Peanut Allergy

[Planogirl]

Besides the fact that I don't buy that peanuts have no nutritional value (if eaten in moderation), I don't think that that many here said that they would not be willing to accomodate an allergic child. The question was whether it would actually help as much as some think it will. Peanut residue will likely still be present on clothing and in food items. Would it be better to have restrictions and stay vigilant rather than having an outright ban?

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

It is easier to be against something outright than to consider it objectively. Your statement is the same response handicapped individuals used to get when they asked for accommodations to public buildings. Just food for thought.

Now you are dealing in my realm as a parent of a severely handicapped child.

Your analogy is not at all valid. It would only be valid 'IF' by asking for accommodations to a public building, everybody else was now forbidden to enter that building.

By asking for access to a building, you are not impacting other people's rights to also access that building.

As for asking your school to go peanut free, that will work about as well as a school's policy of children not being able to return to school 24 hours after a fever. Many of your handicapped children in a school also have to deal with immune compromises. This means that it can be life threatening to be in contact with ill children. You can't rely on or force parents to keep their kids home when they are sick, so you come up with solutions that work for all the kids. There were many days during flu season where my child stayed in the special ed room, although law states that the children are entitled to inclusion.

Sometime you have to work on compromises that are in the best interest of all children.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

The bee/outside gym analogy is so non-relevant that it doesn't bear comment.

How is that not relevant? So, one child's potentially fatal allergy is not as relevant as your child's peanut allergy?

Banning outside gym because of the potential of a fatal reaction to a bee sting is just as relevant as banning peanuts because of the potential of a fatal reaction to contact with peanuts.

By the way, your claim that peanuts is not a good food source is completely wrong. It is an extremely potent food source.

Peanuts are not only a rich source of protein, they also contain excellent levels of many other nutrients.

They are rich in almost all minerals, containing excellent levels of manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, selenium and tryptophan.. They are also a good source of niacin, folate, thiamin, vitamin E, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. And unless you are eating salted peanuts, peanuts only show a trace of sodium.

100g of Peanuts contributes 567 calories of energy. They are a very good source of monounsaturated fats. Peanuts are very low in cholesterol and sodium.

Peanuts are considered to be brain food. They contribute to brain health, brain circulation and blood flow. In addition to that, peanuts are also good antioxidants. Other health benefits of peanut include protection against colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol.

New research shows peanuts rival the antioxidant content of many fruits. Roasted peanuts rival the antioxidant content of blackberries and strawberries, and are far richer in antioxidants than apples, carrots or beets.

Peanuts are a significant source of resveratrol, a chemical studied for potential anti-aging effects and also associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and reduced cancer risk.

Why do you think food banks ask for peanut butter all the time? It is because it provides so many nutrients for a low cost.

 

[sunnyday123]

The problem with a peanut free table is that the rest of the school gets contaminated, especially the rest of the lunch room. Peanut oils are very resilient. It sticks to everything and is hard to remove.
IMHO the better solution is to have a peanut table. That way the school can be diligent in making certain that kids with peanut butter wash their hands throughly before leaving the lunchroom.

She won't starve in the few hrs she is at school, but peanut contaminates can kill an allergic child.

whats the difference between a peanut free table and a peanut only table? Unfortunately, there are some children who only eat pbj for lunch and refuse anything else. There has to be some compromise, I don't think you can ask or expect everything to change for one child. I wouldn't expect it for my own, I would just make certain she wasn't at risk. If that meant homeschooling or even eating lunch seperately, than so be it.

 

[sha_lyn]

whats the difference between a peanut free table and a peanut only table? Unfortunately, there are some children who only eat pbj for lunch and refuse anything else. There has to be some compromise, I don't think you can ask or expect everything to change for one child. I wouldn't expect it for my own, I would just make certain she wasn't at risk. If that meant homeschooling or even eating lunch seperately, than so be it.

