While he has never had a reaction to merely touching dairy--he had now. Rather than becoming less sensitive, it appears he may be becoming more sensitive. Have our efforts of strict avoidance back-fired on us? I don’t have the answers, but did some research on how we might approach desensitizing him.
I found four main approaches:
Please share your experiences and thoughts on these treatments.
As I continued to drive, it occurred to me that my driving attention includes a significant effort of watching the behavior of other drivers and mitigating my risks by trying to move away from drivers who I believe are dangerous. I am indeed profiling! By profiling drivers and intuitively rating them on a risk scale my decisions are impacted as are my route and speed. For instance, the distracted chatting woman and the aggressive young man were both profiled quickly as high risk because if the unexpected were to happen, I felt they would not be well-prepared to respond in a safe way so I changed lanes, altered speeds and moved away.
As parents of children with food allergies, I have learned that various people can be profiled to a certain extent when it comes to supervising my children with respect to their dairy and egg allergies. For instance, I’ve experienced an art teacher to said, “Oh I didn’t even think of that!” when I pointed out that she gave my then two-year-old egg-allergic-son an egg carton with which to create a craft. I’ve also experienced another teacher who almost immediately “forgot” what foods my sons were allergic to right after our meeting discussing it for well over fifteen minutes. Or there is the visitor who was just eating peanut butter candies in the car and has some smeared on their shirt. These “non-registering” folks are profiled in my mind as “high risk” for food allergy supervision.
Another high risk category are the people who act like parents of food allergic kids are a little crazy or at a minimum very over protective. For instance, one Sunday I came out of church service to find the Sunday school teacher gave the entire class sorbet and ice creams covered in chocolate sauce and other candies. Shocked, as I wasn’t advised there would be sundaes in Sunday school, I inquired about the ingredients and mentally checked my purse for the Epi-Pen. The teacher's reaction was a bit condescending: I felt the strong sense that I was somehow stepping out of line. Even my mother advised me several years ago that my brother said if he watched the kids he wanted to try to give my sons some dairy! So I find these consciously rebellious attitudes as high risk profile, but perhaps not quite as high risk as the first category of, “Geez, I forgot,” or “Geez, I didn’t even think of that.” At least this second group is conscious.
On a positive note, there are wonderful low risk folks who are like angels. Both of my sisters-in-law and mother understand and go to special trouble to make delicious meals that are dairy and egg-free. I trust them, appreciate them and am grateful. Further, our new church's Sunday school teacher carefully explained her own experience and daughter’s experience with food allergies all the while giving me assurances and food related activity schedules so as to settle my own stomach.
So just like we profile others when driving or doing various every day activities that involve assessing risk, we can and should profile people upon whom we rely to care for or supervise our food-allergic children.
I recommend considering the kind of person--is the person absent minded? Self centered? Forgetful? Rebellious? Arrogant? Panicky? If so, these are high risk personalities when it comes to food allergies. Their behavioral reputation will likely carry over to their ability to care for food-allergic children and either cause a crises or be unlikely to handle a crises well.
Look for people who show characteristics of being considerate, respectful and able to listen (and hear). Consider how carefully one communicates details. Do they have some experience with any serious health issue that might help them understand food allergies more? I think these are lower risk personalities and probably more likely to be successfully trusted to care for your food allergic child in a responsible, sensitive and positive way--both to your child and to you.
]]>As any parent knows, balancing school, homework, baseball, piano, play dates and free time can be difficult when there are only twenty-four hours in a day. Stretching the day-time activities into the night-time sleeping hours never works. A short term gain in accomplishments leads to a long term loss in effectiveness.
Food allergies are an immune system disorder. I believe that when the immune system is stressed by exhaustion, emotional needs or illness the body then further succumbs to illness. I’ve found the old wives tales of keeping healthy to be quite effective. Specifically, “don’t get a chill,” “get plenty of sleep,” “eat right,” and “keeping a good attitude” can impact the body’s ability to handle the exposure to viruses the come through sneezes and coughing from schoolmates.
