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We have a six yr old which who is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.
We knew of his allergies to milk around 10 mo. of age, when trying solid foods. We have been going to Allergy Associates in La Crosse, Wisconsin twice a year since age 1 1/2 for testing and to follow up on his treatments. He currently takes food drops 3 times a day....drops which are made up of small amts of the foods he is allergic too in hopes of building his tolerance to prevent life threatening reactions. He has reacted to milk (touching milk) by getting hives, tongue swelling, eyes closing shut, when he was younger. Taking food drops is known as immunothology.
Anyway, we are well educated parents in the food allergy realm and our son is well aware too of his allergies. He is in the 1st grade, and the school district we live in has done very well. We will bring in foods he can eat to the lunchroom head and she will freeze his food and then heat them up before lunchtime so he can have a warm meal. He sits at the table with his friends, but no peanut food is allowed at his table. Kids who bring peanut butter and the like can sit at the many other tables. We are comfortable with that and there is a para which makes sure the table and chair is wiped before he eats. His teacher and school district nurse decided to make his room peanut free, meaning kids cannot bring in snacks for snack time in the classroom with peanuts. They can still eat PBJ, etc for lunch of course.
Getting to the question....we have asked the allergy doctor we see and she is well versed in many studies done at Duke, John Hopkins and in Europe. And she frankly said no one really knows why the increase in kids with allergies. There may be theories, but nothing really concrete. Likely a combination of things, from living a too clean society, to possible more chemicals in the food, to a better and more precise diagnosis of the allergens.
Much work as been done in research in the past few years and some of this is now making it to the public. Our son just had the one of the very new allergy test done called ISAC, or in plain language, allergy component testing. Blood drawn at our local clinic is sent regularly to the LaCrosse clinic to measure the allergen levels in his blood. This blood sample, was sent to the company (Phadia - near Kalamazoo Michigan) which provides the more detailed testing. We got a very detailed list of what he is allergic too, down to the differing proteins in each food. Your doctor can use this to better treat or inform the parents of what exactly your child is allergic too. I highly would recommend telling your doctor of this ISAC testing and your doctor can send blood sample up to Phadia for testing.
For our son, it showed he is indeed allergic to the 3 type of proteins in peanuts which can cause a severe life threatening reaction. He is allergic to the casein protein in milk, which he will not outgrow and does show up in heated milk products. Some folks who are allergic to milk in the cold form can eat milk products once heated if they are not allergic to the casein.
Egg showed up as well to be pretty permanent.
The next test available, hopefully this winter, will be a test to show how much anti-allergens (for a better way to put it) in his body. We have taken food drops for almost 5 yrs so hopefully his tolerance has built up enough so that if would accidently eat a peanut or nut, then his reaction would be mild (blisters, hives) instead of the life threatening kind which peanuts are known for.
Sorry for the long note...but wanted to share our experiences.
Speaking of Vitamin D...our son had his level tested 2 yrs ago and it was low. He takes vitamin D drops and his levels were boosted up into the 80s. There is some connection with Vit D and food allergies, and those who live in the northern latitudes, where sun is less. We live close to Canadian/North Dakota/Minnesota border.
I know there were allergies around in the 70s and 80s because multiple people I know who grew up in those years have allergies (gluten, peanut, pineapple, milk). Some of those people didn't realize it until they had several, progressively worse reactions to those foods.
Some of those people might end up in the hospital if they ate the wrong food, but I don't know anyone who is so allergic to a food that being in the same room will kill them.
I do know this...that the Moms of kids with allergies, are usually type A people, white, high strung, upper middle class. Don't know why...just seems that way.
I do know this...that the Moms of kids with allergies, are usually type A people, white, high strung, upper middle class. Don't know why...just seems that way.
I don't see that among those people I know who have kids with food allergies.
I do know this...that the Moms of kids with allergies, are usually type A people, white, high strung, upper middle class. Don't know why...just seems that way.
I think those are just the moms that freak out about it the most and make sure you and everyone around them knows it. People who are a little more laid back about life in general are not going around shouting this stuff from the roof tops. Someone who is already high strung is going to take this and run with it.
Last night we got the paperwork home from school talking about peanuts, and I'm not going to lie i'm a little annoyed by the whole thing.
My problem is not with the allergy or the child or even the parents desire to help their child but with the over the top "preventative" measures that the school district has chosen to take.
Last year at my child's school there was a girl in his class with the allergy, I think the school handled it VERY well. Peanut butter sandwiches were allowed, if the child seated next to the girl had peanut butter that day the teachers moved one of the children to another table. During birthdays we were reminded of the girls allergy and asked to bring in a peanut free dessert IF POSSIBLE. The girls mother also had the option of sending her an alternate treat to eat during the party. Food sharing of any kind was not allowed and they were vigilant about it. They also made sure the kids washed up before and after meals and snacks. The girl had her epi pen at the nurses office in case of an emergency. None of this peanut free zone business, the girl was at the school for a few years no incidents at all.
Now my son's new school has a policy where not only are peanuts and all other tree nuts banned but so are products manufactured in a plant that may process peanuts! I can't send in any foods outside of their packaging either; so I can't buy say a box of crackers and put some in a ziplock bag, I have to buy the snack size packages if I want to send them. WHAT?? In my opinion this is just straight up overboard CYA BS. The snacks I send my child are not for sharing so while I can tolerate maybe not sending him in with peanut butter crackers, not being able to send in a couple peanut free cookies because that plant also makes nutter butters is just over the top.
