Fear and Allergies in the Lunchroom

My Great great great grandfather died in his 40's possibly or diabetes. His son also died in his 40's possibly of diabetes. His grand daughter had Rhumatoid Arthritis. Two of her daughters had between them Rhumatoid Arthritis and Asthma and Bronchitis and Maigraines.. The daugher with RA has a daughter with Vitiligo. The daughter with Asthma and Bronchitis has a daughter with SLE, DLE, RP, and CD. She has another daughet with maigraines and her son has ADHD.The grand daughter also has a son with a grand daughter with severe asthma and insulin dependant diabetes. I can't say for the rest of the extended family, but when my mother married my dad they created three children with numerous auto-immune diseases and allergies to food, pollen, smoke, pesticides, gasoline, perfume, synthetic fabrics, metals. mold, mildew, bleach, ammonia, monosodium glutamate,food additives and other things I can't think of. We were all breast fed, as were our children. We grew up around animals on a farm. Who knows why so many of my ancestors had problems and why I seem to be blessed with so many of my own.

I was born 47 years ago to a father with food allergies manifested as sinus problems and a mother with food allergies manifested as bronchitis and maigraines. My genetic food allergies are every thing I eat added to the allergies I developed because of Celiac Disease. I was breast fed. My mother's family goes back to Ireland on one line. I have Systemic and Discoid Lupus, Celiac Disease and Raynaud's. My mother has asthma and bronchitis. Her mother had Ruematoid Arthritis. Her grandfather died in his 40's possibly of Diabetes. His father also died in his 40's possibly of diabetes. I am also allergic to gasoline products, ammonia, bleach, insecticides, detergents, fabric softeners, perfumes, smoke and a host of other things I can't identify that lead to all of my mucous membranes releasing mucous which makes it hard to breath or see. One thing of interest: when I eat foods I am allergic to my ears turn red and I have body odor. The result of two people with food allergies having three children is all of them have food allergies.

Why do none of these articles mention the decline in exclusive breast-feeding which seems to be co-temporaneous with this increase in the incidence of food allergies? Vast numbers of children are being given adult foodstuffs at very young ages, well before they would be introduced in a traditional society. Also, it seems that foods are introduced with an eye to convenience rather than appropriateness. Highly processed foods which are easy for the baby to eat UNASSISTED by the parent, are extremely popular. I hope parents consider that we were evolved to breast-feed exclusively for a long period of time and that the introduction of any adult foods probably included a lot of pre-chewing, which is a powerful disincentive for overly early weaning from the breast. Food allergies are dangerous and inconvenient, so any avenue of investigation which could PREVENT them before they develop should be considered.

Why do none of these articles mention the decline in exclusive breast-feeding which seems to be co-temporaneous with this increase in the incidence of food allergies? Vast numbers of children are being given adult foodstuffs at very young ages, well before they would be introduced in a traditional society. Also, it seems that foods are introduced with an eye to convenience rather than appropriateness. Highly processed foods which are easy for the baby to eat UNASSISTED by the parent, are extremely popular. I hope parents consider that we were evolved to breast-feed exclusively for a long period of time and that the introduction of any adult foods probably included a lot of pre-chewing, which is a powerful disincentive for overly early weaning from the breast. Food allergies are dangerous and inconvenient, so any avenue of investigation which could PREVENT them before they develop should be considered.

I think this article is extremely hypocritical in its idea of an allergy vaccination on the grounds that it started out by underscoring the fact that we have allergies initially because of vaccines. Now scientists want to try and make another vaccine that will most likely cause more problems than we have already. Now, the idea of immunotherapy is much better than that of a vaccination in that it isn't a preventitive type of solution but rather a tolerance, or, as Newsweek says, a desensitizer.

My almost 4 year old daughter was fine until her 15 month vaccinations. Since then she has become allergic to peanuts and eggs. I breastfed her for 13 months and weaned her slowly. Her doctor said it was a result of the vaccinations, but I didn't believe it until I did my own research. My 1 year old son is breastfed and has not had ANY vaccinations and so far, has no food allergies. As a matter of fact, he's so healthy that I've only had to take him to the doctor's just for a Well Baby check up.
I am not sure if we are allowed to post links, but Google : "Anaphylactic children: Canaries in the mine shaft of public health"

It's a very interesting article, and something I have known since my daughter has had food allergies. All this money we are spending on Nowhere research when all we have to do is take a look at what we are doing. Do we really think we can inject small children with G-d knows what and expect them to come out ok all of the time?

