Tests show many food allergies may not be real

[Christine]

Just an FYI, you can't react to something the first time you have it. The reaction is a build up of histamines in the body and if your body was never exposed to something it can't build up histamines. She had to have had some exposure to peanuts before that-either hidden in some other food or someone else gave her some without you knowing.

My son also reacted to his first taste of PB at age 10 months. I can assure you he never had it before, nothing. His diet was very restricted. I was told my be allergist that fetuses are sensitized to peanut protein in utero.

 

[disfan07]

you can have a reaction to peanuts the first time you eat it. Thats why they reccomend holding off on introducing peanuts for so long

 

[Ilivetogo]

Interesting. My cousin just dealt with this issue with her 3yr old son. He has alot of food allergies and sensitivities. He had tested positive for a nut allergy. Either a skin prick or a blood test, not sure which. Anyway, they had her bring him to the Boston Children's hospital (they live about an hour away ) and bring her own peanut butter. I'm not sure why. Then they fed him some with the nurses waiting in case of a reaction. Nothing happened. He asked to eat a pb&j that night for dinner

Tree nuts are completely different than peanuts. Peanuts are actually a legume (bean). I, too, am allergic to tree nuts, but peanuts are fine. They're not in the same category.

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[disykat]

My son also reacted to his first taste of PB at age 10 months. I can assure you he never had it before, nothing. His diet was very restricted. I was told my be allergist that fetuses are sensitized to peanut protein in utero.

Right. Peanut proteins also pass through breast milk.

 

[Momvic5]

That would make sense because an allergic reation is a specific thing that the body does. I get headaches when the scent of cinnamon is too strong, however that is not my body releasing histamines, its just an irritation to my nasal passages and sinuses, so I am not truly allergic to it, I'm irritated by it.



I don't know anyone who has been tested in the middle of a reaction.

What I meant was that most of us are tested during a time when our bodies are in a weakened state due to an allergy that we have either recently experienced or are experiencing...both my son and dh were tested for their allergies days after their hives disappeared...actually my dh still had hives present when they did a series of blood tests on him. My ds had to have his allergy testing (skin/blood)done in the spring which is the worst time of year for his airborne allergies. Both were already in a weakened state. In my mind, I have always thought that my dh and ds had so many positive results because their bodies were not in full recovery from what initially caused them to have the hives.

 

[Sazuburns]

So sometimes people test positive and don't have an allergy and sometimes people test negative but do have an allergy (or an intollerance)...

My youngest was a refluxy baby and I found that she was worse if I'd eaten a lot of dairy (I was, and still am, breastfeeding her). I cut it out of my diet and her symptoms lessened after a couple of weeks. Each time I tried to reintroduce milk into my diet she got worse again.

When she was almost 6 months she had a blood test and the result came back negative - apparently she wasn't allergic to milk at all, it was just normal reflux. So, I tried introducing milk again and guess what? She got sick again.

Then, a couple of months ago (when she was just over a year old) my eldest accidentally put cows milk on her cereal instead of her usualy oat milk. Within an hour she was being sick, then she broke out in cradle cap and as the milk digested she had terrible stomach cramps. Finally, when it came out her dirty nappies burned her bottom so badly that she had open sores. It took nearly three weeks for her diaper area to be clear.

We're avoiding milk again...

 

[U2_rocks!]

So sometimes people test positive and don't have an allergy and sometimes people test negative but do have an allergy (or an intollerance)...

My youngest was a refluxy baby and I found that she was worse if I'd eaten a lot of dairy (I was, and still am, breastfeeding her). I cut it out of my diet and her symptoms lessened after a couple of weeks. Each time I tried to reintroduce milk into my diet she got worse again.

When she was almost 6 months she had a blood test and the result came back negative - apparently she wasn't allergic to milk at all, it was just normal reflux. So, I tried introducing milk again and guess what? She got sick again.

Then, a couple of months ago (when she was just over a year old) my eldest accidentally put cows milk on her cereal instead of her usualy oat milk. Within an hour she was being sick, then she broke out in cradle cap and as the milk digested she had terrible stomach cramps. Finally, when it came out her dirty nappies burned her bottom so badly that she had open sores. It took nearly three weeks for her diaper area to be clear.

We're avoiding milk again...

Sounds like milk is a definite problem, and it also sounds like more than lactose intolerance (maybe it's the protein or some other substance in the milk?). She may not have a true "allergy" (i.e. histamine-producing reaction), but she definitely cannot tolerate it. But you know that now, so you don't have to test for it.

 

[U2_rocks!]

