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Phil Thien
11-21-2012, 9:39 AM
SNL last week had a great commercial parody that I think addresses a problem we're beginning to see with people that falsely claim they're allergic to certain foods (nuts, wheat, milk products, etc).

I've personally witnessed this with an employee at a retail shop where I'm friendly with the staff. One new employee claimed he was allergic to almost everything under the sun. The rest of the staff went to great lengths to limit their consumption of many foods on the premises, to protect this individual. It was discovered later, quite by accident, that the liar was ingesting all sorts of things to which he previously claimed to be allergic.

There is a hazard in this. If you've claimed to be allergic to nuts (for instance), you will be assumed to be safe around others that are allergic to nuts. If you lied, however, and frequently munch on nuts, you might cause quite a problem that would be hard for experts to identify. That is, you'd be the last person they'd suspect of causing a problem for someone with a genuine allergy.

I was talking to a doctor about this and mentioned that it would seem unlikely that someone that says they are allergic to nuts (for instance) because they just don't like them, would later be found to be consuming nuts. But nuts are a common ingredient in many foods we eat, and someone may not like the type of mixed nuts we eat around the holidays, but may enjoy a food where nuts are an ingredient. So imagine being the guy that claimed you were allergic to nuts showing up to a party (also attended by someone that is truly allergic to nuts), and you've brought a desert bar with nuts in the crust (true story, from my doctor friend).

I also know of a family where they told their kids they were all allergic to chocolate. None of the kids seem to be truly allergic to chocolate. I've seen them consume the stuff. In front of the parents. Who were also eating chocolate.

Many others are no claiming a gluten allergy. Now, my mom's side of the family (and one of my daughters) have celiac disease. True celiac (had the blood tests, had the biopsy, don't eat the wheat).

Many restaurants seem to be attempting to cater to people with "wheat intolerance," because so many people are claiming to suffer from problems relating to gluten. But I have observed a pizza restaurant placing a gluten-free crust on a board covered with wheat flour. When I commented "hey, you can't do that" the reply I got was "hasn't been a problem."

And it probably hasn't. Because many of the people claiming celiac or gluten intolerance are just imagining it. They can consume the pizza with wheat flour all over it no problem. But a true celiac will be in the bathroom for hours after eating the same pizza.

I know some people are going to post about the recent stories of people going overboard on allergy precautions (like the woman that wants the oak trees cut down around a school so the kids allergic to nuts won't be traumatized by the acorns). Yes, that is crazy dumb.

But the more important point is that, falsely claiming an allergy desensitizes others to the hazards. If everyone cries wolf, soon nobody will take true problems seriously.

RANT OFF.

Greg Cuetara
11-21-2012, 9:51 AM
It is a very interesting problem in today's society. My son's school is nut free which is a royal pain because he eats peanut butter and jelly for lunch all the time. I was reading an article regarding nut allergies and that they are over diagnosed from the doctors all the time and the quick prick test is not very accurate. The only way to truly know if someone is allergic to nuts is to have them in the hospital and give them nuts and see if they go into annaflatic (sp) shock and then treat them for it. The article said something like 75% of people who think they have a nut allergy don't. Are we being overly too cautious in todays society? I know we want to protect the kids but what happens when the school protects them and their parents protect them but they can't protect themselves because they havn't been taught or been trusted. You do bring up some good points though. As my wife has told me that I have a food sensitivity to a lot of foods but I am not allergic to them....mostly causes GI problems like if I eat mayo but I won't die from eating it.

Dan Hintz
11-21-2012, 10:00 AM
Speaking of nut allergies... a student in my child's school has a major reaction to nuts. We're not talking he breaks into hives after tasting, I mean he stops breathing if the scent is in the air. A classmate's parent forgot and sent him to school with a PB&J. Five minutes after walking in, the allergic child needed the epi pen...a strongly-worded letter went home (again) shortly thereafter.

I also feel many allergies are imagined, but some do exist... trying to decipher which ones, however, can be a real challenge.

Greg Cuetara
11-21-2012, 10:39 AM
Dan you are right that some allergies are not to be taken lightly and are very serious. It is difficult to decipher which ones and who though are a problem.