Our older son puts a lot of pressure on himself to help others and be a leader in school. But he pays the price in exhaustion after school. As we were waiting at the bus stop last week, he told me how tired he was, how his legs and back ached. His little chin trembled a bit as he told me and he looked a bit pale. My heart ached as I wondered what to do. Is he getting sick? Should I keep him home today? I’d have to call work and not go in as well. Was there a compromise? That’s the constant struggle I feel when trying to do the right thing for my children. We decided he would go to school, but I picked him up a little early so he could avoid the bus ride home and spend an extra hour on the sofa eating and relaxing. I think it helped--he was tired at the end of the day, but felt better the next day.
I find that the medical studies and often many physicians dispute these sort of esoteric factors that a mother (or father) might take into consideration when deciding how to best take care of her child. I often see or hear, “There is no medical basis,” or “There is no proof,” with the undertone of “you are being silly, woman,” but I believe and see evidence of these intangible factors as being significant. A person’s child body isn’t a composite of parts, but a whole. Understanding that one thing impacts another that impacts yet another is important when it comes to health.
That’s where the toxic load evolves: The more “toxins” we put upon our bodies or our children’s bodies, the harder the immune system must work to overcome them. This “stress” can negatively impact the body’s ability to handle allergic reactions as well. It can reportedly make the reactions up to two hundred percent worse at times of high stress according to some studies.
So I believe that striving to keep our lives in balance is of utmost importance for health at many different levels--emotional and physical as it pertains to illness and allergies, both of which rely on a strong immune system that itself can reach a more healthy level of balance by not overreacting to allergens and by being strong enough to fight off the true enemies in the world of viruses and unhealthy bacteria. Finding balance in a nebulous world of issues and outcomes is a true challenge for parents.
]]>For instance, my sons now have three kinds of doctors: A regular, allopathic pediatrician, a pediatric allergist and a naturopathic physician.
Does it sound complicated? Sometimes it is. Often the doctors have different opinions about how to handle our sons’ illnesses which can be confusing and frustrating. Other times, I appreciate the two-against-one sort of outcome because it helps me to see the situation more clearly by separating out the different doctors' methodologies and focus.
Here’s an example: Last spring seasonal pollen was very high. My son was wheezing. I took him to the naturopath and then the allopathic doctor in the same day. The naturopath gave him some supplements to help his breathing and suggested the situation warranted a breathing treatment inhalant. Because he isn’t licensed to prescribe that kind of medication he wanted me to see the allopathic physician. Once I was at the next office, the allopathic physician thought my son needed not only the breathing treatment inhalant, but also steroids and antibiotics. Later, at home when I called and advised the naturopath physician of this solution, he disagreed, but left it to my discretion. I gave my son the inhalant for one week and the steroids because it seemed like he needed them to get over this wheezing problem. But I didn’t give him the antibiotics because he didn’t have a fever so I thought he didn’t have a sinus infection. It turned out that he was fine without the antibiotics.
Here’s where the second and third opinion helped: The allopathic (regular pediatric) physician said there was nothing wrong with steroids for a few days. But there was an impact that has lasted for over four months. My son developed a rash from the steroids that we gave him for just a few days. Beating down the rash with months of probiotics wasn’t working. It was not until I bought several over the counter creams, washes and powders to kill off the candida fungus did the rash start to subside. I also wonder what other negative impacts occurred that are invisible to me.
While the naturopath said the steroids caused the rash problem by empowering bad bacteria and fungus in my son's system, I also heard the pediatrician say they wouldn’t cause any problems if only taken for a few days and he didn't think the rash was due to the steroids (even though it appeared right after taking them). But then the scales tipped for me when the pediatric allergist said that we should avoid oral steroids. A preventative seasonal allergy medication is worth taking to avoid the onset of wheezing and thus the need for steroids. I think the problem with steroids is that they do throw the body’s balance off which is not something a parent wants for a child who has food allergies since the delicate balance of intestinal health is probably the source of the problem in the first place.
Sometimes I feel frustrated by one doctor or another. But I also really like each of my sons’ doctors as people. I do believe they all mean well and only want to do the best for my children. So I will continue to obtain doctors' advice and opinions as each have different personalities, educations, philosophies about the right way to treat and heal.
I think one of the most difficult parts of being a parent involves weighing the information and making an informed decision. How could I be fully informed if I only had a single professional opinion? Getting second and third opinions is a good thing. Maybe it is more complex, but it is more complete.
