Peanut Food Allergy

I first went with an article published back in 2009 which argues that most schools at the time were over reacting to peanut allergies. The article titled Have Americans Gone Nuts Over Nut Allergies? by Tiffany Sharples in Time magazine uses three extreme cases where schools over reacted to peanut allergies. One case the article discusses is that of a San Francisco school where the school nurse forced children to scrub their hand prior to entering the school and then confiscated packed lunches to remove any peanut based products. Another example was that of a Connecticut town that cut down three nut bearing trees because the grandmother of one student complained it posed a threat to her grandson who had a sever nut allergy. The author’s final example is a Massachusetts school bus that was evacuated because a stray peanut was found on the floor of the bus. These are excellent examples of how schools have over reacted to peanut allergies over the years. The author also uses two doctors to evaluate whether reactions like the ones described were over reactions. Both doctors did agree the instances were extreme but felt the public at large responds more reasonably. One doctor in the article suggest that reactions like these are caused by social spread of anxiety and over diagnosis. The author also mentions parents

Patients were given micro-doses of allergens daily, such as 1/7000 of an egg, 1/200 of a peanut or 1/300 of a cashew. Doses were increased every two weeks, and when they reached a level where they had a reaction, they were kept on that dosage until their bodies adjusted. This process would have taken years to complete at that rate, but researchers found that by also giving patients injections of Xolair, an asthma drug, they were able to complete treatment in as little as four months.

In children under the age of two years, does the introduction of peanut based foods help decrease the incidents of peanut allergies compared to the delayed introduction of peanut based foods within the first year of life.

“The peanut is responsible for allergic reactions in both children and adults. Over the last several decades the incidence of peanut allergy in children has dramatically increased. Now, about 1% of children in the United States have peanut allergy. Peanut allergy is probably the most common cause of death from food anaphylaxis in the United States. Peanut allergy, unlike other food allergies, is rarely outgrown, with only about 20% of patients losing their sensitivity over time. Once a diagnosis has been made, peanuts should be treated with strict avoidance” (Lieberman & Anderson, 2007, pg

An 11-year-old boy has been brought to the ED by his teacher, who reports that the boy may be having a “really bad allergic reaction to peanuts” after trading lunches with a peer. The triage nurse’s rapid assessment reveals the presence of

I am Ms. Simpson and my child Ta’Quarius is in your classroom and I am emailing you to inform you that he’s allergic to peanuts, he cannot have anything with or made with peanuts. I have spoken with the school nurse and the administrators about this. So, I am reaching out to you because as a teacher myself, I know and understand that children do share things, I am hoping that his classmates will understand how important it is for them not to share any foods with him unless they bring it to your attention first before doing so. Ta’Quarius is not to have any type of foods that contains peanuts.

For some people who are very sensitive towards peanuts, very small quantities of peanuts can also cause severe reactions. ("Peanut Allergy...The Shocking Facts - Allergies: Allergy Symptoms, Treatment, and Medications on MedicineNet.com", n.d.)

The next time you open a jar of peanut butter, look carefully at the ingredient list. You’ll notice right below the nutrition facts, “WARNING: CONTAINS PEANUTS” is written in bold print. Warnings such as these started with a health regulation, and while a stern reminder that peanut butter contains peanuts may seem blatantly obvious, that regulation was put in place to better protect those with food allergies.

Schools should ban tree nuts and peanuts from school. Kids with nut allergies are pretty severe that they can cause rashes, hives, swelling in the mouth witch can causes death.Kathy says that if her son is exposed to nuts he could become very sick or even die.

Vomiting and diarrhea are common food allergy symptoms. You should also look for swelling and rashes. If your baby is having difficulty breathing, you should call 911 immediately. If your baby has a mild reaction to a new food, you should switch back to foods that you know are safe. Your baby's bowel movements will change whenever you introduce any new foods. If the mild side effects last longer than one day, you should contact your baby's pediatrician.

Schools should ban peanuts from schools because they can feel unsafe. They will be worried when they might smell peanuts or when they may have accidentally touched a peanut. If they do make contact or even smell peanuts they will have an allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Some effects of anaphylaxis may include feeling uneasy at first, dizziness, difficulty breathing and sometimes even fainting. This can be life threatening. Knowing this, kids can feel very unsafe.

I’ve had several health issues in my lifetime. Some of them might not be that big of a deal or extreme; however, it’s hard for me because I constantly have to cope with it. And who knows, I will probably have more problems to deal with when I’m older. I’ve had severe asthma, torn ligaments, and surgery on a severely infected appendix when I was little. They might all not be that much of a deal, but I know that my Tree Nut allergy is. I’ve had this since I was three years old but don’t remember anything from when it happened except that it was extremely bad. Ever since, it’s been routine to go to the allergist and watch what I eat. I have to go and get blood work and all kinds of tests done to see what I’m allergic to and how bad it is. I can’t

Dr. Christine McCusker, head of pediatric allergy and immunology at Montreal Children’s Hospital, said an individual's saliva can hold traces of of allergens, including peanuts, for up to four hours after the food has been eaten.

Peanut allergies are the most common and lethal allergies responsible for anaphylaxis in the United States. When someone is having peanut allergies and ended up having difficulty breathing due to vasoconstriction, it is very important to administer an epinephrine injection subcutaneously to help open up the airways.

Symptoms of a food allergies can often include wheezing and difficulty in breathing, along with itchy skin rashes, including hives, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and swelling around the mouth and in the throat (common with nut allergies). These symptoms usually develop fairly quickly after a child ingests the food that they are allergic to,