Talking Allergies

My DS, one year, has been diagnosed with a wheat allergy. Unlike other allergies, this one is often outgrown. A naturopath friend told me that the best way to help him outgrow the allergy is to build up the flora in his stomach with probiotics. She also recommended fish oil and vitamin D. I don't want to be giving him supplements that will not really help.

Does anyone have experience with these supplements, or naturopathic treatments for wheat allergies?

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DS, toddler: allergic to wheat, eggs, nuts, peanuts, sesame.

Hi aborden!

Probiotics, fish oils and vitamin D are generally safe supplements to use and I use them all myself. I would, however, speak with your doctor first about finding good quality companies and figuring out the correct dosage for your son.

Whether it will help ensure that he outgrows the allergy or not...I don't know that there's any scientific proof on that. I have heard, only anecdotally, that when it comes to wheat, avoiding it and re-establishing a healthy level of flora in the gut sometimes helps. However, please be sure that if you do decide to try some supplements, you do not test to see if he has outgrown the allergy at home. Always make sure you go to an allergist's office for that.

As for naturopathic treatments, I guess it would help if you gave some more info on what types of treatments you're talking about. Again, naturopathy and science don't really jive so if you're looking for proof, you won't find it in a study. Others might have some personal experience with this. Most people are hesitant to try treatments for food allergy though.

Hope that helped in some way!

Lisa

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

Was not thinking of naturopathic treatments per se, just nutritional things such as probiotics to help reduce or eliminate the wheat allergy. The allergist says most kids outgrow it -- I want to do what I can to make DS one of those kids. But "probiotics", etc. is all new to me...

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DS, toddler: allergic to wheat, eggs, nuts, peanuts, sesame.

Ok, well I don't think that maintaining a healthy gut would do any harm. I'd try companies like Genestra or Metagenics since they're both professional brands and make really quality products. Actually, you can find a probiotic, fish oil and vit. D by each of those companies. Genestra has a probiotic powder so you can easily mix that into your son's juice. Make sure you read the labels anyways just to make sure there's none of his allergens in there. Both these companies label well and have good customer service.

Genestra (Seroyal): http://www.seroyal.com/

Metagenics: http://www.metagenics.com/

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

I see a naturopath and he has helped me a lot with my allergies. When I first saw him in Sept. he put me on a cleansing diet, along with having me take probiotic supplements to clean out my body of "toxins" (which included allergens that were still in my body, and apparently I had a high metal count too which wasn't good). I'm not sure about how it would help outgrow the allergy? But then again, he is young so he just might outgrow it. Anyway, this is what I took >>> http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/produ ... -1510.aspx. It is pricey, but it worked great for me.

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Food Allergies: Wheat, rice, corn (intolerance), milk (intolerance), raw apples (OAS), bananas, and cauliflower

Other Allergies: Mold, pollen, hay, dust, penicillin, and angora (goat) fur

I worry that when some people read about naturopoths that they will try something unsafe due to the impression that such a person can help take away, heal allergies. I am sure as professionals naturopaths have many skills that alleviate many health issues, however I would personally be cautious when dealing with anaphylactic allergies to never try any new diet etc. without consulting your allergist first. Just my opinion.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

definitely need to exercise caution when it comes to naturopathy! We are giving him yogurt with natural probiotic cultures and making sure he gets enough vitamin D and switching to goat milk, that's bout as far as I want to go... we'll see if it's helpful. There are some scientific studies underway about probiotics, will be interesting to see the results. Thanks!

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DS, toddler: allergic to wheat, eggs, nuts, peanuts, sesame.

DS1 has seem a naturopath and, while I really like the idea of getting to the root cause of any problem, she has said some things that make me wonder...

For example, we've done the IGG testing (debateable as it might seem) and now have DS on a restricted diet. She suggested he didn't need supplements to replace lost vitamins from the diet because he probably isn't absorbing them anyway. Needless to say we are supplementing him and will be modifying the diet to make sure we know what he does and does not have a reaction to.

