Peanut Free School

[Liesje]

And it's also interesting that people do seem to have more allergies today. I have so many friends with environmental illness/chemical sensitivities and I've read that this will be the illness of this millennium. I wouldn't be surprised to see fragrance-free flights, theatres, etc., in our lifetime.

Reminds me of my piano teacher - I couldn't wear any lotion, perfume, hair spray, deodorant, or anything else scented to my lesson or she would choke up and ask me to wash off.

Perhaps it's not so much of an increase in allergies, but that we can pinpoint the allergy itself as the cause?

 

[starsgoblue]

I have a cousing with a severe nut allergy. One day we just walked into a grocery that just happened to have a nut roasting machine on site and he began to have a reaction from the allergen in the air.

Some allergies are hereditary. My family is Eastern European so just about all of them are severley lactose intolerant. After I've stopped eating dairy, eggs and meat myself and have done some reading, there definetly seems to be an enviromental factor to some peoples food allergies.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

ahhh the peanut allergy, how i hate thee.

i don't now where this came from, but as some have stated already, it's exploded over the past 5 years or so. it's gone from something that hardly anyone even knew about to something that's a constant issue.

a large number of school cafeterias and caterers have already stopped using peanut products and oils in their foods. if this school has gone so far as to banning peanuts in the school, they must know of a child there who has a serious allergy.

i don't know where this problem came from... was it always there or are we just more aware of it now? no matter what it is, it most certainly is a major issue with kids today.

 

[yolland]

Some allergies are hereditary. My family is Eastern European so just about all of them are severley lactose intolerant. After I've stopped eating dairy, eggs and meat myself and have done some reading, there definetly seems to be an enviromental factor to some peoples food allergies.

Lactose intolerance is not an allergy, actually--it's an enzyme insufficiency, whereas an allergy is by definition an immune system hyperreaction--to a protein substance always, I believe. Of course there is also such a thing as dairy allergy.

I'm surprised that it would be common among Eastern Europeans though. No knishes and kugel for your folk then, eh? Have they tried goat's or sheep's milk? Sometimes that is more readily digested.

 

[yolland]

Perhaps anitram would have some informed comment on whether and why certain allergies are becoming more common. I know for sure that severe peanut allergies are not "new" because I knew a girl in grade school who had them, back in the '70s.

 

[fly so high!]

ahhh the peanut allergy, how i hate thee.

i don't now where this came from, but as some have stated already, it's exploded over the past 5 years or so. it's gone from something that hardly anyone even knew about to something that's a constant issue.

a large number of school cafeterias and caterers have already stopped using peanut products and oils in their foods. if this school has gone so far as to banning peanuts in the school, they must know of a child there who has a serious allergy.

i don't know where this problem came from... was it always there or are we just more aware of it now? no matter what it is, it most certainly is a major issue with kids today.

There is really no exact cause of peanut allergy as yet! But it has been linked to the steadfast increase in the consumption of foods containing peanuts we particurly in western countries have been eating alot more variety of dishes like satay,fried foods with peanut oil,spreads with peanut oil, alot of products that don't actually have to contain(peanuts) has some form of nut oil, this is why parents of a anaphyalactic child is educated on reading labels.
Here and i'm sure it will be the same in your case the school can be liable if a child dies or sustains injury from peanuts consumed at school because it is a obstruction of "Duty of care" and be warned if you were notified of the dangers and ignore them YOU not the school can be liable. Our govt is looking into that all schools in Australia become PEANUT FREE, as it should be!
Afterall if my child became immune to arsenic sandwiches does that give me a right to send them to school with them, because to some of these kids, a peanut allergy is ARSENIC!

 

[BVS]

I hope they don't start saying they can't have hamburger because one of the kids may be muslim. Or pork if they have any Jewish kids.

Jeez.

I hope you realize this has absolutely no correlation.

 

[BVS]

What an utter twerp of a child would go out and eat a peanut butter sandwich if they knew that they had alergies.

