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Understanding Allergies page 3 page one | two | three----------------------------------------- CHILDREN Anyone with a child who has developed chronic symptoms or whose mental or physical development is causing concern should consider the possibility of a food or chemical allergy, particularly when no specific reason can be given by the medical profession and/or when there is a family history of allergy. It is always preferable to have the backing of your family doctor (sometimes health visitors are more knowledgeable on the subject) but, when this is not forthcoming, it is possible to do much to help your child yourself. Some children are unable to tolerate the colourings and other additives in processed foods, some of which have been banned in other European countries. Azo and coal tar dyes and artificial preservatives can cause such symptoms as learning difficulties, sleeplessness, hyperactivity and other behavioural problems. Cheap, brightly coloured sweets are a source of artificial colourings, prominently displayed to catch the eye. Fizzy drinks contain many artificial additives, colas contains caffeine also. Orange and other fruit squashes often contain the preservatives sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulphite which are known to be common causes of behavioural problems and asthma. These drinks can be replaced with pure fruit juices sold in cartons, which can be diluted with water or soda water as preferred. Children should learn to drink plenty of water on its own. Some school lunches are still a source of artificial additives, and allergic children may need to take carefully planned packed lunches. If head teachers are not responsive to this need, a note from your GP will clarify the situation. For a full explanation of all food additives, the book New E for Additives is highly recommended. It is written by Maurice Hanssen, published by Thorsons. Although most children with behavioural problems will respond to an additive-free diet, do not forget that such behaviour and other symptoms of unsatisfactory development can also be caused by sensitivity to natural foods, and this is not uncommon. Amongst the most likely food allergens are milk, wheat and eggs, but there are many foods which can be responsible, as' can a wide variety of inhalant allergens. For further information contact: The Hyperactive Children's Support Group 71, Whyke Lane Chichester West Sussex PO19 2LD Tel: 01903 725182 Website: www.hacsg.org.uk Food allergies can cause a wide range of physical symptoms also, including abdominal pain, headaches, wheezing, swelling, nausea, tummy upsets, etc. An allergic child often looks pale and has dark circles under its eyes. Never underestimate a child who says he feels unwell. Far too often the cause is put down, wrongly, to being 'psychological'. Allergic children often have poor appetites. A noticeable improvement can occur when allergens have been eliminated. This may be due to an increased sense of taste or smell, or the removal of a feeling of nausea. The elimination diet should be given for at least five days, but not more than a week, before new foods are re-introduced. Ensure your child has something to eat or drink every two to three hours and has as much as he/she wants of those foods allowed. It must be realised that anyone can be allergic to anything and therefore the diet is not guaranteed to prove allergy free for every child, but it will certainly help the majority, and hopefully clarify any remaining allergens for those whose symptoms do not totally clear. Going on a diet is not easy, as anyone who has tried it will know, therefore, a bit of bribery in the form of 'star charts' and prizes can work wonders. Remember to take into account also the possibility that your child may be affected by inhalant allergens. BABIES [back to the menu] Babies should be breast-fed as long as possible, with the mother checking that no food or drink she is taking is affecting the baby. (One doctor working in this field says that when his patients are unable to breast feed he has found that if he removes cows' milk from their diets they have no trouble in producing breast milk). If you have to bottle feed, check that the formula does not contain peanut oil. Cows' milk is one of the most potentially allergenic foods we take, and if a baby proves unable to tolerate a cows' milk-based formula, it can be replaced by one of the brands of soya milk available from chemists and health food shops. It is recommended that babies who come from allergic families be put on to soya formulas straight from the breast and avoid cows' milk formulas altogether. Unfortunately there are a few babies who will also be sensitive to soya, in which case it is likely they will be prescribed Pregestimil or Nutramigen. These do contain a small amount of cows' milk, but it has been treated with digestive enzymes to break down the milk proteins, and is suitable for babies who cannot tolerate other forms of baby milk. When weaning, your baby should be introduced to single foods to start with. Then, should he/she suffer any allergic reactions, the culprits will be much easier to detect. You are advised to give these in the following order: 1. Milk-free baby rice 2. Puréed root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots etc. 3. Puréed fruits such as apple, pear, banana etc. After your baby has proved able to digest and tolerate these, you can try minced meats (not