Comments on: Peanut allergy psychosomatic?

By: Archie

Archie — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:20:27 +0000

I grew up eating penuts all my life ,boiled,penutbrittle,penutbutter,snickers,paydays. And one day i went into anflactic shock and was rushed to the hospital with a severe allergict reaction .THIS IS A REAL. Like Shellynnrn stated its not a fun trip! I`m 60 and carry the epinephrine pen with me ever where i go

By: meaussiegirl

meaussiegirl — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:21:59 +0000

As children get older their immunes system also matures helping them to react better to some of their childhood allergies. I had a friend(she was 26 )who could not even have someone eat peanuts then breath on them... she didnt fake her anafaltic shock that she went into everytime she came near nuts. She couldnt even go into icecream shops as they had nuts on display. My partner has a coconut allergy even someone putting on sunscreen with coconut in it can make him very sick. A few crumbs of coconut in a cake base has him on the toilet all night. I think your basing all your knowledge on your own experience and not basing your information in medical fact. Which has a broader base of expert knowledge. I agree that there maybe some out there making the best of their allergy but I feel it is dangerous to start assuming it is just emotional or all in their head.
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By: otatro

otatro — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:16:59 +0000

This is an interesting thought and I would like to pick apart some of the particular wording.

When you say that you can die from exposure to tree nuts, do you mean exposure or do you mean ingestion? I am allergic to peanuts, my wife is allergic to tree nuts. My wife can be in a room with and around people who have or are eating tree nuts. I cannot be in a room with peanuts. As far as I know, tree nuts are not an airborne allergy. Peanuts are.

A little known fact about peanut allergies… A true exposure allergic reaction is very different from an ingestion reaction. Anxiety and paranoia are very common warning signs of an exposure reaction and this type of reaction is unique to peanuts. Left unchecked this can quickly lead to a more severe reaction. People DO "flip out" around peanuts because they have finally identified the source of the discomfort.

I personally will continue to "indulge" my fears as it has kept me alive and reaction free for several years. I do thank you for bringing this up. It was interesting to think about.

FYI, no overbearing mother and no imagination here. Also, I come from a functional upper-class Native American/Black family
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By: shellynnrn

shellynnrn — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:55:59 +0000

Peanut allergies are the second highest diagnosed allergies in the U.S (second to seafood). The reaction can be extremely severe even resulting in death. After the initial exposure, reaction and resulting diagnosis, each subsequent exposure can lead to more dangerous symptoms. You can NOT be desensitized to peanuts by exposure. If someone had a reaction and was treated and then diagnosed, I’m sure they are terrified that the next reaction could be deadly.
My 14 month old’s first exposure lead us to an ambulance ride with him on oxygen and epinephrine and decadron injections. How bad do you think the next reaction will be? It can be paralyzing to think that you could lose your child because he is accidentally exposed. My son will be well informed as he gets older to avoid peanuts and to be aware of what he is eating and where it came from. If that’s what you call Peanut Phobic…then fine. It’s better than dead.
To clarify further:
1) I’m not an overbearing mother, just informed and proactive
2) We aren’t anymore dysfunctional than the avg white middle class family
3) His imagination is probably really focused on his teddy bears and trucks right now as opposed to how much attention he can get if he stops breathing on mommy.

Yes, you can get yourself worked up about things and have a panic attack, but that doesn’t cause an allergenic reaction.

6% of children outgrow peanut allergies as they get older. They can not control the "symptoms" as they are a physiological reaction to an allergen.

My thoughts.
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By: Franklin

Franklin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:07:59 +0000

I think a lot of what you say is true. Like PMS,Yuppie flu and others many claim to have it because it's "in" and gets attention. For folks that have grown up with the allergy, they control it, read labels and try to have a normal life. We had a friend that was truly allergic to cats. We had cats. The solution was easy, we invited her over the same day she had her allergy shots. No big deal. Some people would rather say they are allergic rather than offend someone by saying they don't like cats.
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By: Little Snarky Foo-Foo™

Little Snarky Foo-Foo™ — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:02:59 +0000

I agree. A LOT of it is wussified kids who aren’t allowed to eat any kind of nuts or drink milk or eat normal bread, and who live in hermetically sealed houses, so that when their immune system encounters something it, it totally freaks out.
They’re not allowed to play outside, they’re not allowed to ride their bikes without helmets and full body armor —

When I was a kid, I drank milk every day and to this day, I’m NOT lactose intolerant — and I’m 50. In fact, I have no food intolerances or allergies at all.
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