If you are a follower of mine I'm sure you remember awhile back where I noticed that when Jordan had apples, whether it be from juice or a whole apple, he would show signs of sensitivity. The signs being him waking up in the middle of the night to go sleep with one of his sisters. I had since removed anything dealing with apples and no more sleepless nights. I believed since the first IgE allergen zone test we were on our way to removing all allergens with the supplements he was taking. While it is somewhat true, because most have decreased, it's still a mystery why they are still as elevated as they are. That is until I came across something during research last night.
There is actually something called Food Seasonal Allergy Syndrome or Oral Allergy Syndrome. This syndrome is when the immune system in your body can't tell the difference between the proteins in certain foods and pollen. Most people don't put two and two together when you bite into an apple and later you become itchy or get hives. There are a number of foods that can causes this issue. Apples of course, celery, tomato, watermelon, banana, zucchini and sunflower seeds to name just a few. Jordan is really big on ketchup right now, which is probably why his grass pollen is abnormal but it's not extremely high. Potatos trigger the birch allergy, which is relatively high. He has been eating more fries and now hash browns. Now I can cut down on the potatoes and bananas that triggers ragweed, but my real issue is does this bother him? I don't know for sure that his mouth doesn't itch. He can't tell me. So I don't know if he's having symptoms after eating certain foods. Bummer. I also don't know if this is what's causing his behaviors to be erratic because his system is trying to cope with all that is happening to it. I just don't know. I am thankful it's not severe where as he could have asthma.
There are ways around eating the foods you love that cause you problems. Avoid eating them raw if you can. The heat will break down the proteins, in most of the foods, that are associated with the syndrome. One that it won't help with is celery. You can also try peeling the fruit or vegetable because most of the proteins are in the skin. But the most important thing, aside from avoiding the foods all together, is to build your immune system. When your immune system is weakened, such as Jordan's is, it can't tell the difference between what is good and what is bad. Not knowing makes it think everything is bad and it sends out antibodies to fight them all off, even those that are harmless. The antibodies release histamine which causes almost all of your symptoms. In Jordan's case, it would be too hard to remove all the foods that are problematic with him. I just started him eating a variety of foods that he enjoys and would hate to have to take anything away from him. And since we already know that his system isn't what it should be, it's better to handle that issue because it can help in other areas too. I removed one of the supplements from his daily routine because the company said not to use more than 8 weeks consecutively. The doctor said because it can reduce it's efficiency and not because it can harm you. It is called Immuno-Aid which contains elderberry. Elderberry is a strong immune enhancer that can stop certain virus' from growing. I will be giving him that again to help.
There are so many things children with Autism have to endure. And those of us with non-verbal kids really don't know the extent of what it is that hurts our children. I wish I knew if Jordan had a physical reaction to these foods. This problem may have been resolved a lot sooner. But he has a high tolerance for any and everything. This little boy can take a garlic pill like it was a Lays potato chip. For his sake I hope he has no itching, because he definitely doesn't get hives. I've seen him scratch his throat so now I need to pay attention to if it's after a meal or not. Most of all I just need to let God have His way. I realized nothing is relevant if He is involved. For instance this past weekend I went to a healthy eating showcase that introduced me to new cookware. This set does not require and oil or water to make anything. Even to fry chicken or bake a cake. During this demonstration we tasted water that was boiled with baking soda in their set, an aluminum pot and a teflon pot. The new cookware's water tasted just like sea water, the aluminum tasted like metal and the teflon like metal and plastic. It made me think that Jordan is getting whatever it is in his system because I cook with stainless steel for him. Those pots, I was told, are ground up pieces of metal which makes it porous. I was a bit concerned until I thought back to when his levels started to consistently going down. When? After my relationship with God flourished. That doesn't mean I will cook on just anything, but I do know that I don't need to remove anything from Jordan's diet. As long as I am working on the issue with His approval, He will reduce the allergens just like He did the lead.
Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Enough said.
If you are a follower of mine I'm sure you remember awhile back where I noticed that when Jordan had apples, whether it be from juice or a whole apple, he would show signs of sensitivity. The signs being him waking up in the middle of the night to go sleep with one of his sisters. I had since removed anything dealing with apples and no more sleepless nights. I believed since the first IgE allergen zone test we were on our way to removing all allergens with the supplements he was taking. While it is somewhat true, because most have decreased, it's still a mystery why they are still as elevated as they are. That is until I came across something during research last night.
There is actually something called Food Seasonal Allergy Syndrome or Oral Allergy Syndrome. This syndrome is when the immune system in your body can't tell the difference between the proteins in certain foods and pollen. Most people don't put two and two together when you bite into an apple and later you become itchy or get hives. There are a number of foods that can causes this issue. Apples of course, celery, tomato, watermelon, banana, zucchini and sunflower seeds to name just a few. Jordan is really big on ketchup right now, which is probably why his grass pollen is abnormal but it's not extremely high. Potatos trigger the birch allergy, which is relatively high. He has been eating more fries and now hash browns. Now I can cut down on the potatoes and bananas that triggers ragweed, but my real issue is does this bother him? I don't know for sure that his mouth doesn't itch. He can't tell me. So I don't know if he's having symptoms after eating certain foods. Bummer. I also don't know if this is what's causing his behaviors to be erratic because his system is trying to cope with all that is happening to it. I just don't know. I am thankful it's not severe where as he could have asthma.
There are so many things children with Autism have to endure. And those of us with non-verbal kids really don't know the extent of what it is that hurts our children. I wish I knew if Jordan had a physical reaction to these foods. This problem may have been resolved a lot sooner. But he has a high tolerance for any and everything. This little boy can take a garlic pill like it was a Lays potato chip. For his sake I hope he has no itching, because he definitely doesn't get hives. I've seen him scratch his throat so now I need to pay attention to if it's after a meal or not. Most of all I just need to let God have His way. I realized nothing is relevant if He is involved. For instance this past weekend I went to a healthy eating showcase that introduced me to new cookware. This set does not require and oil or water to make anything. Even to fry chicken or bake a cake. During this demonstration we tasted water that was boiled with baking soda in their set, an aluminum pot and a teflon pot. The new cookware's water tasted just like sea water, the aluminum tasted like metal and the teflon like metal and plastic. It made me think that Jordan is getting whatever it is in his system because I cook with stainless steel for him. Those pots, I was told, are ground up pieces of metal which makes it porous. I was a bit concerned until I thought back to when his levels started to consistently going down. When? After my relationship with God flourished. That doesn't mean I will cook on just anything, but I do know that I don't need to remove anything from Jordan's diet. As long as I am working on the issue with His approval, He will reduce the allergens just like He did the lead. Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Enough said.
