Allergies - why so many these days?

[new mother]

In my form at school there were 25 girls, one of whom had asthma and a nut allergy. Now I hear frequently of children at school or nursery with xyz allergy. Possible reasons:

1. Better and earlier diagnosis. Possible but many of the parents of my friends were doctors (as the school was handy for drop offs if you worked in a big hospital nearby). One would have thought they of all people would have noticed the symptoms. Maybe not. Cobblers children shoes etc.

2. Insufficient exposure to early germs - too clean houses? Immune system is therefore very shocked when it encounters a new substance and goes down the route of heightened response.

3. Something dietary of the mother/ child once born is unnatural and triggers the reaction. Formula? Hope not as both my Ch were formula fed from day 1.

4. Fashion - fir the sake of completeness, it had to go in as a possibility.

Other?

There are frequent studies done on this sort of thing but nothing beats forumites observation Of the world around us. Tell me the definitive answer that the studies are failing to arrive at....

[Fuschia]

Lack of exposure to sunlight is a possible factor too

I read an interesting article not long ago that listed the theories currently under investigation

[Fuschia]

Issues with the gut, most definitely

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091674903015410 (possible link with CS!)

[Saffron]

Hi, new mother, those are all possible explanations. The eteology of allergy and atopic disease is very complex and not entirely understood. And yes, sorry to say, that formula feeding is linked to allergies, although not all formula fed babies will develop allergies obviously.

Other reasons for the prevalence of allergies in today's children could also include dietary factors such as early exposure to processed foods and preservatives. Environmental factors could include exposure to modern industrial pollutants, eg petrol fumes. The increased infant survival rate might also be related to the rise in atopic disease, as children with compromised immune systems in infancy now stand a better chance of survival than they did 100 years ago.

But for each of these reasons, there will be obvious exceptions, so no one can yet say for certain from where the cause arises. I have some interesting journal articles on allergy and T-helper cell balance etc if any one is interested in the really geeky stuff. xx

[katgod]

I do not think formula is the reason. Contrary to what a lot of people think large swathes of children born in the early to mid 70s were bottle fed and given early solid food (at about 2 weeks old_rusk, egg yolks etc) and I too was in a class where one child had asthma. I think overly clean homes is more likley, plus a degree of fashionability. Some children have real, serious allegies that are horrid. Other might get a funny tummy after eating something, and it is labelled an allegy. I have seen this first hand. Apple juice was too acidic for my son when he was small, so I avoided giving it to him as he ot the runs afterwards. Friends and nursery reacted by saying 'oh he's allegic' and he started saying he was allergic to it. I don't consider getting the runs after a glass of apple juice the same at all as a potentially fatal nut allergy, so I do not consider him to be allergic. Some proportionality would reduce the rates of allergy suffering. But of my 2 of school age'speers, no one has an allegy that has been worth mentioning when coming to tea/parties, so I do wonder if the high levels are also a bit exagerrated.

[Fuschia]

I actually did have cows milk protein allergy which clearly was due to not being breastfed (for long, premature baby, long story, my poor mum did her best!) so I have always been very interested in the stuff about introduction of foreign proteins before clsure of the gut...

[bobbly]

Hi Saffron, yes i am interested in the geeky stuff, so please post or pm me the details. I think it may be antibiotics may be an interesting angle, I wonder how many children were exposed to them before the age of 1 and how frequently. Also I do wonder about weaning before 6 months before the gut is able to cope with the introduction of foods. I thiink my child may have allergies to both of these factors, he was given foods at 4 months, this advice has now changed to minimum of 6 months. It is said that children should eat dirt, children who livve on farms far less susceptible. Apparently let your child eat dirt from 18 months and upto the age of 5. I have read a lot about gut and its relationship with allergies and other health problems,including mental. I have not brought my child up in a super clean home environment, I don't believe in killing all germs, nor using very much bleach (apprently related to asthma), but I do not use sprays. That is not to say that every child who has early introduction of anti biotics will have allergies,but those who are suspectible more likely to develop them? I am about to do some research on finding a cure for mmy son by the age of 10. That is my goal, so any info would be greatly appreciated. I really believe it was the amount of antibiotics that my son was given before the age of 6 weeks! anyone else with a similar experience?

[Fuschia]

That link I ppsted re gut flora and CS was about women who had a history of atopic disease, the lack of normal colonisATION OF THE GUT AFTER BIRTH due to no vaginal birth... I am sure there are factors which affect different sections of the population ... genetics play a part

[sophiechristophy]

some believe that vaccinations play a part.

[Saffron]

I've never seen any data to implicate immunisations in the development of allergy and atopic disease, so I'd be very curious to read that research. Indeed, all the research that I know of has disputed any link between vaccines and later development of allergic disease. I also read that the so-called "hygiene hypothesis" (too clean enviro = allergy development) is now being disputed/reconsidered in the scientific field.

[bobbly]

Saffron, I am interested in the geeky stuff, any way you could forward any information to me? perhaps pm me. many thanks

[Saffron]

Will dig it out for you.

[barnaby]

My youngest son has allergies. (I gave birth naturally, breast-fed til 8 months, he had lots of sun-exposure as we were always in park, he did have antibiotics 2x at about 3 months and my house is clean but not really clean!)

I recently took him to a homeopathist, she implied, it may have been caused by vaccines.

