Is there no end to my food allergy rants? Lately, no. This one isn't a total rant. But I feel the need to address part of this article.
There is an article floating around the news that talks about how we shouldn't ban peanuts from airplanes and most of the quoted information comes from Sami Bahna, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The reasons given are because A. Most allergies are over diagnosed due to inaccurate testing and people who don't truly understand allergies B. If you are going to ban peanuts, then what about tree nuts, dairy, wheat etc that others are allergic too C. Parents and Food allergic persons should be responsible for their own safety by carrying epinephrine, avoiding eating the foods they are allergic too or dosing themselves with an antihistamine prior to being exposed to one of their allergens (frankly I find this last bit of advice regarding the antihistamine suspect, but that's just me). For the most part, I agree with this (except maybe the antihistamine advice... REALLY??). I'm not personally for wide sweeping bans just for the sake of "just in case".
But what struck me really odd about the article (other than the fact that Sami Bahna's tone seems a little hostile toward those with food allergies... Did I imagine that or did you pick up on it too??) was the statement
"Maybe someday scientists can figure out how to trick the body into not putting up its guard when it comes to food, but for now, the only way to avoid a food allergy is to avoid the food, Bahna says".
Isn't that what most of us with food allergies or food allergic children do? And isn't that why some people ask for the peanut butter bans in school that Bahna calls an "overreaction"? Have you ever been around a child ages 3-10 years of age? Have you noticed them sticking their hands in their eyes, nose and mouth constantly? They do. I have two children this age and I see it all the time. And touching an allergen and then sticking your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth DOES cause a reaction. I know because my son has done this (at the grocery store, at the zoo, at church... really just pick a place because more than likely it's happened there). Should we ban foods due to this (for my son NO, I just constantly harp on him to not do that and since he's allergic to so many things and the only one in the school we haven't asked for that)? But what if you have multiple small children in school with a nut allergy and this is something that could be a major concern? I think it was irresponsible for Bahna to throw all the responsibility back onto the food allergic person especially when that person could be three years of age. And what am I supposed to do as the parent? Go to school and shadow him all day and wipe down everything he touches? And if you leave a comment that says "home school" I'm going to smack you upside the head because that is NOT an option for everyone. What if both parents work because they need to?
Saying that all bans are bad was too wide sweeping for my taste. Just as I don't agree that banning nuts from everything is the right thing to do, I also don't agree that you should never ban nuts and always put the responsibility on the food allergy individual. Maybe they took some words out of context. Maybe they left out some information in the article. I have no way of knowing. But I do know that as it stands, Bahna's words and suggestions in the article is going to make my job harder as a food allergy parent. As if it wasn't hard enough.
5 comments:
seriously! if my MIL ever sees this article I'll never hear the end of it.
oh and don't you just love the comments people leave that talk about 'natural selection'? Makes my blood boil.
thanks Dr. Bahna!
My first thought on reading the article was "What an @ss!"
My second was "you can't leave that as a comment. But he is an @ss."
My kids and I don't have an "allergy" just food intolerance - although come to think of it I did test positive to wheat on an allergy test years ago. Anyway, I look at all the progress we have made the past few years with food allergies and intolerances and something like this could make us lose ground. And he should know better.
As for homeschooling, it is great if you can do it but not everyone can or should. I personally think that if you don't have a firm calling to homeschool - it is going to be too hard and not something that can be kept up. And homeschooling doesn't completely eliminate the problem because there are still other activities where the food can become an issue. My 11 year old daughter works in our church nursery every time they have a food thing with the youth (usually pot luck) because being around all that food that she can't eat is too hard. (This is a choice that she has made - it isn't me telling her to do it.) It would be nice if she didn't have to make that choice. I don't expect them to stop - and even if they started doing the pot lucks gluten-free I would be nervous about her going.
He might as well have suggested that people throw peanuts at peanut allergy kids and serves them right if they don't have an epi-pen. What an @ss.
I empathize with your ambivalence about banning something completely, especially when that could lead to rampant banning of way too many things, but banning peanuts and tree nuts has worked in my kids' schools without any repercussions (and with lots more peace of mind for both the parents and teachers/administrators).
One thing that I didn't see considered with regard to Dr. Bahna was something that in my family is a biggie: it's not just ingesting the food allergen that causes problems (in our case, immediate anaphylaxis) but even simple EXPOSURE to it -- my mother lives with us and is anaphylactic to several foods including peppers and potatoes; that means that if she is in a restaurant or even my own kitchen and one of those foods is being cooked or the smell from them is wafting in the air, or she comes into contact with it by touching it as opposed to eating it, she can still go into anaphylactic shock. That may seem extreme for many people, but that doesn't make it any less scary or real.
So my question to Dr. Bahna and the airlines would be: If it's all up to the food allergic person to avoid contact with the allergen, and they're not eating it but the person sitting next to them is, should the food allergenic person just suffer in silence while anaphylaxis takes hold? Does the airline want that kind of responsibility? Or should food allergic people (a huge and growing number in the USA and around the world) just not use the airlines, so they can avoid any proximity to peanuts (in this case) -- even though taking peanuts off the menu wouldn't cost nearly as much as losing those customers?
It is sad that someone in his position has no compassion for allergic people. I think he needs a new job. Yes, he did sound hostile. What a jerk!!
The whole airplane issue is my pet peeve. I am an RN and I think it sounds like a STUPID idea to confine allergic people to a small inclosed area with nuts, surfaces touched by nuts, and limited medical treatment available. For my son if he really encounters nuts (peanuts and walnuts) an epi pen is not enough as experience has shown. Airlines will be asking to be sued if they aren't willing to be peanut free when an allergic person in on board.
Bethany and den mother,
All great points and clearly ones that Dr. Bahna didn't consider or doesn't care about. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL REACT TO THE SMELL OF PEANUTS OR PEANUT DUST IN THE AIR. This is a fact. Yes, it may be rare, but it does happen. That's why blaming the food allergic person is completely ridiculous. If airlines don't want all out bans, then why not buffer zones or if you call ahead and let them know in advance they can make a peanut free flight? I don't see why the doctor was so quick to just say that it isn't necessary when clearly we know that it is. Maybe he's in the peanut industries pocket?? (I have no knowledge of that, I'm just making an angry statement).
Post a Comment