A peanut only table(or tables if needed) is a smaller area therefore more manageable than the entire lunchroom.
Perhaps you don't understand that the risk isn't just in sitting next to smeone eating peantu butter.
If a child eating a PB sandwich gets up and uses the water fountain they can leave PB behind. Even if caution is used and PB allergic children don't use the fountains for that reason, another child could pick up PB while turning the foutain on and then pass the PB to a door handle, the table the PB free table they are sitting at with their PB allergic friend etc.

 

[JoBird]

So my Teenage daughter and I were talking about this last night. ( Remember that I was the one who posted that I'd seen patients of mine having an anyphylactic reaction?)

So my DD- who is in Jr high- told me that her school has now banned Chicfila sandwiches b/c of the peanut oil they are fried in.

The whole point of my other post was to point out that it is everywhere that you have no control over.

What about WDW? They serve Peanut butter and Jelly there. Will someone ask them to ban it there also? Will you not go to WDW because of the allergy?

As far as the complete banning of peanut butter all together... ( deep breath...)

My youngest daughter, aged 6, has Sensory Integration Disorder. Hers manifests itself thru eating. No she is not picky. She has a true problem with food.
Think of it as a fear of food- almost to the point of panic attacks (Which have occurred) when faced with something that she cannot eat. This goes way way beyond being "Picky" and choosing what she will or won't eat.

As a parent, I have dealt with trying to find things she can tolerate since she was two years old. Her list is quite small-
(1) Eggs (served to her every single night of our lives)
(2) ChicFila sandwiches (tolerated only about once a month, if that)
(3) yogurt- (must be a certain brand)
and (#4)- the dreaded peanut butter.

That's it. That's all she eats.

So if you go by the reasoning of banning all foods that people have allergies to-
MY child then cannot eat any of the above, therefore she cannot eat lunch at school, thereby putting HER life in danger b/c she is unable to eat- if the above foods have been banned.

So see? It's now not just a child who has allergies that are at risk- it's other children as well.

I'm really not sure that there are any answers to this problem- because, well, the fact of the matter is- there are allergens everywhere (NOT just in schools) that people have life threatening reactons to.

Educating the child about his or her needs for safety is key.

Jo

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

BTW - here are a few more things the very versatile peanut is used for. If you are not going to protect your child by teaching them how to live with their allergy, instead choosing to just have others remove the offending items, how are you planning to also ban these substances?

Peanuts have a variety of industrial end uses. Paint, varnish, lubricating oil, leather dressings, furniture polish, insecticides, and nitroglycerin are made from peanut oil. Soap is made from saponified oil, and many cosmetics contain peanut oil and its derivatives. The protein portion of the oil is used in the manufacture of some textile fibers.

Peanut shells are put to use in the manufacture of plastic, wallboard, abrasives, and fuel. They are also used to make cellulose (used in rayon and paper) and mucilage (glue).

 

[Momvic5]

Doesn't minor exposures increase the severity of the allergy and likelihood of a more serious reaction?

When my son was diagnosed with a peanut allergy (7 years ago) , our Dr. took us into his office and thoroughly explained how peanut allergies can differ from other more common allergies. His main point being that with each exposure to peanuts the severity of my son's reaction could possibly get worse. So yes, with peanut allergies, minor exposures can increase the severity of the allergy.

 

[sunnyday123]

A peanut only table(or tables if needed) is a smaller area therefore more manageable than the entire lunchroom.
Perhaps you don't understand that the risk isn't just in sitting next to smeone eating peantu butter.
If a child eating a PB sandwich gets up and uses the water fountain they can leave PB behind. Even if caution is used and PB allergic children don't use the fountains for that reason, another child could pick up PB while turning the foutain on and then pass the PB to a door handle, the table the PB free table they are sitting at with their PB allergic friend etc.

My confusion was with the OP wanting a peanut only table. The child with the allergy would still be sitting essentially by him or herself as the other children who weren't allergic would naturally sit together.
And I get the risk. I just don't feel that I would have the right to ask hundreds of other children to change their eating habits for just one, even if that one child was mine. Some kids will ONLY eat pb&j, some need to have it on hand for their own health conditions.
And say it's banned from school. Who's to say they don't eat it before school? It's still brought into the school environment. And is someone checking each childs lunch box and reading labels every day? Would the next step be banning anyone in the school district from having it at home?
There just needs to be more thought involved, and more compromise.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

I simply am astounded that most people seem to react with the thought that they would only be willing to help if it meant NO change to their own life. My 11 y/o reacts better than that.

