Now that the hay fever season is beginning, sufferers once
again realize that they have an allergy to pollen. Everyone
has come into contact with someone who has some kind of an
allergy. Children break out in hives or eczema; they may have
swollen, puffy eyes or have difficulty breathing. The doctor
might diagnose an asthma attack, and tell worried parents
that the child will outgrow it. This depends on the antigen
to which the child is allergic.
An antigen is any kind of substance to which the body forms
antibodies. Usually, the antibodies bind to the antigen, and
render it harmless. However, sometimes when the antibody and
the antigen interact, inflammation and tissue damage occur.
After this, when the person is exposed to the same antigen,
there is trouble. The person has an allergic reaction. The
lungs are particularly prone to allergic reactions because
there are so many airborne antigens which include dust,
pollen and chemicals.
Some allergic reactions are mild, others are severe. Mild
reactions consist of watery itchy eyes and some sneezing,
maybe an unidentifiable rash or slight wheezing. Severe
reactions can be life-threatening. If an allergic reaction
causes sudden difficulty in breathing, heart malfunction and
very low blood pressure, it can be fatal. This type of
reaction, called anaphylaxis, may occur after eating certain
types of food, taking a particular drug or even being stung
by a bee. As more and more children develop potentially fatal
allergies, their parents are noting with dismay the ignorance
of the general public about allergies and of their absolute
incredulity and disbelief when a mother claims that a certain
food could, G-d forbid, cause death to the child.
Food intolerance is not the same as an allergy and does not
cause anaphylaxis. It does not show up on a blood test and
children very often outgrow it. This is one of the major
causes of the public misapprehension and lack of
understanding. "My Yankele also had it and he is quite cured
now." Or "My sister-in-law took her Yenty to Dr. So-and-So
who is an expert in all allergies and he cured her." Many
people can't tolerate certain food because they may lack an
enzyme needed for digesting it. Allergic reactions are not
responsible for gas, nausea, stomach ache or any
gastrointestinal distress. Many controversial claims are made
about `food allergies' in which foods are blamed for ailments
which include chronic fatigue, depression, arthritis,
hyperactivity in children and even inferior athletic
performance.
Food intolerance and also many allergies can certainly be
helped. There are many allergy specialists and also other
professionals who claim that they have a cure, homeopathic or
other, for allergies. Some allergies can be minimized with
immunotherapy. This consists of injecting minute amounts of
the allergen under the skin, or giving tiny amounts by mouth,
and gradually increasing the dose until a maintenance level
is reached. This therapy is not without danger and some
people and some allergies respond better than others to this
desensitization.
However, there are some allergies for which there are (as
yet) no cures. The Creater and Healer puts brilliant ideas
into people's minds at all times. Peanut allergy is one
particular example. The first time a child has a severe
reaction to a substance and has difficulty breathing, he is
rushed to the hospital and given the required treatment. When
he has recovered, he will be tested to find out how severely
allergic he is.
Anaplylaxis does not occur the first time a person is exposed
to the antigen. He will be tested on a particular score. The
practitioner will give the parents the number. The higher it
is, the more severe the allergy. The family is advised to
keep the child and the antigen strictly apart. The second
time he is exposed to the same substance, it may be too late
by the time he gets treatment. Therefore, doctors may advise
a child who is diagnosed as having a severe allergy to carry
an `Epipen' with him at all times. This is a self injection
of epinephrine which is the first emergency treatment for
someone who goes into anaphylactic shock. It can be
administered even through clothes.
In America, every State school has to keep several `Epipens'
in accessible places. Other countries are not quite as rigid
about the procedure. In fact, when one mother wanted to check
whether the `Epipen' she had provided was past the expiry
date, the school could not find it! State schools in most
Western countries cannot refuse to admit a child just because
he has a potentially fatal food allergy. Private schools can,
and do, refuse these children, claiming that they do not want
the responsibility.
When a mother takes her child who is severely allergic to the
park, she has to fend off any offers of food from friends and
neighbors. "Oh, a little bit won't hurt him," is the common
response. Or people may forget that they have used a little
peanut butter on a sandwich or in a cookie recipe. At this
time, Mother is still in charge and can protect the child
fully. The real danger begins when the child starts
playgroup/nursery school. In fact, I have heard of parents
keeping the allergic child at home until he has to start
school, for fear of exposing him to the undesired food.
One of the allergies for which there is yet no cure is the
allergy to peanuts. Some time ago there was a fatal case
reported of a child passing a peanut butter sandwhich from
one child to another at school. She must have licked her
fingers after that...
The Anaplylaxis Campaign, a non-profit organization in
England, reports that the most fatalities occur between the
ages of seven and thirty. By eight, a child feels independent
and perhaps becomes a little careless. There was an incident
of a young woman who always carried the injection around with
her, knowing she was allergic to bee stings. Unfortunately
for her, she left it at home just the one time she was stung,
and the reaction was so severe that she couldn't even tell
the medics what to do. She was not wearing a Medic Alert
bracelet, which could have saved her life...
A woman who is completely obsessed, according to the
neighbors, will never let her son eat out of the house. One
day a neighbor read a report of a girl who had died after
eating a piece of milk chocolate which she had thought was
bittersweet chocolate. The woman was most contrite when she
confessed to her neighbor that she had never really believed
in the whole allergy business, and now realized that it
wasn't an obsession on the mother's part at all.
The child has to be warned repeatedly. It is not good for a
child to be made to feel different from his peers, but in
this case, there is absolutely no choice. Every member of the
staff in the school has to be told. Children in the child's
class have to be warned not to bring anything containing that
particular allergen on their sandwiches or as a snack
(Bamba). Once again, not all parents cooperate because they
do not believe it! They have all heard of allergies but they
do not connect them with possible death. Parents of the
allergic child have to insist on letters going out to each
and every parent and that teachers keep an eye on the food
which is brought into the classroom.
The best way to prevent an allergy is to avoid any contact
with the particular allergen which causes it. However, it is
not always possible. May Hashem protect our children from all
harm and may they come home from schools, yeshivos and
seminaries, and from school outings, healthy in mind and
body.
