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SPRING FORWARD AND FALL BACK It's Allergy Season Again! | |
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ALLERGY - MYTHS and REALITIES Allergies can cause a myriad of problems for children,
including headaches, fatigue, hyperactivity, digestive problems,
and learning disorders. To determine the underlying cause for these
needed problems it is important to ask the folowing questions.
Why is my child so susceptible to ear infections, sore throats
and colds?
Is there a reason for my child's sudden aggressive behavior?
Parents have posed these questions to me many times during my
29 years as a pediatrician. I believe that many of these
recurrent conditions can be caused by an allergic/hypersensitivity problem.
What is an allergy? The term "allergy" is frequently
debated among the medical community. To many general allergists,
the word refers only to the adverse affects of inhalants such as
pollens (trees, grass, weeds, molds) and animal danders (dog,
cat). These allergens can cause symptoms such as a sore
throat, runny nose, hay fever, and asthma.
In reality,
allergies or hypersensitivities are much broader in
scope and involve adverse reactions caused not only by
inhalants but by the food we eat and the chemicals present in our
air, food, and water. I believe that a child experiencing ear,
nose, throat, skin and respiratory system difficulties can also
have allergies caused by foods, additives and chemicals. The
symptoms are often diverse and can include headaches, fatigue,
abdominal pain, urinary frequency and others. A hypersensitivity
to food also affects the central nervous system and can
contribute to mood swings, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior and
attention problems.
Fixed food allergies produce an immediate adverse
reaction in a patient and are most often identified with
peanuts, shellfish and eggs. "Masked" or hidden food allergies,
on the other hand, cause adverse reactions that a person is
not aware of because the food is ingested so frequently. Because
the reaction is more subtle, most individuals do not associate a
particular food with an allergic reaction. An effective
approach to determining if your child has a food allergy is an
elimination diet. In a controlled, medically supervised program,
we eliminate milk, wheat, eggs, corn, sugar, chocolate, citrus,
peanuts, and preservatives for approximately one week.
During this week, your child is prescribed a responsible, balanced diet,
restricted to foods such as fruit, vegetables, chicken, turkey, fish, lean
meat and rue. After one week, foods
are reintroduced one at a time to see if a reaction develops. A direct
cause and effect relationship is a signal to the physician to eliminate or
limit particular foods
from the child's diet.
Foods Most Likely to Cause a Problem:
Corn, Wheat, Milk, Citrus, Chocolate, Soybean,
Eggs, Cane Sugar and Peanuts.
Foods Least Likely to Cause
Problem: Lamb, Rice, Pears, Carrots,
Squash and Sweet Potatoes. Elimination diets are just
one way to determine if your child has a food allergy. If
the symptoms persist, the child should have a complete
allergy evaluation by a physician. A comprehensive
study of your child's medical history is necessary to
determine the underlying causes for recurrent symptoms.
Because food allergies can affect the entire body, not just
the digestive system, a complete examination of your child
should be completed. The effects of food allergies on
small children can be profound. One patient, a six year-old
male, had delayed speech, recurrent infections and was
diagnosed autistic as early as age three. The parents were not
hopeful of further development for their child. During initial
visits and several weeks on an elimination diet, the boy tested
positive for 10 food allergies. Those foods were subsequently
avoided. In follow-up visits, the boy was in good health, was
speaking in sentences and had significantly improved attention
span. The identification and treatment of food allergies did not
solve all of this young's boy's health problems, but it did
dramatically increase his quality of life. Our goal, and the
goal of parents everywhere, is to see their child reach his or
her potential.
So how can you tell if your child is allergic?
The following is a list of some of the symptoms caused by food
allergy: Allergy Salute-- Is your child constantly rubbing his
or her nose? Children often will not know to tell parents about
their discomfort. Clucking Sounds--If your child has a sore or
itchy throat, he or she will often make clucking sounds. Dark
Circles Under The Eyes - Allergic reactions to pollens, food,
additives, and chemicals may cause dark circles to appear under
your child's eyes. Ringing in The Ears - If your child complains
of a ringing in his or her ears, hypersensitivities to food and
additives may be the cause. Abdominal Pain--Food allergies
often cause digestive complications in children. Dr. Jekyll
and Mr.Hyde Behavior - Food allergies can affect the brain and
the central nervous system. One obvious sign to parents is a
sudden change in behavior or mood fluctuation after ingesting
a food or additive. If your child is displaying one or more of
these symptoms, consider the possibility that food allergies
are the cause.
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Dr. Layton/Silesky Marketing