Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

Shell-shocked

TRALEE PEARCE

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:07 AM EDT 05/12/07

More kids are showing up at hospitals at a younger age with their first allergic reactions, despite doctors' warnings. No one knows why, but researchers agree on one thing: Food allergies are growing at an explosive rate ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. Murray Braithwaite from Canada writes: We have a family member and friends allergic to apples, pears, cherries, apricots, peaches and some other tree fruits. These days it seems almost any food triggers allergies in someone. I find it remarkable that medical research has yet to decipher the mechanisms of immune system intelligence and its misidentification of proteins as pathogens.
  2. James Thomas from Halifax, Canada writes: between all the damn chemicals, disinfectants, medication, pollution, etc ect is it no wonder this is happening? Look at third world countries, they barely have asthma cases or allergies like we North Americans do. They have never ate at MacDonalds, ate food with tons of pesticides on it, cleaned with lysol, etc.
  3. Paul F. from Toronto, Canada writes: James Thomas begins to touch on it, but it doesn't end there. Everything that is wrapped in plastic wrap gives of a chemical resembling a female sex hormone. The antibiotics in the meat, the pharmaceuticals in the drinking water that the water cleaning systems don't clean out. As the population gets older they take more heart medicines. The human waste that enters sewer systems has traces of it. I am no luddite, but it seems to me that we need to begin to see how all these enviromental variables that we have introduced (to make life easier) aren't in fact having a serious cost.
  4. Todd Kane from Calgary, Canada writes: Isn't it also interesting that the most common allergenic foods are also the most domesticated and often genetically modified? Corn, Peanuts, Soy, Wheat.
  5. Chris Kempan from Winnipeg, writes: Yes McDonalds is to blame. You people are laughable.
    Yes in third world countries they don't have asthma or allergies, but they do have a life expectancy of 37. Do you want to trade?
    I'd venture a guess niether you have the slightly background to make the suggestions that you do, but it doesn't keep you from commenting.
    The hygiene hypothesis is intriguing. I do believe that we attempt to live in overly-clean state which keeps the immune system naive to pathogens and allergens alike.
  6. Chris Edwards from Greater Sudbury, Canada writes: Serious cost? Look, I can be as alarmist on occasion as anyone, but let's not forget that we are living longer and generally healthier lives overall (I am talking about developed countries here.) We cannot latch on to every bloody study that comes out indicating our risk of developing X MAY have suddenly increased due to Y. Oftentimes this HUGE increase in risk still leaves us with a negligable percentage chance of contracting X, but the study, news story or "expert" quoted neglect to provide us with any context.

    In the end - something has got to kill us. There are already too many of us for the resources we have available, and it is getting worse, not better. There is much we don't understand about Mother Earth, but I think we can safely assume that she'll be left standing long after we are gone.
  7. Dickie Whithers from Coldwater, Canada writes:

    A friend told me that the peanut was the first genetically modified crop. She went on to say that the modifications, resistance to pests, increased yeild, co-incided with the massive number of peanut allergies we see these days (I am 45 and I never heard of a kid allergic to peanut butter when I was a kid, now there are three kids on my street with the affliction and seven in our local school)

    I have not been able to substanciate this womans claims from any reputable source. Is this just urban legend? Anyone?

    .
  8. Mickey Knoxville from What is that smell?, Canada writes: going with the urban legend - i thought farmers would use peanuts to "clean" a field during crop rotation. This peanut would absorb any and all pesticides, nutrients and the like, effectively scrubbing the land. Not sure if thats true maybe someone can confirm or debunk this

    What is true is that for the past 25 yrs Municipalities have been spraying sewage sludge (a combination of human, hospital & industrial waste) on farmer fields as fertilizer - for free. What if we stopped this practice and see how the kids are in 25 yrs for now.
  9. Mickey Knoxville from What is that smell?, Canada writes: btw The Ontario gov't has posted a notice on the Environmental Registry that would remove the requirement for sludge haulers to get a permit (Certificate of Approval) for each farm site that is spread with sewage sludge or papermill sludge.

    Under the Nutrient Management Act all the terms of the sludge spreading are held secret by the Ministry of Agriculture. Even though the Privacy Commissioner ruled that the Nutrient Management Plans should be public documents available for viewing, the Ontario Government takes the position that the spreading of these wastes should be 'private' information for the farmer. Now why would a gov't want to cover something up? hmmmmm.........

