Desperate for Allergy Answers

I just posted this same thing for another person on this list...I used acupressure treatments called NAET to help my kids get rid of their allergies and it improved their immune systems so much that they haven't needed antibiotics for nearly 5 years, which was when I had them treated. I used Dr. Steve Homoky at Coit & Spring Creek, ###-###-####. He helped me with my lactose intolerance, but on grown-ups he uses needles. Give it a shot...it made a HUGE difference for us!

Okay, I think I might be a bit confused by your posting. If you want to get some answers you are going to have to do some type of testing. From there, if there are food allergies either present or that you are fairly certain of a food challenge should be done in the office where Epi and Benadryl are both present. The food challenge IN THE OFFICE is the new gold standard for food allergies.

Bloodwork is your best bet with a skin rash. A skin test may be skewed by the rash. If you don't have the bloodwork and you are not sure what you suspect are the allergens I'm not really sure how you would come up with any answers.You can't really medicate something you don't understand. Without finding the cause you can only deal with the symptoms.

I would have the bloodwork and then make a more informed choice as to a treatment plan. Only then can you decide if medication is the right path. It could be a food or allergen in your home that you can then avoid. Medication may not be warranted. Plus, there a many homeopathic options to try once you know what you are dealing with.

Beleive me, I'm extremely sensitive and my son and I both have side effcts to everything but we both had bloodwork and skin tests to figure out what was going on. I've managed to keep my son off antibiotics for nearly 3 years and me for 12 years so I get it.

Our allergist is Jon VanWagoner at Southwest Allergy and Asthma near Prsby Plano. Let me know if you want his number.

Honestly,if it were my son I would do the bloodwork. A rash like that can't be comfortable and the dark circles are a textbook indicator of an allergy. This has been a particularly bad year for allergies as well as sinus issues.

Good luck!

watching out for your son and challenging others who do not seem to be helping takes a lot of courage, so i say to you, good mama!
my son had many problems that either frankly didn't concern the doctors (?!?!?) or they didn't have the flexibility of tailoring independent diagnoses for my child in light of 'public health' and their standards of practice. grrr.
anyways, i ended up pouring through anything i could find: internet articles, public forums, journal articles, etc. the parts of our journey that might apply to you are these:
1) we found food allergies and intolerances gallore in our son. the dairy protein, casein, as well as beef, soy, gluten, beans, peas, pineapple, mango, canola oil, and peanuts were all culprits in his GI troubles (including lots of dirty dipes, some tinged w/ blood), skin issues, and/or his neurochemistry. through elimination diets (me and him while he was getting breastmilk, and later just him) and lots of patience and time we made it through to where we are now.
2) any sign of infection we hit hard with therapeutic dosing of sodium ascorbate (a more bioavailable, buffered form of vitamin c; you can find it at most health food stores, central market, etc.) -- no side effects (except if you give too much, it might cause loose stools...your child already has that as an issue, so i wouldn't recommend giving him very much at all until that clears up)
3) warm steam helps for cold symptoms and acute allergy-"nose pain" -- no side effects
4) calendula lotian helps soothe skin troubles
5) avocados are a great food for young ones -- soft, yummy, and plenty of fat, fiber, vitamin e, and iron too. that might help.
6) as much sleep as possible! regular naps and a solid bedtime really helped our little guy.
7) neocate instead of milk or other supplement (there is infant formula as well as a "junior" drink available for kiddos over 1), we got ours off ebay (no less risky than buying it off an unattended store shelf (imho), less expensive, and no prescription needed)
9) elimination diet (brown rice, turkey, broccoli, apples, rice drink, and water were (and still are!) quite common around these parts...)
10) www.kellymom.com if you're still breastfeeding
11)
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?s=d...

the link to #11 is my favorite resource -- there are some loony answers to sort out (as is necessary anywhere!), but for the most part those are some wise mamas!

so hopeful this helps & your little guy gets to feeling better soon!

Yes, conventional pediatricians are only trained to treat symptoms and not look for root causes. Given the diarrhea, I strongly recommend you have him tested for gluten intolerance: www.enterolab.com They don't know what exactly triggers the gluten intolerance (end stage disease is celiac), BUT it can be something as innoucous as a cold or a physical or emotional stress of some sort. For my oldest son it was triggered by a flu and he just never recovered. It took us two+ years after that to find the problem, so I strongly encourage you not to wait. Celiac is currently the most highly underdiagnosed genetic disorder and few doctors are aware of how common it is. Since the treatment is a GF diet, docs don't learn about it in their mandatory continuing medical education classes, which are sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies. There is a drug being developed and I guarantee you that once it's available, every child with diarrhea or any other problem that the docs can't figure out will be tested.

It is not uncommon to have additional food allergies on top of gluten intolerance. Dairy is the most common and you might find that removing that from the diet resolves the runny nose and other nasal issues - that is the reaction I have to dairy - lots of nasal cruft. And, the dark circles under his eyes definitely indicate allergies.

Also, airborne allergens are VERY high right now. Overall, the DFW area is one of the worst places in the country to live if you have allergies - not a day goes by where there isn't something in the air. One thing that can really help is HEPA air filters in the home and keeping windows closed at nite - the airborne allergies are highest in the morning.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my pedi.....wish I had found her sooner. I live in McKinney and drive to Frisco to Dr. Bain. She is wonderful....check out her site to see her philosophy. She is not quick to medicate and incorporates natural/nutritional remedies into her practice to avoid Rx and find the root cause. She also recommends Dr. Chalmers in Frisco for some of her patients....you may ask her if he can help too. I know the two of these doctors will be able to find the bottom line...no doubt.

www.healthykidspediatrics.com
http://chalmerswellness.com/

Go with your gut....God's gift to mamas.

I'm having issues with my son and allergies too. From the research I've done it sounds like your son might be allergic to milk - it can cause dark circles, rash, runny nose, & diahrea. My doctor told us to switch our son to almond milk or rice milk. They say if they are allergic to diary and you cut it out of the diet you should see improvement in a few days. Good luck!

As a mom to allergy kids, letting the allergist(or lab under allergist's orders) draw blood is an easier way to determine allergies than skin tests. It's called a RAST. It's not fun to have to hold your child while they draw the blood but it's really much better and shorter than skin tests.