That's really not the point. A sneeze, a kiss, a touch, etc could kill the kid.

 

[anitram]

Perhaps anitram would have some informed comment on whether and why certain allergies are becoming more common. I know for sure that severe peanut allergies are not "new" because I knew a girl in grade school who had them, back in the '70s.

Yes.

I'm about to leave the lab so I'll answer it better when I get home.

 

[YellowKite]

I hope you realize this has absolutely no correlation.

Yeah - I realize that was a bad ananlogy - sorry.

As far as my friend knows they just established a peanut free school this semester as a new rule. There has been no notification that any child in particular has that allergy, but I am not sure that they would tell her if the child wasn't in her child's classroom.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Reminds me of my piano teacher - I couldn't wear any lotion, perfume, hair spray, deodorant, or anything else scented to my lesson or she would choke up and ask me to wash off.

Perhaps it's not so much of an increase in allergies, but that we can pinpoint the allergy itself as the cause?

I live in an alternative health mecca and as a result people with environmental illnesses flock here. Thus, fragrance-free places are not uncommon here. My pilates class, for example, is fragrance-free.

A friend of mine with the illness also treats a lot of people with this illness, and he says that in every single case he has treated it's the combination of a traumatic experience+simultaneous chemical exposure=whacko immune system. Very, very simplistic explanation (don't yell at me, anitram!) for a very complex illness but that's the trend he's seen.

As for the increase in other allergies, I've seen everything from childhood immunizations to mercury amalgams to more preservatives/pesticides/herbicides blamed for it.

 

[JCOSTER]

There was that girl recently who died from kissing a boy who had eaten peanuts.



This was a teenage boy whos girlfriend hours before had had something with peanuts in it.

This should be taken seriousely by everyone. My nephew who is 2 1/2 is deathly allergic to peanuts and eggs. My house is peanut free and egg free so I do not have to worry as much. But it is other foods that are manufactured in plants that also may contain traces of peanuts that may be the culprit as well.

 

[Dreadsox]

The teacher could have all the kids thoroughly wash their hands at the beginning of the school day. I don't know much about the science behind it, but it that takes care of the oil/residue, I don't think it would be unreasonable.

In a classroom with a child with SEVERE alergies, you will find some type of hand sanitizer at the doorway to the classroom with a polite sign asking anyone who enters the room to please use the sanitizer before coming into the room.

This is very common in elementary schools.

 

[Dreadsox]

Re: Reeanut Free School

Yeah - I realize that was a bad ananlogy - sorry.

As far as my friend knows they just established a peanut free school this semester as a new rule. There has been no notification that any child in particular has that allergy, but I am not sure that they would tell her if the child wasn't in her child's classroom.

You would most likely get a note sent home notifying you that there was a child with the allergy. It is a bizzare thing because we are not allowed to specifically name the child, but everyone knows who they are.

I am going to go out on a limb as a school administrator and guess that....

a) something happened to a student and it was not widely publicized
b) someone moved in with a severe allergey that the school has chosen to make this a new rule

People have to understand that there are restrictions and confidentiality issues that we as administrators face....so the public perception is that this is a random decision, but trust me...

There had to be something to trigger this type of change in procedure.

 

[yolland]

i am very allergic to certain kinds of shellfish -- lobster, crab, scallops -- but it's not life threatening, i just projectile vomit for a few hours. i also inherited that from my grandmother.

just thought i'd share.

Might I entice you with some tasty Loma Linda brand kosher soy analog shellfish chunks in a can?

Nope. Thought not. Well, be careful with your choices if you ever try a nonveg South Indian restaurant--shellfish is present in a LOT of their dishes, and the waiters are often very fuzzy on what constitutes shellfish-free food.

P.S. Who's that trannie in your avatar?

 

[anitram]

Because somebody asked...