Good thing I stumbled upon this thread. I'm finally trying to get my 5 month GI ordeal figured out. I am being allergy tested for lactose on Friday. I've already been cleared of a wheat/gluten allergy. Can anyone provide more info on allergy testing as an adult? I'd also be interested in more info on VEGA testing. I am in a medical field and am not at all into homeopathic medicine but I'm so tired of this, I'll give anything a try.

I can't do an explanation justice, but there's plenty of info out there if you do a Google search. I would then include your city and state in the search as well, and you may get some info from a clinic near you that does the testing. Good luck with your research!

 

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

I have a child that has what is called food born ezcema. She will break out in a rash due to certain food additives and red dye 40. Her diagnosis is really about 8 things long but most I can't pronounce but are all skin related. She also has a condition called dermotographia that her big sister thinks is awesome. You can barely scratch the word HI on her arm and it flares up to a bright red. Yes I have had to keep older DD from doing this to her alot of times. Youngest DD's allergist that she sees says that for some reason her skin is so ultra sensitive that alot of things seem so permeate thru it in an allergic reaction that it might not be full blown food allergies at all but alot of additive reactions. She will be retested this summer, 4 yrs after her inital testing to see what the results have come to now. I was a total food nazi for a couple of years too, nothing but pure organic anything but have loosened up due to the allergist saying her's is in no way going to affect her to the point of an epipen or serious in anyway. So now when she goes to parties or to friends houses I just give her a zyrtec and send her small tube of anti itch cream and say to have a great time. It just goes to show that everybodys bodies react differently to foods and additives.

 

[jodifla]

So sometimes people test positive and don't have an allergy and sometimes people test negative but do have an allergy (or an intollerance)...

My youngest was a refluxy baby and I found that she was worse if I'd eaten a lot of dairy (I was, and still am, breastfeeding her). I cut it out of my diet and her symptoms lessened after a couple of weeks. Each time I tried to reintroduce milk into my diet she got worse again.

When she was almost 6 months she had a blood test and the result came back negative - apparently she wasn't allergic to milk at all, it was just normal reflux. So, I tried introducing milk again and guess what? She got sick again.

Then, a couple of months ago (when she was just over a year old) my eldest accidentally put cows milk on her cereal instead of her usualy oat milk. Within an hour she was being sick, then she broke out in cradle cap and as the milk digested she had terrible stomach cramps. Finally, when it came out her dirty nappies burned her bottom so badly that she had open sores. It took nearly three weeks for her diaper area to be clear.

We're avoiding milk again...

Wouldn't this be more like lactose intolerance than an allergy?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

And sometimes allergies/intolerances can be very strange. I find that I have a severe reaction to raw cucumbers but I can eat most pickles which are made from cucumbers with no problems. The only pickles I react to are those which are still bright green and not fully processed.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Just an FYI, you can't react to something the first time you have it. The reaction is a build up of histamines in the body and if your body was never exposed to something it can't build up histamines. She had to have had some exposure to peanuts before that-either hidden in some other food or someone else gave her some without you knowing.

We it wasn't w/o me knowing so it must have been hidden in foods like Count Chocoulas, twinkies or something b/c those were things she ate before her reaction and they said may contain peanuts.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

My son also reacted to his first taste of PB at age 10 months. I can assure you he never had it before, nothing. His diet was very restricted. I was told my be allergist that fetuses are sensitized to peanut protein in utero.

When I asked my allergist what causes it he said research is still being done and no one really knows for sure but gave me a series of theories, one of them being the amount of PB (or peanuts, I am just thinking PB b/c I ate a lot of that while PG) mommy eats while pregnant.
For me it would make sense b/c for some reason I craved that while PG and honestly I really don't like PB all that much!

 

[TheZue]

When I asked my allergist what causes it he said research is still being done and no one really knows for sure but gave me a series of theories, one of them being the amount of PB (or peanuts, I am just thinking PB b/c I ate a lot of that while PG) mommy eats while pregnant.
For me it would make sense b/c for some reason I craved that while PG and honestly I really don't like PB all that much!

I agree with that theory. Both my kids ended up with different food allergies. My eldest was allergic to Sesame (grew out of it luckily) and I did eat a ton of bread with sesame seeds on it while pregnant. So second time I'm pregnant I avoid the sesame and try to go all healthy and only eat whole wheat. Guess who's allergic to whole wheat Anyways neither of them are life threatening; lets just say they react around 12 hours later on the other side with spectacular results for about a week. The only reason we even caught it in my eldest was because he got a sesame seed on his shoulder and it formed a big red irritated welt under it.

I also think for every misdiagnosed food allergy there are probably people wandering around with them who don't know. I had no idea I was allergic to egg whites until I was tested for hayfever and it was just part of their standard screening. The egg pin prick took over the four around it. I just thought I got food poisoning a lot...since I've cut them out I'm a much happier camper. I certainly notice when I accidentally get one now though.