<p>I’m only the aunt of a child with a life-threatening peanut allergy, but I have not observed that her parents expect others to be responsible for her safety.</p>
<p>Frankly, they wouldn’t TRUST anyone else to be responsible for her safety. Why? Attitudes like yours that express contempt for them and complete lack of concern for her life.</p>
<p>If you have children, think about whether asking people to take a few simple steps to avoid KILLING them would seem reasonable. Does asking parents not to send in items for use by the entire class containing nut products really seem like such an enormous, unreasonable demand? I just don’t get it.</p>
<p>Wow, to the contrary, Consolation, I was the one amazed that the lives of children with life-threatening conditions would be entrusted to people who apparently are not very conscientious about protecting them. How does this show “complete lack of concern for her life?”</p>
<p>And where did I say anything about not accommodating students in class? Your post is offensive.</p>
<p>Slightly OT, but parents who are looking for an arts camp experience for older kids with health issues that need monitoring should be aware that the North Carolina School for the Arts has a fully staffed, sophisticated medical facility on campus 9-5 during the summers. If your child also needs special services such as weekend monitoring, get in touch with them way in advance and you may be able to make arrangements. They are also sensitive to issues like needing a fridge in a room for meds, etc. (They seem to have a misision, during the school year, of making it possible for any student who qualifies to attend. Kudos to them.)</p>
<p>Yes, CCsurfer. You need to look at the camp, their stated ability to handle or not the degree of allergy shown by your camper, as well as othe rhealth concerns. Many camps, as schools are quite aware of the allergy issue, and have policies, protocols and staff education in place to protect kids. </p>
<p>My kids went to camp, are passionate about their camp experience. Some see camp as a peak life experience, others could care less. I’d not have deprived my kids of their camp for the world. The peanut allergic girl was fine at camp, though did have a reaction to something traded with a friend at her local school one day. Which is not to say that the camp nurse, counselors, and kitchen staff were not spoken with at length on our signs of allergic reaction, and protocols. </p>
<p>Thai restaurants-we avoid them due to peanut use, though travel in Thailand itself we found far safer as they sprinkle peanuts with a little less abandon in Thailand.</p>
<p>I have a family friend that is pretty allergic to peanuts- no peanuts allowed in the house; if his older sister wanted peanut butter, she had to eat it out of the house; a big group of us went out for ice cream- I had chocolate peanut butter, and he couldn’t sit at the same table as me. He went to a “peanut-free camp” (not sure if that’s the “proper” term; but it was a camp for kids with food allergies- no peanuts at the camp; I’m sure the staff were all trained how to use Epi-pens, etc.). For parents of kids with allergies, this may be something to consider.</p>
<p>Sometimes it is very difficult to protect these children, esp. when they get older. A teen in Quebec, Canada apparently died after kissing her bf, who ate a peanut butter sandwich hours before. Eventually the inquest ruled she died of asthma and not analaptic shock, but frequently two conditions exists together that it’s hard to separate them. In this case, what triggered the asthma ? Was it the peanuts ? She did use an inhaler but that didn’t help her.</p>
<p>A couple months ago, my friend sent me a link to an article talking about a study where they weren’t using a vaccine or altering the peanuts, but literally gradually feeding the children (who had severe allergies) more and more of the physical peanut at a time to decrease their sensitivity. It had been three (I think) years since the beginning of the study and some kids could eat peanut butter! But they had to start with literally a speck of peanut you could barely see, then do 1/10th of a peanut… etc.</p>
<p>Speaking as someone with kids who have recently been both campers and counselors, including one with a significant food allergy, camps have definitely gotten much more up to speed on food allergies than they were even a few years ago. While there are no guarantees (there are no guarantees in life, period), I would not hesitate to send my child to camp IF I felt my child was mature and reliable enough to ask about and avoid problem ingredients and was assured that the camp is quite proactive on the issue in terms of prevention and potential emergencies - that it is taken seriously. At my children’s camps counselors and staff alike trained on dealing with this, and emergency trained physicians (with fully equipped infirmary) and nurses are on the premises at all times. Counselors are a mature 21 years of age at a minimum (with the exception of former campers they know and trust) and attend an extensive orientation. Hospitals were accessible to the grounds. I know of many allergic children who have had positive, mainstream camp experiences. </p>
<p>The truth is, yes camp is 24/7, but unless you pull a kid from school and forbid all birthday parties, school trips, visits to a friends house etc. there is still risk. This is a case of where do you draw the line? In the long run it’s also possible to do harm by restricting social interactions, as opposed to taking every appropriate precaution. And in a few cases, I can very well appreciate that those appropriate precautions might mean not sending a child away from home quite yet. However, while camp is NOT for every child, I also think it is a lot more than just fun and games - it has the potential to mold a child in many ways - teaches the value of teamwork and responsibility, getting along and living with many types of people, instills confidence and independence, emphasizes good values and sportsmanship and teaches skills.</p>