In the end these children live in the real world where they cannot control at all times exactly what foods others are eating around them. Have these children never been to the supermarket where these foods are plentiful? How about a movie theatre where the person next to them might break out a snickers at any given moment? Do they go to the museum and sit in a cafeteria next to someone who brought a PB&J? What if they are at the park and the child that was just sitting on the swing they get on had peanut brittle and didn't wash thier hands? If their allerigies are SOO severe that they can never even be in the vicinity of a peanut then perhaps public education is not the best option for these children since it seems they shouldn't even be leaving the house--for thier own safety, not so my kid can eat a PB&J undisturbed.
Did I feel bad for that little girl in my son's school last year whenever there was a party and she couldn't eat the cake? Of course! That's no fun--but it's her reality. She is going to have to get used to it sooner or later, the sooner the better. She has a medical condition and needs to know her personal limitations that surround that condition to keep herself safe and healthy and she is being taught to practice personal responsibility. I applaud her parents for not making a big stink about it at school too!
To the poster who mentioned his child has this allergy, what steps do you take to prevent contact? What measures does the school district take? Do you feel the school does not enough/just enough/too much to help with your child's allergy?
We really do not know why these allergies are becoming more common, but we know they are and also that peanut allergies are becoming more severe.
I thought this was an interesting factoid:
Quote:
Peanut allergy is much less common in other parts of the world compared to Westernized countries. Despite peanut being a major food source in Asia, peanut allergy is uncommon. This is thought to be due to the common method of cooking peanuts in Asia, frying and boiling, which makes the food less allergenic. Dry roasting, the common method of cooking peanuts in the United States, has been shown to make peanuts more allergenic.
I do know this...that the Moms of kids with allergies, are usually type A people, white, high strung, upper middle class. Don't know why...just seems that way.
Allergies run in my family. My grandmother had them. She was Amish and lived on a farm in the early 1900's. I've sat in allergy clinics, getting my shots, with Hispanics, Blacks and Asians of all classes. So my observations don't match yours at all.
I have no idea where the peanut sensitivity comes from. I don't have it and I have a long list of allergies. Growing up (I'm a Boomer) I didn't know anyone with a peanut allergy. Never heard the adults discussing peanut allergies. Even the other kids with allergies ate their PB&Js at lunch.
Now my son's new school has a policy where not only are peanuts and all other tree nuts banned but so are products manufactured in a plant that may process peanuts! I can't send in any foods outside of their packaging either; so I can't buy say a box of crackers and put some in a ziplock bag, I have to buy the snack size packages if I want to send them. WHAT?? In my opinion this is just straight up overboard CYA BS. The snacks I send my child are not for sharing so while I can tolerate maybe not sending him in with peanut butter crackers, not being able to send in a couple peanut free cookies because that plant also makes nutter butters is just over the top.
These kind of stories drive me nuts (no pun intended). I have a daughter who is severely allergic to milk, so I personally know the danger and the fear related to allergies. However, it seems like more and more schools and parents are making unreasonable requests, which makes all of us allergy parents look bad and have to fight harder for understanding. Not being able to bring in a snack for your own child in a ziploc bag is completely unreasonable. I would fight that even though I have a child with a food allergy! Pre-packaged snacks cost more and are often not as healthy for a child.
I have found many times that some parents dealing with peanut allergies can be a little more nervous because of all the media attention surrounding that particular allergy. I have talked to a number of parents who have asked for a bunch of accommodations, but during my line of questioning, I discover they asked for them out of fear more than actual case history. Most of the times, it turns out my daughter has a case history indicating a much more severe allergy than the parents I am talking to. Yet, since my daughter is allergic to milk and not peanuts, it is not possible to expect milk-free tables, rooms or schools. She has to get by without this.
For my daughter, she carries an Epipen in her bookbag, in addition to the Epipens in two other spots in the school. Aside from that, I just remind teachers not to give her food, and sometimes I have to ask kids to wash their hands. The only real accommodation I asked the school to make was to move a guinea pig from a classroom since she is really allergic to that animal. I felt bad asking for that. I can't imagine asking for all the other parents to change their world for my daughter.
I would try to rally some other more reasonable allergy parents to your side. The fact is a manufacturer's warning is usually only a potential problem for a child ingesting a product. My daughter does not eat products with such warnings, but she has never had a problem handling such a product. (which would not be the case if she was holding something like cheese). This issue would be similar for ziploc snacks. If a child brought peanuts in a bag, that would be obvious. Other products that are not as obvious would be unlikely to cause a problem unless the allergic child eats them. The concern about the rather unusual airborne reaction stems mainly from peanut dust, not food crumbs.
After my rant above, I thought I would get back on topic. Only one of my three kids has allergies, and I would love to know what caused them! There are some differences in their early lives. Here are the ones I remember:
-I was in a very stressful job working overnight shift when I was pregnant with my allergy child. I had a more relaxing life when I was pregnant with the other two.
-I only received pitocin for my allergy child, who was late.
-My allergy child received heavy doses of antibiotics when she was three weeks old after she became ill. She also had a number of ear infections for which she received antibiotics.
-I ate more fresh vegetables when pregnant with my allergy child. (I remember steaming that broccoli). With the other two, I reverted to more frozen vegetables.
-My allergy child was exposed to milk (which she is allergic to) when I was nursing her. I eliminated milk from my diet while nursing the other two because of the fear of the same allergy.
-I worked in the city while pregnant with my allergy child. I remained mainly in the suburbs for the other two.
-I got sick with what I thought was food poisoning only when pregnant with my allergy child.
-I often used computer wipes to clean my keyboard at work while pregnant with my allergy child. I remember that I stopped using them after I read the label. I often ate at my desk after using those wipes.
That is everything I can think of. My husband blames the antibiotics. However, I suspect she was born with her allergy since she was very fussy from the beginning. I have run into other allergy parents though who also have children with a similar history with the antibiotics.
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