashed in an attic or the basement, you may want to have a second peek at your umbrella stand; recently a couple found their dusty old umbrella stand was worth approximately $800,000.00.

Quick Tip: Toss a tissue in an umbrella stand used as a trash receptacle, before guests arrive; some may think it is far too nice for trash.

Stay tuned… continuing to love your space.

Roxanne Griese is an Artist

Decorating and organizing are her passions, to see more articles and artwork visit www.artbyroxanne.ca

By Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

Langley Beta Sigma Phi sorority sisters surprised long-time member, Mary Cooley, by presenting her with the International Award of Distinction at Newlands Gold and Country Club during the annual Founder’s Day Ritual on Monday, April 23.

The rarely presented award is the highest honour Beta Sigma Phi sisters can bestow on a member.

Active and dedicated since joining Beta Sigma Phi in Nelson, BC in 1948, Mary Cooley is renowned for going the extra mile for people both in and out of sorority.

Not surprisingly, many people went extra mile for Mary on Monday night to share the celebration. Daughter-in-law, Ingrid Cooley, travelled from Arlington, Texas, Dolores Leeming from Ontario, and Pat Jorgenson and Donna Yeutsy from Seattle.

Her daughter, Sandy Henry, came from Maple Ridge, as did Hazel Carr and Ev Rilkoff. Other surprise guests included Vernice Stephenson (Surrey), Lorraine Nelson, Marj Cameron and Betty Fleming (Chilliwack), and Mickey Emerton, Marie Merritt, and Doreen Brown (White Rock).

Longtime friend and sorority sister, Sydney MacPherson of Surrey, said: “Sorority and volunteering are her life and we are very proud to share it with her.”

This year, Beta Sigma Phi International celebrates its 80th anniversary.

“We are a cultural and friendship organization that also contributes to our community,” says MacPherson.

This year Beta Sigma Phi celebrates its 40th anniversary in Langley with nine enthusiastic chapters, and an area council.

THE PHARMACIST REVIEW

By Frederick and Christine Cheng, Pharmacists

By Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

It was quite a celebration for England’s Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 83 on April 21.

News clips showed about 70 horses were turned loose in her honour (instead of putting flamingos in her castle yard).

The country and many parts of the world took the time to honour their much loved and respected monarch. She continues to be a living icon in an era of political uncertainty.

Join in the celebration of her life by attending a High Tea on Saturday, June 9 at the Langley Seniors Centre, located at 20605 51B Avenue. Shirley McWilliam, formerly of the Chocolate Cottage, will be your hostess for the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Tickets are now on sale and there are two settings from which to choose – Noon and 2 PM.

For more information call the seniors centre at 604.530.3020.

The first week in June also marks Seniors Week. Check with your local seniors centre to see what activities are planned in your community. Make sure to get out and enjoy the fun.

***

The May long weekend is usually recognized as the start of the summer season and lots of people hit the road to go camping (if the weather cooperates) and participate in many other activities.

High on the list of things to do that weekend is the annual Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair.

The world’s top cowboys and cowgirls will compete in a unique invitational rodeo format that ensures the sport’s premier athletes are showcased throughout the five performances, two on the Saturday and Sunday, and the Monday afternoon finals.

But the weekend is much more than the rodeo with the parade, carnival, musical entertainment, kids zone, and agricultural fair. This year will be the first annual Cloverdale Cowboy Cook Off, the World Freestyle Round-up for top pro and amateur freestyle skateboards, a classic car show, lumberjack show and Monster Truck rides. Tickets are on sale now.

***

April was volunteer appreciation month and some people are curious about what you do to volunteer. For those of you who like to make your opinion known in surveys, there is a useful one being done now on volunteer activity. They are collecting data at www.canadian-universities.net/volunteer.

***

On Sunday, May 27 you can run, jog, walk for water.

Abbotsford’s 5th annual premier running event is now a qualifying race for the famed Boston Marathon, but it is still a family friendly five km outing as well. The Run for Water now accommodates participants of all ages and abilities with great post race activities.

The fund-raising event helps tackle poverty and improve health in places like southern Ethiopia. One in six people do not have access to safe drinking water and water is one of the most significant global concerns today. For details about the event and how to donate, check www.runforwater.ca.

Creative Living

by Roxanne Griese

Re-purposing household items… Oh what to do with those old placemats, drapery panels, paper towel holders, cheese and salt shakers? They were a must have years ago; do not discard them just yet. I may have a plan to repurpose old items, giving them a refreshing new function.