    Also in the proposal there are provisions to allow sludge to be spread on land that already has excessive levels of phosphorus. This info will also be confidential so you and I and water agencies will never know.

    You can let the Ontario Gov't know that you do NOT want to see the Certificate of Approval requirement removed but you only have until January 5th 2008 to make your voice heard

    Further Info: http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTAxNDMy&statusId=MTUxNjMz&language=en
  10. whatevah D from Canada writes: Chris Edwards from Greater Sudbury, Canada writes: "In the end - something has got to kill us. There are already too many of us for the resources we have available, and it is getting worse, not better. There is much we don't understand about Mother Earth, but I think we can safely assume that she'll be left standing long after we are gone."

    Sure, tell that the to the parents whose two year old dies from eating a peanut butter cookie.
  11. Chris H from Canada writes: Mickey, peanuts are a type of nitrogen-fixing crop. Farmers will use it to take nitrogen from the air (the air you breathe is about 70% N) and replace it as an available nutrient in the soil. In many cases, it beats paying a fortune for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. I'm not sure about absorbing chemicals, since it's likely that the crop would have been turned back under, not harvested and destroyed.
  12. V C from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm glad to see that myth busted up there about the smell. Nobody ever died from smelling a peanut. You have to eat the food.
  13. Chris Edwards from Greater Sudbury, Canada writes: Whatever whateva. I have friends whose children are at risk with peanut allergies and it would be devastating to me personally if something happened to them. My point and issue with Paul F.'s comments were that he insisted on taking them on step further. If you want to stay on allergies, I am with you - let's research the sh** out of it.

    I am just saying that it is too easy to live a life in fear over the next "health bogeyman."
  14. Rebel Monk from Port Hope, Canada writes: Chris Kempan - Judging by your comments I would venture a guess that you might not have necessary 'the background' to comment , yet not only did you comment, you did so in a patronizing and arrogant manner. Well done!

    Allergic reactions to formerly innocuous substances is a worrisome development in western societies. Reactions of these types are almost unheard of in African and Asian nations, as I found out when I taught abroad.

    As the article states researchers are uncertain as to the cause of these reactions, but chemicals in our environment, our over weened sense of cleanliness and the consumption of highly processed foods may all be contributing factors. None of these should be dismissed out of hand.

    Now my last point. Chris, your response disproves, most studies regarding the ability of laypeople to understand scientific data and to make informed choices. Even without the appropriate background, are able to discern scientific causes that elude our formally trained research scientists. Hear, Hear!
  15. Rebel Monk from Port Hope, Canada writes: Chris Kempan - Judging by your comments I would venture a guess that you might not have necessary 'the background' to comment , yet not only did you comment, you did so in a patronizing and arrogant manner. Well done!

    Allergic reactions to formerly innocuous substances is a worrisome development in western societies. Reactions of these types are almost unheard of in African and Asian nations, as I found out when I taught abroad.

    As the article states researchers are uncertain as to the cause of these reactions, but chemicals in our environment, our over weened sense of cleanliness and the consumption of highly processed foods may all be contributing factors. None of these should be dismissed out of hand.

    Now my last point. Chris, your response disproves, most studies regarding the ability of laypeople to understand scientific data and to make informed choices. Even without the appropriate background, are you able to discern scientific causes that elude our formally trained research scientists. Hear, Hear
  16. J S from Toronto, Canada writes: Here's my theory - genetically modified foods. Peanuts were one of the first crops to be genetically altered. When I was a kid, no one had a deadly peanut allergy - this only came about after genetic modification and the eradication of natural peanuts (I don't believe you can buy non-genetically altered peanuts anymore. I know you can't buy non-genetically altered canola or corn). Genetically altered foods don't have the stringent regulations as drugs, nor the amount of testing as drugs. I ask, why not? We injest them both. They are both absorbed by the body. What are the true affects of genetically altering our food? Perhaps we should find out before we loose our food supply.
  17. whatevah D from Canada writes: Chris Edwards from Greater Sudbury, Canada writes: Whatever whateva. I have friends whose children are at risk with peanut allergies and it would be devastating to me personally if something happened to them. My point and issue with Paul F.'s comments were that he insisted on taking them on step further. If you want to stay on allergies, I am with you - let's research the sh** out of it.

