Talking Allergies

Thanks ethansmom, I will pick up some dye free advil tomorrow. After researching the dyes I found lots of info on "touch sensitivities" for many red colors...probably the ones in the playdoh she reacted too. Also I learned that dyes used in "non food" items can be even worse. My daughter got some lip glosses for her birthday which contain sesame (we are avoiding) and numerous other dyes...which are the ones not allowed in food...so apparently they are okay in kids lip gloss , honestly, don"t most kids lick their lips when something is on them that tastes good!

So, I am planning on convincing her to let me "exchange them" (aka throw out) and buy her something I approve of like a new board game.

Pepper, what brands of natural household cleaners etc. have you been using? I am trying to go "as green as possible" in regards to anything that comes into contact with my youngests skin without using nut/milk/egg derivatives. I find a lot of "natural" products use nut oils which I am sure the ones you use are free of.

Hey, i just found this

http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=ty ... ilding.inc

apparently, there is dye free childrens tylenol I was not aware of.

And this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_coloring

which talks about the red bug used as red coloring. Click on cochineal insects.

saskmommy -- that's really interesting (and unsettling) about the use of bugs in dyes - it'll make me think twice when I read "natural colours" - this quote is from your last link:
Good news about the dye free Children's Tylenol too -- I was only aware of the Advil.
We're also using as many "natural" household cleaners as we can too - I'll post my info. under "Chemical Allergies and Sensitivities".

carmine (from the bug ) would have been the source of the red color in the playdoh my daughter reacted to. The company refered to the color as "natural red" which I researched last night and discovered is derived from that bug.

My allergist did not seem to believe that the reaction was most likely due to the dye, like I thought, he was leaning more towards a chemical sensitivity. The er doctor I saw the day of the reaction told me about problems with dyes and suggested I look into it further. Oh well, I guess we should not be eating dead bugs...oh darn.

saskmommyof2 - I sent you a "pm" regarding the natural products as the message is not really for this forum. Anyone else interested in these products, let me know and I'll "pm" you a message about them as well.

An interesting discussion.

I found this website with interesting info. on plants of all sorts:
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/index.html

There's a link to this page on cochineal bugs:
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Cochineal/index.html

I completely get what you're saying about people not understing and agree it's aggravating. But about your mother: has your mother's doctor diagnosed this as just an intolerance? I don't know why I came to the food intolerances board---I'm allergic to shellfish and sesame (edited to add--Class 3 shrimp, Class 2 Crab & Lobster, Class 2 Sesame. I am ana to shellfish (including Crab), but not to sesame). I have had reactions to peanut and have tested postive on an SPT but not on ImmunoCap. DS is allergic to peanut. But I saw your post, and I did want to mention something.

Some of us have gastrointestinal anaphylaxis. My sympoms present themselves first as stomach pain (and with shellfish, diarrhea and an overall awful feeling--and when I actually had to use my epi, finally chest pain). But my first reaction to shellfish was this tremendous stomach pain, and I could feel the crabcakes I ate travel down my GI tract. 75 mg of benadryl later I was fine. (I should have used the Epi I carry for chamomile anaphylaxis--for which my symptoms are not Gi--are swelling up, etc.)

My sesame allergy is not as severe (I am non anaphylactic, at this point thankfully) and presents itself with stomach pain and gas. And the only other symptom has been a sensation in my eustachian tubes. I just feel a little bad. I can eat small quantities of sesame and be okay. I really try to avoid sesame now, but I'm not the point of having to worry about xcontamination like I do shellfish. But I could see how someone who is not as allergy aware wouldn't be as careful.

Your mother may only have an intolerance. But unless it's been diagnosed as such, it could very well be an allergy (non ana at this point) with different symptoms than your child's anaphylactic FA.

I know i'm going to sound absolutely clueless, but could someone please explain to me the exact difference between an allergy and an intolerance. I thought this was the best place to ask since i am not 100% sure. I also feel that if i know i won't go on perpetuating the myth that they are the same.

I have realised that food intolerances are scary enough for some people, but those tend to be the people who have not experienced the full extent of anaphylaxis and out of sheer ignorance believe themselves to be allergic to a substance. I'm not sure if what i have is an allergy or just an intolerance and i'd like to work that out.

Thanks for your help

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Allergy products
Reading without thinking is as nothing, for a book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think. - Louis L'amour

An allergy involves the immune system--that's the main distinction (although celiac disease isn't considered to be an allergy and does involve the immune system.)

Also, there are some symptoms which are more typical of allergies than intolerances...but it can get tricky when self-diagnosing. Anaphylactic shock, however, is pretty clear-cut. As are hives, throat itchiness, vomiting. I think gastrointestinal symptoms could either be indicative of an intolerance or an allergy. (hives, however, are not necessarily from food allergies....and sometimes people are just sensitive to eating too much histamine. sometimes too hives appear with no particular trigger.)

