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Peanut Allergies

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For more than a decade, peanut allergies in children have tripled in the United States. These dangerous allergies are causing harmful anaphylactic reactions that can lead to death. In 2008 a research team discovered that 1.4% of children had a peanut allergy, more than three times the 0.4% rate back in 1997. (Hendrick, 2010) This is an alarming rise that should not be ignored. The question is, why is this happening? I believe that the recent spike in peanut allergies is partly due to the excessive cleanliness during a child’s developmental years in our society.
This phenomenon is known as the Hygiene Hypothesis, which was first introduced by Dr. Erika Von Mutius. During the 1990’s she compared the rates of allergies and asthma in East and West Germany. Before these two places were unified, East Germany was poorer and less hygienic than their neighbors to the West. Dr. Von Mutius hypothesized that the children growing up in East Germany would suffer from more allergies than the children in West Germany. To her surprise she found that it was actually the opposite! As a result from her studies, the Hygiene Hypothesis was born. (PBS, 2001). The Hygiene Hypothesis states that due to our relatively clean lifestyle, our bodies do not need to fight as many germs and bacteria as we did in the past. This results in a shift from fighting infections, to developing allergic reactions. (McMorris, 2007) With the development of antibiotics and the increased emphasis on using products such as hand sanitizer, some of our bodies are having difficulty differentiating between a harmful germ and bacteria from a simple protein.
Peanut allergies, in particular, are one of the most common food allergies, and can also be one of the more deadly food allergies. Peanut allergies affect more than three million Americans. As many as 1/3 of those affected, experience serious reactions such as death or near fatal anaphylaxis. (MedicineNet, 2002) One of the things that can make an allergic reaction to peanuts so deadly is the trace amount needed to trigger a response. The body’s reaction can be swift and deadly, proving to be fatal within minutes in some extreme cases. It can be difficult to avoid coming in contact with peanuts due to the increased use in the preparation of foods, such as peanut oil. There is no known cure, as of now, for peanut allergies. (MedicineNet, 2002)
Recent studies have shown that peanut allergies are much more prevalent in families with a high economic status, further supporting the Hygiene Hypothesis. (ACAAI, 2012) How many times have you seen a child that was closely followed by their mother or father, hand sanitizer at the ready? Some parents are not letting their child be exposed to any sort of dirty environment without being bathed in hand sanitizer. In our clean society, it can be difficult to determine a happy median between being hygienic and over the top clean. Of course these parents want the best for their children, but I believe there is a simple solution to this issue. It starts with common sense! I believe we should let kids be kids. Let them get dirty, let them get scraped up a bit playing outside. Although it may seem harmful to their health, I believe that the little things like that are a huge weapon against the fight against deadly allergies like peanut allergies. But is it really that simple? Let’s take a look into some other explanations for the recent sky rocketing peanut allergy epidemic.
Some believe that vaccines are a big reason as to why so many more kids are allergic to peanuts than the past. In the 1960’s, peanut oils were introduced as a vaccine diluent for some immunizations. By the 1980’s, peanut oils had become the preferred vehicle for immunizations, combined with the increased vaccine schedules this could be a possible reason for the rise in peanut allergies. (O’shea, 2013) Many believe that introducing infants to vaccines, with traces of peanut proteins, at such a young age is extremely dangerous and a possible cause for the rapid rise of the allergy. Others believe that the peanut allergy epidemic isn’t much of an epidemic at all. Some dispute that the actual numbers of children with life threatening peanut allergies is not as high as some would lead to believe. Estimates range from 150 to 200 deaths a year from peanut allergies, although some believe that those numbers are highly inflated. The Center for Disease Control documented only 15 deaths directly related to peanut allergies. (Forbes, 2006) Could this be just another hysteria in a country with not nearly as many problems as most of the other parts of the world? Possibly. Although the Hygiene Hypothesis may state otherwise.
While some may dispute the legitimacy of the peanut allergy epidemic I believe that the root problem for most of these issues comes back to the fact that maybe we are just too clean for our own good. The rise of peanut allergies seems directly linked to the Hygiene Hypothesis. Perhaps having entire schools ban peanut products is a bit of an overreaction, but this is an issue that still needs our attention and investigation. I believe the greatest weapon against threats like these is common sense. Parents need to find a middle ground to this problem. The solution doesn’t require parents to stop vaccinating their kids or other extreme measures, but maybe letting your child get a little dirty isn’t such a bad thing.

References 1. Hendrick, Bill. "Peanut Allergies in Kids on the Rise." WebMD. WebMD, 2010. Web. 04 Aug. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20100514/peanut-allergies-in-kids-on-the-rise>. 2. "Hygiene Hypothesis." PBS. PBS, 2001. Web. 04 Aug. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/10/4/l_104_07.html>. 3. McMorris, Marc. "The Hygiene Hypothesis: Are Cleanlier Lifestyles Causing More Allergies For Kids?" ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 09 Sept. 2007. Web. 04 Aug. 2013. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905174501.htm>. 4. "Peanut Allergy...The Shocking Facts." MedicineNet. N.p., 2002. Web. 04 Aug. 2013. <http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15618>. 5. "Back to School." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2006. Web. 04 Aug. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0918/058b.html>.

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