    I am just saying that it is too easy to live a life in fear over the next "health bogeyman."

    fair enough. so far my little one has not developed any allergies, but it is a fear as I have some allergies (mainly cats) and it is quite severe. I know other parents in this situation too and my heart goes out to them.
  18. Mickey Knoxville from What is that smell?, Canada writes: much obliged Chris H...So then the peanuts that are turned back under, are they not contaminated with chemicals, nitrogen and the like and used as fertilizer to grow corn, for example?

    Either way spraying sewage on to fields, and then eating the crop can't be good for you. Even if the cattle eats the corn, and then you eat the cattle, indirectly you are eat your own sh1t, and everyone else's.

    But that wouldn't cause allergies, at least that is what the Municipality and Provincial gov't have told me, and they wouldn't lie, no not the Ontario Liberals
  19. Mark H from Columbus, IN, United States writes: "James Thomas from Halifax, Canada writes: between all the damn chemicals, disinfectants, medication, pollution, etc ect is it no wonder this is happening? Look at third world countries, they barely have asthma cases or allergies like we North Americans do. They have never ate at MacDonalds, ate food with tons of pesticides on it, cleaned with lysol, etc"

    They're also largely starving and disease-ridden. It that worse than an allergy?
  20. Carly Rogenstein from Ottawa, Canada writes: This study is very misleading because it was based on 32 patients since 1986 -a very small population. Just because someone in Canada hasn't had a fatal reaction from, say, noningestion of peanuts (for example, the inhalation of peanut dust, which does contain the protein necessary to cause an immunological response and anaphylaxis) doesn't mean that it, in fact, cannot happen. Your article is misleading.
  21. Carly R from Ottawa, Canada writes: Correction- the way the Globe has interpreted the study is misleading to readers.
  22. Slobodan Nikolic from St. Charles, Canada writes: I find the argument about long life somewhat invalid. The people that are now at the end of long life were not exposed to many of the above mentioned chemicals until ten-twenty years past. The question is: how long will these children with alergies live? One more point, many of "long living" people are being fed score of drugs to keep them alive while wearing diapers and being unable to move!
  23. b mac from Canada writes: It's pretty clear, to me, that peoples health started to suffer when when municipalities decide that every house or apartment had to be wrapped in a plastic envelope. Fresh air is non existant in plastic wrapped housing. Make sure you have a couple of windows cracked open, at all times, to create a fresh air flow through your living space.
  24. Harvey Mushman from cambridge, Canada writes: Why spend money on research for this? It is clear that several Globe readers have the REAL knowledge...it's pesticides, plastic, genetically modified foods, pollution, medical prescriptions, disinfectants, fertilizer, farming practices...(insert your own favorite drum to beat here.) Let's be patient people...I'm sure that sooner or later a definitive discovery will be made public on this issue by Bono or Bob Geldof.
  25. D Rew from Edmonton, Canada writes: May be it has something to do with the fact that we have been using peanut oil as an adjuvant in our children's vaccines for the last 15 years? Until there is a thorough investigation into the effects of childhood vaccines, I guess we will never know. I am wondering why as parents we continue to give the medical system carte blanche when it comes to injecting substances like peanut oil into our children? http://www.vaccinetruth.org/peanut_oil.htm
  26. The Wet One from Edmonchuk, Canada writes: Hate to tell you this folks, but we all eat our own waste one way or another. It all ultimately ends up being cycled through the environment back into our own food. It may be quicker to spray it directly on the fields, but one way or another, it gets back into our food. This is why pollution is a bad idea generally.

    As for the allergy thing... Well, maybe this is just the next step in our evolution, I don't know. Few people die of it, so do we really need to worry about it? More people die of sloth and gluttony (to use some archaic terms) so maybe we ought to worry about those more.

    BTW, I understand that there is so much plastic floating around in the ocean that we will soon be ingesting plastic with our seafood. Quite a remarkable world isn't it?
  27. Fred White from Kitchener, Canada writes: D Rew from Edmonton - Peanut is not used as a vaccine adjuvant.

