behavioral/other issues - food allergy related?

[leighi123]

My ds is almost 4yrs old and is allergic to a whole bunch of different things (dyes, artificial flavors, vinegar, oats, dairy, strawberries, multi-vitamins, the lining of juice boxes,  - and he is chemical sensitive, allergic to lots of soaps/laundry stuff, california baby products, aveno products, anything with added fragrance, some kinds of plastic, cleaners, etc).  We are also vegetarian.   

The reason we suspected allergies was because when he started eating food (around 15months, he was exclusivly breastfed until just before he turned 1, and nursed until he was 2.5), he developed itchy, oozy, gross, rashes, which eventually spread all over his body (mostly face, chest, upper arms/legs).   I've also noticed with some things (juice boxes, artificial anything), he looses impulse control, and has problems like wetting his pants/the bed (he was out of diapers before he was a year old) 

He had allergy testing (bloodwork) all negative.  We finally went to a doctor when he was 2 who did "nutrition response testing" and who came up with all of the above, and over a few months as we found them out, we eliminated them and his skin improved drastically.  

Anyways- we have avoided everything he is allergic to for some time now, with only an occasional slip up, but recently, I've noticed some 'reactions' coming back - behavior issues, and wetting the bed, minor itching.  

I was thinking it might just be his age, a phase, something I'm doing wrong with paranting him - I dunno.   But what makes me suspect allergy again is that it comes in waves- he will wet the bed 2-3 nights in a row, and those same days his sleep is poor (instead of going to bed at bedtime he is up and down all night and takes forever to fall asleep), he has crazy outbursts, is MEAN (telling me/his grandparents imaginitive ways he is going to kill us or lock us up etc - hitting, kicking, etc), and has temper tantrums (generally, not like him at all to do), doesnt listen, prone to crying, hyper, saying he is tired even after getting a good night sleep, and more.    

In a couple days, he is fine again, totally normal, happy, kind, no accidents.   

So my questions: 

Could this be a 'new' allergy that we are missing?  I know many of his other allergies came out over time - we didn't know he was allergic to oats until he was totally off dairy, and we didn't know he was allergic to vinegar until he was off everything else... 

Could it be something totally new that just randomly developed?  

Could it be something new he is exposed to?  (sunscreen is something we haven't used in months, and are now using daily for example - I know there are a few he cant use due to breaking out in a rash or they have fragrance, but even some of the natural ones he is allergic to, so maybe that?) 

Or maybe we aren't avoiding enough stuff - because he is allergic to artifical flavor/color, is there anything else we should avoid thats related?  Currently, we just avoid things that say "dye number whatever" and "artificial" 

Or cross contamination?  From going out to eat, we order special food but I have no clue how food is kept in kitchens, or how accurate they are as far as really knowing whats in the food. 

Or something else I might be missing? 

Or could this be not an allergy at all, and something else altogether?  How can I tell?   

Another thing is he keeps saying his back hurts, Maybe we should try a chiropractor?  (he has been once)

[lfpalmer]

I'm not so sure that Nutrition Response Testing is any more reliable than blood testing. If you have challenged these things for yourself and noticed reactions, that's your best indicator. As you say you've noticed allergies over time, have these been with your dietary testing or has everything been with the muscle testing? If he's just doing better on whatever you're doing, then I say go with it, while you try to sort things out. You might be avoiding some things that aren't needing to be avoided, but that's no big deal unless it were so many things that it posed some critical nutritional deficiency. What you describe does not.

Yes, poor sleep, swings in behavior, and bed-wetting are all common symptoms resultant from food reactions. Of course these could also be emotional issues but I think you would know that, as his mother. When a body is showing such symptoms and possibly reacting to many different kinds of things, we want to look at the whole body and just try to heal from within; hoping to reduce the body's intolerances overall.

Going for a rather chemical-free organic environment, a very simple, whole-foods diet, and exercise in a non-noxious environment, is your best bet. Be sure that he's getting sunshine, good fatty acids, and some good fruits and vegetables. Help him to play hard at times, and provide only tender empathy when he wishes to yell or cry, rather than any efforts to reduce the yelling or crying amount. These measures can help reduce any stresses he may experience. Even if stresses aren't causing such symptoms, these symptoms can cause stress.

Hmmm.... his back hurts. This can be referred from intestines. I'm thinking a good osteopathic pediatrician may be worth trying if you can find one in your area that comes recommended by like-minded parents. I like this option as a DO could investigate for any deeper medical issues that may be going on while offering some mechanical treatments, and some assistance in allergy diagnosis.