]]>When I returned home, about one-and-a-half hours later, I found my younger son sitting on a little blue beach chair on the lawn next to the driveway. He was happy to see me─grinning ear to ear and waving to me as I pulled in. His feet were sort of wiggling back and forth on the green grass in a relaxed, silly way. I thought to myself, “Wow, I can’t believe I just went through what seemed like hell and back, while my little son had a totally different experience for the past ninety minutes.” I was indeed quite envious.
When I got out of the car, I asked him if he had been here the whole time. He replied, “Yes Mommy, I was waiting for you. Do you want to play catch?” I was further stunned that he had been so patient and was so happy despite the heat and the wait. Although I had a headache by this point, I said okay, and we played a bit of catch in the backyard, until I realized I just couldn’t even catch the ball that day because I was so exhausted from the heat and my own experience of screen-door-frustration.
So you might ask, “What does this experience possibly have to do with food allergies?” Well─it is a vivid reminder that to a large extent we can create our own experiences. While we all must carry the burden of having to deal with food allergies, we can ask ourselves, “What is my attitude about food allergies in my life?” Am I angry? Tired of them? Frustrated? Mad? Feel unfairly burdened? Do I express my frustration at others who are eating peanut butter or dairy near my child? Am I angry with the school? Doctors? Do I feel frustrated towards my own child because of allergies? Do I get angry with relatives during social gatherings when their attitude is not as I’d like? In other words, a parent may feel that the food allergies are unfair, so they may therefore carry around a certain amount of resentment and stress that negatively impacts their life, their child’s life and those with whom they come into contact.
Instead, consider my little son’s take on life: Sitting on the beach chair on the terribly hot day, waiting for ninety minutes for my return─all with a very good attitude. Can we parents find the pleasure in life with all of the good things that we have─despite the food allergies? Perhaps a child has food allergies, but is that child is otherwise healthy, adorable, bright, fun, silly, loving and smart? While social gatherings can be difficult, are there ways to create get-togethers that are more conducive to dealing with food allergies?
How one feels about food allergies in a child, can be controlled to a large extent. A parent can still be careful─but not stressed out about it. Make the experience of childhood fun, despite the heat (so-to-speak). You can’t change it anyway. All you can do is make it better or worse─with your attitude and actions. In fact, there are studies that show stress can actually make allergic reactions worse, up to 200% worse! So try to remove stress from your allergy situation by working to change your attitude and feelings about them. Accept them. Deal with the allergies with care, but try to have fun while you kids are growing up. Be like my little six-year-old son who sat waiting patiently and finding fun on the beach chair, doubtlessly getting up now and then to chase a butterfly or look at an ant, and smiling contentedly at me after waiting with anticipation of some more fun upon my return.
]]>According to the USDA, “Young children, pregnant women, older adults, and persons with weakened immune systems,” are highly susceptible to parasites for several reasons. First, because the immune systems are weaker than most adults the parasite isn’t eliminated easily. Second, children are often on the ground and putting things into their mouths that may not be clean, specifically things that may have come into contact with animal or human feces. Third, children may accidentally swallow pool water that is contaminated since many parasites can live for several days in chlorinated water. Fourth, young children in day care can easily contract parasites from other children through shared diaper changing facilities. Fifth, eating raw, unwashed fruits and vegetables or eating undercooked meats can deliver parasites directly into human bodies. [1]
But how can parasites play a part in allergies, especially food allergies? According to Dr. Leo Galland, “One of the most common effects of intestinal parasites is food allergy. I looked at the effects of parasitic infection among patients in my medical practice. For people with multiple food allergies who were found to have intestinal parasites, treatment of the parasitic infection produced a dramatic reduction in food allergy in about half the cases. It's my belief that anyone with food intolerance or allergy should be tested for intestinal parasites…Parasites may cause allergic or autoimmune disorders in two ways. First, the inflammation caused by an intestinal infection can cause an increase in the permeability of the small intestine, a phenomenon known colloquially as ‘leaky gut’…Second, over two-thirds of your body's immune system is located in the wall of the small intestine. The immune cells (called lymphocytes) leave the intestine and travel all over your body. When activated by a parasitic infection, they can carry the inflammatory message to your joints, your skin, your eyes, and your lungs.” [2]
In summary, parasites can weaken the immune system and cause overreactions to otherwise harmless substances such as food allergens of soy, wheat, egg, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shell fish. If a parent thinks that parasites might be a contributing factor to their child’s food allergies, then that parent could locate a doctor who understands and can treat a child for parasites. It may take several phone calls or visits to find a doctor that is educated in this area by being able to explain the appropriate tests and medications to rid the child’s body of parasites.
