Is it me or have the number of children with allergies got worse....

[spiralqueen]

...since pregnant women started being told to restrict their diets and avoid certain foods?

FWIW i think the number of children with allergies has increased, the number of children with intolerances has increased - the incidence of excema and asthema has increased and the number of children with issues on and around the autistic spectrum has also increased.

On that webchat recently the consultant allergist said that there is mounting evidence that weaning from 17 weeks is better for avoiding allergies than later weaning. Wish they'd make their minds up!!!!!

Well, I was not breastfed, I was given heated cows milk diluted with water. And weaned early.

I am very allergic to horse hair. Then, when we had building works done, the true content of our walls revealed themselves: plaster with horse hair.

So, it would be easy to think my natural environment, cheap tacky building materials in our old house, was the reason to my allergy. Or my cows milk and early weaning.

But no, I still think it is YOU.

In the latest newsletter form the Anaphylaxis Campaign there was a report saying that the advice to pregnant mothers to avoid peanuts is wrong .

I think that we are much more aware of allergies nowadays. I also think that the overuse of peanut oil, etc in processed food has probably got something to do with the perceived rise in allergies.

Over-cleaning! Let them encounter some dirt.......

Also , I think a lot of people claim allergies and intolerances when they have none - it's a faddy diet thing. 'Ooh, I can't do gluten/lactose etc I have an allergy/intolerance'. That's not kids BTW, just faddy grown-ups.

I think it's partly genetic - I have DD with no allergies whatsoever, and DS with multiple allergies/asthma - ate the same in both pregnancies, lived in same house, didn't do anything significantly different. I do think that it's also because more people with allergies are surviving to have their own children, and thus more 'allergic' genes in gene pool - in the past, without the knowledge and standard of care you get (mostly!) today, a lot of allergic infants probably died, with their death being attributed to something else.

Vaccinations. Multiple immune system trauma with 15 shots plus formaldehyde by the age of 16 weeks. Look no further.

Grumpy - I agree and the thing that fecks me off about that is that people then think my poor old DS2 is 'faddy' and are inclined to think a bit of x or y won't hurt. Cue several painful hours on the loo

love your name btw

Last time I was in hospital (after a walnutty muffin tried to kill me), the consultant said that the government advice for atopic allergic types to avoid nuts in pregnancy is going to be reversed.

Good point, peeingmyselflaughing - a few generations back, one of the serious reactions I've had would probably have finished me off. So I wouldn't have reproduced and brought another potentially allergic child into the world.

also at faddy grown-ups.

stuffitllama - is there any scientific evidence for that?

the oldest cat -- do you mean that rhetorically or do you want some links?

Not rhertorically - I'm really interested. Link away, please!

rhetorically, even!

I really set myself up there didn't I Right, supper for the children first.

Stuffit- I have always wondered about vaccinations having a link to increased allergies.
Seems plausible seeing as they are both linked to our immune systems.

Pagwatch & TheOldestCat

Phew you got the point I was making - certain faddy people (and I am looking at some of my friends and family here) have seized upon what is a genuine medical condition as an excuse to not eat bread/pasta/drink milk and draw attention to themselves (the old 'oh, I'm on a diet' 'but you don't need to diet' kind of thing). I once worked with a supposedly lactose intolerant woman whose only intolerance appeared to be normal cow milk (every time drinks were made, she would sigh and say 'oh, soya milk in mine) - she ate cream cakes without a problem?

I also worked with another woman who 'had to have' soya milk on her cereal, but seemed ok to have cows milk in her tea and coffee. She claimed a 'slight intolerance'. Grr.

DD1's best friend has severe food allergies, bless her, she has so many things she can't eat and it is just shitty for her. Everyday she has to be so careful of what she eats/drinks.

Rather depressingly, a couple of her friends are 'not doing dairy' now - they're 10/11!

And thank you for compliments on my much-deserved name

Def a difference in food alergies and food intolerances, many parents don't seem to know the difference.

So it is difficult to know if there is an actual increase in real food alergies.

Totally agree with you grumpy!!

My SIL has always been a bit faddy with her diet, but as soon as she found out my DS had severe allergies, her DD has them too, and they are always being compared.

So on further questioning about it, i.e. have you taken her to allergy specialist, had skin prick tests etc, what are her symptoms, the answer is no to the testing and as for symptoms " she is just better without dairy"

That sounds really evil, my SIL is absolutely lovely and I love her to bits. Just bugs me a bit, when my MIL goes on about it.

Look forward to those links, stuffitllama (sorry for the extra work).

Agree about intolerances and it can be frustrating when people confuse them with allergies. But I'm able to avoid things I'm allergic to pretty easily (tree nuts, pomegranates), while if you react to a lot of 'common' things it must be miserable.

triymalixy - your SIL's competitive allergy stance is pretty odd!

Just caught up - does this mean I can eat peanuts (the butter variety) without worrying now?!

The comments on genetics do have me worrying though. I have had hayfever since I was very young and developed asthma a few years ago after a nasty chest infection. I have a very mild allergy to certain brands of washing powders/liquids which I used to put down to conditioner (who needs it, really?!) and, after a bout of food poisoning, ended up with a yeast intolerence (which means that bread has countered the old contispation problem in pregnancy!)

Does this mean my DD to be is buggered?

Depends MACAPS my ds seems to have inherited all the allergies, dd has none at all. I have read that the oldest child is more vulnerable to allergies.

Seems to be a lottery then, it's the other way round for me!

and trixymalixy, my SIL is the same - except she's not so lovely. Shame they've discredited Munchausen's by proxy, she'd be a classic case...

ok some of these are abstracts

hib

whooping cough

off to find some more