Food Allergy Conundrum
My allergy-prone son has been diagnosed with another long list of food allergies. Here is every food he has tested positive to so far... milk, peanuts, corn, soybeans, wheat, egg whites, beef, pork, tomatos, oranges, cantaloupe, bananas, cucumbers, garlic, ginger, baker's yeast, codfish, most shellfish (except lobster and oysters), and most tree nuts (except almonds). These foods tested positive for IgE using the conventional skin-prick test, and I suspect these are not all of the offenders. He's only been tested for 74 foods. This isn't over yet.
My son claims to feel better after having removed the offending foods from his diet and I can see a huge difference in his skin. His eczema has cleared up quite a bit. Most of the food allergies are believed to trigger an eczema flare up, but there are a few that trigger much worse. Milk is believed to be the worst offender. His face and neck will turn splotchy red and he'll have difficulty breathing if he accidentally injests milk. We haven't had any accidental injestions in a long time. Hopefully we can keep up the good work. I fear it is corn that had been causing his nightly asthma attacks and vomiting. My husband noticed that anytime my son ate a sweet before bedtime, an asthma attack was emminent. Sweets typically have either maltodextrose, corn syrup, or some other corn-derived sweetener in them. Anyway, we are enjoying clean throw-up-free sheets these days whether it was the corn or another trigger we have removed.
I am at a loss right now though. My current allergist has no direction. (Maybe there isn't one.) So in order to find a way to go from here, I am taking my son to another twice-recommended allergist that treated his cousin's food allergies. This allergist supposedly gives speeches in schools and has some food allergy knowledge. I'll hear what he has to say, but I do worry. Our original allergist that we ditched over a year ago, made a lot of bad calls. Who's to say this next food allergy know-it-all is going to make the right calls.
Then, there is the natural health community giving advice to me. There is a method of allergy elimination called NAET which is based in applied kinesiology and advocated by specially trained chiropractors. Despite the claims of its curative power made by a few of my peers, I have read up on NAET and believe it to be a hoax. The science for this method of allergy elimination is hardly scientific. Then, there are a myriad of nutritional deficiencies my son may have. Could it be a zinc, selenium, or Omega 3,6, or 9 deficiency? Does he need to take digestive enzymes for a leaky gut? Or should I send in the soft tissue sample to the local homeopathic guru to have the hair next to my son's head analyzed for nutritutional/other maladies? Do I need to implement a rotation diet instead of just an elimination diet? If so, which one?
This is a tough road. It wouldn't be so bad if it were for me, but it is for my little boy. There have been many many tough nights in the past. Extremely itchy/bleeding nights and nights of terrible asthma attacks often ending with vomiting and crying. I really don't know what to do and the information obtained from any of the "professionals" needs to be scrutinized more than I have in the past. The most honest answer I have ever gotten from any of the professionals up to this point has been from our current allergist that doesn't know what to do. I really appreciate a doctor that can admit that.
My son claims to feel better after having removed the offending foods from his diet and I can see a huge difference in his skin. His eczema has cleared up quite a bit. Most of the food allergies are believed to trigger an eczema flare up, but there are a few that trigger much worse. Milk is believed to be the worst offender. His face and neck will turn splotchy red and he'll have difficulty breathing if he accidentally injests milk. We haven't had any accidental injestions in a long time. Hopefully we can keep up the good work. I fear it is corn that had been causing his nightly asthma attacks and vomiting. My husband noticed that anytime my son ate a sweet before bedtime, an asthma attack was emminent. Sweets typically have either maltodextrose, corn syrup, or some other corn-derived sweetener in them. Anyway, we are enjoying clean throw-up-free sheets these days whether it was the corn or another trigger we have removed.
I am at a loss right now though. My current allergist has no direction. (Maybe there isn't one.) So in order to find a way to go from here, I am taking my son to another twice-recommended allergist that treated his cousin's food allergies. This allergist supposedly gives speeches in schools and has some food allergy knowledge. I'll hear what he has to say, but I do worry. Our original allergist that we ditched over a year ago, made a lot of bad calls. Who's to say this next food allergy know-it-all is going to make the right calls.
Then, there is the natural health community giving advice to me. There is a method of allergy elimination called NAET which is based in applied kinesiology and advocated by specially trained chiropractors. Despite the claims of its curative power made by a few of my peers, I have read up on NAET and believe it to be a hoax. The science for this method of allergy elimination is hardly scientific. Then, there are a myriad of nutritional deficiencies my son may have. Could it be a zinc, selenium, or Omega 3,6, or 9 deficiency? Does he need to take digestive enzymes for a leaky gut? Or should I send in the soft tissue sample to the local homeopathic guru to have the hair next to my son's head analyzed for nutritutional/other maladies? Do I need to implement a rotation diet instead of just an elimination diet? If so, which one?
This is a tough road. It wouldn't be so bad if it were for me, but it is for my little boy. There have been many many tough nights in the past. Extremely itchy/bleeding nights and nights of terrible asthma attacks often ending with vomiting and crying. I really don't know what to do and the information obtained from any of the "professionals" needs to be scrutinized more than I have in the past. The most honest answer I have ever gotten from any of the professionals up to this point has been from our current allergist that doesn't know what to do. I really appreciate a doctor that can admit that.
posted by Tiffane | 10:50 PM
3 Comments:
That SUCKS! I am having a hard time figuring out what the hell you are able to feed the poor kid?? Seriously, what ARE you feeding him????
There is still a lot of good food to eat. Chicken, turkey, rice, potatoes, rice pasta, rice milk, beans, peas, green beans, lettuce, berries, grapes, cherries, peaches, apples, pears, and specially made baked goods by mommy. There is a brand called Enjoy Life that sells allergen free cookies and granola bars and Namaste foods sells mixes for cake, cookies, and such that are allergen free and pretty good. I'll cook with rice flour, oat flour, tapioca flour, and arrowroot powder to sub out for wheat in my own creations. I'll also use 1/4 cup of apple sauce for every egg in baked goods.
Fortunately, this extreme of a scenario isn't going to be forever. Further testing of the positive allergens is going to give us more information and hopefully rule out a bunch of the offenders. His extreme and long-known allergies to milk, peanuts, and shellfish have always made dealing with processed foods and restaurants a hassle.
I happened upon your blog because I was looking for more info. on NAET testing. I see many conflicting websites (one says hoax, other says cure). Let me share my experience. My niece had reflux almost from birth--my SIL (her mom) was breastfeeding and the doctors had her only eating turkey, rice, and other plain white things (of which there were few).
She heard about NAET testing and was desperate enough to try it. It was a miracle for her--now my niece can eat anything. My SIL saw results right away, which would indicate to me that her daughter wasn't suddenly "outgrowing" the intolerances.
So I wonder if NAET testing is something valid that does work (I believe it does, after seeing the results with my niece) but some quacks have abused it and THEY are the hoax.
You might try one or two sessions, to see if it works for your child. I know it's expensive, but my SIL did one session just to see if they could identify what she could/couldn't have specifically (so they could avoid them). She (My SIL) was very anti-naturopath, anti-chiropractic, but on this she is 100% sold. I've never seen such a switch.
Post a Comment
<< Home