    You need to reread the text of the URL you kindly attached. It says that after the vaccination the child's immune system may be in a heightened state and become sensitized to an allergen to which the child is exposed to at that time via a different route. It does not say there is peanut oil in the vaccine.
  28. Victor Chang from Vancouver, writes: "Chris Kempan from Winnipeg, writes: Yes McDonalds is to blame. You people are laughable.
    Yes in third world countries they don't have asthma or allergies, but they do have a life expectancy of 37. Do you want to trade?"

    They are dying at 37 because of war and starvation you idiot. The fact is that we have too many chemicals and pesitcides in our food and that is causing us to reject the food we eat - aka. allergies. Plus, the nutritional content of most of these chemical and hormonally injected foods is practically nill. Feed your kids organic and they'll never develop allergies. Feed you kids chemicals, what do you expect?
  29. Chris Edwards from Greater Sudbury, Canada writes: "Plus, the nutritional content of most of these chemical and hormonally injected foods is practically nill. Feed your kids organic and they'll never develop allergies."

    I don't think even David Suzuki would make that claim. I know one woman who breast-fed her kids until they were friggin' near twelve and practically kept them in a plastic bubble.

    Guess what?

    Right.

    Allergies.
  30. Hank M from Hamilton, Canada writes: Children do not have a developed immune system for the first 6 months of life. Anaphylactic reactions is in response to what the body sees as a foreign protein. Maybe if we exposed children to more dirt earlier in life they will have developed a tolerance? Maybe the plastic bubble syndrom comment earlier is correct?
    Is there a doctor in the house?
  31. Mark H from Columbus, IN, United States writes: "your kids organic and they'll never develop allergies"

    There's a testable hypothesis for you.....have any data to back that claim up? Or are we just dusting off the old "organic is healthy....even though there's never been any difinitive work that proved it, but don't argue with me, I'm better than you because I eat organic spinach" argument?
  32. why not S from Canada writes: I'm going with the 'more dirt' theory.

    I grew up in a big family, not one of us has allergies. I guess its because my mother was too busy chasing us around to prevent us from eating dirt!

    To be safe, I also don't use plastic (as much as possible, difficult today - but you can still buy Mason Jars at stores!); I don't believe in microwaves; get my chickens etc. from a local neighbour that doesn't feed them other chickens (if some of you knew, just knew* what was allowed in our animal feed you would die - did you know that they only forbade feeding cows to cows a couple of years ago but you can still feed sheep to cows? do I need to state the obvious --> cows are *supposed to be herbivores! )

    This is an interesting link that also seems to support the 'dirt' theory:

    http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0203/et0203s19.html

    PS ust for fun, if want to know what you're eating I would read a book called 'planet chicken: the shameful story of the bird on your plate'

    Yup, disgusting is the best way to sum it up. And we'll all just sit here, wondering why we're dying of cancer, have allergies etc...
  33. Kay Ay from Canada writes: I was told no peanut products until age 2. By then the child's immune system will have developed so if they are allergic it won't kill them the first time around.....obviously not a perfect science.

    Is organic better? Possibly but my kids have no allergies and have not been fed anywhere near a strictly organic diet so I wouldn't bother shelling out the extra dollars.

    I think the key guidelines to follow are exisiting family allergies and asthma.
    But really I still wouldn't have given a 10 month old peanut butter.
  34. Chris Edwards from Greater Sudbury, Canada writes: "And we'll all just sit here, wondering why we're dying of cancer, have allergies etc..."

    Some of us do. Some of us try to speed death along with conspicuous consumption of things we KNOW will kill us for sure (alcohol, drugs, tobacco), while still others use some moderation but prefer not to obsess about everthing they put in their mouths. I like to think I fall in to the latter camp. Having very nearly died once, I know life is too short.

    I hope to live long enough to spend some time with my grandkids, but not long enough for the last three years to be flat on my back with my mouth agape. Thanks, but no thanks. Life is life. All the healthy living in the world doesn't mean you won't die young, and all the excess in the world doesn't mean you won't live long.
  35. Alex Yaxmos from Canada writes: I don't think it's the food but rather how we are bringing up our kid. They need to be allow to get dirty and expose to natural things that will stimulate their immune system. People in third world countries live less clean and eat worst foods yet they still have little to no allegries. When my parents were growing up they never heard of anyone being allergeric to anything and they we surpise to come to canada and told they were not allow to pack peanuts for lunch because the kids are school were allergeric to them. People are too clean for their own good.
  36. Lee Turner from Canada writes: We're only 'Victims" or "at risk" when we attach these labels to ourselves
  37. John Medrzycki from Vancouver, Canada writes: Pretty interesting comments - lot of intelligent back & forth - nobody screaming (with the exception of Victor Chang calling someone an idiot).