She gave me a leaflet, 'Dispelling Vaccination Myths' by Alan Phillips, which blames vaccinations for illnesses, autism,allergies and cot death-a terrifying read. According to the leaflet, it's not the virus that is injected that cause the problems it's the other stuff to kick-start the immune system these are toxic and can cause problems for some babies.

I hope that this is completely untrue!

I need to do some more research but it's very hard to know what to believe.

[Fuschia]

I did prefer to avoid mercury in vaccines for my first child

... I have got less fussed since then, mind you!

I think it will turn out to be a complex interplay of genetics, pollutants of various types, issues affecting gut flora (birth mode, feeding method, age of weaning, not too early, introducing foreign proteins while still being breastfed)

I suspect the link to antibiotics and paracetemol is more link than correlation - a child destined to have asthma may have courses of both when young due to being prone to infections

[Saffron]

Alan Phillips, very suspicious source! Isn't he an attorney who specializes in targeting big pharma companies and weathly drs for profit? If he can convince people that their troubles were caused by vaccines, then convince them they have a case, it's money in his pockets. Even if he loses the case, the clients still pay his fees.

Also, a homeopath is not a credible source from which to obtain unbiased scientific information either. Homeopathy is not a scientific field. It is more akin to religion than medicine. It's faith-based healing: You must believe in it for it to work (placebo effect*). If you do, and it does, that's fine. But you should never confuse the two. Getting scientific advice from a homeopath would be a bit like asking the parish priest for information on DNA replication.

On the subject of mercury in vaccines (or medicine in general for that matter), I don't know of any study showing that mercury causes allergies, although it does have a well-known history of toxicity. The dose included in vaccines is below the toxic level, and I believe its use is being phased out altogether b/c there are now better preservative agents available. That being said, I wouldn't been keen on giving my child mercury-containing medicines either, but I recognise that it's an emotionally-based choice rather than one based on any science. (And raising children --allergies or not-- is a very emotional endeavor!)

Adjuvants, additives, antibiotics etc can all interact with the immune system, but then again viruses, bacteria, and natural environmental agents themselves can interact with the immune system. So, if you're not careful you can develop a bit of a circular arguement here.

* This is why homepathy is not effetive in treating animals or infants, both of which categories do not possess self-awareness. The perceived effect of treatment on these groups is a kind of psycological mirage known as placebo by proxy. Indeed the World Health Organization does not endorse homeopathy in place of conventional medicine for the treatment of serious childhood illnesses.

[TE44]

http://www.allergicchild.com/causes_food_allergy.html

Scroll dow this link to increased vaccinations.

There have been studies done on children who have not been vaccinated, many showing these children are less

likely to have allergies. This does not however prove scientifically that vaccines cause allergies.

There was a recent KIGGs survey done:

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/236170-New-Study-Vaccinated-Children-Have-2-to-5-Times-More-Diseases-and-Disorders-Than-Unvaccinated-Children

I can see, when a survey is done on the internet, it would raise concerns, I'm surprised more scientific studies

have not been done, instead of the usual scare tactics mothers are faced with.

[cuppa tea]

"placebo by proxy" - what does this mean? And how would that work with kids? I have a couple of friends who swear by homeopathy for their children. I have used it on myself for morning sickness, but it didn't help. And arnica post birth...I wouldn't know if this worked or not as there is no way of measuring it. Oh and 'Teetha' on the kids, though again don't really know if it worked or not. It didn't seem like a miracle cure.

[david_carnell]

I would suggest that first, we need to draw a distinction between true allergies and intolerances.

An allergy is an immediate physical reaction to a tiny amount of allergen ? for example, when someone suffers immediate swelling of the lips or an even more serious reaction to even a trace amount of peanut. In contrast, a food intolerance is a delayed reaction to a large amount of the problem substance.

For an allergy, there is a bona fide test. For an intolerance there is none. True allergies cause acute responses; intolerances cause chronic, long-term conditions.

One symptom could be modern food production methods. Wheat intolerance now seems almost "fashionable" but I wonder whether those who feel uncomfortable after eating bread are aware of the process that goes into making it. The Chorley Wood Process means that modern bread contains high levels of yeast and fats to ensure a light, fluffy loaf. These, whilst "natural" ingredients are unlikely to be beneficial for the human gut in such quantities.

[Fuschia]

An allergy diesnt always cause an immediate reaction

'There are two types of food allergy. The type depends on whether or not the allergic reaction is triggered by an antibody called immunoglobulin E (usually called IgE). These antibodies are the chemical signals that set off an acute (sudden) allergic reaction.

? InanIgE-mediatedfoodallergy,reactionsusuallyhappen within a few minutes of eating the food. Common symptoms

are reddening of the skin, an itchy rash, and swelling of the lips, face or around the eyes. A rare but serious reaction is anaphylaxis

? Theothertypeoffoodallergyiscalledanon-IgE-mediated food allergy. This type of allergy is not caused by IgE antibodies (it is usually because of cell reactions in the immune system). Non-IgE-mediated reactions often appear several hours or days after the food is eaten and can cause symptoms over a longer period, such as eczema, diarrhoea, constipation and, in more severe cases, growth problems.'

From

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/13348/53219/53219.pdf

[Fuschia]

A food intolerance isn't caused by the immune system at all

[Saffron]

And sometimes food intolerances cause a rapid reactions.

Tricky subject! It's a mine field even in the scientific lit!!

[Saffron]

Cuppa tea, "placebo by proxy" means that the observer's perception of the subject's symptoms changes, although no actual change occurs in the subject.