When we were growing up did we just not realize kids had allergies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Chilled!! Don't be so quick to rule things out. Here is a list of allergens in vaccines:

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/components-Allergens.htm

Please explain to me what I am looking at and what I am supposed to conclude from this table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we have zero intolerance for even minor discomfort. I know a tiny minority of people are truly allergic, but the other 98% are just sensitive and would probably get better given the chance to adapt.

I am the PP before you and I agree. Many of my allergies wouldn't have been called allergies a generation or two before. People put up with itching, abdominal discomfort and didn't even go get it checked out as it didn't get progressively worse. I think the actual confirmed prevalence of anaphylactic allergies (that could cause death) is between 1 and 2% of the population. So in a school of 500 that should be 5-10 kids with severe allergies - not 5 per class. People do often refer to intolerances and sensitivities as allergies as I they think that sounds more serious and that people will understand their decision not to eat whatever.

I do eat some of the foods I am allergic to, as most of my allergies are not life threatening. They just make me very, very, very itchy, some make my throat swell, and most make my mouth raw (like its being burnt with a hot drink). I can eat a little but the discomfort is too much to be able to eat enough for my body to ever have the chance to adapt. Other foods cause a full body response for me (still not anaphylactic) where I get hot, sweaty, dizzy, and I get immediate diarrhea. Most people I know don't eat foods that cause reactions and refer to these reactions as allergies. it is similar with meds - people get side effects with certain medications and think they are allergic. They aren't. i do eat foods I am allergic to because I like those foods and I have so many allergies that it is too limiting to avoid them all.

This thinking is very dangerous. You can't predict your next reaction by your previous reaction. You could have full anaphylactic shock next time. Yes, my dd has coughing, sneezing, all over body hives, extreme amount of phlegm and an upset stomach from eating PN. Are you suggesting that she just put up with the discomfort and eat PN even though her dr says that the next time she ingests it, she could have anaphylaxis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Chilled!! Don't be so quick to rule things out. Here is a list of allergens in vaccines:

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/components-Allergens.htm

Please explain to me what I am looking at and what I am supposed to conclude from this table.

You need some exposures to an allergen to develop allergies. Some of the vaccines are made with milk (casein) and eggs, so young babies have exposures to these allergens after vaccinations. I am not saying that all babies will develop allergies after they have been vaccinated, but for some babies, early exposure to allergens may lead to future allergies. This table just lists some known allergens that are used in the common vaccines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Chilled!! Don't be so quick to rule things out. Here is a list of allergens in vaccines:

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/components-Allergens.htm

Please explain to me what I am looking at and what I am supposed to conclude from this table.

You need some exposures to an allergen to develop allergies. Some of the vaccines are made with milk (casein) and eggs, so young babies have exposures to these allergens after vaccinations. I am not saying that all babies will develop allergies after they have been vaccinated, but for some babies, early exposure to allergens may lead to future allergies. This table just lists some known allergens that are used in the common vaccines.

You need exposure to allergens to AVOID developing an allergy. Please keep up with the current research which says it is the very withholding of potential allergens in early life which has caused the current boom in allergies.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the "increase" is in part due to kids like mine. DD had a definite, non-life-threatening, allergic reaction to a specific type of nut the first time she ate it. She accidentally ate one again about 6 months later and had a similar reaction. Neither time required anything more than a dose of benedryl and just waiting for her to feel better. But, because we took her to the doctor, she has now been officially diagnosed as allergic to nuts and given an epi-pen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the "increase" is in part due to kids like mine. DD had a definite, non-life-threatening, allergic reaction to a specific type of nut the first time she ate it. She accidentally ate one again about 6 months later and had a similar reaction. Neither time required anything more than a dose of benedryl and just waiting for her to feel better. But, because we took her to the doctor, she has now been officially diagnosed as allergic to nuts and given an epi-pen.

Let's hope your dd's reactions remain the same over time. There is a lot of evidence that reactions become stronger, so I am glad you have an epi-pen. Please always carry it with you. I would not like to read about your dd on the news.

[Anonymous]

Roundup Ready / GM crops
Pesticides in general
Processed "franken-food"
Obsession with avoiding bacteria

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we have zero intolerance for even minor discomfort. I know a tiny minority of people are truly allergic, but the other 98% are just sensitive and would probably get better given the chance to adapt.

I am the PP before you and I agree. Many of my allergies wouldn't have been called allergies a generation or two before. People put up with itching, abdominal discomfort and didn't even go get it checked out as it didn't get progressively worse. I think the actual confirmed prevalence of anaphylactic allergies (that could cause death) is between 1 and 2% of the population. So in a school of 500 that should be 5-10 kids with severe allergies - not 5 per class. People do often refer to intolerances and sensitivities as allergies as I they think that sounds more serious and that people will understand their decision not to eat whatever.

I do eat some of the foods I am allergic to, as most of my allergies are not life threatening. They just make me very, very, very itchy, some make my throat swell, and most make my mouth raw (like its being burnt with a hot drink). I can eat a little but the discomfort is too much to be able to eat enough for my body to ever have the chance to adapt. Other foods cause a full body response for me (still not anaphylactic) where I get hot, sweaty, dizzy, and I get immediate diarrhea. Most people I know don't eat foods that cause reactions and refer to these reactions as allergies. it is similar with meds - people get side effects with certain medications and think they are allergic. They aren't. i do eat foods I am allergic to because I like those foods and I have so many allergies that it is too limiting to avoid them all.