<p>A friend with a shellfish allergy was treated by a method called NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques) and is no longer allergic to shellfish. This is a form of acupnuncture where the patient holds a vial of whatever they’re allergic to and the acupuncturist taps their back and does a treatment at various points and then the patient holds the vial for 10 minutes. It usually takes 4 or so treatments. Apparently it can be done with cold laser instead of needles. See [NAET</a> - Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques are alternative allergy medications used to reduce or eliminate allergy and disease](<a href=“http://www.naet.com%5DNAET”>http://www.naet.com)</p>
<p>I am wondering whether anyone on this forum has tried this for nut allergies and whether it could possibly work??</p>
<p>Acupuncture is entirely mediated by the placebo effect. (Which is why it would work with cold lasers, or even sham acupuncture.) Which does suggest an interesting thing: a large part of an allergic reaction is often psychological. Psychological stress hormones might trigger inflammation, upregulate histamine and worsen allegies, and the more you’re confident about what you eat, the less interactions like that you get occurring.</p>
<p>I’m interested in what mediates the desensitisation thing though. I used to be pretty allergic, but now I react pretty mildly.</p>
<p>That doesn’t sound like someone who has any sympathy for parents struggling to safeguard their kids. It sounds like someone who is saying very clearly that the parents are trying to put the burden on others. </p>
<p>But if it was meant to be a statement of sympathy for the parents, instead of a criticism of them, then I misunderstood you and I apologize.</p>
<p>IF you have a child who needs some special accommodation in a setting, of course you should let the group involved know. Whether if it is that your child has immune system issues so handwashing is even more important than usual, or because of peanut allergies, such snacks or even eating peanuts before going to that class is a risk, that information should be imparted. It is also common courtesy to accommodate. What is the big deal?</p>
<p>I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for the parents, but I care more about the children and their safety than their parents feelings.</p>
<p>My child had a chronic condition which required daily injections for 2 1/2 years from age 10 to 12 1/2. She was not prohibited from camp or activities, but she had a needle “phobia,” so she was never able to self-administer her medication. This meant she never went to camp or to overnight activities at all, unless the timing was such that I could give her the dose before she went. So I understand what it is like to have a child that cannot fully participate in the same activities as “normal” kids.</p>
<p>Parents of children with peanut allergies emphasize that the condition is life-threatening, or as you said, others can “KILL” their child with peanut exposure. Those of us not fully-versed in the condition become confused when we are told how dangerous it is, and then hear that some parents send their kids off to overnight camp where the counselors are clearly not trained about the condition. This is what blows me away.</p>
<p>Many kids cannot participate in “regular” childrens’ activities for one reason or another, including simply lack of funds, but fortunately, they will turn out just fine.</p>
<p>While my daughter’s peanut allergy is life threatening, it in no way prevented her from going to camp or traveling. Yes, there were times when these activities presented issues, but we were able to work through them. I did not depend on others to take care of my child, but I did educate them on the dangers. Again, my daughter was fully aware of what she could and could not eat or do, how to use her epipen, and how long the epipen would last. All her friends know how to use her epipen in the rare chance she could not administer it herself and they know how to get in touch with us if needed.</p>
<p>I guess maybe I am just a stupid mother that didn’t shelter her child. but otherwise allowed her to grow. As a matter of fact, each of her reactions, except for one happened while with a member of her family, not when she was away from home without a parent! No, she does not go and have dinner in a Thai restaurant, but she does eat at our local Chinese restaurant as they are willing to use a clean pan for her meals. She takes every precaution she can, and we can only hope she is prepared for each and every reaction.</p>
<p>I never had a camp, dance program, or college that wasn’t able to accommodate her peanut allergy. I also never demanded a peanut free zone for her. She knows how to handle herself and it has never been an issue. The only problem, that turned out not to be a problem, was her freshman roommate who had a love of peanut butter. She wanted to keep a jar in the room, but for my daughter decided she could do without, otherwise my daughter would have just switched roommate. It was not a problem and she was able again to handle it on her own.</p>
<p>Growing up in a basically peanut free house had some rather unintended consequences for my non allergic D. On her recent college based field trip, she was the only one who could not eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, as she grew up thinking of it as poison, cannot stomach it. She caused extra work for her compatriots, as she needed other, more complicated lunch foods. </p>
<p>Regarding camps once again, realize that camps tend to control the food supply in a major way. Cooks and dining staff, not counselors are responsible for food service and mos, if not all, snacks. Food is not allowed in cabins due to wildlife issues. For the sake of safety ‘our’ camp has forbid most, if not all mailed or brought in treats. At responsible camps, counselors are trained, and aware of health issues for those in their charge.</p>