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12 Iyar 5762 - April 24, 2002 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
Allergies
by A. Ross, M.Ed.

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.

 

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