thesilversiren | Allergies and you. Me, rather.

My youngest son has food allergies- one of them being nuts. I stumbled across this article on the NY Times website today and couldn’t believe what I was reading.

I will concede that some parents’ need to protect their children has done several things. By blanketing children with antibacterial creams, immune systems have been weakened. By shielding children from potential allergens for too long, we’re only increasing the odds they will become allergic.

But nut bans at school aren’t about preventing children from becoming allergic. They’re there to keep children who already have anaphylactic reactions to nuts from becoming gravely ill or possibly dying. (Realistically, shellfish allergies are more common than nuts- but how often do school age children eat shrimp for lunch?)

Unless you’re the parent of a child with allergies (or have food allergies yourself) it’s highly likely that you’ll think that banning peanuts from a school is overkill. While my son’s allergy to peanuts is fairly minimal (while he doesn’t eat them, he’s come into contact with it, and didn’t have an anaphylactic reaction. However, through going to our allergist and the various communities I’ve become friends with those who are. Even the proximity of the allergen can be enough to start a reaction, nevermind what ingesting it would do. I’ve heard horror stories about reactions while on planes, knowing that they still had hours to go before they could land and get to an ER.

Also, with a school setting, you have to remember that not all kids understand the concept of food allergies. I have mild ones, and growing up had kids thrust their lunches in my face or dare me to have it, because it wouldn’t really make me sick. Realistically, banning the allergen from certain areas is much more efficient than trying to educate lots of children.

Dr. Christakis’ comment about these being overreactions only continues the miseducation of the masses. Please, even if your child doesn’t have allergies- at least take the time to learn about caring for a child with allergies. Odds are, a friend or classmate will have a serious food allergy. Knowing how to cook for a child with an allergy and signs of what to look for is extremely helpful, and their parents will thank you.

Originally published at Whitney Drake. You can comment here or there.