Stephen Tashiro
11-21-2012, 10:56 AM
Once upon a time it was "unresonable" for an employee to complain about working in rooms where people smoked. The recognition of unhealthy encounters is influenced by culture.

Is there a simple clinical test for allergies? I'm not impressed by the medical scratch tests. When I've had them, the person giving them didn't even clean the scratcher between rubbing it in various substances. (She said it didn't matter.)

Scott Shepherd
11-21-2012, 12:17 PM
Speaking of nut allergies... a student in my child's school has a major reaction to nuts. We're not talking he breaks into hives after tasting, I mean he stops breathing if the scent is in the air. A classmate's parent forgot and sent him to school with a PB&J. Five minutes after walking in, the allergic child needed the epi pen...a strongly-worded letter went home (again) shortly thereafter.

I also feel many allergies are imagined, but some do exist... trying to decipher which ones, however, can be a real challenge.

Call me grumpy, but in my world, if you have a child that has life threatening conditions, you protect them by not putting them in environments that they could DIE from, not from fault of their own, but by fault of some 8 year old kid eating peanut butter crackers.

It's not the rest of the worlds purpose to change so 1 kid can have what they want. That's the problem with the USA today. When 1 person screams, millions are supposed to stop what they are doing and modify THEIR behavior. Instead of modifying the behavior of an entire school, how about modifying the behavior of the child with the issue- home school or go to a school that's developed for people with this type of condition.

I would NEVER put my kids LIFE at risk because I wanted them to "feel normal". That's stupid, in my opinion.

David Weaver
11-21-2012, 12:25 PM
We had a kid in our district like Dan describes. Like if a kid ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and played basketball, kid #2 could have a life threatening reaction by touching the basketball. I don't know what has made nut allergies more prevalent, but the ones that are serious are just about impossible to send your kid to "regular school" and keep them out of trouble.

Home schooling requires that one of the parents can actually stay home to do it. Not everyone is afforded that luxury financially.

Brian Elfert
11-21-2012, 12:37 PM
Public schools are essentially not allowed to turn away any students. The amount of money spent on special education students is staggering. If public schools could turn away special education students I doubt any school district would be begging for money.

Scott Shepherd
11-21-2012, 12:38 PM
Home schooling requires that one of the parents can actually stay home to do it. Not everyone is afforded that luxury financially.

So your kids life can be lost in an instant by the actions of a complete stranger, and because you can't afford it, you just ship them off to school? That's insane to me.

Would you let your kid with a heart problem go play football? No? Why? Because it could cause them to die? Would you let a kid with an immune system disease hang out around sick kids? Probably not, because it could kill them. It's about protecting your child from death, which I thought was the job of a parent.

harry hood
11-21-2012, 1:27 PM
Similar problems at our school. We've had good luck using sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter and the kids actually prefer it now. Nutritionally it's not any different than peanut butter, just a little more expensive.

Dan Hintz
11-21-2012, 2:51 PM
Good to know, Harry... I'll see if I can find some...

Chris Padilla
11-21-2012, 3:37 PM
Almond butter may work, too. I have almond butter at my house but it is PURE almond butter with zero added so it isn't for everyone...including my wife and daughter, apparently, as I'm the only one eating it! LOL

Phil Thien
11-21-2012, 3:46 PM
Almond butter may work, too. I have almond butter at my house but it is PURE almond butter with zero added so it isn't for everyone...including my wife and daughter, apparently, as I'm the only one eating it! LOL

Well if anyone around you is allergic to tree nuts or peanuts, I would not suggest using almond butter without checking with them first.

John Coloccia
11-21-2012, 4:31 PM
I'm with you, Scott.

I HATE cucumbers. If a cucumber is tossed in a salad, and then removed, I can still smell it from across the table and I can't eat the salad as cucumbers simply make me nauseous. I've eaten many strange things in my travels so I'm not terribly picky, but I can not eat cucumber.