[1] USDA’s Foodborne Illness & Diseaser, “Parasites and Foodborne Illness,” May, 24 2011 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/parasites_and_foodborne_illness/index.asp
[2] Galland, M.D., Leo, “What’s Living in Your Digestive System?”, Huffington Post, March 2, 2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-galland-md/stomach-parasites_b_828565.html
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Every spring our older son's eyes get a little itchy and red and he may become congested, but I now realize that the past has been mild to moderate compared to this year. Five weeks ago, we kicked off the allergy season with a Monday of red, swollen, itchy eyes. Since then he has avoided going outside despite the beautiful spring weather. He has been diligent about showering before bed to wash off pollen, especially when he has been outside for baseball practice. Despite our carefulness, it has been difficult, to say the least.
His eyes remain itchy and swollen. We give him eye drops, but I worry about putting so many drops in those beautiful blue eyes. I also wonder about the side effects of eye drops--what is dripping into his sinus cavity? Could it be making him even stuffier? Could all of the eye rubbing give him an infection? Are his nails short enough? Are his hands clean?
Then there is the congestion: His nose is stuffy beyond belief. We give him antihistamine but depending upon the type, the medicine either makes him tired or jumpy. Plus, once the antihistamine wears wear off--there are more side effects. Specifically, his sleep is disrupted or his congestion increases even more than it may have otherwise--the dependency factor.
But by far, the scariest seasonal allergy symptom is the trouble breathing. For the first time this year the school nurse called me--I was one hour from the school--she advised me that my son was having trouble breathing. He was wheezing. As every parent can imagine, my stress level sky rocketed as I tried not to race down the highway to the school. By the time I arrived, he seemed better, much better. So we went home and tried to relax.
But by bed time he started coughing and by ten o’clock he was coughing violently while sleeping--to the point of almost vomiting. Terribly worried, I called his pediatrician and he told us to give our son some medication through the nebulizer as well as some oral medication to stop the wheezing and coughing. I must admit that although we use medications sparingly instead trying to allow his body to heal itself through more natural vitamins like fish oil and probiotics, these medication worked beautifully. Within ten minutes he was breathing deeply and there was no more coughing.
So these three springtime symptoms of seasonal allergies over the past five weeks have impacted us emotionally. Our son is frustrated--tired of it all. He has even starting to complain--normally he stoically handles food allergies--eating non-diary and non-egg foods at lunch and parties. Now he has begun to ask, “Why doesn’t my brother have pollen allergies?” The undertone of, “This isn’t fair!” is coming across stronger and stronger. His personality has also changed a bit by giving into less patience and more frustration with everyday things. Normally he can be so loving and quite charming but I can see how frustrated he is--at the end of his rope. The symptoms are relentless.
I have been worrying a lot--getting up several times some nights to check on his breathing. I feel so bad for him--wishing that I could adopt his stuffy nose and let him relax and breath freely. I pray for rain--watching the weather report hoping for a cleansing downpour. I tell him that many, many people have to deal with seasonal allergies, but I still feel terrible for him. I tell him how things could be even harder--that we should appreciate his otherwise good health and strong abilities. I list off those things he does so well…baseball, piano, math, friendship, helping others...I think it makes him feel better at the moment. Advising him to, “hang in there,” and “never give up hope,” helps him believe that things will get better--just around the corner. They will.
He is a trooper. I am proud because I know how hard he tries to participate in all he can. I take solace in knowing that he will do well in life because he can work through the toughest times. He can play baseball with a head full of stuffiness--and hit the ball hard time after time on the first swing. He can do his homework day after day while tired and crabby--and still get it all correct. He can perk up and enjoy his weekly piano lesson. He can put a big, marvelous smile on his face for others--even in spite of his struggles and allergies. Keeping one’s proverbial chin up is a life long skill that will help him.