I breastfed my daughter for 13 months. After her 15 month vaccinations, she became allergic to peanuts and eggs...there are a few others, but eggs and peanuts are the most serious for her. I am not sure if I could post links, but Google: Anaphylactic children: Canaries in the mine shaft of public health

It talks about how vaccines can be the cause of allergies...the HiB vaccine causing peanut allergies. I totally believe it. My son is 1 year, breast fed, and has not been vaccinated with anything and has shown no signs of any allergies so far.

I breastfed my daughter for 13 months. After her 15 month vaccinations, she became allergic to peanuts and eggs...there are a few others, but eggs and peanuts are the most serious for her. I am not sure if I could post links, but Google: Anaphylactic children: Canaries in the mine shaft of public health

It talks about how vaccines can be the cause of allergies...the HiB vaccine causing peanut allergies. I totally believe it. My son is 1 year, breast fed, and has not been vaccinated with anything and has shown no signs of any allergies so far.

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"Manufacturers, thanks to a federal law implemented last year, now list the eight most common allergens (from milk to fish) on their food labels."
Yes, BUT, this legislation also effectively 'grandfathered' any items that were labeled before January 1, 2006, and many items are still showing up, illegally labeled, on supermarket shelves -- nearly 2 years later!! How long must we wait until this legislation is appropriately enforced by the FDA?
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This was a good article, but the subject deserves more attention.

The increase in food allergies is mirrored by an equivalent increase in the industrialized world of other immune disorders. MS, asthma, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, etc., etc., set new records each year for the rate of infection. This increase of immune disease in the industrialized world is unknown in the third world. Places that do not have access to sewers, soaps and (my favorite) antibacterial toys, are areas where disorders of the immune system are almost unknown.

If all bacteria were eliminated from my or your intestinal tracts we would die. This neatly demonstrates that we are ecosystems. The idea that we could so radically, and rapidly in genetic terms, alter our environments by eliminating bacteria, viruses and helminths from our bodies without unintended consequences is absurd.

An area referred to in passing, but not named or described to the extent it deserves is Helminthic Therapy.

In Helminthic Therapy patients are deliberately infected with helminths, parasitic roundworms like hookworm, whip worm, etc., that colonize the intestinal tract, to treat immune disorders.

The results are truly spectacular.

It has been demonstrated in numerous studies to be more effective, safer, and with fewer (and short-lived) side effects than any "modern" medicine. Remission rates for Crohn's disease, for instance, range from 72.4%, to 100% in a recent proof-of-concept study using hookworm. To put this in perspective there is currently no available therapy that can promise remission for Crohn's disease. Helminthic therapy is broadly just as effective for Multiple sclerosis, asthma, hay fever, sinusitis, eczema (atopic dermatitis) and ulcerative colitis.

The introduction of sewers, and the elimination of water borne diseases like Cholera and Typhoid as well as the elimination of helminths, is popularly and correctly viewed as one of the greatest public health successes of modern society. It has saved millions of lives. But if you have MS, Crohn's, Lupus, etc., or any of the disorders now linked to excessive hygiene it is an unmitigated disaster.

Less than one hundred years ago Crohn's disease was unknown. Today it afflicts 1 in 544 Americans. The rate of increase is roughly 25% every decade. Crohn???s was first reported, in New York, in the 1930's.

While Helminthic Therapy may be distasteful the science is very well developed. There are too many studies to list here, but a good starting place are the search engines, you can start with "helminthic therapy". Wikipedia also has a basic, and accurate, entry for Helminthic Therapy here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik/Helminthic_therapy.

And for pure entertainment there is the guy who went to Cameroon and deliberately infected himself with hookworm, gripping: http://www.asthmahookworm.com.

Anecdotal accounts, involving hookworm and hay fever, were published as long ago as 1974 in the Lancet.

To the guy that says he's minding his business - you should only hope your child never takes ill. Teach your child compassion and consideration for others. You are raising your child to be selfish. That's the problem with most people in this country. We did it to ourselves.

