Peanuts for a Peanut Allergy?

It almost seems counterintuitive. With almost 3.3 million people suffering from allergic reactions when they eat or even come in contact with peanuts or tree nuts, almost two-thirds of whom are children, this type of allergy can prove deadly. In fact, last year there were 150 deaths caused by ingesting, either by mouth or through skin contact.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Research believes they may have the answer to a peanut allergy: give them peanuts. The dose begins in many instances with one-thousandth of a peanut with gradually increasing amounts. The experiment lasted for over two years and was conducted among 33 children. Powdered forms of peanuts were sprinkled on the child's food (in other words, don't try this experiment at home on your tot) with six children receiving a placebo. (A placebo is how science determines the results of the experiment by administering fake doses with real ones.)

The study, conducted at Duke University and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, found that most of the children who received the powdered form of the peanuts, in gradually increasing doses suffered from no allergic reaction - five of the children did so well they dropped out of the study because of the significant increases in their tolerance for the nut.

Parents should know that there are still no concrete findings on why these children develop this allergy. According to the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders they have looked at numerous possibilities, ruling out a few along the way and being surprised by others. Worries over what a mother had eaten while pregnant were studied. The report concluded that "Notably, cord blood analysis revealed no detectable IgE to peanut indicating in utero exposure was not likely to account for the sensitization. Of further note, maternal dietary factors also had no correlation with peanut allergy. However, there was an association between the duration of breastfeeding and peanut allergy; the significance of this is unclear."

But on the other hand, the study revealed that "there was a strong and statistically significant association between consumption of soy milk or soy formula in the first two years of life and the development of peanut allergy. This consumption typically preceded development of peanut allergy. The association with soy protein exposure and peanut allergy could arise from cross sensitization through common episodes that may prime T cell responses."

Milk allergy was not associated with peanut allergy nor was the use of breast creams, often containing trace elements of peanut oil was also ruled out. But some creams for rashes also contain peanut oil and researchers found that the use of these types of creams was suspect in causing the allergy.

The mystery has yet to be solved. The peanut is actually not a true nut, but a member of the legume family, which includes peas, lentils, soybeans and lima beans. Having a peanut allergy doesn't necessarily mean a person will be allergic to other legumes or nuts because of the varying sensitivity level of the individual to the peanut protein found in different types of nuts and legumes.

So far, after-the-fact treatment of the allergy and avoiding the nut, or traces of the nut in the production of other products is still the best approach in prevention. But the results of this study is promising. But whatever you do, don't try any home treatments not recommended by your child's doctor. But rest assured, the answer to this childhood problem seems close.

PreSchool Parenting: It's Chilly Outside

There is a general belief that no matter what, you should get your kids outside. If there is no rain falling in buckets, I tend to agree. But what is not fully realized is the effect that cold air can have on a child that already has a few breathing problems.

What is just coming to light is the way cold air interacts with airborne pollution. In the summer, we get clean air updates when goofy things like humidity or inversions take place, both the effect of air that fails to recirculate fast enough to get the bad stuff out and let the good stuff in. In the winter, something similar happens.

Ozone, according to Todd Miner, a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University suggests that "higher temperatures combined with sunlight provide the conditions that promote ozone, which has well-known irritating effects on the respiratory tract." he is also quick to point out the inversions are not a summer-only occurrence. In fact, the different layers of air can trap pollutants close to the ground in many winter locales.

Dr. Stefan Worgall, chief of pediatric pulmonary, allergy and immunology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said "some people, especially those with asthma and nasal allergies, can react to cold air with cold-air-induced rhinitis, characterized by a runny nose and congestion. In some people, he said, it can even trigger an asthma attack."

While it might appear that your child has an endless runny nose, the cause might be something that we used to consider healthy when we were kids. Dr Worgall adds that if your child is already suffering from asthma, the chances of a cold-air occurrence of rhinitis increases from a normal 5% of the time to 50%.

This is also a good time to teach your child to sneeze into the bend of their elbow. I reinforce this concept on a regular basis. Do you?

Asthma, Kids and the Daycare Setting

We all know what asthma is. The wheezing, the lack of breath, the seemingly sickliness that having an inhaler at a young age all contribute to the image that your child's problem is of your making. And perhaps it is. But in all likelihood, it isn't.

The odds are stacked against your child when it comes to asthma. Researcher Nicolaos C. Nicolaou, MD of England's University of Manchester has identified several variables contributing to the disease. Being male, testing positive for allergic sensitivity, having a mother with asthma, and having a mother who smoked during pregnancy all have been known to add to the child's problems with breathing. But what Dr, Nicolaou was not expecting was the effect of daycare on asthma.

With over 6.2 million children in the US suffering from the illness (according to the American Lung Association), the concerns about how this problem develops the more a country industrializes has had medical researchers in quandary. Why if, as we progress and become more prosperous to the risk of breathing problems actually increase? Turns out, it is your house and your attempts at creating the most sterile environment possible for your child.

Not that there is something inherently wrong with keeping a clean house - and you certainly don't want to change your ways simply because your child cannot breath - but your fastidious behavior has been found to be a contributor. Why? You have eliminated many of the germs and bacteria that children readily absorb and use as a defense against the problem.

Called the Hygiene Hypothesis, Dr Nicolaou discovered that putting your child in a daycare situation actually increases the chances of your child gaining control over the problem. The contact with other children often builds the immune system back to normal levels and may actually stem the root cause of the asthma. While exposure to other children works in this process, older siblings living with the asthmatic child do not have the same effect.

Nicolaou was quoted in a recent article o WebMD saying that: ""This is probably because the size of the exposure matters," Nicolaou says. "Being exposed to a lot of children very early appears to be more protective than being exposed to just a few." He added that the daycare solution is best for children who are genetically disposed to asthma.

Next: Is the medication we give them also a cause?