Allergies, bans on peanuts, latex balloons, etc... what do you think about it?  

Thanks for your response...
I am wondering what is triggering the intensity of the allergic responses in the children...

Just to correct your misperception... I do not have any children... That was the opinion piece from the online paper written by a mother who has a child with those allergies. Sorry if I was not clear enough.

It is indeed a difficulty that the schools have to solve... of what to do regarding the students with severe allergies.

That going with the flow seems to be a good strategy along with preparing to deal with problems before they occur... I have talked with a school nurse and she cannot understand why parents do not provide their allergic children with the epi pen... There is often a battle to get them to see their doctors to get this... and yet the schools would be held responsible should the epi pen not be administered when it is needed.

I am hoping that your allergy symptoms eventually leave you... I have heard from some people that they decrease a bit with age... That is perhaps one good thing about growing older... grins.

Thanks again for your response to the questions.

Sorry about the misperception. I thought you had a daughter with lots of allergies. The only thing that I can think of why kids have such allergies is because of their immune systems. Once you really think about think of when your grandparents were in school or even your parents were in school and they never had all these precautions like they do now. However there are gonna be getting worse over the years and just thinking about it what else are they gonna stop letting into schools? With my allergies I have actually got them over the years. I used to love coconut but then all of sudden it would just make me sick. Same with dogs and cats. Never had a problem before and now I do. I really don't know why that I have started it but it is something that I am now living with.

On the having the epipens on hand... in our school, the kids aren't allowed to even keep their asthma inhalers on hand, unless during gym, maybe. They have to keep all medications in the office, and get them administered there. That includes the epipens.

We do not have a school nurse, so that practice makes me wonder why?

My older son has asthma that comes on when he's got a cold. It always goes straight to his chest, poor kid. During those times, he needs his puffer. But he isn't allowed to keep it in his pocket. He's to go to the office before recess or gym, take his puffs there, and then continue with his day. Preventative measures I guess... but at the same time, he's only 9, and can't be expected to remember to do that all the time (especially b/c it's not an every day thing for him).

I don't think that is right as well. Obviously you have taught your son the proper ways to use it. Why not let them do it themselves instead of having to go to the office to get it done by someone who probably has no idea what they are doing and how to use it. That is just absurd. If I was in school I would carry my own medication and not let someone administer it for me.

CanadaGal,

I am sorry that your child has to deal with the asthma. I understand why they must have it in the office instead of on your child because of the danger of the other children taking it, using it, and having your child without it when it is needed, and because of the danger of lawsuits should their be a disappearance of the medication. I am sorry for the lack of a school nurse as I grew up in a school with one and it was nice to have as I fell down a lot and the nurse was the one who treated all of those nasty cuts so they did not scar over. I am hoping that you are doing well. Enjoy your posting.

Hi nicholejade,

Regarding your comment that if you were in a school you would keep your medications on you...

As an adult that would be appropriate but as a child that would be dangerous because of the fact that other children can and do steal, take or borrow things from their peers...

There have been cases of children also losing their medications on the playground and then needing them and having severe problems.

There is a desire on the part of the schools to have medications in a controlled area and most of the time they are locked up to prevent theft or loss of the meds.

It is a wise thing that this is so.

The schools cannot afford to pay out on the lawsuits that would surely follow the reversion to the child holds his own medication model.

I think that your idea of people being more educated about allergies is a good one. Thanks for your post.

your welcome!

I think you are right about the need for some education about this issue for the parents.

I think too that there are more toxins in the food supply... some genetic engineering gone bad, pesticides, alterations of the food supply with additives and other things that never belonged in the food supply in the first place and that were allowed because the regulating agencies like FDA were controlled by big business interests instead of being loyal to the public they should have been serving the needs of.

I first saw the issue of food allergies and also environmental allergies coming to the fore in the 80s. I remember a stint of hospitalizations all over the country from sulfides which were being used on the lettuce in salad bars in the past. It would not surprise me at all if the peanuts nowdays were tainted with mold or some other allergin that was not present when we were younger or that kids of today are so overwhelmed with the allergins in the environment that they are unable to deal with the overload... or there could be another possibility... the immune systems of the newer children are more sensitive just as many of them are more sensitive to stimuli and to input from what some might call more psychic sources... more spiritually evolved children.

So you would hold the banner for "NO Bans"
It is true that there are sure a lot of them...
It seems like society is more intent on protecting it members than it used to be or perhaps it is just because the cost of insurance claims and law suits make the bans more profitable than not having them.