pork), cereals (not wheat) and other fruits and vegetables. Leave fish, wheat, eggs, citrus fruits and cows' milk until your baby is nearing the end of its first year, and then try these one at a time. If you have proved after several attempts that a particular food makes your baby ill, leave it out of the diet and try it again six months later (It may be that your baby's digestive system cannot cope with it yet). A child who reacts again to the same food is probably allergic to it. If your baby proves sensitive to a number of foods, a dietician should be consulted to advise on alternative foods, to ensure your child is getting a balanced diet. A company called Organix was set up by three mothers who were concerned about the use of agro-chemicals on, and additives in, foods for babies. Their highly nutritious organic baby foods contain only the purest ingredients, and are available throughout the UK in most major supermarkets. PLANNING FOR A NEW BABY [back to the menu] It is possible to take steps to minimise the chances of a future child developing allergies. Basically, this means you and your partner both avoiding, as far as you can, for at least three months prior to a possible conception, the following: Drugs (if you are on any drugs, do not give these up without consultation with your doctor) Smoking Alcohol Caffeine (tea and coffee contain more caffeine than chocolate) Artificial additives (including artificial sweeteners) Peanuts You, the mother, are recommended to continue with this regime after you have conceived and right through until you have stopped breast feeding your baby. For further details write, sending a medium sized stamped addressed envelope (29p), to: 'Foresight' Association for Pre-conceptual Care 28 The Paddock, Godalming, Surrey GU7 lXD Tel: 01483 427 839 Website: www.foresight-preconception.org.uk NALCROM [back to the menu] Nalcrom (sodium cromoglycate) can be prescribed by general practitioners as a food allergy blocking agent for occasional use (e.g. holidays and special occasions). The majority of people can tolerate this and find it effective, although the gelatine casing is best avoided. Just open up the capsule and dissolve the contents in a small amount of hot water. In severe cases it is also advisable to empty one capsule under the tongue. This must be taken not less than fifteen minutes before eating, and will be effective for several hours. It is considered safe as it is not absorbed into the blood stream and is eliminated through the body in due course. It does not appear to work so well for liquids as it does for solids, nor does it protect from reactions to chemical additives. MOVING HOUSE [back to the menu] For those of you who are so allergic in your present environment that you feel it advisable to move, it is very important you do not 'jump out of the frying pan into the fire'. The following comments are worth taking into consideration, although to try to follow them all may be impractical. Try to live well away from any factory, to avoid inhaling industrial emissions. Where possible avoid a house near busy main roads and roads with parking meters, because of exhaust fumes. Try not to live close to any fields as they produce moulds, grass pollen etc. Pine trees cause problems for some people. People with breathing problems especially should try to avoid low lying land because of dampness. If possible, avoid a house with gas fires. (Anyone who is gas allergic will need an all-electric home). Watch out for foam cavity wall insulation, man-made fibre carpets, polished floors and recent indoor wood or other chemical treatments, all possible sources of chemical sensitivity. Avoid a house near a nursery garden or fields where aerial spraying may be done, because the droplets of the chemicals will be airborne. Do not live within a mile of an electric pylon because of the effects of radio magnetic fields. A WORD TO RELATIVES [back to the menu] Whether the allergy sufferer in your family is your partner, child or parent, please read this information to give yourself a greater understanding of his/her condition. This is a chemical imbalance which may manifest itself in physical or emotional symptoms and, in many cases, both. It is a distressing condition only recently beginning to be understood. It is possible, with time and patience, to discover and eliminate most of the allergens most of the time, and for good health to be regained. The will-power required on behalf of the sufferer is not inconsiderable, and moral support and encouragement of relatives can do much to hasten their recovery. Support from your family doctor is very important too. Perhaps you - the non sufferer - could have a chat and explain the situation. ALLERGY TESTING There are some people, both inside and outside the medical profession who, in their desire to be broad-minded, have embraced some unorthodox forms of allergy treatment and testing. They may charge highly for their services. Intradermal testing and neutralisation is reliable. Skin prick tests and blood (RAST) tests offered in hospitals are reliable, but very limited. Be wary of other forms of testing, most of which are unscientific. Unbiased advice, which costs nothing, is given by allergy associations who have medical contacts if required, and their names can be found in medical reference libraries, health centres and Citizens' Advice Bureaux. Doctors can also look up their names and addresses. READING MATTER There is now a wide variety of books on