It is no worse than your dismissive attitude towards other people's allergies and difficulties, claiming other people's allergies and difficulties are not relevant. You are the one who wants everybody to change for you and not have to make any changes to your life.

Your child has to live with his allergy in the real world. In my world, there are many children with life threatening problems. But they are taught to live in their world rather than having the world live around them. It may not be the easy way out, but it can be done safely and is much better for the child in the long run.

 

[sunnyday123]

It is no worse than your dismissive attitude towards other people's allergies and difficulties, claiming other people's allergies and difficulties are not relevant. You are the one who wants everybody to change for you and not have to make any changes to your life.

Your child has to live with his allergy in the real world. In my world, there are many children with life threatening problems. But they are taught to live in their world rather than having the world live around them. It may not be the easy way out, but it can be done safely and is much better for the child in the long run.

well said.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

Perhaps you don't understand that the risk isn't just in sitting next to smeone eating peantu butter.
If a child eating a PB sandwich gets up and uses the water fountain they can leave PB behind. Even if caution is used and PB allergic children don't use the fountains for that reason, another child could pick up PB while turning the foutain on and then pass the PB to a door handle, the table the PB free table they are sitting at with their PB allergic friend etc.

However, all those dangers lurk in the world outside of school too. For instance, in the mall, you don't know if some kid just had a pb&j sandwich and got some on the escalator handles. Somebody mentioned Disney - you don't know about the fountains there, the tables or even if somebody with a peanut butter hand touched the railings in the ride queues. The threat of somebody touching something after ingesting a peanut product is not limited to the school day.

In school, you just take the same precautions you do in the outside world. It is absolutely no different.

Let's face it, the push for peanut free schools is not really about protecting the child's health, because every reason for banning peanuts are challenges the child faces everywhere else in his life on a daily basis. It is really about not wanting your child to feel different amongst his peers. I understand that, having a child with special needs.

The OP gave a clue to this in her original post by saying "don't even get me started about peanut free tables." A parent doesn't want their child to be different. It hurts. So, let's get rid of the differences so that nobody notices our child is different. But, as most of us with "different" children had to learn the hard way, our child is different and we have to learn how to manage those differences.

To draw attention to your child's problem by forcing others to give up something, is going to make your child more different, not accepted.

 

[Momvic5]

How is that not relevant? So, one child's potentially fatal allergy is not as relevant as your child's peanut allergy?

Banning outside gym because of the potential of a fatal reaction to a bee sting is just as relevant as banning peanuts because of the potential of a fatal reaction to contact with peanuts.

By the way, your claim that peanuts is not a good food source is completely wrong. It is an extremely potent food source.

Peanuts are not only a rich source of protein, they also contain excellent levels of many other nutrients.

They are rich in almost all minerals, containing excellent levels of manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, selenium and tryptophan.. They are also a good source of niacin, folate, thiamin, vitamin E, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. And unless you are eating salted peanuts, peanuts only show a trace of sodium.

100g of Peanuts contributes 567 calories of energy. They are a very good source of monounsaturated fats. Peanuts are very low in cholesterol and sodium.

Peanuts are considered to be brain food. They contribute to brain health, brain circulation and blood flow. In addition to that, peanuts are also good antioxidants. Other health benefits of peanut include protection against colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol.

Why do you think food banks ask for peanut butter all the time? It is because it provides so many nutrients for a low cost.

However in the end, peanuts are still just a food.