    Thanks, people - it was nice to read.
  38. Michel Leger from Canada writes: I have suffered over 50 different allergies over a period of about 40 years from the age of 13 on. Allergies related to environment, food, plants, trees, hay, etc. After numerous series of treatments none of which had a lasting effect, I discovered via a family member the existence of a technique which literally eliminated allergies. Three years ago, I ventured to explore this technique further and was tested by a practitioner who confirmed that I had close to 35 confirmed allergies. I decided I had nothing to lose but the cost of the treatments which I could decide to stop if I did not see results soon. I received one treatment per week for approximately 18 months which dealt with and eliminated each of my allergies. For anyone who is interested in this technique which applies to anyone suffering from all types of allergies including children and babies, you may find out more about the technique from the following website (www.naet.com) which also includes a directory of practitioners in North America and Europe. This technique works and I am now a living example, I can now breathe freely, enjoy summer and winter activities, and foods of all kinds without the fear of allergic reactions. There is a solution.
  39. Amber Paulson from Nanaimo, Canada writes: A while ago I was introduced to a interesting concept regarding the increase rate of childhood allergies. Scientists have found that the antibodies responsible for the allergic reactions belong to the family of IgG anitibodies. Traditionally these antibodies were responsible for detecting and marking worm type parasites. However, nowadays people in 1st world countries do not have worms or other intestinal flukes etc. There was some support by the scientific community that these worm antibodies were turning to food antigens because they have 'lost their purpose'. Maybe one day children can be given a vaccine containing fragments of worms so that these IgG antibodies will be stimulated and not have to turn to alternative antigens such as peanut/shellfish compounds. Has anyone else heard of this theory before??????
  40. Wilf Kruggel from Canada writes: If health Canada was doing it's job, alot of those banned chemicals that are harmful, should not be used when it comes to food. When one hears that potatoe chips last for months because of the chemicals that are allowed to use on them to preserve them and give them a longer shelf life, one does not have to wonder very long as to what the problems is. Folks, move into the country and raise your own food when you can. Everything is packed in plastic and that plastic is a health hazzard in itself. Genetically altered food is not helping the cause either. Chemicals will be our ruination, trust me as they are in everything.Now in Ontario, "RAW" milk is not supposed to be safe, if one listens to Safeways. For generations my family was raised on it and still is. If we let these beg food chains run your lives, they will put us in our grave sooner. Raise your own food, it's better for you, Wilf.
  41. Amber Paulson from Nanaimo, Canada writes: I'm sorry the antibodies I meant were IgE (not IgG)
    Thought I'd add a reference as well:
    http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0141-9838.2004.00728.x
  42. Amber Paulson from Nanaimo, Canada writes: Also:
    http://pt.wkhealth.com/pt/re/imcb/abstract.00004228-199608000-00007.htm;jsessionid=HVLcdy5y6GLR06r28XsPLCCf1g46LFLKpSN7yCdxQ3QMQNgynLJh!-1601909834!181195629!8091!-1
  43. dom barker from toronto, Canada writes: 60 Minutes ran a show several weeks ago on Plumpynut, a revolutionary solution for hunger in Africa (developed by Doctors without Borders). One interesting thing I learned: NOBODY in Africa has shown an allergy to peanuts, the main ingredient in Plumpynut. Why is this such a developed world issue?
  44. Trish van Doornum from Edmonton, Canada writes: 20 years ago, when I was in elementary school, it seemed none of the kids had food allergies and if they did, they were few and far between. We were practically covered in peanut butter for my entire childhood. Even now, I have it almost everyday.

    It saddens me that a one of my cherished childhood foods had become a deadly weapon.
  45. Wesley Jones from Vancouver, Canada writes: One of my boys has a severe life threatening peanut allergy, real bad. He is now 10. We found out the hard way when he was 2, but fortunately got his swollen blotchy head and body to the hospital in time.