So when I order salad, I try to make it as easy as possible on everyone and I only order Ceasar salads on the theory that only an absolute idiot could botch this up by putting cucumbers in it, but sure enough I get cucumbers every now and then. That's like putting ketchup on my steak. Yeah, it SOMETIMES goes with beef but don't dare put it on my steak. Don't put cucumber in my Ceasar just because you saw it near some lettuce once.

So I'll send it back, and the same thing ALWAYS happens. Do they make me a salad without cucumbers? Oh no, they pick them off and bring the salad back. If I wanted to pick them off, I'd pick them off myself....I'm not THAT lazy...I'm an easy customer, but it's ineffective with cucumbers. So what do I do so we don't play the salad shuffle for the next 15 minutes?

"Oh Miss. I'm very sorry. Normally Ceasar salads don't come with cucumber. I'm afraid I am very allergic to cucumber. Could you please have the chef make a fresh one that's never had cucumber on it? Oh, and if you remember could you leave off the shredded carrot too, please", because Ceasars with cucumber inevitably always have shredded carrot on them...it's like they're trying to make salad slaw.

Anyhow...Cucumber allergy? LOL. Hey, are you going to sit there and argue with me, or risk me dropping dead...especially before you get your tip? Heck no. Is it underhanded? Maybe a bit, but they force me to do this because cucumber/shredded carrot establishments are also the ones that ALWAYS spend 5 minutes picking the cucumber out as opposed to spending 1 minute tossing some lettuce with dressing, croutons and sprinkling some parmesan on top.

What were we talking about?

Peter Kelly
11-21-2012, 5:02 PM
FYI, peanuts are actually legumes and not botanically "nuts" like walnuts, almonds, pecans or other tree-growing fruit nuts. If someone has a fruit nut allergy they aren't necessarily going to be allergic to peanuts or other beans for that matter.

Kevin Bourque
11-21-2012, 6:05 PM
Not an allergy, but a friend of mine detests mayonnaise. He won't even allow it in his house, and he doesn't even like the mention of it.
I've never seen such an extreme reaction to anything as innocuous as mayo.
Some of us jokingly planned to put a jar in his fridge on poker night, but we decided against it. ( he has guns:D )

So... where were all these allergies when I was a kid? Is this a relatively new phenomenon ?

William Payer
11-21-2012, 6:10 PM
SNL last week had a great commercial parody that I think addresses a problem we're beginning to see with people that falsely claim they're allergic to certain foods (nuts, wheat, milk products, etc).

.

There is a hazard in this. If you've claimed to be allergic to nuts (for instance), you will be assumed to be safe around others that are allergic to nuts. If you lied, however, and frequently munch on nuts, you might cause quite a problem that would be hard for experts to identify. That is, you'd be the last person they'd suspect of causing a problem for someone with a genuine allergy.




Many others are no claiming a gluten allergy. Now, my mom's side of the family (and one of my daughters) have celiac disease. True celiac (had the blood tests, had the biopsy, don't eat the wheat).

Many restaurants seem to be attempting to cater to people with "wheat intolerance," because so many people are claiming to suffer from problems relating to gluten. But I have observed a pizza restaurant placing a gluten-free crust on a board covered with wheat flour. When I commented "hey, you can't do that" the reply I got was "hasn't been a problem."

And it probably hasn't. Because many of the people claiming celiac or gluten intolerance are just imagining it. They can consume the pizza with wheat flour all over it no problem. But a true celiac will be in the bathroom for hours after eating the same pizza.


RANT OFF.