I don't think parents of children with peanut allergies are asking the world to go peanut free for them. They are just asking elementary schools for help while their children are young and still in need of guidance. Children have to go to school. Children in the elementary grades are still very young. Most still count on the adults around them to help keep them safe. Children with peanut allergies tend to have severe allergic reactions. Reactions that Benadryl renders useless to. Reactions that often require an epipen and a trip to the hospital. Young children with such allergies have to be able to recognize a possible exposure and the onset of a reaction. If an exposure has been made, and the child recognizes it, the child must act quick. Quick meaning ~ find a teacher, explain what is happening, locate the epipen, administer the epipen, and call 911. This is what occurs IF the child recognizes the exposure or the onset of the reaction. Most young children are still in the process of learning about their allergy and still need help from the adults around them. Many young children do not recognize the first symptoms of a reaction until it is serious, or they may still need help administering the epipen. Some children haven't mastered the skill of jammimg an injection into their leg. The outcome of the reaction can depend on the quick reaction of the child and others around them. This is partly why a child can not always take full responsibilty for his/her allergy while they are young. Schools have to aide in the process.


I don't know if banning peanut products is the answer, but schools have the ability to limit unnecessary exposures. Yes, the rest of the world is not peanut free, but unlike the rest of the world, our schools have the ability to help. Schools can not stop mold from growing. They can not stop bees from flying around. They can not stop dust from collecting. They can not help or aide in the prevention of every allergy, but they can help limit what is brought into their caferterias and classrooms. They have the ability to do something to help while children are young and still in need of help.

I find it ironic that we are willing to ask a young child to take full responsibilty for his/her allergy, but we are not willing to ask a young child to go without his/her favorite lunch.

 

[livndisney]

It is no worse than your dismissive attitude towards other people's allergies and difficulties, claiming other people's allergies and difficulties are not relevant. You are the one who wants everybody to change for you and not have to make any changes to your life.

Your child has to live with his allergy in the real world. In my world, there are many children with life threatening problems. But they are taught to live in their world rather than having the world live around them. It may not be the easy way out, but it can be done safely and is much better for the child in the long run.

VERY well said!!!!!

 

[mamacatnv]

Most of the banter that has been on this thread has been rather meaningless. However, there has been some good dialogue here and that was what I was hoping for. I simply am astounded that most people seem to react with the thought that they would only be willing to help if it meant NO change to their own life. My 11 y/o reacts better than that.

Meaningless? Why, because you are not hearing what you wanted to hear. Because we did not all agree that your child is the most important person on the planet and therefore should be accomodated with no consideration or accomodation of any kind given to others. I realize your initial post was an inquiry but it has evolved and your comments of intolerance towards others has helped it to evolve, you are not innocent in the path this thread has taken.

I'd also like to comment that several posters have asked you specifically about the test "results" and given many examples of how they could otherwise be affected, you have failed to answer the inquiries. You have also failed to answer what the Dr's possible explanations were.

Personally, I have found this thread to be interesting and full of useful information and hints from parents who deal with this issue and similar issues. This thread has also had some really good resolution ideas. There is a child in my DD's class with a peanut allergy, it never occurred to me to have DD wash her hands after breakfast and before heading to school if she had a PB item. I learned something and will remind her of that.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

However in the end, peanuts are still just a food.

I don't think parents of children with peanut allergies are asking the world to go peanut free for them. They are just asking elementary schools for help while their children are young and still in need of guidance. Children have to go to school. Children in the elementary grades are still very young. Most still count on the adults around them to help keep them safe. Children with peanut allergies tend to have severe allergic reactions. Reactions that Benadryl renders useless to. Reactions that often require an epipen and a trip to the hospital. Young children with such allergies have to be able to recognize a possible exposure and the onset of a reaction. If an exposure has been made, and the child recognizes it, the child must act quick. Quick meaning ~ find a teacher, explain what is happening, locate the epipen, administer the epipen, and call 911. This is what occurs IF the child recognizes the exposure or the onset of the reaction. Most young children are still in the process of learning about their allergy and still need help from the adults around them. Many young children do not recognize the first symptoms of a reaction until it is serious, or they may still need help administering the epipen. Some children haven't mastered the skill of jammimg an injection into their leg.

Well then, rather than impacting every single child in the school, it would seem to me it would be better to lobby the school district to have a certified nurse on staff. Or, if the child is that severe, have an IEP written for the child and assign them a full time para professional who can help the child recognize the dangers. That is what all the other parents with different children do. They find solutions for their child that does not impact all the others.