    The myth that a person can die from breathing in, for example, a peanut smell is indeed a myth; however, the danger is when, say, a bag of dry roasted peanuts is opened up on an airplane or in the booth next to you in a restaurant and peanut particles dust around and potentially are ingested. Anything peanut in our family is like cyanide, poison! Just as most people wouldn't feel too happy about a poison mist being sprayed next to them, so too peanut products or traces thereof presents a similar risk to kids whose throat closes shut within about 10 minutes from ingestion. My concern is that the smell myth, while true, could undermine the associated risk of indirect ingestion.
  46. Wesley Jones from Vancouver, Canada writes: My comments echo Carly Rogenstein who notes:

    "This study is very misleading because it was based on 32 patients since 1986 -a very small population. Just because someone in Canada hasn't had a fatal reaction from, say, noningestion of peanuts (for example, the inhalation of peanut dust, which does contain the protein necessary to cause an immunological response and anaphylaxis) doesn't mean that it, in fact, cannot happen."
  47. Mike McFae from Canada writes: There are 2 types of allergies - real and imagined - and both are on the rise.
  48. B H from Toronto, Canada writes: I have read studies that showed that farm kids and other kids who grow up with regular exposure to soil and animals have less allergies than city kids, and I think there were specific other risk factors for the city kids (poorly ventilated homes where dust mites could build up, I think?) There seems to be some evidence that our immune system is designed to deal with certain kinds of germs (eg the kind in soil) and has to latch on to something else if it doesn't deal with those germs in early childhood.
  49. Kim Morton from Canada writes: Do you supose there might be a link to all the engineered food people are now snarfing down?
  50. Tracy Reynolds from Ottawa, Canada writes: I am 37 and have always had nut alergies. So they have been around longer than genetically modified crops....I grew up in an environment where few if any people understood, or appreciated the challenges that I faced. However, this has not stopped me from travelling and enjoying life. I have my medication with me and have had to use it a number of times, but this is no different for people with asthma or other medical problems.

    The issue regarding smell is problematic. As one other participant indicated all smell involves tiny particles which you ingest. I have on a number of occations become ill when I was in a room where nuts were being cracked and eaten, however, I have not become sick from the smell of peanut butter.

    I am fortunate in that none of my children have nut allergies. We have peanut butter in the house and I even make the toast for my children at times (the smell is not overly good, but such is life).

  51. NoPeanutsPlease .com from Canada writes: I was actually quoted in the article, Jeff Smith from Vancouver. I was impressed that Tralee took an interest in food allergy and thought that her article accurately represented the challenges that parents face.

    I do look forward to a day where we understand how peanut allergy develops and find a treatment. In the meantime we continue to be diligent in watching what our daughter eats and carry an EpiPen everywhere we go.

    In reading the comments above, I challenge those who think that they figured out food allergy based on the changes over time in peanut crops. How does that explain the other 75% of childhood food allergies?

    Our journey with food allergy has been incredible in many ways.

    I blog about our experiences at www.nopeanutsplease.com

    J.
  52. Mike B from Halifax, Canada writes: According to the BBC, it is not the developed world that has the food allergy problem but it is almost always limited to North America, UK and Australia. These are the predominantly English speaking countries.

    What is the relationship with speaking English and eating peanuts?
  53. Pat Gesner from Canada writes: seems kind of strange. I mean when in some societies children are not named until they are five out of fears it is ill luck, how DO we really know the percentage of allerigic death in young children. I'm not saying some studies cannot be excellent comparisons, but there are blips to trends. How do we know an allergic reaction say did not cause a fall that killed a young child or caused them not to pay attention to the car that hit them? From what I've read some people are in a confused state before the reaction is severe enough to kill them. Who is to know with a group of children the one killed did not accept a bite of a snack another child had? When a child dies, how thorough is the investigation when say a choaking or some other obvious cause of death is clearly present?
  54. whatevah D from Canada writes: I have a bad cat allergy (I get allergy-induced asthma, throat closes up, the whole bit). What's interesting though is that I didn't develop this allergy until I was 11. My parents had a cat when I was younger (around 5) and we always had dogs. My grandparents had cats, so it wasn't like I was not exposed. does anyone have any information on why allergies suddenly emerge? Does it happen with peanut allergies aswell?

    To those parents with kids who have peanut allergies: My heart goes out to you.

Comments are closed

Thanks for your interest in commenting on this article, however we are no longer accepting submissions. If you would like, you may send a letter to the editor.

Report an abusive comment to our editorial staff

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.

Back to top