This thinking is very dangerous. You can't predict your next reaction by your previous reaction. You could have full anaphylactic shock next time. Yes, my dd has coughing, sneezing, all over body hives, extreme amount of phlegm and an upset stomach from eating PN. Are you suggesting that she just put up with the discomfort and eat PN even though her dr says that the next time she ingests it, she could have anaphylaxis?

I am not suggestion anything to your daughter. I am simply saying what I do and giving my thoughts. You and your daughter can do as you wish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the "increase" is in part due to kids like mine. DD had a definite, non-life-threatening, allergic reaction to a specific type of nut the first time she ate it. She accidentally ate one again about 6 months later and had a similar reaction. Neither time required anything more than a dose of benedryl and just waiting for her to feel better. But, because we took her to the doctor, she has now been officially diagnosed as allergic to nuts and given an epi-pen.

Let's hope your dd's reactions remain the same over time. There is a lot of evidence that reactions become stronger, so I am glad you have an epi-pen. Please always carry it with you. I would not like to read about your dd on the news.

There are less than 400 deaths from anaphylaxis a year and most of those are related to penicillin allergies. People also die from insect bite reactions etc. Obviously most people with food allergies are not having anaphylactic reactions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine recently told me that she read a study where scientists now think women go into labor once the baby's lungs are fully developed. When this happens, the lungs secrete a hormone that kick starts labor because the baby is fully ready to be born. When labor is induced, this hormone might not yet be present and although the baby might have no visible long-term ill effects, their lungs might just have been a little too immature and this makes them more susceptible to allergies later in life. I have no idea if that's true or not, but it was interesting to think about! It correlates with the rise in induced labors and allergies in children. Just food for thought.

Now this is interesting. My third child was an induction and has multiple food allergies. My other two kids I went into labor on my own (and had unmedicated births) and they have no allergies. I always suspected that the induction might have had something to do with the allergies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine recently told me that she read a study where scientists now think women go into labor once the baby's lungs are fully developed. When this happens, the lungs secrete a hormone that kick starts labor because the baby is fully ready to be born. When labor is induced, this hormone might not yet be present and although the baby might have no visible long-term ill effects, their lungs might just have been a little too immature and this makes them more susceptible to allergies later in life. I have no idea if that's true or not, but it was interesting to think about! It correlates with the rise in induced labors and allergies in children. Just food for thought.

Now this is interesting. My third child was an induction and has multiple food allergies. My other two kids I went into labor on my own (and had unmedicated births) and they have no allergies. I always suspected that the induction might have had something to do with the allergies.

Hmm...my FA child was a pitocin-augmented labor, not an outright induction. Wonder if there would be a difference btwn an induction and an augmentation?

[Anonymous]

We have a lot more awareness of these things. My Mom has lactose intolerance. Growing up, her stomach always hurt and her parents would give her a glass of milk to make her feel better. She was always very skinny (didn't eat much) - until about 15 years ago when she started taking lactataid, felt better, and started eating more. People didn't used to pay as much attention to general discomfort. I think it's nice we figure these things out more and our children don't have to feel like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a lot more awareness of these things. My Mom has lactose intolerance. Growing up, her stomach always hurt and her parents would give her a glass of milk to make her feel better. She was always very skinny (didn't eat much) - until about 15 years ago when she started taking lactataid, felt better, and started eating more. People didn't used to pay as much attention to general discomfort. I think it's nice we figure these things out more and our children don't have to feel like that.

Agreed. Isn't there also a chance that both earlier in this country, and in other countries where there is less "allergy awareness", perhaps there were/are fewer older kids and adults w/ severe allergies because those that had/have them did/do not survive long?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the "increase" is in part due to kids like mine. DD had a definite, non-life-threatening, allergic reaction to a specific type of nut the first time she ate it. She accidentally ate one again about 6 months later and had a similar reaction. Neither time required anything more than a dose of benedryl and just waiting for her to feel better. But, because we took her to the doctor, she has now been officially diagnosed as allergic to nuts and given an epi-pen.

Let's hope your dd's reactions remain the same over time. There is a lot of evidence that reactions become stronger, so I am glad you have an epi-pen. Please always carry it with you. I would not like to read about your dd on the news.

I do hope the reactions don't get worse, but also it is pretty easy to avoid the one (or two) nuts that she is allergic to. My point was just that she is now flagged at her school as having a nut allergy, while if this happened when I was a kid, her relatively mild reaction would have gotten mom to say 'don't eat walnuts' and that would be the end of it.

[Anonymous]

Most allergists define "anaphylaxis" as an allergic reaction involving two or more systems--so itching AND gastro distress is an anaphylactic reaction, whether or not it proves to be life-threatening.

A reaction can be much, MUCH worse the second time around, or later. I've seen this with my own child as well as an adult friend at a BBQ. The adult friend literally couldn't speak and had to motion for me to give him his EpiPen. I assure you he felt more than "general discomfort" there and in the ER (and this was a fairly random event--I don't go out of my way to hang out with severely allergic people).

I would suggest anyone who needs to know about food allergies get off this forum and consult an allergist who is up to date on the latest research. Some of the advice given so far could be very dangerous to your child.