The outcome of the reaction can depend on the quick reaction of the child and others around them. This is partly why a child can not always take full responsibilty for his/her allergy while they are young. Schools have to aide in the process.

Exactly. The school should aide in the process. Again, if the child is that compromised, then you lobby for a full time para to assist the child in making decisions until the child can manage the allergy on his own.

I don't know if banning peanut products is the answer, but schools have the ability to limit unnecessary exposures. Yes, the rest of the world is not peanut free, but unlike the rest of the world, our schools have the ability to help. Schools can not stop mold from growing. They can not stop bees from flying around. They can not stop dust from collecting. They can not help or aide in the prevention of every allergy, but they can help limit what is brought into their caferterias and classrooms. They have the ability to do something to help while children are young and still in need of help.

You are right.The school does have the ability to limit exposures. They can't control bees, but they can control the exposure to bees by not allowing recess and outside gym. It is only a few minutes of exercise and fresh air, right? It won't be much to give up for the other kids.

I find it ironic that we are willing to ask a young child to take full responsibilty for his/her allergy, but we are not willing to ask a young child to go without his/her favorite lunch.

Never once did I mention that a child take full responsibility for their allergy. What I suggested is that there are solutions available that are compromises. Most of us with special or different kids realize that you have to find solutions that work for all kids. You can't pick and choose which allergies, which diseases, etc you are going to help and dismiss the others as not being relevant. If your child has a fatal anything, it is relevant to that family.

How about the child going through Chemo? This is definitely life threatening and the child does have a right to go to school.

Should there be a nurse stationed at the front door and forbid every child with a sniffle to enter the school just because they can control the environment for the sick kid? Of course not. The school and family find compromises that work for everybody.

I find it ironic that you believe that there are only young children with peanut allergies who are learning how to deal with fatal afflictions. Let me inform you - there are many children out there that can die as elementary school children if they make the wrong decisions. You don't hear about them because the families make choices for their child without impacting others. They work with the school to provide support to the child. I know - I have been there.

 

[livndisney]

However in the end, peanuts are still just a food.

I don't think parents of children with peanut allergies are asking the world to go peanut free for them. They are just asking elementary schools for help while their children are young and still in need of guidance. Children have to go to school. Children in the elementary grades are still very young. Most still count on the adults around them to help keep them safe. Children with peanut allergies tend to have severe allergic reactions. Reactions that Benadryl renders useless to. Reactions that often require an epipen and a trip to the hospital. Young children with such allergies have to be able to recognize a possible exposure and the onset of a reaction. If an exposure has been made, and the child recognizes it, the child must act quick. Quick meaning ~ find a teacher, explain what is happening, locate the epipen, administer the epipen, and call 911. This is what occurs IF the child recognizes the exposure or the onset of the reaction. Most young children are still in the process of learning about their allergy and still need help from the adults around them. Many young children do not recognize the first symptoms of a reaction until it is serious, or they may still need help administering the epipen. Some children haven't mastered the skill of jammimg an injection into their leg. The outcome of the reaction can depend on the quick reaction of the child and others around them. This is partly why a child can not always take full responsibilty for his/her allergy while they are young. Schools have to aide in the process.


I don't know if banning peanut products is the answer, but schools have the ability to limit unnecessary exposures. Yes, the rest of the world is not peanut free, but unlike the rest of the world, our schools have the ability to help. Schools can not stop mold from growing. They can not stop bees from flying around. They can not stop dust from collecting. They can not help or aide in the prevention of every allergy, but they can help limit what is brought into their caferterias and classrooms. They have the ability to do something to help while children are young and still in need of help.

I find it ironic that we are willing to ask a young child to take full responsibilty for his/her allergy, but we are not willing to ask a young child to go without his/her favorite lunch.

So your solution is for the school to pick and choose which children it is going to help? Banning peanuts only helps the children who are allergic to peanuts. What of the special needs children who rely on peanut butter?. I'm sorry but no matter how you try you cannot "ask them to go without" their favorite lunch. I remember a child who could (and would) completely melt if his lunch was not exactly the same everyday. That child doesn't have the right to be taught? What about the blood sugar issues mentioned here? What about children with sensory issues?