Going through my collection of placemats yielded a variety of unused and incomplete sets. Placemats tend to be durable and easy to clean, that is why I started using them as cupboard and drawer liners in bathrooms, the kitchen and laundry room. They are so easy, just lay matching mats evenly spaced in your cabinets, I used two for the large under sink cabinets; it adds a touch of the unexpected. Not to mention, the easy installation, no more difficult shelf liners.

When changing your kitchen decor, keep items like free standing paper towel holders; they will hold up to 3 rolls of toilet paper. Kept under a bathroom vanity it keeps extra rolls stacked neatly.

Cheese shakers or sugar dispensers add charm to a bathroom. Fill the shakers with bath salts, bubble bath, shampoo and conditioner. Grouping the shakers together on the bathtub or counter adds character and originality.

Unused drapery panels make a excellent decorative alternative for showers curtains, move the shower rod closer to the ceiling for a more dramatic effect. Remember to use a shower liner.

Quick Tips: For smaller cabinets, trim vinyl placemats with a ruler and scissors. Cloth placemats can be trimmed and hemmed; a tremendous time saver is iron on hem tape.

“Cheese shakers or sugar

dispensers add charm to a

bathroom. Fill the shakers

with bath salts, bubble bath

shampoo and conditioner.”

Roxanne Griese is an Artist; Design and organizing are her passions, to see more articles and artwork visit, www.artbyroxanne.ca

by Keith Richardson

“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, we wonder where them MacBooks is!” Writing in mid-April, still no sign of the “new MacBookPro” we’ve been dreaming of. By now, it may be available. Retailers have been reporting difficulty reordering existing models.

Seen the new iPad? While it’s attractive and quick, we applaud you if you decided to save $100 and purchase the iPad2. Whether you bought a ‘Pad from Apple, or an Android tab from Asus, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, or Acer, you’ve joined the ranks of those  shunning “computers” for “tablets.” If you chose an Android, is it all that you’d hoped for? Let us know. For reviews of the “top 5 Android tablets,” check out CNET’s March 19th review: “best-5-android-tablets”.

April saw aggravated bruxism among some Apple users. A handful (us too) had temporary difficulty with iCloud email, although it likely had to do with having ancient passwords that no longer fit Apple’s current parameters. The problem was fixed with a little help from a courteous and supportive Apple techspert in Orlando, Apple Discussions online, and a little intuition.

More serious was the revelation of serious malware (associated with Java programming language) that a Russian source claimed “infected as many as 600,000 Macs globally” (an estimate many have dubbed “dubious”). We don’t know anyone touched by it. Regardless, Apple not only plugged the vulnerability with two Java security updates for Macs running OS 10.6.8 or 10.7.3, but then supplied a third that removed the infection from afflicted machines and made it much more difficult for other evil geniuses to devalue OS X. If you’re a Mac owner and haven’t already read about this, check out any of your favourite Mac sites or try reedcorner.net/news.php/about-the-flashback-malware/ . For a table of Apple security updates over the past 15 months go to support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 .

In an April 16 opinion piece titled “Lessons for IT, Apple in Flashback brouhaha,” Ryan Faas falls all over himself trying both to braise and praise Apple and Mac users. While “Apple didn’t handle the initial situation well….Ultimately, the company dealt with the problem in a way that protected the most non-technical of users and did so at no cost to them….Whether you like Apple or not, the move shows commitment to its users. Sure, it could have issued an initial patch, scheduled a follow-up release later on, and never looked back, but it didn’t.” Faas writes frequently in Computerworld about Apple, its products, and their place in the world.

For those interested in the question of Macs and security, we heartily endorse Thomas Reed’s “Reed Corner Design” site (reedcorner.net). Google “Mac Malware Guide” to see a comprehensive list of the 25 malware (trojan) threats Apple Macs have faced in recent years, of which only 2 rated higher than “low” and are now protected against by Apple’s recent software updates. 14 items on his list have a threat level of “None.” Speaking of updates from the “mothership,” always accept them: they’re free and released for our benefit!

Wikipedia has a decent introduction to malware: “malicious software designed to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.While it is sometimes software, it can also appear in the form of script or code. Malware is a general term used to describe any kind of software or code specifically designed to exploit a computer, or the data it contains, without consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software.

Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, adware, most rootkits, and other malicious programs. In law, malware is sometimes known as a computer contaminant, for instance in the legal codes of several U.S. states, including California and West Virginia.

Malware is not the same as defective software, which is software that has a legitimate purpose but contains harmful bugs that were not noticed before release. Sometimes, malware is disguised as genuine software, and may come from an official company website. An example would be software used for useful purposes that also includes tracking software to gather marketing statistics for advertising.

