Excellent observation!
But to answer your question we should probably ask the "expert"...
Posted on 11/26/2005 12:21:14 PM PST by EveningStar
A Quebec teenager with a peanut allergy has died after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten a peanut butter sandwich hours earlier.
(Excerpt) Read more at ctv.ca ...
Does one need a script to get one of these Epi Pens or can one just pick one up at the local pharmacy? Do you know?
I frankly don't see how this would be helpful. There are peanuts in so many things the dog would be constantly alerting, and therefore useless.
I think the point is the child will always be at risk, and she needs to learn how to deal with the risk, and what to do if the worst happens
My child lives a normal life, he just asks a lot of questions before he eats anything, and carries a lot of epinephrine with him. I would hate to see these kids made invalids or homebound. I don't think that serves any purpose.
Epi pens are a script.
I have to do something similar with my son. He is allergic to xanthan gum, a food thickener.
Xanthan gum sounds like an obscure substance, but it is in thousands of products in the grocery store. It is in almost every salad dressing, many taco sauces and salsas, barbecue sauce, chocolate syrup, some ice creams, cake mixes, etc. It is even in some pediatric medicine suspensions.
We only figured out what was causing the problem after writing down foods and ingredients whenever he had an allergic reaction. The common denominator was xanthan gum. The doctor got hold of some pure and tested him, confirming that it was the culprit.
We have several epi-pens around the house. And keep liquid Benedryl handy because it works faster.
Actually, one theory gaining some adherents is that the absence of aspirin use in kids is the CAUSE of the increase in asthma:
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1998 Oct;81(4):347-51. Related Articles, Links
Hypothesis: decreased use of pediatric aspirin has contributed to the increasing prevalence of childhood asthma.
Varner AE, Busse WW, Lemanske RF Jr.
Allergy Diagnostic, Beachwood, Ohio 44122, USA.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of asthma, atopic eczema, and allergic rhinitis has increased over the last three decades in Western countries. Speculation on the causes of this trend have focused on changes in environmental factors. We hypothesize that the decreased use of aspirin in favor of acetaminophen, due to the association of aspirin with Reye's syndrome during febrile respiratory infections, may be contributing to these trends in the United States. DATA SOURCES: A detailed literature search was conducted utilizing Medline. Studies considered relevant and important involving both humans and animals in English language were used. HYPOTHESIS: In the United States, the documented prevalence of childhood asthma has increased since 1970, but the rate of this increase accelerated upward beginning in the early 1980s when the use of pediatric aspirin decreased. During the resolution of common respiratory viral infections, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is produced through the actions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Aspirin, but not acetaminophen, inhibits COX-2 activity. As PGE2 promotes TH2 and inhibits THI type cytokine generation, we hypothesize that the decreased use of aspirin may be a factor in facilitating allergic sensitization and asthma by augmenting the relative TH1/TH2 cytokine imbalance in genetically predisposed children. CONCLUSION: We have presented an hypothesis based upon epidemiologic trends, known biologic effects of cytokines and PGE2 on allergic sensitization, and a potentially relevant pharmacologic effect of aspirin to explain a component of the increasing prevalence of childhood asthma in the United States. We suggest this theory be examined further in animal models as well as in other countries where the prevalence of childhood asthma is increasing.
Please allow me to butt in-
You need a scrip for sure. But, let's say you are a beekeeper and want a couple epipens in case a visitor gets an allergic reaction- most MDs will write you a prescription.
They are sort of expensive and expire in about 18 months.
OK, now thats extreme.
Banning peanuts is one thing, but bringing in a dog to sniff is just nuts.
cool article. TKS
I would not be surprised if another "sensitizing culprit"-- childhood vaccines-- might have something to do with an increase in allergies of all kinds, including peanuts.
We are imposing highly toxic materials into the vulnerable immune systems of babies, and then expect them to come away unscathed. I do not believe the human immune system was designed to handle these toxins at such a young age, and so many given at once.
There have been links to autism, SIDS, allergies and asthma related to vaccines. Try the National Vaccine Injury website. I think they have good info on this.
Basically I think our immune systems are all screwed up, and the most vulnerable would logically be people who as babies were not given immune-protective human mother's breastmilk, and loaded with vaccines in the early stages of life. It would not seem illogical that hypersensitivites to ordinary proteins such as peanuts would result.
It's amazing that something as harmless as a peanut can be so deadly to certain people. What a tragedy this is.
That may be true; however, I do not believe in the autism link. Four large studies done in different counties found no link whatsoever. That is not to say that some kids do not do well with vaccines. The alternative would be hundreds of thousands suffereing (and thousands dying) from polio, whooping cough, diphtheria, etc.
I'm in full agreement. You are a smart cookie with advance preparation for treats at school.
Intersting post.
I too, am baffled with the relatively recent allergic reaction to peanuts.
Hubby and I were in the waiting area of a flight from Missoula, MT. to Milwaukee,WI., and all of the people on our flight were told that one of the passengers on our flight had a peanut allergy, and we were to throw away any items we had on us that contained peanuts before we boarded.
Of course we did ditch our Snickers Bars, but, as many people responding here, I just wonder about the cause of this allergy!
You misunderstood. I did not suggest that aspirin was a factor in the increase in childhood asthma. I suggested that those who have food allergy(ies) not use aspirin in large doses (as in for pain relief) if possible in light of evidence that it enhances the severity of an anaphylactic reaction.
What about place of birth for asthma? I would take a wild guess that a lot more babies are born in urban environments these days than used to be the case.
"If she gave herself a shot I wonder if she did it correctly and if it was not expired. Sad. RIP"
One shot doesn't always do the trick. IMO, highly allergic people should always keep two Epi-Pens on hand.
I have a friend whose daughter died at the age of 4 months from the DPT vaccine.
I have another friend whose baby boy went from a normal 4 month old to a severly distrubed, and ultimately autistic, child after the MMR vaccine. She is a nurse practitioner and obviously involved in the medical profession. She just attended a conference a couple of summers ago of parents whose children showed a very obvious link between their autism and their vaccines.
I wonder if there ought to be screening of some kind for families with history of allergies, asthma, etc. In Japan, they have a law against immunizing before the age of two, because of the vulnerability and immaturity of babies' immune system.
I take an exemption for my family because of my own medical history.
Insofar as studies are concerned, I always wonder who is sponsoring them-- the drug companies making a fortune from the vaccines?
If you ever get to read a book called "A Shot In The Dark" I think you will find it intriguing. Discusses a host of issues regarding mandatory vaccination.
That's pretty scary. Both of my sons have been fed Isomil, soy based. They were breast-fed but supplemented with the Isomil. My three year old can eat peanuts. Does it say when the allergy developes?
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