
Peanut allergy theory backed up by new research - ohjeez
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35727244
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CodeWriter23
Beware of the exclusion from the study before you start ramping up your
allergic child's peanut consumption:

"This indicates that peanut consumption may not be possible in some children
who meet the LEAP eligibility criteria. In addition, the LEAP study design
excluded 9.1% of the infants who were screened (76 of 834) because large
wheals (greater than 4 mm in diameter) developed after the skin-prick test21
that were probably associated with peanut allergy; the safety and
effectiveness of early peanut consumption in that population remain unknown."

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monk_e_boy
UK here. After we had a kid, they told us 'no peanuts and no honey' I was
like, hm, whatever. I eat peanut butter and honey on toast some mornings so
baby had a bit of that with me. Turns out being a normal person doing normal
things is now good advice.

My parents used to dip my dummy in whiskey when I was teething. Not sure where
the medical community stands on this one.

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foobarian
I grew to dislike alcohol/wine because my parents were constantly badgering me
to have some of their homemade wine/grappa growing up. I certainly saw the
opposite in the US where kids grow up kept strictly away from it, and then
binge when they break free. As a result I'm probably going to offer it to my
kid.

~~~
kyllo
Careful with that if you raise your child in the US. Providing alcohol to a
minor is a misdemeanor criminal offense in most states, even if you do it in
your own home.

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strictnein
Most states (29/50) actually allow underage drinking at home with parental
consent:
[http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=0...](http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591)

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aclimatt
On the topic of food allergies, there is a treatment called oral immunotherapy
that supposedly can cure peanut and other allergies in both children and
adults.

[http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2014fall/i-can-eat-
it.html](http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2014fall/i-can-eat-it.html)

Essentially they introduce increasingly larger doses of the allergen until
your body develops a tolerance to it (essentially what the OP claims, but as
you're no longer a baby, it takes a lot longer).

The only caveat is that you are required to continue to eat the allergen for
the rest of your life, to maintain your tolerance.

Stanford is currently enrolling in its peanut OIT study for adults. If you
have a peanut allergy and have always dreamed of eating a PB&J without worry,
now's your chance!

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grangerg
It's past the study phase. My friend's daughter just "graduated" from her
treatment a short while ago. They went to Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) at Rocky
Mountain Allergy in Layton, Utah. She used to be on the "smell a peanut and
you might die" side of the spectrum. Yes, she has to eat a handful of peanut
M&M's every day for the rest of her life to keep from regressing.

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yincrash
Peanut M&Ms might be the best pill regimen I've ever heard of

~~~
voidz
Yeah, good tip. I'm not allergic. But just to be on the safe side I better
start doing this too every day. Just to make sure I stay that way.

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FreeKill
Very interesting and I think many have suspected as much for quite some time.
Our culture of late has tended to place kids in a metaphorical bubble
preventing them from many things which current research now seems to confirm
may be harmful long term in the development of healthy immune protection.

In addition, based on this study, I wonder if it is worthwhile studying
whether there is a "point of no return" in terms of protecting anyone from
severe allergies. For instance, if you haven't been exposed to a severe
potential-allergen prior to the age of 5, does it become exponentially more
difficult to develop any kind of immunity that lasts long term?

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sandworm101
I was diagnosed with milk and peanut allergies as a kid (prick tests). My
grandmother wasn't having any of that. She shoveled them into me. I just now
had a glass of milk without issue. Neither has any effect. It may be anecdotal
and specific to me, but it is safe to say that many kids are over-diagnosed
when it comes to allergies.

I'm still slightly allergic to cats. Doc got that correct. But I've had cats
in my house, sleeping on my bed, for decades without hospitalization.

~~~
marktangotango
My son has a peanut allergy, and whenever he eats them, he immediately starts
coughing, empties his stomache by vomiting, and has difficulty breathing. Then
an epi pen is administered, and we visit the hospital. Shall I 'shovel them
down him' as you say? No thanks, I'll pass, and just keep peanuts out of the
house.

~~~
markdown
> No thanks, I'll pass, and just keep peanuts out of the house.

Well duh!

If you have a serious allergy, you avoid peanuts like the plague. But if it's
minor... say a slight rash being the only symptom... then perhaps it's worth
giving the child peanuts, starting with a very tiny amount, and then
increasing gradually. Keep an epi-pen around at all times just in case, and if
there's a serious attack... drop the attempt altogether and surrender to the
fact that your childs quality of life will be less-than-optimal forever more.

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nashashmi
You can add to the list a whole host of other things where exposure will
increase immune systems and decrease allergies. Once an article appeared that
said exposure to farm animals also decreases allergies and increases the
strength of the immune system.

~~~
logn
And living with dogs or with the windows open reduces asthma.

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protomyth
some daycares did install air filtration systems and got a whole lot more
asthma cases. We didn't have the cash to do that for ours in the 90's and it
turned out all the better.

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trackofalljades
So basically all the peanut-safe zones we're creating around young people
these days are just part of a cascade failure, whee...

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nommm-nommm
Women who consume peanuts during pregnancy are also less likely to have
children with peanut allergies.

[http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/23/peanut-...](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/23/peanut-
allergy-pregnancy/4144583/)

~~~
heimatau
I wouldn't trust USAtoday nor any source that isn't the actual published
research[1].

"CONCLUSION: In this cohort of infants with likely milk or egg allergy,
maternal ingestion of peanut during pregnancy was strongly associated with a
high level of peanut sensitization."[1]

[1]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035177](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21035177)

~~~
dragonwriter
Note this part:

> In this cohort of infants with likely milk or egg allergy

Even accurate conclusions for such a cohort might be very different --
including even inverted in direction of effect -- from what is true of the
broader population.