Phil,

As a person who is a celiac disease patient I totally agree with you about the seriousness/sensitivity experienced by true celiacs when exposed to gluten. Unfortunately going "gluten free" is now a fashionable "diet , a pop culture pehenonenon of sorts. Hence we see restaurants/ pizza shops/ even food manufacturers claiming "gluten free" products , which are really not gluten ingredients, but minimal or no efforts to avoid cross contamination, which is a BIG issue for celiacs. ( as you are aware I am sure) So I view any restaurant claiming "gluten free" to be one of two camps, either what I call medically gluten free ( which means serious efforts to avoid cross contamination, separate friers, grills, utensils , and prep areas) and the pop culture "gluten free" which is simply not using sources of gluten in the product.
Having taught high school for 30+ years, I've witnessed to recent explosion of individuals having peanut allergies. Documentation from the home and doctor is required and precautions are taken. Some rooms are totally "peanut free" where absolutely no peanut product may be taken into the room. We've had one student whose allergy to peanuts was so severe that even some candies produced in the same plants where peanuts are processed could set off an anaphylaxis event.
I dont think these people are falsifying anything, there are simply many more people today afflicted by these allergies. Perhaps it is due to the methods of processing, chemicals used, or simply that today, we are able to medically interviene and keep individuals from dying early compared to the past. Sure there are scammers, but I think they are rare, and most cease their nonsense once they are educated as to the actual seriousness of these diseases.

Jason Roehl
11-21-2012, 6:13 PM
Home schooling requires that one of the parents can actually stay home to do it. Not everyone is afforded that luxury financially.

Not everyone is willing to make that sacrifice, you mean. Many people would be very surprised if they actually did the math on what that second income earner actually costs them (extra miles, insurance, work wardrobe, convenience meals, etc.). We're far from rich, and we homeschool our 3 children. I know many families of modest means who make it work, even very large families (6-13 children).

I agree with Scott--it's upside down. The reality is that by making schools "nut free zones", they are indeed proving the schools are run by nuts.

Ken Fitzgerald
11-21-2012, 7:01 PM
I agree with Scott--it's upside down. The reality is that by making schools "nut free zones", they are indeed proving the schools are run by nuts.

Jason,

I will disagree strongly.

The public school districts are taken to court everyday by parents of students and often forced to do things because they are held responsible for providing a safe environmentfor the students. Run by nuts? That's a little harsh.

My wife worked in special education at a local elementary school for 25 years. Imagine getting a student that in the 1950's and 1960's would have been institutionlized due to the student's emotional state and propensity for physical violence. Today they have to accept them in the local schools and have to hire extra teachers' aids/assistants to help control these type of students to prevent harm to the student and the staff. I know of a 3rd grade student that was uncontrollable by a 280 pound male teachers aide who was assisting another female aide. Often the school adminstrations would not necessarily voluntarily provide this type of service but lawsuits and legislation have forced them into this position.....and yes.....maybe going "nut free".

Ken Fitzgerald
11-21-2012, 7:10 PM
As far as anaphylactic shock or attack? I have witnessed it several times in the 34 years I worked in the diagnotic imaging field. In the early days they used iodine based contrast mediums and there is a certain percentage of the population who are truly allergic to it. It can be an eye opening and scarey incident especially when you witness it happening to a young child.

There is probably a reason why they don't place a person in a hospital and purposely try to induce an attack.

Jason Roehl
11-21-2012, 7:16 PM
Well, Ken, that's fine. But I can't even attempt to discuss it with you here without running afoul of the TOS. ;) It does, however, remind me of the old tale of Mexicali soup...

paul cottingham
11-21-2012, 7:22 PM
I have a daughter who has autism. You probably couldn't tell, unless she is frustrated or has - anything - w artificial food dye in it. Set her off like a rocket. We can't get anyone to take us seriously about it, not even my inlaws. So allergies can affect people differently.
I have the same problem. As a recovering drunk, I can't eat anything prepared with booze. People insist that the alcohol burns off, but it doesn't. Besides, why take the chance.
the point is, these things are my responsibility. I must make sure things are safe for me and my child. It's nice when people cooperate, but I don't depend on it.
Nuts I think are different, as mere proximity seems to be an issue. As a civilized society, I think we need to be as accommodating as possible.
Of course, some people are such fascists about this that it is hard to muster sympathy.

Phil Thien
11-21-2012, 8:13 PM
FYI, peanuts are actually legumes and not botanically "nuts" like walnuts, almonds, pecans or other tree-growing fruit nuts. If someone has a fruit nut allergy they aren't necessarily going to be allergic to peanuts or other beans for that matter.

Yeah, but the crossover (that is, those allergic to both if they're allergic to one) is somewhere between 40 and 60%.