Banning peanuts means taking away a "safe" food in some cases. I agree there needs to be a happy medium, but a ban is not a medium. It is saying my child has more right that your child and that is not fair.

 

[Michelle67]

So far the only arguments have been that other children have food preferences, and their parents get offended being told they must do something in order to look out for someone else's needs. Some of us do that every day. Maybe more of us should.

If that's the only argument you read here up to that point, then you weren't paying attention.

My kids end up eating the hot lunch more than half the time. By the time you factor that into it all, you are not being restricted to any significant degree.

Ummmm, don't you mean you are not being restricted to any significant degree? Because that argument doesn't pertain to me, nor to many others whose children can not or do not eat hot lunch at school for whatever reason.

And LotsOfQuestions: I won't bother quoting them all, but you made great points. Thanks.

 

[sha_lyn]

However, all those dangers lurk in the world outside of school too. For instance, in the mall, you don't know if some kid just had a pb&j sandwich and got some on the escalator handles. Somebody mentioned Disney - you don't know about the fountains there, the tables or even if somebody with a peanut butter hand touched the railings in the ride queues. The threat of somebody touching something after ingesting a peanut product is not limited to the school day.

In school, you just take the same precautions you do in the outside world. It is absolutely no different.

Let's face it, the push for peanut free schools is not really about protecting the child's health, because every reason for banning peanuts are challenges the child faces everywhere else in his life on a daily basis. It is really about not wanting your child to feel different amongst his peers. I understand that, having a child with special needs.

The OP gave a clue to this in her original post by saying "don't even get me started about peanut free tables." A parent doesn't want their child to be different. It hurts. So, let's get rid of the differences so that nobody notices our child is different. But, as most of us with "different" children had to learn the hard way, our child is different and we have to learn how to manage those differences.

To draw attention to your child's problem by forcing others to give up something, is going to make your child more different, not accepted.

In a school setting an adult, especially an adult who knows the child is allergic and what to do isn't going to be right by their side. In the mall a parent or other adult is going to be nearby and isn't going to be distracted by trying to manage a classroom/lunchroom/playground full of other children.
I'm spaking mainly about ele age. The older a child gets, the more likley it is that they will recognize a reaction and be able to act accordingly. The same can be said of their peers.

 

[Momvic5]

Well then, rather than impacting every single child in the school, it would seem to me it would be better to lobby the school district to have a certified nurse on staff. Or, if the child is that severe, have an IEP written for the child and assign them a full time para professional who can help the child recognize the dangers. That is what all the other parents with different children do. They find solutions for their child that does not impact all the others.



Exactly. The school should aide in the process. Again, if the child is that compromised, then you lobby for a full time para to assist the child in making decisions until the child can manage the allergy on his own.


You are right.The school does have the ability to limit exposures. They can't control bees, but they can control the exposure to bees by not allowing recess and outside gym. It is only a few minutes of exercise and fresh air, right? It won't be much to give up for the other kids.


Never once did I mention that a child take full responsibility for their allergy. What I suggested is that there are solutions available that are compromises. Most of us with special or different kids realize that you have to find solutions that work for all kids. You can't pick and choose which allergies, which diseases, etc you are going to help and dismiss the others as not being relevant. If your child has a fatal anything, it is relevant to that family.

How about the child going through Chemo? This is definitely life threatening and the child does have a right to go to school.

Should there be a nurse stationed at the front door and forbid every child with a sniffle to enter the school just because they can control the environment for the sick kid? Of course not. The school and family find compromises that work for everybody.

I find it ironic that you believe that there are only young children with peanut allergies who are learning how to deal with fatal afflictions. Let me inform you - there are many children out there that can die as elementary school children if they make the wrong decisions. You don't hear about them because the families make choices for their child without impacting others. They work with the school to provide support to the child. I know - I have been there.

I think you totally misunderstood my post.

I was going to re-explain myself, but I decided against it.

All I can say is ~ we as teachers, parents and students just need to decide what it is we value the most.