On another note regarding breastfeeding, I nursed 3 kids and only my 1st has food allergies. There isn't enough research being done to answer all of these great questions. My allergist said if i didn't nurse, his allergies would have been worse. Who knows. I was told today that I offended someone nursing in public. I was covered up. I've nursed 3 and 1/2 years (3 children) and this is the 1st time someone complained to me. Do I say your bottle filled with corn syrup offends me? Please. People need to think before they speak.

I really am glad that you printed this article. As an adult I too have allergies which developed later in life. I am also struggling to take control of what I eat to keep myself safe. This is an issue for everyone! We need to be able to send our kids out the door and feel comfortable that they will be safe. I don't think that the community as a whole should be "punished" and prohibited from eating what you want. However, since this is an issue that is affecting many more people each year; educating the public is key.

ALL should be encouraged -- who are dealing with or learning about food allergies -- to *PLEASE* be very wise about websites and links posted here AND those stumbled upon elsewhere on the Internet. Websites that claim "help" or "advice" but will only provide such if you pay or subscribe may not always be in your best interests. Ask yourself, "why is this site operating for profit?" There is a wealth of excellent, truly living-this-journey, experienced, FREE support and advocacy via non-profit organizations and/or FREE support groups. ALWAYS check things out thoroughly. If a website owner and/or it's "support board" is not willing to freely link to other TRUE support boards in the name of food allergy advocacy, then stop and ask yourself "WHY?"!!

Thank you so much for opening everyone's eyes at how important it is to keep our children safe. Even though it may look like a small problem to people that don't have kids with food allergies, it affects everyone, allergy-free doesn't mean you get to live in your own little bubble and criticize others for wanting to protect their children and their children's friends and classmates. Knowledge is very important for everyone to help all of our kids live as fully and happily as they can. I would also like to remind everyone that anyone can develope an allergy to anything at any time, it's not always in childhood. And yes i have a nephew with food allergies to milk, soy, and peanut proteins. I also found the Dummies guide to food allergies is a great source for calm info for anyone wanting more.

I'm glad to see the article. My son (peanut) and wife (adult onset shellfish) are both at severe risk of anaphylaxis. My wife particpates in an online support community that's been a lifesaver for our family. It's the hyperboard mentioned in an earlier post. The only solution we have right now is to control the environment, ask lots of questions when we eat out, negotiate with school, church, and extracurricular activities, and educate, educate, educate everyone who's going to have care of our son. There are lots of theories about causes right now--and that's great news! It means that there are lots of people trying to figure it out. There are researchers working on lots of solutions. The article mentions a few of the more controversial. For those of us who've run from a restaurant carrying a child whose throat is closing down and turning blue, causes and solutions are great to talk about in the abstract. But we need to know that until a cause is identified and a cure found, everyone who's going to come in contact with our child knows how to keep him safe. Keep in mind that a food challenge sounds great on paper until it's your child being given something that could kill him, even in a controlled environment in a doctor's office with epinepherine at the ready. The danger I see in what some posters have suggested (just feed them the peanuts at an early age) is that some foolish or desperate parent may lose a child trying to do just that at home. Too many have died. Too many live in fear of dying. Thanks to Newsweek for giving the issue some much-needed publicity.

Why not feed all children at the age of 3 months with a mixture of peanuts, milk, eggs and shellfish, so the immune system can adjust to the allergens on an early stage? No, I hope that any person would be provoked by reading this statement. But this is exactly what we do to the immune system by vaccinating 3 month old kids with up to 5 serious diseases at the same time. How can we even think that the immune system will not be confused by this unnatural procedure and also start fighting non harmful substances (eg. food). I understand why the article about allergies did not go in to questioning the reasons for all the allergies that kids face in the modern world. It just spent pages on how to deal with the allergies when they are already there. But until immunology specialists take seriously the risks that disease vaccines "en masse "create to a delicate immune system, I fear that we will have to go on dealing with the allergies. I do believe we need the vaccines, but let's do it in moderation. Let the kid grow a strong natural immune system at least for a year until we ask of it to make antibodies against a serious disease and let the immunesystem deal with one disease at a time (give one vaccine at a time). Of course the kids with allergies need all the help they can get to deal with their serious problem. But let's not just give in and forget that there is a way to stop kids from having the allergies in the first place.
Anneli