To be honest, I think that most of us have allergies. Mine is pet dander (was tested and took shots for a while then the pets died later). My wife has a severe allergy to penicillin and wears a bracelet in case of an emergency. I guess I just wasn't paying attention to the peanut allergy until now what with the warning signs posted all over schools and the cafeteria food proclaimed to be peanut oil free. But it seems to be on the rise.
Cap't Jack
This is what WebMd had to say about allergies:
Number of people in the U.S. who have either allergy or asthma symptoms: one in five.
Percentage of the U.S. population that tests positive to one or more allergens: 55%.
Rank of allergies among other leading chronic diseases in the U.S.: 5th.
Odds that a child with one allergic parent will develop allergies: 33%.
Odds that a child with two allergic parents will develop allergies: 70%.
Number of ER visits in the U.S. caused by food allergies each year: 30,000.
Percentage of the people in the U.S. who believe they have a food allergy: up to 15%.
---->Percentage of the people in the U.S. who actually have a food allergy: 3% to 4%.
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/allergy-statistics
I've run into many people who think they are allergic to foods, but when I talk to them about it, it is usually NOT an allergy. Most of my allergies are to foods. Tested and verified... :(
I don’t really know where i should stand on peanut allergies. Everyone seems to have them these days. I’m sure some people really have them and that is a real problem for them. But when I was a kid, though I lived in a fairly populous place, I never heard of anyone claiming to have a peanut allergy and I never heard of anyone dying from an allergy. That’s not to say they don’t exist and that peope don’t die from them, only that I managed to get through my entire life without knowing anyone with these problems. Of course, I do know people with allergies. My father got a bad case of hayfever every year. He alao couldn’t drink cow’s milk, which he called an allergy, from which he would develop a rash and a digestive reaction. But he didn’t die from his allergies.
I admit if I had a child with a peanut allergy (or another life threatening allergy) I would be extremely careful, too, especially if my child had such a severe allergy as Asanta’s son has. It’s just that I tend to be very skeptical when a good percentage of the population suddenly develops a life-threatening allergy.
Lois
I admit if I had a child with a peanut allergy (or another life threatening allergy) I would be extremely careful, too, especially if my child had such a severe allergy as Asanta's son has. It's just that I tend to be very skeptical when a good percentage of the population suddenly develops a life-threatening allergy.
Lois
While allergies are common, life-threatening allergies are not as common. I have a friend whose mother died at a football game after consuming a product that didn't have peanut listed on the label. The death can happen quite quickly....within minutes actually. Of the most serious allergies, peanuts and bees are the most common. There may be more now, but part of it is that people are more vocal about it. Like I said, I taught my son to be responsible for his own life.
While allergies are common, life-threatening allergies are not as common. I have a friend whose mother died at a football game after consuming a product that didn’t have peanut listed on the label. The death can happen quite quickly….within minutes actually. Of the most serious allergies, peanuts and bees are the most common. There may be more now, but part of it is that people are more vocal about it. Like I said, I taught my son to be responsible for his own life.
THat's the second death by peanuts mentioned on this site alone! Like Lois, I just recently became aware of this as no one in both of our families has an allergy to nuts and with rare exception any acquaintances. As a Matter of fact I know of 2 kids who attend school with my grandaughter who have an allergy to peanuts so the home room mothers have to be extra careful to exclude any form of peanuts including the oil. My daughter and her husband run a cake baking business on the side and they've received a few orders for peanut free baked goods. Our son has a severe case of hay fever that even causes his eyes to swell at times. The doctor proscribes an antihistamine and it usually works but he's the only one in the family with it. Mine is poison ivy! I read the site you posted and it looks like things might get worse for those of us with ragweed allergies as their growth is tied to AGW. Yet another reason to back off carbon based fuel and clean up the environment.
Cap't Jack
Poison oak/ivy is the one thing no one in my immediate family has a problem with. Me and my children are all immune. People with severe allergies tend to be immune to poison oak/ivy. I read the reason years ago, but don’t remember. My son walks through the fields without any attempt to every appear to avoid. I avoid it because I don’t want to accidentally give it to someone else…and as I have told my children, continuing immunity is not guaranteed! He used to be a camp counselor. On the first day of each session, he would pick a leaf and ask them to identify it and ask why he was holding it. There were usually one or two who could identify it. The camp area was full of it and he wanted to make sure they avoided it.
[img]POison Ivy is a fun topic. Like you I do not react to its oils either but my kids and wife do. When we first moved into our house I was clearing some brush with the kids. We had some dead trees that were still standing with these 3 inch thick vines on them. I cut up the trees with the vines and the kids helped me pile them up. I had no idea poison ivy grew in vines that thick until a day later when my kids developed the rash. It had been a hot sunny day and my wife was wearing a halter top. At some point I put my hand on her shoulder i guess because at the same time the kids got a rash she developed a nice hand shaped rash on her shoulder. I was not allergic to the oil so even though I was the one who created the problem I was the only one who was spared.
