We have discovered that food allergies can have a devastating impact on behavior.  We went through a nightmare before we discovered it and we had doctor after doctor, teachers and principals recommend treatment for mental illness.  We were almost at the point of giving up on a hopelessly mentally ill child.

Then we discovered food allergies.  "Tammy" (not her real name) is allergic to potatoes, beef, citrus, most fruits, and milk.  Any one of these in her diet will cause her to become irritable, uncooperative, and irrational.  Once started, it becomes a non-ending tantrum.  She can become so wildly out of control, that a straight-jacket could become a consideration to prevent her hurting herself.  Tammy is also allergic to grass and oats.  When they harvested oat hay nearby this year, Tammy had temper tantrums even though her diet was carefully watched.

When all allergens are removed from her environment, Tammy is exceptionally bright and creative.  She went from almost no reading comprehension to fourth grade level in less than two weeks.  She is a sweet, loving, generous and thoughtful child. Traveling with a child on a restricted diet requires a lot of effort, careful planning, and sweet talking a lot of waitresses.  Be prepared to leave large tips.

I wish all the luck in the world. I know what you are going through.

Update: "Tammy" is now maintaining a 4.0 average at the University of New Mexico and is making plans for graduate school. She is able to lead a fairly normal life but is now deeply and suddenly affected by perfumes amd smoke in her environment. She carries an activated charcoal mask, an oxygen bottle, an epi-pen, a Benadryl kit, and a cell phone. There have been a couple of emergencies, but she works with the school and her professors to minimize the risk. Sadly, there are a few professors who "don't believe in these allergies" and refuse to work with her. These are unfortunately classes that she simply can not take. Her doctor? Dr. Dorothy Calabrese. http://www.allergy-immunology.com/

Frequently Asked Questions

A: Questions to assist in determining if allergies are involved:

Does your daughter have other symptoms such as eczema, post nasal drip, rashes itchy eyes, stomach ache, gas, sneezing, etc...

Does she have nightmares?

Is she easily distracted by other things?

Q: I think my child is allergic to milk and dairy products.  But I am just now learning that prepared foods and restaurant foods contain dairy products when I did not think of it.  

A: You are right that dairy products are in a large number of prepared foods. All bread, cereal, noodles, hot dogs, pasta, etc. is suspect and needs to be checked. It's very hard to get food in restaurants that are dairy free. A lot of things are cooked in butter.

Q: Is there any hope for my child? Can you tell me how Tammy is doing now?

A:  After a large number of doctors, rude day care people, irate school teachers and principals, girl scout leaders, etc., we are doing a little better.  Right now, she reads constantly, plays the flute, and does much better at writing. She has a bad habit of going into the sewing room (where there is  no intercom) and reading for hours at a time.

Tammy is allergic to potatoes, beef, and dairy products, and has lower levels of sensitivity to rice, fruits, chocolate, etc. She is on a pretty strict diet, and some of the foods like rice and corn have to be rotated on specific days to keep her from becoming totally allergic to them.

She has been tested via a technique that measures the level of sensitivity to each allergen, and she receives injections for each at the level just below a reaction dosage. She also receives transfer factor, which is blood components from other people who have an immunity to her specific allergies. Some doctors in the mainstream have chosen to ignore the research that has been done on this and try to discredit the work done. Mainstream doctors try to discredit researchers and physicians practicing in this area for a variety of reasons, but mostly out of fear that they may appear sympathetic. At any rate, the biggest obstacle to treatment is finding a doctor who will do this type of testing and treatment.

Keeping this treatment going is not super easy, but my daughter has made it through a month or so at a time without a major tantrum. Compared to daily, this is an unbelievable improvement.

Q: What was your child like as an infant?

She slept an unusually large amount of the time.

Q: Has she always thrown these fits?

Since she was about three years old.

Q: Does she test positive to the skin prick tests or just the blood test?

A: Our doctor uses intradermal testing with preservative free antigens injected between the layers of skin.

Q: You sound like you have your situation under control is it that black and white or do you still have stumbling blocks and wonder what it was she has eaten or come into contact with?

A: We still have stumbling blocks. There are environmental allergies such as smoke that still set her off and there are still a lot of basic foods we need to avoid. We also use rotation diet a lot.

 Q: How does your child handle the social situation of being on such a restricted diet or is she able to have cheats as long as they are rotated?

A: She is really good. Her behavior problems left her so socially isolated that she will now do anything to get better. At first we used to go to great lengths to get her a desert that she could have while other kids had cake and ice cream. We stopped going out on Halloween because it was pointless. We had found by trial and error that one diet cheat was a guaranteed major embarrassment. In her case, it really did not take too much convincing because she was ready to act more normally even if it meant eating less normally.

Q: Does your child have any other allergy symptoms, eczema, stomach, throat pains etc?

A: She has stomach pains, rashes, tiredness, itchy eyes, nose, throat, and urinary frequency but no eczema.

Q: Does your daughter know what is happening during her tantrums, how long do they last and what are they like?

A: Her eyes glaze over. She does not respond to verbal stimuli. She is unable to speak during these episodes. She later recalls only parts of the tantrum.

(3) Actual tantrum, 30 minutes to 2 hours duration.

Q: Where can I get more information?

A: Dr. Rapp has a web site with lots of information.  Your best bet is contact her. For continuing updates about products that might cause food allergies, see Food Allergy and Product Alert (click on "Food Allergies"). For help with cooking for a person with food allergies see recipes. For books on food allergies see Books.  The Food Allergy Network has interesting information.  You may wish to read a section on Ask the Dietician.  Another food allergy organization has testimonials.

A lady with two sons with food allergies has put together a VERY helpful page. I have two sons, four and two, who are both allergic to milk. No one in our family has ever had this problem, so I have had to gain all of my knowledge through experience. I hope that in writing this, I can help other parents who are having similar problems with their children.  You definitely want to visit her page. Lots of links and information.

The are news groups and support groups on the web. For example alt.support.food-allergies.   There is a web support group page. There is a food allergy recipe group on yahoo groups. There is also a group for people with food allergies.

There are sites like on line resources which help.

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