Profiling & Food Allergies

As I drove home from my technical writing job today on the interstate going at around 60 to 65 mph there were a lot of cars in the two lanes that fanned out to three or four then back to two.  With both hands on the wheel, I listened to my favorite Mozart CD and drove.  I glanced in my rear-view mirror and saw a woman behind me who was talking with a man who wore a dark business suit, white shirt and red tie.  She quickly turned to look at him and seemed very interested in carrying on the conversation making some small hand gestures as she spoke.  She made me a bit nervous. Minutes later, I saw two young men in a small, older car closing in quickly on me seemingly within feet from my rear bumper--much too close for my comfort.  In both cases, I put on my blinker and moved to the next lane to get away from what I perceived as dangerous drivers.  

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.

Toxic Load Affects Allergies

Now that the new school year is well underway and the holidays are on the horizon, keeping our lives in balance is the challenge.  There are many things that our boys want to do and many things that my husband and I want them and us to do, but the challenge is finding the priorities and the balance.  When things get out of balance and we take on too much, the result is exhaustion, poor behavior, illness and toxic overload.

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. 

Parasites─Participants in Allergies?

Yes, parasites.  Just the word makes most of us shiver.  Some people will even refuse to discuss or think about them.  While we are more comfortable with parasites existing in animals, such as tapeworms dogs and cats, the fact is that most people probably have parasites too--even in the United States, Europe and other developed areas of the world.  Doctors such as the well known TV personality Dr. Oz; Dr. Ross Anderson, a parasitic infection specialist and author; Dr. Peter Wina, Chief of Patho-Biology in the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; and Dr. Frank Nova, Chief of the Laboratory for Parasitic Diseases of the National Institute of Health have all been quoted making statements that generally indicate as many as 85% to 95% of adults probably have parasites. 

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

Leaky Gut and Food Allergies

What is leaky gut or leaky gut syndrome?  According to Dr. Weil, Leaky Gut Syndrome, “is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may 'leak' out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal bloating, excessive gas and cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity…Leaky gut syndrome may trigger or worsen such disorders as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.” [1]

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.

Peanuts or Tree Nuts for Children and Babies?

There is controversy about when to give a baby or young child peanuts or tree nuts.  Some doctors recommend introducing these foods at about one year.  Others suggest waiting until two or more years of age. Tree nuts include almonds, beechnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, gingko, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. Peanuts are not a tree nut--they are part of the legume family as are peas.

As a parent of two food-allergic sons, I am grateful that our sons’ allergist instructed us not to give them peanuts or tree nuts until at least five or six years of age.  I think the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is perfect advice this situation. Our sons are now six and seven years old.  Both had a dairy allergy and egg allergy.  One year ago our youngest outgrew his dairy allergy.  Neither child has developed a peanut or tree nut allergy--probably because we haven’t given them any peanuts or tree nuts.

As a parent of allergic children, I remember feeling the angst of wanting to know if either son would be allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.  This “need to know” feeling was strong and the ambiguity bothered me.  The ambiguity also bothered me when I explained the situation to others.  For example, it was harder to respond to teachers when they asked, “Is he allergic to peanuts or tree nuts?”  My answer was and still is, “My sons don’t appear to have an allergy to peanuts or tree nuts but we haven’t given them any nor do we plan to until they have fully outgrown their other allergies to dairy and egg.”  We’ve kept them in peanut and tree nut free classrooms, although they are allowed to sit next to others at lunch who may be eating peanuts or tree nuts.

Normally I don’t get to explain the details behind our avoidance: Our allergist explained and my research has demonstrated to me that a child who develops food allergies can have an immature or problematic digestive system.  For instance, if the child has taken a lot of antibiotics during their young life then the bacteria which normally reside in the child’s digestive track, a.k.a. intestine, can be destroyed.  When it isn’t replenished through probiotics (like acidophilus or many other strains), the intestine wall can actually become damaged to the point where tiny holes are created in it.  This is called ‘leaky gut syndrome’ and can be very difficult to diagnose (and see).  But one negative result is that food particles can leak through the intestine wall without being properly digested.  Then the liver must cleanse the blood of these particles and sometimes the immune system creates antibodies to attack them.  Once the antibodies are created the allergic reaction is in place.

Since our sons had food allergies (to dairy and egg) we were extremely wary and afraid of introducing peanuts or tree nuts since the likelihood was high that an allergic reaction would be created.  So we waited, and waited, and waited.

Only once our younger son outgrew the diary allergy just after his fifth birthday, did I give him a peanut.  When I did, I made sure it wasn’t dry roasted, since those are cooked at such a high temperature that some believe changes the protein and contributes to the creation of a peanut allergic response.  An other option would have been to give him boiled peanuts, which are more common in China, and where they have a lower allergy rate to peanuts.  Dry roasted peanuts are cooked at temperatures around 400 to 500 degrees.  Water boils at around 200 degrees--a substantially lower temperature.  Because I had a hard time finding either natural, raw or boiled peanuts, even at our local natural foods store, I purchased a box of “natural, organic, raw” peanuts over the Internet from a state across the county.  When they arrived, I gave him one-half a peanut each day for several days until I was sure he could tolerate them.  I still haven’t tried tree nuts.  As for my older son who is now seven and one-half, we have not given him peanuts or tree nuts, because his dairy and egg allergy remain present. 

Our caution in exposing our sons to peanuts and tree nuts even took place in the allergist’s office.  When they were skin prick tested we opted not to have the peanut or tree nut allergen injected into their skin because we didn’t want to expose them to the protein via skin,  Could this possibly trigger an allergy?  Some say yes, others say no.  But being the parent of the beloved child, why throw caution to the wind and give it a go?  No, we prefer the saying, “Better safe than sorry.”  So we had our sons tested for peanut and tree nuts using the ELISA or RAST blood tests when they were about three or four years old.  All blood test results came back negative for allergy to peanuts and tree nuts.  But we still didn't give them either of these foods.

So our life continues at ages six and seven with avoidance of peanuts and tree nuts.  Our riskiest behavior will involve occasionally purchasing food that was manufactured in a facility that creates peanut or tree nut products.  But for the most part we try to avoid that as well.  We will wait until there is evidence that each of our sons’ digestive systems are healed and immune systems are less likely to attack protein particles before taking the next steps. 

As a mother and researcher of food allergies, I personally think that if a child has other food allergies when they are babies, such as an allergy to wheat, soy, egg, fish, dairy or any food, then that child shouldn’t be given the dangerous allergy-foods of peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish until they are older (5+) and have outgrown all of their other allergies.  As for children without allergies, I’d still wait until the child was at least three or four to introduce peanuts or tree nuts.  My two cents.