There are a lot of misconceptions about poison ivy though. First of all poison ivy is not a poison at all. The poison ivy plant and a few others produce urushiol oil which is a highly immunogenic substance. The oil penetrates the skin and triggers the allergic response which you see as a blistery rash on the skin. Washing the skin will remove oil that is still on the surface but it will do nothing to remove the oil which has already penetrated. Its important to remove the oil on the skin though because this can be transferred to other people or surfaces as in my case above.
Its important to understand that this is an allergy on not something contagious. Many people think that if you scratch poison ivy you can spread it. This is not true unless you have not washed since your exposure. The fluid in the blisters is your own body fluid and will NOT spread the rash. People often get confused about this because the rash will develop on different areas around the body over time but its not because you are spreading it. Its because some areas experienced lower levels of exposure and took longer to erupt. It is also not possible to spread it to others after you have washed for the very same reason. It is however possible for others to get the rash from your clothing if it hasnt been washed and there are reports of people developing a rash on clothes that were exposed ten years prior which had not been washed.
Yes, and you should wash it off with COLD water. Warm water allows it to be absorbed into the skin better. I avoid it for just the reasons you state above. I don’t want to pass it on to others…that was a difficult message to get my children to understand.
In HS I had a teacher who burned it, and ended up in the hospital. NEVER EVER burn poison ivy/oak. If someone vulnerable to it breathes the smoke, it will cause the same reaction in the lungs.
I too have often wondered whether severe food allergies are more common or simply more feared than when I was a child. I did know one person allergic to peanuts when I was younger, to the point of having to be hospitalized after she had kissed her boyfriend who had eaten peanut butter earlier in the day. But it does strike me as a bit irrational when our school forbids any foods with nuts, gluten, or Red Dye #3 at all school events. Its’ tough to accurately evaluate changes in the prevalence of such things since the degree of knowledge/anxiety about them tends to impact how diligently we look for and how often we diagnose and report them.
I too have often wondered whether severe food allergies are more common or simply more feared than when I was a child. I did know one person allergic to peanuts when I was younger, to the point of having to be hospitalized after she had kissed her boyfriend who had eaten peanut butter earlier in the day. But it does strike me as a bit irrational when our school forbids any foods with nuts, gluten, or Red Dye #3 at all school events. Its' tough to accurately evaluate changes in the prevalence of such things since the degree of knowledge/anxiety about them tends to impact how diligently we look for and how often we diagnose and report them.
Just wait. They'll start banning GMO foods out of misguided paranoia.
What people don't understand about allergies, is that you can be allergic to anything. I knew a girl who was allergic to cold. She would develop wheals by running cold water on her hands. A trip to the snow was out of the question.. :-S
Most people with allergies do what my son and I do, exercise due diligence and carry an epi-pen. The only time I stepped in, was when he was very young and couldn't protect himself. They took a survey of the school, and he was the only one with a severe allergy. The school had cupcake days on Wed. Classes would take turns providing cupcakes for the school, with the parents baking/buying them. At the start of the school and each week they would send out a note asking that there be no nuts put into the cupcakes, and everyone complied, but they did not ban nuts from the school. I told my son not to share food and the teachers made sure it was enforced until he was old enough to protect himself. Even then, he almost died when a substitute teacher brought in a treat for the class. If it had not been for a classmate alerting him, he would have died. As it was, he came very close.
Just wait. They’ll start banning GMO foods out of misguided paranoia.
I know that this is a bit off topic but your mention of it Asanta sparked a memory of a recent argument me and the Missus had about GMOs. She had heard a news commentator discuss the recent scare concerning an experiment with rats and how tumors were forming on them due to ingesting the altered food. Apparently this misinformation is coming from liberal watchdog groups. Man, was I naive; I thought that liberals were skeptics, guess not. They can be just as emotion driven as the righties. The whole scare seems to have begun by a French scientist, Giles Seralin who conducted the study, published a peer reviewed paper, and has been fighting the concept of GMOs since the 90's. The positive thing is now the media knows that it's being played and will hopefully back off this pseudoscience. in the meantime it has entered the mainstream as an urban myth and spread all over the Internet. What people don't realize is that we have been doing this for thousands of years!
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/are_gmo_foods_safe_opponents_are_skewing_the_science_to_scare_people_.html
Cap't Jack
What people don't realize is that we have been doing this for thousands of years!
I was told they do realize it. But supposedly the old way was the natural way.
This whole natural thing is actually getting out of hand, IMO. They just reorganized our local grocery store with one third selling only natural products. In the middle they have a counter with en expert, a nutritionist. I wanna move to Vulcan.
I was told they do realize it. But supposedly the old way was the natural way.
This whole natural thing is actually getting out of hand, IMO. They just reorganized our local grocery store with one third selling only natural products. In the middle they have a counter with en expert, a nutritionist. I wanna move to Vulcan.