the market (including ones with recipe ideas for those on limited diets), and the more you read the better able you will be to help yourself. A good comprehensive guide to allergies is "The Complete Guide to Food Allergy & Intolerance" by Professor Jonathan Brostoff and Linda Gamlin, published by Bloomsbury. "The Allergy Diet" has been replaced by "The New Allergy Diet, The Step by Step Guide to overcoming Food Intolerance" by Elizabeth Workman, Dr John Hunter and Jenny Woolner, published by Vintage and Ebury Press. "Perhaps It's an Allergy" and "Encyclopedia of Allergy and Environmental Illness" by Ellen Rothera are out of print but are available from (or can be ordered by) libraries. I recommend everyone buy a copy of New E for Additives written by Maurice Hanssen, published by Thorsons. It is a useful book explaining the 'E' codes, and some of the possible side effects. Allergic reactions are individual, and those researched will not necessarily correspond to those you experience. However, the book gives you information on all the additives in order for you to make informed decisions for yourself. CONCLUSION [back to the menu] Disease caused by weakened immune systems is on the increase. I believe that the major contributory factors are as follows: Our insistence that cows' milk should be the first food we introduce to babies, and our continued use of cows' milk into adult life. Nature intended cows' milk for calves. Apart from being a potentially allergenic food in its own right, cows' milk nowadays contains traces of hormones and antibiotics. Our continuing use of chemical additives in foods. With the exception of preservatives in tinned meats, most of these are unnecessary, as certain manufacturers have proved. Some countries have banned chemical additives still permitted in the UK. Over 5,000 chemicals, mostly unspecified, are used in our foods. Widespread use of chemicals in our everyday lives. Pollution resulting from the use, the misuse and the by-products of these often-dangerous chemicals. Over 70,000 chemicals, many toxic, abound in our environment. 24,000 people in the UK die each year due to pollution related disease. If we look back into medical history, we are amazed at the lack of knowledge of certain aspects of medicine which today are fully recognised and accepted. Might it not be that, in years to come, future generations will say the same of our time? Perhaps we shall be referred to as 'The Chemical Era'. Why is it that diseases such as coeliac disease and diabetes are recognised as being diet-related, but so many other conditions are not? Why is it that diseases such as asthma and bronchitis are known to be sometimes caused, and certainly aggravated, by environmental pollution but so many other conditions are not? Let us take this to its logical conclusion. If certain illnesses are known to be caused or aggravated by diet or environment, both of which are constantly evolving, then it would not be surprising if new symptoms and illnesses appeared as a result of these changes. In fact, foods, chemical additives and pollutants can affect adversely any organ in the body, depending on the individual reaction. This fact has been recognised in the USA, where the study of environmental illness and immunological disease was introduced into medical training a number of years ago. When will the British Medical Association introduce such training in the UK? To all of you who regain your health by discovering, and avoiding your allergens and those of your children, I say - tell your doctor, your hospital, your consultant, your child' s school, your neighbours, your friends and your relatives. It is only by our speaking out that the medical establishment as a whole will take seriously the widespread and ever-increasing problem of food allergy and intolerance and chemical sensitivity. SOME OF THE 'E' NUMBERS YOU MAY WISH TO AVOID [menu] E102 Tartrazine E104 Quinoline Yellow E107 Yellow 2G E110 Sunset Yellow FCF E120 Cochineal E122 Carmoisine E123 Amaranth E124 Ponceau 4R E127 Erythrosine E128 Red 2G E131 Patent Blue V E132 Indigo Carmine E133 Brilliant Blue FCF E142 Green S E150 Caramel E151 Black PN 154 Brown FK 155 Brown HT E180 Pigment Rubine E210 Benzoic Acid E211 Sodium Benzoate E212 Potassium Benzoate E213 Calcium Benzoate E214 Ethyl4-hydroxybenzoate E215 Ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt E216 Propyl4-hydroxybenzoate E217 Propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt E218 Methyl4-hydroxybenzoate E219 Methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, sodium salt E220 Sulphur Dioxide E221 Sodium Sulphite E222 Sodium Hydrogen Sulphite E223 Sodium Metabisulphite E224 Potassium Metabisulphite E226 Calcium Sulphite E227 Calcium Hydrogen Sulphite E230 Biphenyl or Diphenyl E231 2-Hydroxbiphenyl E232 Sodium Biphenyl-2-yl Oxide E233 2 (Thiazol-4-yl) Benzimidazole E236 Formic Acid E237 Sodium Formate E238 Calcium Formate E239 Hexamine E249 Potassium Nitrite E250 Sodium Nitrite E251 Sodium Nitrate E310 Propyl Gallate E311 Octyl Gallate E312 Dodecyl Gallate E320 Butylated Hydroxyanisole E321 Butylated Hydroxytoluene E513 Sulphuric Acid E525 Potassium Hydroxide E621 Sodium Hydrogen L-Glutamate (Monosodium Glutamate) E622 Potassium Hydrogen L-Glutamate E623 Calcium Dihydrogen Di-L-Glutamate E627 Guanosine 5-(Disodium Phosphate) E631 Inosine 5-(Disodium Phosphate) E635 Sodium 5-Ribonucleotide © Food & Chemical Allergy Association
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