The rise we are seeing in allergies is primarily witnessed in the first world. Studies indicate that a staggering 40% of the developed world's population is suffering from some sort of allergy (ie. mounting of IgE response). If you mount an exaggerated IgE response you are considered to be atopic, and such individuals are usually characterized by a higher IgE blood content than non-atopic people. This is a genetic factor, and there are a number of candidate genes being looked at on I believe 2 separate chromosomes, but I'd have to look that up.

There are 4 theories as to the increased allergic responses:

1. Dietary changes (no evidence to prove this).

2. Increased allergen levels in your environement (no evidence).

3. Environmental pollution - this one is a popular one, especially in the natural medicine community, but most people would be surprised to find out that the strongest evidence actually shows the oppposite is true. There is a paper by von Mutius et al. (1994) which followed two cohorts of children in Germany. One was in the heavily industrialized, polluted town of Halle in the former East Germany, with severe levels of air pollutants. The other cohort was an ethnically matched (to avoid genetic tendency for atopy among different ethnicities) group in Munich, where the air was considerably cleaner. The results were that the children of Halle had a significantly lower incidence of atopy than the children in Munich! It should be noted that the effects of air pollution were obvious on them, as their rate of respiratory disease was considerably higher than that in Munich. But alas, environmental pollution not only did not induce an atopic response, but to some extent seems to have suppressed it.

4. The most believable explanation is the changes in exposure to pathogens in early childhood. The human body has two subsets of T-helper cells, known as Th1 and Th2. Th1 cells are most commonly associated with defense against intracellular parasites (and some autoimmune responses). Th2 cells are associated with atopic and anti-inflammatory responses. The current theory is that the first world has largely removed parasitic infestation and infection through clean drinking water and sanitary living conditions. This may have resulted in skewing our Tcell response in favour of Th2 cells so that we are getting exaggerated IgE responses, atopy and allergy. People in the third world do not share the same high incidence of allergies, but notably they do have high rates of parasitic infections. There are therefore studies being done regarding how to potentiall equalize the T helper cell responses so it is not skewed in one direction.

 

[yolland]

Thank you anitram, that was really fascinating. You are very good at putting this stuff in layman's terms.

That bit about T1/T2 imbalances kind of reminds me of stuff I've read about imbalances in dietary fats (e.g. too much omega-6s) and how it ultimately results in increased inflammatory tendencies due to complicated big-picture imbalances involving too much arachidonic acid or however you spell that, etc. etc.

So as a parent, can I rest assured that vaccinations pose no threat to later immune system health then?

Oh and not to pester, but I also posted a question for you in the Depression thread over in ZC about the 5-HTP stuff.

 

[Dreadsox]

Thanks for posting this!

 

[verte76]

I'm familiar with the severity of the "peanut allergy". It's scary, and I'm careful about what I do with peanuts as I'm not allergic and happen to be quite fond of them. I don't take them to public places, and I make sure the containers aren't lying around the house just in case a visitor has this affliction.

 

[starsgoblue]

I'm surprised that it would be common among Eastern Europeans though. No knishes and kugel for your folk then, eh?

For some strange reason it tends to afflict mostly just the men too. Case in point, all the men in my father's side of the family had/have it. And it tended too develop later in life, instead of being born that way.

Dairy free kugel

 

[yolland]

And it tended too develop later in life, instead of being born that way.

From what I've read (can you tell I have this problem too?) there is actually an evolutionary reason for that. Mammals, including humans, produce lactase primarily to enable digestion of mother's milk during infancy, and so there is a tendency for production of it to slow down sharply post-weaning. To a point, it is possible to artificially prolong high production by continuing to drink mother's milk (of other species--a pretty bizarre concept when you think about it) after this stage, but the extent to which that is possible varies widely between different ethnic groups, due to the genetically inherited nature of the capacity. Now, why the men in your family might be more likely to develop it I have no idea--I don't think that's normally a pattern. Perhaps they tend to consume less dairy?

I inherited the trait from my mother, who is Greek Jewish. It's common among Mediterranean/Balkan peoples too.