Save me a seat. What the hell is natural anyway? Did they pluck the food out of the woods because if they grew it themselves where do they think the seeds came from? ALL commercially produced seeds are hybrids to begin with and are treated with a chemical coating to prevent insects from eating them before they germinate and seeds from hybrid plants usually can't be used to produce the next crop. Ever eat a wild strawberry? Besides being tiny, they're bitter. Sorry guys but we can't go back to nature; everyone likes their strawberries fat and juicy. Frankenfood is here to stay.
Cap't Jack
One of my cousins is ‘paleo’ obsessed. The trouble is, none of the food she posts as belonging to a paleo diet was available to our paleo ancestors.
Most of my atheist friends here in CA are rabidly anti GMO. I don’t even attempt to discuss it with them anymore. One posted a dishonest picture of a supposedly GMO corn ear next to a ‘natural’ ear, and guess which was roundly rejected by the birds and other wildlife? facepalm They swallow it hook line and sinker. They also point out that Europe has banned GMO, as if that is proof positive of anything. Large swathes of Europe are also anti-vaccination and believe in homeopathy… So. What… :sick: my head hurts…
I was told they do realize it. But supposedly the old way was the natural way.
This whole natural thing is actually getting out of hand, IMO. They just reorganized our local grocery store with one third selling only natural products. In the middle they have a counter with en expert, a nutritionist. I wanna move to Vulcan.
Save me a seat. What the hell is natural anyway? Did they pluck the food out of the woods because if they grew it themselves where do they think the seeds came from? ALL commercially produced seeds are hybrids to begin with and are treated with a chemical coating to prevent insects from eating them before they germinate and seeds from hybrid plants usually can't be used to produce the next crop. Ever eat a wild strawberry? Besides being tiny, they're bitter. Sorry guys but we can't go back to nature; everyone likes their strawberries fat and juicy. Frankenfood is here to stay.
Cap't Jack
Never mind, you can't talk sense into food nuts. They're the same people who swear by "alternative medicine."
Lois
I just finished an excellent book on paleo diet. Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live by Marlene Zuk. I recommend it to anyone who is interested not only in paleo diet but also in evolution and skepticism.
I'm reading it now. Her book and Wrangham's "Catching Fire" present a pretty clear picture of paleo life. New studies also show more incidences of cannibalism among Neanderthals than previously thought. The "good old days" weren't actually so good!
Cap't Jack
Barley became the in fad about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, it has not gone away. I am allergic to barley and it is next to impossible to find bread without barley in it these days. Even french bread, which has no reason to use barley, has it. I finally found one brand that doesn't use barley, but the last brand I used, suddenly added it a few years ago. :sick:
t
Have you tried baking your own? That way your are in complete control of the ingredients. I have a recipe for delicious bread that doesn't require much work and is successful every time. It takes time, but you don't have to be there while it is developing. If you'd like to have the recipe, let me know.
Lois
Never mind, you can’t talk sense into food nuts. They’re the same people who swear by “alternative medicine."
Lois
Anecdote: my wife's cousin, a former teacher and school superintendent recently retired and got a PhD in of all things, naturopathy. IMO it's only one step from homeopathy as they use "natural" medicines to effect a holistic cure. Yes, they are dualists. I guess this woo also touts antivax crap and he's convinced his son not to have his grandchildren innoculated. I wonder how many people rely on this pseudoscience as well as religious sects who believe in this form of "natural" healing? I'm concerned that reliance on this woo will bring back the childhood diseases that were all but eliminated in the 60's. My question is how can educated people actually believe that this snake oil really works? I just can't wrap my head around it when pediatricians are telling parents this autism scare is just urban legend. Yet people still believe it? Fear banishes reason.
Cap't Jack
Never mind, you can’t talk sense into food nuts. They’re the same people who swear by “alternative medicine."
Lois
Anecdote: my wife's cousin, a former teacher and school superintendent recently retired and got a PhD in of all things, naturopathy. IMO it's only one step from homeopathy as they use "natural" medicines to effect a holistic cure. Yes, they are dualists. I guess this woo also touts antivax crap and he's convinced his son not to have his grandchildren innoculated. I wonder how many people rely on this pseudoscience as well as religious sects who believe in this form of "natural" healing? I'm concerned that reliance on this woo will bring back the childhood diseases that were all but eliminated in the 60's. My question is how can educated people actually believe that this snake oil really works? I just can't wrap my head around it when pediatricians are telling parents this autism scare is just urban legend. Yet people still believe it? Fear banishes reason.
Cap't Jack
Yes, and it's obvious that most young parents have never been through a polio epidemic. If they had been their fears would be well placed--on the side of getting their kids vaccinated. I also hear that whooping cough snd measles are coming back and kids are dying. How long will it take parents to come to their senses about communicable diseases!
Lois