Therefore, some security programs may find “potentially unwanted programs” or “PUP”. Though a computer virus is malware that can reproduce itself, the term is sometimes used erroneously to refer to the entire category. An example of a computer virus which is not a malware, but is benevolent is Fred Cohen’s compression virus.”  The remainder of this comprehensive Wiki article is similarly informative.

For a list of 1000 examples of malware for PCs, google “McAfee Current Malware.” At the bottom of the list of the newest 20, click View All. The good news: nearly all of them represent a “minimal threat,” and McAfee shows a much lower malware detection rate for Canada than the US.

For more info on computer security, take a look at other websites run by Symantec, F-Secure, Sophos, Kaspersky, and others.

by Keith Richardson

“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, we wonder where them MacBooks is!” Writing in mid-April, still no sign of the “new MacBookPro” we’ve been dreaming of. By now, it may be available. Retailers have been reporting difficulty reordering existing models.

Seen the new iPad? While it’s attractive and quick, we applaud you if you decided to save $100 and purchase the iPad2. Whether you bought a ‘Pad from Apple, or an Android tab from Asus, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, or Acer, you’ve joined the ranks of those  shunning “computers” for “tablets.” If you chose an Android, is it all that you’d hoped for? Let us know. For reviews of the “top 5 Android tablets,” check out CNET’s March 19th review: “best-5-android-tablets”.

April saw aggravated bruxism among some Apple users. A handful (us too) had temporary difficulty with iCloud email, although it likely had to do with having ancient passwords that no longer fit Apple’s current parameters. The problem was fixed with a little help from a courteous and supportive Apple techspert in Orlando, Apple Discussions online, and a little intuition.

More serious was the revelation of serious malware (associated with Java programming language) that a Russian source claimed “infected as many as 600,000 Macs globally” (an estimate many have dubbed “dubious”). We don’t know anyone touched by it. Regardless, Apple not only plugged the vulnerability with two Java security updates for Macs running OS 10.6.8 or 10.7.3, but then supplied a third that removed the infection from afflicted machines and made it much more difficult for other evil geniuses to devalue OS X. If you’re a Mac owner and haven’t already read about this, check out any of your favourite Mac sites or try reedcorner.net/news.php/about-the-flashback-malware/ . For a table of Apple security updates over the past 15 months go to support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 .

In an April 16 opinion piece titled “Lessons for IT, Apple in Flashback brouhaha,” Ryan Faas falls all over himself trying both to braise and praise Apple and Mac users. While “Apple didn’t handle the initial situation well….Ultimately, the company dealt with the problem in a way that protected the most non-technical of users and did so at no cost to them….Whether you like Apple or not, the move shows commitment to its users. Sure, it could have issued an initial patch, scheduled a follow-up release later on, and never looked back, but it didn’t.” Faas writes frequently in Computerworld about Apple, its products, and their place in the world.

For those interested in the question of Macs and security, we heartily endorse Thomas Reed’s “Reed Corner Design” site (reedcorner.net). Google “Mac Malware Guide” to see a comprehensive list of the 25 malware (trojan) threats Apple Macs have faced in recent years, of which only 2 rated higher than “low” and are now protected against by Apple’s recent software updates. 14 items on his list have a threat level of “None.” Speaking of updates from the “mothership,” always accept them: they’re free and released for our benefit!

Wikipedia has a decent introduction to malware: “malicious software designed to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.While it is sometimes software, it can also appear in the form of script or code. Malware is a general term used to describe any kind of software or code specifically designed to exploit a computer, or the data it contains, without consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software.

Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, adware, most rootkits, and other malicious programs. In law, malware is sometimes known as a computer contaminant, for instance in the legal codes of several U.S. states, including California and West Virginia.

Malware is not the same as defective software, which is software that has a legitimate purpose but contains harmful bugs that were not noticed before release. Sometimes, malware is disguised as genuine software, and may come from an official company website. An example would be software used for useful purposes that also includes tracking software to gather marketing statistics for advertising.

Therefore, some security programs may find “potentially unwanted programs” or “PUP”. Though a computer virus is malware that can reproduce itself, the term is sometimes used erroneously to refer to the entire category. An example of a computer virus which is not a malware, but is benevolent is Fred Cohen’s compression virus.”  The remainder of this comprehensive Wiki article is similarly informative.

For a list of 1000 examples of malware for PCs, google “McAfee Current Malware.” At the bottom of the list of the newest 20, click View All. The good news: nearly all of them represent a “minimal threat,” and McAfee shows a much lower malware detection rate for Canada than the US.

For more info on computer security, take a look at other websites run by Symantec, F-Secure, Sophos, Kaspersky, and others.