Seeking Information About Food Allergies

Wow, that's a tough one! My daughter, who is now 2 1/2, is allergic to peanuts and eggs. We practice STRICT avoidance of these foods because she has had a reaction to them both. She has also had the skin tests and blood tests to confirm. They say that there can be false positives with the tests. I would definitely get a second opinion and if he had the skin tests before, I would ask for the blood RAST test to confirm it. Good luck, food allergies are no joke and no fun...but the positive part of that is that they are managable, unlike many other things!

A lot more stores have an area specifically for food without those ingredients.They may even have recipes or ideas. If not there are whole food stores or organic stores around now. We have a Whole Foods and a Mustard Seed in my area.Also there is so much on the internet available.

Dear K.,

It's such a good thing that you fond out about these food allergies early!

If you don't mind driving to Columbus for an appointment, I can recommend the best doctor for this kind of situation. Her name is Sandra Pinkham, and she began her medical career strictly as a pediatrician. She takes a naturopathic approach to treating her patients whenever possible, preferring to use diet and supplements to improve their health. If nedication is necessary, she isn't against it, but she does try to keep it to a minimum.

I am also allergic to dairy and wheat, and I avoid sugar at all costs. Since starting the diet Sandy prescribed for me, I feel like a new person!

Here's Sandy's information if you want to get in touch with her.:

Sandra Pinkham M.D.
2170 Riverside Dr.
Columbus OH 43221
###-###-####

Sandy has a very small private practice, so if no one answers the phone, they will get back to you ASAP. She cares deeply about each and every one of her patients, and she likes to spend a long time at the first appointment really getting to know them.

Please feel free to send me a private message if you want more information of support. I am currently helping to design the content of a web site about Sandy's health plan that will be up within the next few months. The site address will be: http://www.drsandydiet.com There will be pages there where people can share recipes, support each other, etc.

From my personal experience, and the experience of other Dr. Sandy patients I know, it's a good idea for all of us to avoid wheat, dairy, and sugar. It's a lot easier than it sounds, and I guarantee you it will improve your health, energy levels, and resistance to allergens.

Good luck!

Hi K., My daughter at 9 months, I was eating peanuts and kissed her cheak and it swelled up. I gave her bendrly and at her one year check-up I said, something to the docter. He gave Lucy a blood test. It came back and said she is highly allergic to peanuts and all kind of nuts. she also is allergic to wheat and dogs. When a dog kisses her she breaks out in hives. We didn't cut out the wheat but, it gives her diarria and makes her skin bad. she is 17 months old and she has to keep a epi pen with her at all times because of the peanut allergry. I would take that one serious because everything has some kinda of nuts in it or peanuts. You will have to ask the docter how high the test results were?! In lucy's case it was very high for nuts and peanuts. Sorry, if my speeling is off! I just had my gallbladder out two days ago! I have been married for 11 years. I have a 8 year old son who is allergic to dogs and cats and a 6 year old daughter and then Lucy who is 17 months. Good Luck! H. H.

This is funny in a way as I had allergy tests done in my mid 20's and was told I was allergic to milk, wheat, corn, peanuts, egg whites and soy, dust mites and cats.I had never had any reaction to anything except maybe dust mites.So I was then told by the allergist that I had to get shots every week for a while to get over the allergy.Well every time I got a shot I felt terrible afterwards for 2 or 3 days.If I missed a week I felt wonderful.Then I'd go and feel awful again plus had a sore scratchy throat on top of feeling bad for 2 or 3 days.Honestly I think the whole art of it is a scam.You spend your money they inject your child and your child is deprived of all things he loves.Your kid is miserable you feel bad for him and the Allergist gets rich off of your insurance company. Good Luck. I know some foks really do have allergies but if you don't have any symptoms why avoid anything.

My youngest is allergic to corn and other items, but not as many foods. I am allergic to corn, and recently found out I am allergic to dairy and fresh tomatoes. I can suggest one book: The Self-Help Allergy Cookbook, which talks about rotating the fiber in your diet to avoid wheat, etc.
I grew up in a kosher home and keep kosher still, so I got used to non-dairy meals plenty. Explore almond (if not part of nut family)and rice based milk and tofu (if not soy based)but be sure to look for corn additives in all of it. Anything in particular you are wanting to make?
Also, be sure to read up on what is the most hazardous to yoru child - like the ones that give them hives or send them into shock. Peanuts do! Corn does not, that I am aware of as yet. I have found that sytaying away from dairy has helped my digestion tremendously. Your child will feel better and be less cranky when they stay away from whatever gives them stomach problems, breathing issues and/or sinus congestion.

My husband is allergic to flour, yeast, sugar, corn syrup. He develops pancreatitis(sp?). We eat sugar free just about everything and when I go shopping I look at the ingredients.... you would be surprised how much corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup is in everything. And if you little guy is allergic to corn then you don't want to give hi9m those products either. There are some other whole grains you might want to try ... Flax meal we use it instead of flour if that is something he can have. Sorry I am not of better help! Just make sure you check the packages, manufacturers like to sneak a lot of ingredients in things even when they say it's sugar free!

I've read all the responses and want to address just a couple of things. My daughter who is 8 had severe allergies when she was an infant. We really watched everything she ate and she has now outgrown most of those with Peanut being the only severe allergy she still has. My nephew seemed to have the same type of symptoms when he was little. My brother-in-law and his wife refused to get him checked for allergies. When he would eat dairy he would break out around his mouth, but never got hives like my daughter or seemed to have as severe reactions as she did. They never cut out anything from his diet. Eventually they did have him tested and he had tons of allergies.

Today, not only has he developed asthma but he is going in on Thursday to have surgery on his sinus passages because they are so irritated and swollen. When I asked what was causing it, my MIL said it was because of his allergies. Think about this...my husband has asthma, my daughter does not, his nephew does. I believe it's because we restricted her diet until she outgrew her allergies...slowly introducing each one.

Although you may not see what you would consider "reactions" there still may be things happening to his body that you cannot see. I would advise you to listen to your doctor.

myself and my son has traveled that path for 27 yrs.now you have to go to a real allergist and have more tests run.let me tell you it doesnt stop some drs say it hits a level where it will either stop or will get much more worse.if it started as a simple rash that didnt seem to go away which is eczema it will develope into asthma.this is something a lot of kids are going thru.i started out fixing two meals one for him and one for the others in the family. dont do this.if the child cant have it neither should the others have something where he feels left out.read labels but never ever accept the one drs word as final get a second opinion.even a third so you have more info to go with.K.

I am so sorry for you. My son was born with a milk allergy. He has been milk free now for 7 1/2 years. He is eight and the initial reaction to milk, which was a rash, went away and the blood test showed that he was not allergic to milk anymore. I reintroduced it and found that he would get sick, with ear infections, within 1-2 weeks after having alot of dairy. I since then completely removed dairy from his diet and he is much healthier now.

Now, for myself....I am allergic/sensitive to wheat, shellfish, goat milk, egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, pineapple, beef, cabbage. It is very difficult to find food to eat and to cook. But you learn how to cook more naturally. It takes more time but it is well worth it.

There is a doctor in the Medina area that does allergy illimation techniques that work. If you are interested let me know. You can email me at ____@____.com

I know it is difficult with a child with allergies. You know his reactions may not be external, they may be causing some type of reaction inside his body, like maybe his behavior or his quality of sleep, concentration....some people don't always react with ashtma, rash or hives.... just something to consider. Let me know if you want the doctors name.

M.

Have you noticed your son complaining of belly aches or having hard stools? That was the only sign we ever got from my daughter. Like you we were trying to rule out enviromental stuff and discovered she was allergic to wheat. While cutting out wheat has helped her belly, I am still thinking there is more. But back to your son, if he shows no signs, then his body may have learned to accept the foods, or his body could be building up a resistance, so taking food out is a good idea. Look at healthfood stores, they are really good at carrying allergen free foods. Also look at bookstores to find allergen books that will give you recipes and such. Hope all goes well, and hopefully your son can still eat some of those foods.

I have 2 boys with food allergies. I highly recommend seeing a dietician. They can give you a list of all the foods to look out for. Even if you think your child hasn't had any reaction it could really be little things you're not noticing. Eczema is one, constant cold like symptoms, belly ache, constipation/diarrhea, and asthma to list a few. An allergist can help you with this. Good luck!

If you are in the Fishers/Carmel/Noblesville area.....you need to see Dr. Karen Marshall. This is her area of expertise. She deals with ALOT of kids. She'll give you guidance here.

If your child does not have any adverse reactions from these "allergies" of these healthy foods, then I would not worry about them. Often what shows up as allergies on tests are simply sensitivity to these items. The best thing you can do is to feed your child the things that are closest to nature. Avoid preservatives, artificial colors and flavors. Fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and water are my recommendations for children and adults.

If there becomes an allergic reaction to any foods...then perhaps you need to make more drastic changes. A multivitamin for your son would be great to keep his immune system strong.

Hi K.,
I don't have any experience in dealing with food allergies, Thank God!! Trace Adkins, the country singer, has a daughter with sever food allergies and if you can find his website that may be able to assist you. He was on Celebrity Apprentice and his charity that he was playing for was Children with Severe Food Allergies. Hope this will help you!

Good Luck!

I want to tell you a little bit about my experience with food allergies with my daughter. She only has a dairy allergy, but it is very difficult to work around. When she was about 9 months old, she would react to cheese with spots around her mouth and runny nose and eyes. Then, one day she has to have blood work done and reacted terribly to the band they put around her arm. We then thought she had a latex allergy. Long story short, at one year old, she was tested and was negative for latex and positive for dairy. We were surprised because she ate yogurt and drank whole milk at one year. So, we went to the allergist who then told us to keep it out entirely with the hope that her immune system would lose the sensitivity and she would "outgrow" the allergy. Well, she is now 7 and has not outgrown the allergy. We were meticulous about removing dairy to the point that we took our own food to amusement parks, restaurants, preschool, etc. However, she became more sensitive to accidental exposure like butter on a table at a restaurant or skin contact incidences. Her Ig levels increased instead of decreased. We were growing more and more frustrated everyday. So, I did some research on my own and found that some studies used a "desensitization" technique to slowly introduce foods she could tolerate before back into her diet. Once I did that, her Ig levels showed improvement. By no means am I telling you to try this or keep giving your son dairy, I just wanted to share my experience with you so that you can discuss your options with your allergist. Each allergy is different, though. Please call me if you have any other questions or concerns. My number is ###-###-#### or ###-###-####.
-K.

I know that it's hard to do but DO IT and do it diligently. You will be AMAZED at the changes in your child. We're on Gluten-Free (wheat, oats, barley, rye, etc.), Casein-Free (milk/dairy) and Soy-Free for my son. He has a twin sister who is also on the diet. Not only did I see the changes in them, but my own health improved as well (things that I never associated with food allergies - never even considered that I had any). I can give you some sites that could be helpful to get you started. I will say that you REALLY need to read labels - especially for the soy. They jam that into everything these days. I'll give you my email address if you want more info or I can give you my cell number. Would love to help if I can.

For the wheat allergy, you can get recipes on-line that are gluten free. You can use rice milk for any recipes that call for soy milk or cow milk. They also have pretty good rice milk ice cream (I get it at Giant Eagle). Eggs and corn is a little tougher to avoid. You'll have to start reading labels. It'll be a little tough for you in the beginning but you'll learn real quickly what you can buy and what not. Write down any questions that you have for the allergist. And take your time talking to the allergist. When I took my son, I spoke to the allergist for almost half an hour which was great.

My sister just had the same problem with her 5 yr old son. He had already been diagnosed with asthma, but he still had a lot of problems with his breathing. So they tested him and found much the same allergies including chicken, eggs, vanilla and coconut! He also has some environmental allergies, too. The doctor told them to elminate everything from his diet for several weeks and then introduce them one at a time to see if there is indeed an allergy to that particular thing. For instance, he may be able to tolerate soy in small quantities. My nephews reactions seem to affect his breathing more than hives or something visible. For instance, he has a hard time just getting through a whole soccer game without getting wheezy and winded.

My sister did mention that she now realizes that even though he looks fine, he may still not be feeling as good as he can be. So, they are working diligently to see if they can figure out his reactions to everything. It's hard, but since you are a stay at home mom, it will be easier. (My sister has to work so it's hard for her to make all of his food from scratch!) But, you can control the food allergies much more than you can the environmental allergies, so eventually you should be able to figure out what to do!

I hope this helps. I know it'll be a long frustrating struggle for a while, but the good thing is that he may just have skin allergies to some of this and he can still eat it. PM me if you need any help with food alternatives. For instance, since he's allergic to corn, that means he may not be able to eat corn syrup or corn oil! I am a vegan myself...look up vegan sites because they often help with people who can't have wheat and other allergies as well.

Good luck!! Feel free to send me a message if you need more info!

Wow, I just can't believe all the reactions. If your son isn't having any problems, I wouldn't do anything. If its not broke, don't fix it. My husband was tested in his 20's. His tests came back about the same. He didn't remove anything from his diet, because he wasn't having issues with anything. Why go to all the trouble and hassle, why deny your son the oppurtunity to live a normal live? Why give him a handicap that he doesn't have to have? Do you really believe the tests over your own experiences? Who has more to gain from the tests reading allergy, you or the dr.?

Check out www.faastcincy.org. FAAST stands for Food Allergy Awareness, Support and Training.

I know it sounds impossible...but it isn't. My husband is also allergic/sensitive to wheat,barley, rye , milk and eggs. He doesn't have "reactions" like most people who are allergic to milk, with cramps and etc. When we found out, I went to the library and found books. One that helped alot was Gluten-Free quick & easy and Cooking Free, both by Carol Fenster. The reason we took the tests seriously is that he has developed other allergies and his adrenals, liver and colon are weakened and toxic. That is the result of eating these foods for many years. Plus he is overweight and couldn't lose weight properly due to eating the wrong foods. Alot of people will tell you want your son can't eat...just remember he can have meat, veggies and fruit. There is dairy free butter, almond milk, gluten-free breads, cookies, crackers. It just takes a bit of effort, and yes I did get overwhelmed at times, but it is so worth all the effort. Your whole family will be healthier in the end. If you need support, don't hesitate to contact me.

WOW No experience just general concern for you- hopefully, he will grow out of these. Good luck and I hope you get lots of good advice here.
R

Hi. I wanted to say welcome to the food allergy family. My son actually has multiple allergies. He currently only has 6 foods that he is ALLOWED to eat. Finding foods and recipes has been crazy for us. A great place to find recipes is http://kidswithfoodallergies.org/ I find alot of recipes on there, alter them to fit my needs. I also started a yahoo group that you can join, its for people, with food allergies to share and find recipes, also to ask questions from others with the same problems as you. Here's the link.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EGIDfoodallergyrecip...

I also wanted to note that if your older sons have these allergies, your 1 yr old has a higher chance in developing these allergies as well. You may want to delay trying these high allergen foods. Good luck to you and if you have any questions feel free to ask. Dealing with allergies has basically become my life now. Take care!