Anyway, we are doing probiotics and it has done a world of good for his digestive system, but you just have to talk to your doctor about anything that the naturopath might suggest.

It sounds like you are doing what you think will work for you.

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Hiebs
Me - Allergic to Dogs, Cats, Dairy, Nickle.
DH - Celiac Disease
DS1 - Allergic to Horses, Cats, Dogs - Asthma, Eczema
DS2 - Allergic to Cats - Eczema, Asthma

They're a mixed bag!.. the one I saw was recommending absurd amounts of fish oil supplements and when I said we'd just eat fish, she claimed that "it doesn't work at all" unless you take very high levels. Guess what, she happens to sell fish oil supplements. Argh.

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DS, toddler: allergic to wheat, eggs, nuts, peanuts, sesame.

That's frustrating aborden...
Any reputable naturopath would put the health of their patient first, not money. Just like any good doctor puts the health of their patient first regardless of any offers they get from pharmaceutical companies to push their products. While it's true that our food supply isn't as rich in vitamins as it used to be, you can most certainly get your omegas from fish. I think supplements are great but the first choice should always be food. In this case, if fish isn't a problem allergy-wise...go for it!

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Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

I just saw a news report on probiotics tonight - think it was the Global National, so you can probably find it on their website. They basically concluded that there does seem to be some evidence for probiotics for digestive problems BUT there isn't a "slam dunk" study that proves it, so the jury is still out. They also said that so far there have only been 7 (?) bacteria that have found to be beneficial, and there are so many bogus products on the market right now with health claims that simply aren't true. Nothing was said about allergies. The health reasons that I keep hearing about are for prophylaxis of yeast infections while on antibiotics, to help restore gut bacteria after gastroenteritis (the stomach "flu"), and for anyone on antibiotics to prevent / minimize diarrhea.

And just to clarify the point above about doctors and pharmaceutical companies ... there are VERY strict rules in place. The only things that companies can give doctors are samples of the medicines that can be passed on to patients for free trials, and only if the doctor signs for those and accepts them. Lunch is sometimes provided for the clinics, but the doctors rarely take time to even come and eat. Most docs are pretty unfriendly to pharmaceutical reps, and leave the entire "relationship" up to the front office staff. Doctors can never be paid to try a company's meds, and no company wants to try - the fines are very steep for a violation. Samples to pharmacies are strictly prohibited, with the exception of some OTC items - like samples of Glaxal Base, or different suncreens. The U.S. has different rules, but there has been a crackdown there as well. Canada has always had these rules in place.

I think it's a conflict of interest for any doctor, of any type to sell supplements from their office - they're usually a pyramid-type sale. Thank goodness my doctor doesn't sell any, I would hate to leave her! It seems that chiropractors are getting in on it now ... some of the stuff that patients have brought in to me are a downright ripoff!

Basic organic chemistry ... the body cannot tell the difference between a synthetic vitamin or a natural one. So the cheap vitamins are always fine, as long as they have an NPN from Health Canada so that you are getting one from a company that has some legitimacy. In most cases, it is best to get nutrients from the food - there are other things in the food that enhance the uptake of the vitamins and nutrients that supplements can never duplicate. I highly recommend the book "An Apple A Day" by Dr. Joe Schwarz (Montrealers will know who I'm talking about !) It's a great, easy read, and answers lots of the nagging questions about supplements, backed up by quality research. The chapter on lycopenes and tomatoes was fascinating...

Found the story - it's on the January 17th news, start at about the 15 minute mark. I was wrong on the 7 - he said 10 or 12, but so many probiotics on the market are bogus.

http://www.globalnational.com/video/index.html

wow! thanks

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DS, toddler: allergic to wheat, eggs, nuts, peanuts, sesame.

I've been looking for that info for a while, thanks!

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Hiebs
Me - Allergic to Dogs, Cats, Dairy, Nickle.
DH - Celiac Disease
DS1 - Allergic to Horses, Cats, Dogs - Asthma, Eczema
DS2 - Allergic to Cats - Eczema, Asthma

Makes me think about something I read...http://whatstheharm.net/whatisthis.html

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb