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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 351752" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>One thing to be wary of - if you or your child seems to be prone to allergies, you need to keep an eye on foods known to be high-risk. And that high risk includes soy.</p><p></p><p>This is why elimination diets are often proposed - because if you simply substitute, say, soy milk for cows milk and you notice no change, then it could be that the child has a problem with both, and you just switched one atopic food for another.</p><p></p><p>Susie, the allergy/sensitivity stuff we did for difficult child 3 was only 5 years ago now. I've also stayed in touch with their work so I'm aware of any new things. What you describe is allergy testing, but often we confuse allergy with sensitivity, and a food sensitivity often will not show up with allergy testing.</p><p></p><p>OK, the example I'm about to use is old, it's from my own medical history, but I'm trying to make a distinction here.</p><p>I knew I was allergic to a couple of antibiotics. True allergy, too - I would get a rash (hives) if I took those antibiotics. I wanted to have advance warning of what else I might be allergic to, so I asked to be referred to an allergy specialist who did skin pricks on me. With what I know now, it was a major waste of time and money. The guy did not find any evidence of antibiotic allergy (even the ones I know I am allergic to) I think because he didn't actually test for them. I grew up with hat I had always been told was a cows milk allergy - but the testing was negative. However, in the scratch tests I tested positive for house dust, and tomatoes. That is allergy testing - and I was positive for tomatoes.</p><p>Now at the time I was eating tomatoes every day, almost. No rash, no health problems. It really puzzled me, until I remembered - I would always get itchy when I went to pick tomatoes. Brushing past the plants, the touch of those fine hairs on my skin would make me itch ferociously. So the stuff the guy tested me with, was possibly tomato plant, which when scratched onto the skin caused a reaction but when ingested, was 'handled' differently by my body.</p><p></p><p>Testing may well have improved in recent years, but our bodies are still working much the same, humanity hasn't evolved to change that much lately. You can be sensitive to something on your skin but OK with it when ingested, or vice versa. I react to preservatives in cosmetics now, but only if they are applied too close to mucous membranes. That means I can't use cosmetics near my eyes, for example. But I can use the same creams, etc on my skin in other areas of my body.</p><p></p><p>Susie, your description of your 'hay fever' type of reaction is a good example of the limitation of testing as well as our often misinterpretation of the issues. You don't have an identified allergy, but a problem is clearly there, it just doesn't have a name. Your body's over-sensitivity to pollen etc - it does sound to me like a histamine reaction, but it appears to be only those cells in the mucous membranes in the sensitive area which are reacting. That is because in other parts of your body, the problem product is not able to make an impact on anything which it will react with. The reaction is localised and specific to certain cell types. An interesting test result for you to check out, would be your blood levels of IgM and IgA. Sometimes they can be out of whack when you get tis sort of reaction.</p><p></p><p>You have been told it's not a true allergy or sensitivity, but if you are someone who has those symptoms and hasn't been told that, you would describe it as an allergy. It's like a poster I once had - "I think I'm allergic to mornings." People call all sorts of reactions, an allergy. We throw the terminology around too loosely and it can cause great confusion when we are talking to doctors who have their own more detailed, highly specific definitions.</p><p></p><p>At least you have found a practical way to handle it.</p><p></p><p>And often that is the best we can do - find ways to manage it ourselves.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 351752, member: 1991"] One thing to be wary of - if you or your child seems to be prone to allergies, you need to keep an eye on foods known to be high-risk. And that high risk includes soy. This is why elimination diets are often proposed - because if you simply substitute, say, soy milk for cows milk and you notice no change, then it could be that the child has a problem with both, and you just switched one atopic food for another. Susie, the allergy/sensitivity stuff we did for difficult child 3 was only 5 years ago now. I've also stayed in touch with their work so I'm aware of any new things. What you describe is allergy testing, but often we confuse allergy with sensitivity, and a food sensitivity often will not show up with allergy testing. OK, the example I'm about to use is old, it's from my own medical history, but I'm trying to make a distinction here. I knew I was allergic to a couple of antibiotics. True allergy, too - I would get a rash (hives) if I took those antibiotics. I wanted to have advance warning of what else I might be allergic to, so I asked to be referred to an allergy specialist who did skin pricks on me. With what I know now, it was a major waste of time and money. The guy did not find any evidence of antibiotic allergy (even the ones I know I am allergic to) I think because he didn't actually test for them. I grew up with hat I had always been told was a cows milk allergy - but the testing was negative. However, in the scratch tests I tested positive for house dust, and tomatoes. That is allergy testing - and I was positive for tomatoes. Now at the time I was eating tomatoes every day, almost. No rash, no health problems. It really puzzled me, until I remembered - I would always get itchy when I went to pick tomatoes. Brushing past the plants, the touch of those fine hairs on my skin would make me itch ferociously. So the stuff the guy tested me with, was possibly tomato plant, which when scratched onto the skin caused a reaction but when ingested, was 'handled' differently by my body. Testing may well have improved in recent years, but our bodies are still working much the same, humanity hasn't evolved to change that much lately. You can be sensitive to something on your skin but OK with it when ingested, or vice versa. I react to preservatives in cosmetics now, but only if they are applied too close to mucous membranes. That means I can't use cosmetics near my eyes, for example. But I can use the same creams, etc on my skin in other areas of my body. Susie, your description of your 'hay fever' type of reaction is a good example of the limitation of testing as well as our often misinterpretation of the issues. You don't have an identified allergy, but a problem is clearly there, it just doesn't have a name. Your body's over-sensitivity to pollen etc - it does sound to me like a histamine reaction, but it appears to be only those cells in the mucous membranes in the sensitive area which are reacting. That is because in other parts of your body, the problem product is not able to make an impact on anything which it will react with. The reaction is localised and specific to certain cell types. An interesting test result for you to check out, would be your blood levels of IgM and IgA. Sometimes they can be out of whack when you get tis sort of reaction. You have been told it's not a true allergy or sensitivity, but if you are someone who has those symptoms and hasn't been told that, you would describe it as an allergy. It's like a poster I once had - "I think I'm allergic to mornings." People call all sorts of reactions, an allergy. We throw the terminology around too loosely and it can cause great confusion when we are talking to doctors who have their own more detailed, highly specific definitions. At least you have found a practical way to handle it. And often that is the best we can do - find ways to manage it ourselves. Marg [/QUOTE]
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