I sometimes get annoyed when people tell me that my wheat allergy is an "intolerance"---no, I do not react severely. But, yes, I have positive skin and blood tests (which would not be the case with an intolerance.)

Helen: Once again i have to say thank you for clearing this up for me. I always lumped intolerance with allergies since i assumed that an allergy was just the body being intolerant towards food. I assume the only hard and fast way to know for certain is to go to an allergist to have skin and blood tests.

Quick rant : I have given up talking to my doctor about allergies - I told him that i thought i might be developing an allergy to tree nuts and asked him to let me know where i could get tested so he just told me to self test - eat some nuts and if i felt any symptoms then i was allergic to nuts. I was really expecting a more professional response from a trained doctor.
Sorry for my rant

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Allergy products
Reading without thinking is as nothing, for a book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think. - Louis L'amour

Jules, have you been to an allergist? Do you have an epi pen? If you are reacting to nuts, you might need one.

Your doctor's response wasn't helpful at all! I mean, if you hadn't tried nuts then you wouldn't be mentioning to him in the first place that you think you might be allergic.

If it were me, I'd probably make another appointment and say that I had tried nuts and that I had reacted....then I would briefly explain my symptoms. If he says, well, sounds like an allergy [end of story], I would mention that I had read that all people who are allergic to nuts should be evaluated by an allergist in case they are at risk for anaphylaxis. (And there is no such thing as a "mild" nut allergy---doctors can't predict which reactions are going to be severe.) I would ask to be sent to an allergist.

I also sometimes suspect that in some cases my concerns are more likely to be listened to if I bring in an article from a medical journal or cite a reliable source.

I'm busy trying to track down an allergist for me and for my mom. I've just found an allergy centre that i'm going to go to as soon as i have the time. I'm not 100% sure what an epi pen is - the people i know with allergies just keep a dose of anti-histamine on them. I'm not sure if this is the same thing?

I did explain to the doctor about my reaction after nuts, but i think i'm just going to find an allergist for myself. I agree with you about the articles though - many people think that you're being a hypochondriac or over reacting when you talk to them about allergies unless they have them too.

Thanks for the advice though - it is really appreciated.

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Allergy products
Reading without thinking is as nothing, for a book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think. - Louis L'amour

Hi Jules, finding an allergist sounds like a good idea. Do you have hayfever? that makes it more likely that you would develop food allergies. in my experience, doctors test for environmental allergies first to identify the environmental allergies before doing the test for foods.

an epipen is a needle that delivers adrenaline (it injects automatically so is easy to use)....antihistamines work for hayfever or minor cases of hives, but adrenaline is the only drug that treats anaphylaxis...but even after taking adrenaline, one needs to call 911 because further treatment in hospital may be necessary.

I found an allergy clinic near me so going to go to that this weekend which shoudl help to clear some of these things up. I don't have hayfever - luckily - since i've seen how bad it can be with my fiance. I dont think i have an environmental allergy although if i sleep on feather pillows or under feather bed clothes then i wake up very snuffly.

Thanks for letting me know about the epi-pen, i need to let my sister know since she is ana to seafood and fish. Which we discovered the hard way. I will consult the allergist and see what their advice is and go with it. Thank you so much Helen for all the advice you have given me.

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Allergy products
Reading without thinking is as nothing, for a book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think. - Louis L'amour

Hi Jules -

If you have a bit of spare time, read www.allergysafecommunities.ca .

It's based on the new Canadian anaphylaxis guidelines. Even though the primary target is schools and other child care centres, it's got lots of good info for adults too.

Anyone with a peanut or nut allergy should be carrying an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen or Twinject), as there is a very real risk that they could have an anaphylactic reaction. Peanuts and nuts account for 50% of all food-allergy reactions, and 50% of food-allergy deaths. This kind of allergy should be taken very seriously.

Also, anyone who is anaphylactic to anything (such as seafood or fish) should carry an epinephrine auto-injector.

So it's definitely a good thing that you are getting this checked out, and good for you for informing your sister too.

A reaction can happen so quickly, and the majority of people who have died from food-related anaphylaxis have not gotten epinephrine at all, or not in time. Which is so sad, as their deaths likely could have been prevented.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

If it were me, I'd be finding another Doctor Any Doctor in this day and age where allergies abound, who doesn't take you seriously when you say you had a reaction, and tells you to go try nuts anyway , isn't worthy of your status as his/her patient. He/she obviously isn't listening nor is he/she showing belief in what you say. Good thing you had more sense than to follow those "gems of wisdom" .