Winning the Food Allergy War?

Every day more and more children, and adults are diagnosed with allergies.  Food allergies, environmental allergies, seasonal allergies.  Oh, and don’t forget there is asthma and eczema included too.  My almost 8 year old, has all 3, plus asthma, and we went through a bought of eczema this past winter.  The child takes more medications than I do.  Inhalers, nasal sprays, and pills.  Packing her an overnight bag is like packing her a small pharmacy.  I am seeing this more and more with children, and even adults are having seasonal allergies who have never had them before.  It all makes me wonder WHY?

Scientists are doing a crazy amount of research to find out why, but no one really has a definitive answer.  There are so many theories out there… GMO’s, fast food, lack of breast feeding, eating the allergen during pregnancy, the rise of planned c-sections, & use of hand sanitizer – just to name a few.  The list goes on and on.  There are many experimental food allergy trials out there, with things like desensitization (ingesting small amounts of peanut flour).  Now they are saying to start children on foods with allergens as early as 4-6 months.  Before they could not have peanuts until age 2.  Do they really know what will actually help or are we all just guessing?  They claim that they are making great strides in the right direction.  Personally, it all sounds like a bunch of trial and error, along with lots of hoping that somewhere along the lines something will truly make a difference.

How do we truly know what will work to help win the food allergy war, until we know the cause of the war and what we are actually fighting against?  Until they find a cause and a cure, I am thankful for support groups, and other Allergy Warriors who are fighting this battle right along side my allergic child and I.