So I've been told if you're allergic to either peanuts or tree nuts, it is wise to avoid all nuts. That is especially true because many plants process both peanuts and tree nuts.

David Weaver
11-21-2012, 8:27 PM
I agree with Scott--it's upside down. The reality is that by making schools "nut free zones", they are indeed proving the schools are run by nuts.

Really...as if a requirement for fulfilling education is being able to eat nuts at school? I stand by my statement above, it's not unreasonable to keep them out. And as ken pointed out, they are really making sure they don't have to try their luck in the courts.

Phil Thien
11-21-2012, 8:32 PM
Anyhow...Cucumber allergy? LOL. Hey, are you going to sit there and argue with me, or risk me dropping dead...especially before you get your tip? Heck no. Is it underhanded? Maybe a bit, but they force me to do this because cucumber/shredded carrot establishments are also the ones that ALWAYS spend 5 minutes picking the cucumber out as opposed to spending 1 minute tossing some lettuce with dressing, croutons and sprinkling some parmesan on top.

What were we talking about?

LOL, why not just order the soup?

How about just embracing cucumbers? They're quite good.

Scott Shepherd
11-21-2012, 8:36 PM
As a civilized society, I think we need to be as accommodating as possible.
Of course, some people are such fascists about this that it is hard to muster sympathy.

Okay, I'll play along.... we're not allowed to have peanuts anywhere around some stranger I don't know that has this issue, nor do I know where they will be. They have no identifying t-shirt that says "Keep peanuts away from me, I could die". Oh, then we have people who can't have dairy. Let's not leave out the poor kids with diabetes. Oh, and the gluten thing too. So no peanuts, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar. Let's not forget the kids that have allergies to bee stings. Oh, let's not forget the fat kids. We can't have anything that has anything in the lunch menu that they might gain weight from. Each one by themselves might seem okay to deal with, but when you put them all together, you're asking schools to do the impossible. Their goal "Make everyone happy". Sorry, that's just not possible. Not in school, not in work, and not in real life.

Once you finish setting all the rules up for people with issues, all the normal kids will have no normal lives left. So to make some kids lives "normal", we have to make all the other kids lives abnormal. I grew up with a family member with Downs Syndrome, so I don't need any lectures about special needs kids. She was in my life for 25 years.

I'll join together with you to build a special, safe school, so all the kids with issues can go there and have their version of a normal life, as normal as their lives will ever be. I have deep sympathy for those kids. However, I don't believe, as a society, that you take away from the masses in order to make 1 or 2 happy. To me, it's not okay to make 500 kids change their behavior so 1 person can do what they want to do.

Like I said, I'll drop my donating first in the bucket to help build a school that specifically deals with these kids in order to allow all the other kids to carry on as usual.

paul cottingham
11-21-2012, 8:52 PM
I must not have been clear. I don't feel these people should be able to dictate to all the rest of us. I do however believe it is civilized to make accommodation when it is clear that someone is definitely affected. I do not believe that these things need to be regulated tho'. Which of course would make my position copletely untenable.
we have never asked the school to ban the things that affect our daughter. In fact we have provided the teacher with alternate snacks for when another child brings in a treat our child can't have.

Phil Thien
11-21-2012, 10:10 PM
The peanut/tree nut allergies are somewhat unique. There are few other allergies that tend to be as life-threatening.

That is, we don't need gluten-free or lactose-free schools, just isolated peanut/tree nut free schools.

And for the most part, I think this has been accomplished where needed.

I guess some would see this as a burden, I don't see it as that big a deal.

John C Lawson
11-22-2012, 2:37 AM
You can also end up with "dueling health conditions". The school my daughter attends instituted a rule this year that no food could be consumed in classrooms. They were attempting to come up with a blanket approach to food sensitivities. Unfortunately, my daughter is a Type 1 diabetic. When her blood sugar is low, she must eat something to avoid, in the worst case, unconsciousness and seizures. She immediately went to the dean, and received an exception. She has long accommodated others by not carrying snacks with nuts in them, and usually just uses glucose tablets, so she places no one else in danger.

