Living in a World Trying to Kill You

Up until a short time ago, I knew allergies were bad, but I never really understood how dangerous they are. Through talking with mothers of children that are deathly allergic to certain things, my rose colored glasses have been taken off.

When most people think of allergies, they think of somebody getting really swollen, maybe hives, and worst case scenario is an epi pen or trip to the hospital. It's really not that simple. The mothers of many children with allergies live in constant fear of what might happen to their children. Something as simple as not making sure something was sanitized can lead to a very scary, potentially deadly, trip to the hospital.

One mother I talk to frequently went on vacation with her family. They stayed with extended family all in one condo. Even after a few years of being told why her child can't have nuts, the extended family didn't understand the hazards. They were all sitting down enjoying their time together when the little boy began to swell up. Within a couple of minutes, he was having a very hard time breathing. EMS was called, an epi pen administered. A trip to the hospital, and they still aren't sure exactly what happened. It could have been something as simple as the knife used to make his sandwich hadn't been washed well after making a peanut butter sandwich.

Another mother discussed how her daughter was playing outside. The neighbors were having a cookout, which was a common occurrence. All of the sudden, the daughter was having a severe reaction to the smoke from the grill. The neighbors had been grilling clams, and the little girl is very allergic to shellfish. Again, an epi, a trip to the hospital, and she came home.

These children lived very close to hospitals. One thing people don't understand is that an epi's effects last only about 15 minutes. There is a reason many people carry two. The pens can't be left in a car because the heat could kill the medicine, and need to be replaced after a year. Bypassing any of these steps can kill.

We even had a bit of a scare. When Alyssa was younger, she stopped gaining weight. There was a three month period where she didn't gain an ounce, and she had gained very little before that. One of the things they tested for was a gluten allergy. That would mean no normal bread and no wheat products, we would have to be very careful about giving her hot dogs, and we would have to take special care in reading labels. Nothing could contain wheat, barley, rye, malts and triticale, some things used to flavor, and some things used to thicken foods. Looking at what would have to be taken out of her diet was scary. I cried about what we would have to be sure not to give her. She would never have a birthday cake or pizza. Accidental ingestion could lead to internal bleeding and could kill her. We were very lucky, and her tests came back clean. Many parents are not so lucky.

Before I knew all of this, I never understood why peanut butter was banned from schools. Now I understand. It's not just for that child that trades his ham sandwich for a PB&J. It's for the children that literally can't be in the same room. With allergies on the rise, this kind of instance is becoming more and more prevalent.

While some allergies are something that can't be avoided, studies show that part may stem from choices parents make from the start. Keeping your children off the ground and from getting dirty also keeps them from building a good immune system.  Breastfeeding children is one of the top recommendations for infants, and has been proven to reduce allergies, ear infections, and has so many more benefits. Even a few weeks makes a huge difference.

Encourage your kids to go outside to play. Let them play in the dirt. Breastfeed your children if you can. Research other great ways to reduce allergies. We all want our children to be happy, healthy, and to have better lives than we did, even if our childhood was perfect. Sometimes the best way to do that is the old fashioned way.