|
Among children and adolescents, food allergies present a
growing medical problem with implications for those directly
affected and their peers, parents and schools. Understanding,
recognizing and managing risks of serious food allergies has
become a priority for schools nationwide, including Milton.
"Flik has a strong food allergy awareness," says
JoAnn Weinert, dining services manager of the Academy's new
food service provider, Flik. "We do not use peanut oil
in the kitchen, and we label everything that may contain nuts,"
she says. JoAnn notes that a registered dietician is on Flik's
corporate staff and available to discuss serious concerns,
while JoAnn has a degree in nutrition and is also available
to help parents and their students address concerns.
 Allergies
of high school students can be particularly tricky to manage,
especially when these students live away from home, where
parents have less control over a student's diet and not all
meals are eaten in the relative safety of the dining hall.
Teenagers can can be both harder to monitor and, for complicated
reasons, resistant to consistent compliance with food avoidance
and emergency treatment plans. They may have difficulty transitioning
toward taking primary responsibility for managing and responding
to their food allergies. They may be loathe to alert friends
to their situation, and be angry and resentful that they cannot
join in social activities involving food with the seemingly
careless abandon of their peers. They may fear being stigmatized,
isolated or seen as hypochondriacs. They may be tempted to
take risks with their health rather than risk negative reactions
from others. Parents and school personnel must be sensitive
to these issues, and communicate and plan accordingly.
But why are serious food allergies suddenly ubiquitous? And
why are some school's considering peanut-free lunch rooms?
 Food
allergies are triggered by an aberrant reaction by the body's
immune system to certain food proteins. These proteins, or
"allergens," often survive cooking and normal digestive
processes, allowing them to enter the blood stream and to
wreak havoc in a organ systems, with sometimes deadly results.
Reactions can range from the relatively mild, such as oral
inflammation, skin rashes, light-headedness and nausea, to
the more severe, such as vomiting and anaphylaxis.
Food allergies affect between 3 percent to 9 percent of young
children, with some diminution through adolescence. Overall,
however, the incidence of food allergies is reportedly growing.
Theories abound about why. Heredity plays a role, with sensitivity
to various allergens running in families. Some researchers
also point to drastic changes in our environment due to, among
other things, modern hygienic practices, overuse of antibiotics
and exposure to chemicals and additives, all of which may
affect the development and functioning of the immune system.
The vast majority of food allergies appear to be caused by
peanuts (which are actually considered a legume), tree nuts,
fish, shellfish, milk, eggs, soy and wheat, but allergies
may be prompted by virtually any food. They usually, but not
always, develop in early childhood. Recognition of which foods
cause adverse reactions, and the strict avoidance of these
foods, is considered the only safe treatment. No medications
are known to prevent allergy development.
Surprising to those unfamiliar with serious food allergies,
sometimes trace amounts of a particular food can cause the
most severe of reactions. Sometimes merely being in the vicinity
of that food, or using plates and utensils, or fingers, which
have been in even casual contact, can have serious consequences.
Parents and children should educate themselves and those
around them about risks, precautions and emergency treatments
for adverse reactions.
Information for this article was drawn from the September
22, 2003, issue of Newsweek, "The Allergy Epidemic,"
by Jerry Adler, and information provided by Medicine.Net.com
and the Food Allergy News For Teens Web site, all of
which I highly recommended for review.
|