 

[Liesje]

For some strange reason it tends to afflict mostly just the men too. Case in point, all the men in my father's side of the family had/have it. And it tended too develop later in life, instead of being born that way.

Count me in! I HATE milk anyway. I had soy milk as a baby and have never had so much as a glass of milk since then. I love cheese, though, just have to be careful about which types/how much. It was MUCH worse during adolescence, but I think IBS/digestive issues are common while growing.

I remember reading somewhere that 3/4 of the world is lactose intollerant.

 

[starsgoblue]

There is an amazing brand of soy cheese called "Soy Moon". The gouda version is fantastic. You should try it, you can't tell the difference.

Yea, I think I've read that too bout 3/4 being lactose intolerant. Not too hard to imagine since we are the only animals that a)continue to drink milk past infancy and b)drink other animal's milk.

And Yolland....very interesting comment. My father's side of the family happens to be Jewish as well.

 

[Liesje]

There is an amazing brand of soy cheese called "Soy Moon". The gouda version is fantastic. You should try it, you can't tell the difference.

Sweet b/c I love Dutch cheese, but my guts want to turn inside out.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

4. The most believable explanation is the changes in exposure to pathogens in early childhood. The human body has two subsets of T-helper cells, known as Th1 and Th2. Th1 cells are most commonly associated with defense against intracellular parasites (and some autoimmune responses). Th2 cells are associated with atopic and anti-inflammatory responses. The current theory is that the first world has largely removed parasitic infestation and infection through clean drinking water and sanitary living conditions. This may have resulted in skewing our Tcell response in favour of Th2 cells so that we are getting exaggerated IgE responses, atopy and allergy. People in the third world do not share the same high incidence of allergies, but notably they do have high rates of parasitic infections. There are therefore studies being done regarding how to potentiall equalize the T helper cell responses so it is not skewed in one direction.

baisicly the chris rock theory... "you don't see anyone in rawanda with a fucking lactose intollerance"

 

[Irvine511]

P.S. Who's that trannie in your avatar?

LMJ, Jr.

 

[Irvine511]

To a point, it is possible to artificially prolong high production by continuing to drink mother's milk (of other species--a pretty bizarre concept when you think about it) after this stage,

i'm not lactose intolerant, and love cheese, yogurt, and obviously ice cream, but i really don't like milk. i actually prefer soy milk if i have to put something in coffee or cereal. and even when i was little, the concept of drinking another animal's milk was weird.

i mean, who was the guy who looked at a cow and said, "you see those things hanging beneath it? well, i'm gonna squeeze 'em and drink whatever comes out!"

ew.

 

[yolland]

LMJ, Jr.

oops.

i mean, who was the guy who looked at a cow and said, "you see those things hanging beneath it? well, i'm gonna squeeze 'em and drink whatever comes out!"

I don't know either, but I surely do feel sorry for that one friend of his who was filming the whole thing when he died of internal injuries.

 

[joyfulgirl]

i mean, who was the guy who looked at a cow and said, "you see those things hanging beneath it? well, i'm gonna squeeze 'em and drink whatever comes out!"

ew.

I read something somewhere about a theory that cow's milk is very good....for other cows. Not so good for humans. I can't remember where I read it or what this guy's scientific reasoning was but I remember it was rather compelling. I'll see if I can dig it up.

I, too, hated milk as a child. I grew up on a farm and lugged buckets of milk for calves to drink and everytime I looked at or smelt that milk I nearly gagged. When they tried to get me to drink that same milk, there was like no way in hell I was going to drink it. My mom used to put vanilla in it to get it down me but it didn't help--made it worse, actually. So she finally started buying milk so we didn't have to drink the nasty stuff that had just come out of the cows. But now I love cream in my coffee and all dairy products but I could never drink a glass of milk.

 

[nbcrusader]

i mean, who was the guy who looked at a cow and said, "you see those things hanging beneath it? well, i'm gonna squeeze 'em and drink whatever comes out!"

ew.

Probably a relative of the person who saw a chicken lay an egg and thought "breakfast"!