Ole Anderson
11-22-2012, 8:55 AM
The peanut/tree nut allergies are somewhat unique. There are few other allergies that tend to be as life-threatening.

That is, we don't need gluten-free or lactose-free schools, just isolated peanut/tree nut free schools.

And for the most part, I think this has been accomplished where needed.

I guess some would see this as a burden, I don't see it as that big a deal.

I agree with what Phil said. Yes it means going out of our way for someone who can't protect themselves from something they can't see. What is wrong with that? As long as the no-nuts rule isn't applied carte blanche to all schools, just to CYA.

Bill Cunningham
11-24-2012, 10:28 PM
So... where were all these allergies when I was a kid? Is this a relatively new phenomenon ?

Ya! in the 50's & 60's I had the unique experience during my public school days, of going to eight different schools between kindergarten and highschool, and never met a single kid with an allergy to peanuts. Why now? Did they all die off before school age back then?

Stephen Cherry
11-25-2012, 1:09 AM
It's not the rest of the worlds purpose to change so 1 kid can have what they want. That's the problem with the USA today. When 1 person screams, millions are supposed to stop what they are doing and modify THEIR behavior.

Sounds like just the opposite of the golden rule.

Very sad.

Shame, shame shame. If I were you, I would think long and hard about this. Maybe seek some help. This is about one of the most selfish, self centered, mean spirited comments I have hear in some time.

Scott Shepherd
11-25-2012, 9:54 AM
Sounds like just the opposite of the golden rule.

Very sad.

Shame, shame shame. If I were you, I would think long and hard about this. Maybe seek some help. This is about one of the most selfish, self centered, mean spirited comments I have hear in some time.

I'm sorry you see it that way Stephen. My point is where does it all end. If you have to spend $10,000,000 to make 1 person's life "normal" at the expense of millions of other people, where is the logic? Should we all just allow those with issues dictate how we live? I don't think so. Do I think we should do all we can to help those with special needs integrate with society? Absolutely. Do I think there needs to be some educated cost analysis on that? Absolutely.

So if I go by your theory, I can't take a family picnic and carry peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because some random person, might happen to walk within 10 feet of us and go into shock? So what, we ban all peanut based products in the world? That makes no sense. What's your suggestion? It's all great and feels all warm and fuzzy to say things that make you feel better, but you need to put things into perspective. Where does it end? If 10 out of 1,000,000 people want something, do you deny the 999,990 people THEIR freedom to give 10 people more freedom? If some small fringe group decided they want to be able to give kids guns, do you say "Well, 10 people out of a million want it, so let's do it?". No, of course not, but that's the slippery slope you head down when you start denying the majority a voice.

In this case, the people that want a peanut butter sandwich have been denied a choice to have a peanut butter sandwich. So to make 1 person "feel normal", we've denied the majority the ability to eat a food they want to eat. To me, that's not freedom.

I'm sorry that offends you. Read my post again, I grew up with a special needs family member, so I've been through a great deal of things most people don't go through, and I hope that most people never have to.

Ole Anderson
11-25-2012, 9:56 AM
Sounds like just the opposite of the golden rule.

Very sad.

Shame, shame shame. If I were you, I would think long and hard about this. Maybe seek some help. This is about one of the most selfish, self centered, mean spirited comments I have hear in some time.

I agree with Stephen's comment within the context of this discussion. And I agree with Scott as a general statement. However in all fairness Scott said "what they want", not what they need to survive, two different concepts. However within the context of this discussion, it is quite clear to me what Scott intended. When 1 person screams as in a tantrum I agree with Scott, but if one person screams because thier child is caught in a burning building, I hope we all stop to help.

Scott Shepherd
11-25-2012, 10:05 AM
Absolutely Ole! I think some of my posts didn't get read. I said we should do all we can to make their lives as normal as we can, and do it as smartly as we can. I don't think it's smart to stick a child that can DIE from peanut butter in a public place that's full of kids eating peanut butter sandwiches and crackers. How's that insensitve?

