A Deadly Food - My Son"s Peanut Allergy
When our son was born it seemed that he was as normal as the next infant.
He was small, fragile, helpless, and extremely adorable, but hidden within was a secret he would one day share with us in a most frightening way.
I still remember the day my three year old son went into anaphylactic shock.
He had come home from the next door neighbor's house still licking the cookie crumbs from his lips.
I noticed within a few minutes of his return that he was having problems breathing and he was beginning to turn blue.
I realized immediately that our son was having an allergic reaction.
I ran into the bathroom and quickly took out the emergency kit my wife convinced me two buy earlier in the year.
Acting fast I gave my son an injection of Epinephrine.
Soon my son's situation returned to normal.
It didn't take my wife and I long to trace the source of our son's allergy.
The cookies were peanut butter cookies and as we were aware that peanuts are the most prevalent food allergy in the US we assumed we had found the source for his troubles.
After an allergist confirmed our gut feelings, we made sure to start informing family, friends, and his day care of our son's new found deadly allergy.
Peanut Allergy Causes Allergy experts have not been able to single out a cause for peanut allergies and it's sudden rise to the top food allergy today, but there are certain theories that strike a chord.
Some researchers believe that increased food combinations that had previously not happened have begun occurring do to globalization.
Another theory involves the mother's consumption of peanut products during pregnancy and nursing.
Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that peanut allergies are here to stay and increasing every year.
After our son's incident we became more aware that the best strategy in limiting the cases of peanut allergy related complications and death is not through figuring out the allergy's source, rather the best way to fight it is through education.
He was small, fragile, helpless, and extremely adorable, but hidden within was a secret he would one day share with us in a most frightening way.
I still remember the day my three year old son went into anaphylactic shock.
He had come home from the next door neighbor's house still licking the cookie crumbs from his lips.
I noticed within a few minutes of his return that he was having problems breathing and he was beginning to turn blue.
I realized immediately that our son was having an allergic reaction.
I ran into the bathroom and quickly took out the emergency kit my wife convinced me two buy earlier in the year.
Acting fast I gave my son an injection of Epinephrine.
Soon my son's situation returned to normal.
It didn't take my wife and I long to trace the source of our son's allergy.
The cookies were peanut butter cookies and as we were aware that peanuts are the most prevalent food allergy in the US we assumed we had found the source for his troubles.
After an allergist confirmed our gut feelings, we made sure to start informing family, friends, and his day care of our son's new found deadly allergy.
Peanut Allergy Causes Allergy experts have not been able to single out a cause for peanut allergies and it's sudden rise to the top food allergy today, but there are certain theories that strike a chord.
Some researchers believe that increased food combinations that had previously not happened have begun occurring do to globalization.
Another theory involves the mother's consumption of peanut products during pregnancy and nursing.
Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that peanut allergies are here to stay and increasing every year.
After our son's incident we became more aware that the best strategy in limiting the cases of peanut allergy related complications and death is not through figuring out the allergy's source, rather the best way to fight it is through education.