Plus, perhaps things will really get better today, as it finally rained last night. Thank you.
]]>Much of my research has resulted in my belief that leaky gut can lead to food allergies (and contribute to autism). As we know, food allergies are an immune system response to food proteins. The most commend food proteins that cause food allergies are dairy, egg, soy, wheat, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shell fish. It is my understanding that when a child is exposed to one (or more) of these allergens, a food allergy can be triggered especially if that child had leaky gut syndrome. While most doctors do not test for leaky gut syndrome and because it is invisible to the eye, a parent must rely on symptoms. As Dr. Weil states, rashes are a symptom and you can see a rash on your child. Other symptoms may be hard to identify because children cannot effectively communicate how they feel. An infant can’t tell you that he or she has gas, cramps, pain or trouble breathing. But a skin rash is obvious and can be the offending protein making its way out of the body through the skin. My first son had cradle cap and skin rashes on his arms, legs and occasionally his back and face.
Another symptom can be thrush or candida overgrowth--more commonly known as yeast. While a 'yeast infection' is something women ususally think about with respect to reproductive health, it can equally affect the digestive track. The National Candida Center explains, “Candida overgrowth (candida albicans) can lead to candida yeast infection and leaky gut syndrome which is medically referred to as intestinal permeability. Leaky gut is a major gastrointestinal disorder that occurs when openings develop in the gut wall. These tiny holes can be created when candida overgrowth moves to a more serious stage of candida yeast infection and the candida yeast grows roots or hypha (plural hyphae) which is a long, branching filamentous cell of a fungus. This fungal growth is a more advanced stage of development in the candida albicans yeast infection. The hyphae spreads the bowel wall cells apart so that acidic, harmful microorganisms and macromolecules are then able to pass through (leak) these openings and enter the circulatory system. Thus the name 'leaky gut.' The body is alerted to the invader and creates antibodies for protection, activates the immune system, and thus is born a food allergy. Food allergies are directly linked to leaky gut and candida yeast infection overgrowth.” [2]
For years, my first son had a lot of white stuff on his tongue. We’d try to brush it off and use mouthwash, but it would reappear. Our current doctor identified it as candida. After one and one-half years on a probiotic regimen prescribed by our doctor and careful rinsing of toothbrushes with a hydrogen peroxide-based mouthwash, my son's tongue is finally a beautiful pink. It is my hope that if his intestines are now healed from a candida overgrowth then perhaps his body will outgrow his dairy and egg allergy. He just turned eight years old this past January and while he has made progress in his reaction severity over the past seven years, the allergy still exists (mild to moderate according to the skin prick test results). While I have no proof as to the cause of the candida problem, it is my opinion that too many antibiotics during infancy and toddler years without replenishment of probiotics, set him up for food allergies. In fact, I remember that when he was six months old, he had his first round of antibiotics. Around that time, I tried to wean him from breast milk to cow’s milk-based formula--thus producing our first allergic reaction.
If I had to do it over again, and know what I know now, I’d find a doctor who used antibiotics sparingly and who would have recommended a probiotics supplement for my child, especially after the use of antibiotics. Ironically, the use of probiotics can also help fight off illness and boost the immune system as well--so the need for antibiotics is reduced.
[1] Weil, M.D., Andrew, "What is Leady Gut?" http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA361058/what-is-leaky-gut.html, Weil Lifestyle, LLC.
[2] "Candida Yeast Infection Leaky Gut, Irritable Bowel and Food Allergies," http://www.nationalcandidacenter.com/leaky-gut/, National Candida Center.
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There is hope. Mr. Dwayne Ratleff has recently filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (‘FDA’) to require food manufacturers to make these label changes more prominent. Even better--his petition has been accepted and approved by the FDA. This means it has been assigned an official docket number and can be supported by the public through comments.
If you like the idea of food manufacturers being required to put an advisory statement such as "Ingredient Information Has Changed" on the primary display panel when a manufacturer adds ingredients from the group of major food allergens such as dairy, soy, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish…then supporting the new petition is easy:
You can also read the full petition from that site by clicking on “view docket folder.”
Please pass this information along to others who may want to comment on the FDA's site.
Thank you.
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