I'll follow the Golden Rule all day long. I would be sick to my stomach if I thought I had made other radically modify their life in order for me to go to school. I would not want anyone to do that for me. I'd be quite happy knowing I could be in a safe place that was made to deal with people with my situation rather than to be thrust into a public environment, cost the taxpayers millions, etc.

I'm quite happy with that statement. I think you're actually on the wrong side of it. If I had special needs, would I want everyone to change so I could do what I want? I think that would be the most selfish behavior one could choose.

Listen to me close- I am NOT suggesting special needs kids should be ignored, mistreated, left out, bullied, or anything else. I'm saying that are indeed special needs kids and we need to make safe places for them that allow them to excel at all things. And if those needs can be integrated into the public schools without RISK TO THE CHILD, then go for it. But in this case, you can't convince me that you should EVER risk a child's life in order to make them feel "normal". That's about the most irresponsible thing I think one could ever do. How that reads as me be self centered is baffling to me.

Phil Thien
11-25-2012, 10:22 AM
Ya! in the 50's & 60's I had the unique experience during my public school days, of going to eight different schools between kindergarten and highschool, and never met a single kid with an allergy to peanuts. Why now? Did they all die off before school age back then?

There are many non-M.D.'s now diagnosing allergies. Practitioners of "holistic medicine," chiropractors, etc.

Kid not going well in school? "Well, he is allergic to gluten!"

Kid doesn't like potatoes? "Well, he is probably allergic, and his dislike of potatoes is his body's natural defense mechanism."

I know one kid that was "diagnosed" with many allergies by an acupuncturist!

More quacks = more misdiagnoses.

Stephen Cherry
11-25-2012, 10:41 AM
I'm sorry that offends you. Read my post again, I grew up with a special needs family member, so I've been through a great deal of things most people don't go through, and I hope that most people never have to.

Not offended Scott-

One question to think about- do you want to yield for turtles? You see a turtle walking across the road at a turtles pace, now, do you change direction to keep from running it over, or do you keep going strait ahead? Personally, I would yield for a turtle.

Similarly, I would prefer to make a minor accommodation for a child that I do not know rather than have that child sit alone at home without social interaction. I'm all for personal freedom, but part of that is freedom to be kind and generous, particularly in such a minor way. (Remember, the flip side of freedom is responsibility)

Scott Shepherd
11-25-2012, 10:49 AM
Not offended Scott-

One question to think about- do you want to yield for turtles? You see a turtle walking across the road at a turtles pace, now, do you change direction to keep from running it over, or do you keep going strait ahead? Personally, I would yield for a turtle.

Similarly, I would prefer to make a minor accommodation for a child that I do not know rather than have that child sit alone at home without social interaction. I'm all for personal freedom, but part of that is freedom to be kind and generous, particularly in such a minor way. (Remember, the flip side of freedom is responsibility)

Stephen, I wonder if you even read my posts. Where did I say that all special needs kids need to sit at home alone with no social interaction. What I said repeatedly and quite clearly is that if a child's LIFE is not worth some parents "feelings". I think it's not responsible to RISK YOUR CHILDS LIFE in order to make yourself feel good.

Show me where that says "All special needs kids should sit at home and have no social interaction".

I'm not sure how you're getting that from what I've repeatedly said. If you are, then I've clearly not done a good job at articulating my belief.

How risking a child's life and a turtle crossing compare is beyond me. Let me answer it this way- I'd easily run over that turtle to save a child's life.

glenn bradley
11-25-2012, 11:35 AM
Wow, this thread has certainly done the SMC tango in wandering far and wide :D. As to allergies, there will always be drama-queens and needy goofs that have to be the center of attention; even if they create the attention themselves. That being said, I carry an Epi-Pen because suddenly starting in 1991, I'm allergic to milk products. A good shot of yogurt or my mistakenly chowing down a cream-based sauce sends me to the floor clawing at my throat and struggling for breath. An embarrassing drama that I have only experienced full-force a few times since the allergy began. Folks ask me if I miss ice cream or cheesecake; given the consequences, I find this allergy very easy to contain :).