Poll- Vaccines and Food Allergies

[Calliope84]

I've just been thinking about this... how many of you have children who are fully unvaccinated AND have verified food (or other major) allergies? (And by verified, I mean a serious reaction or bad reactions that were verified by an allergy test done by a doctor.) 

I'm just wondering if there is a connection between the ingredients in vaccines and the rising incidence of food allergies.

DD was allergic to soy and dairy (colic from it and a bad rash when I ate it while breastfeeding her when she was a newborn), is completely unvaccinated and seems to be handling all new foods well so far. I reintroduced soy and dairy in my diet months ago and she's shown no reactions.

I  had all my vaccines and some reactions to them as a baby and I seem to be sensitive to foods (like I get a raised welt on the roof of my mouth when eating certain fruit, etc.) and I'm highly allergic to everything. I always have a slightly stuffed nose, even when I eat no dairy.

But DD has handled eggs, nuts, fish and other stuff well so far at 14 months. We are going to try raw aged cheeses soon to see if dairy is still a no no. But, either, way,dairy is not a life threatening food allergy for her... it is just a protein intolerance issue, and that is different.

[RootsAndMarigolds]

im also curious about the replies to this question! i have 5 non-vax kids and we do have a couple of mild issues that could be food related but not obviously so. i think it is strange that food allergy tests seem to be a standard for kids these days.. and did the kids who are confirmed as allergic by testing show serious signs when the foods were eaten or not very serious? of course i understand that there have always been people with reactions to foods - usually life threatening ones were the ones that got recognized.  so i wonder too, have allergies increased or has the scope of our definition of what a food allergy is? 

[scsigrl]

3 kids.  All with allergies.  None ever vaxed.  I don't think it has much to do with it, personally.  

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by RootsAndMarigolds 

  so i wonder too, have allergies increased or has the scope of our definition of what a food allergy is? 

The incidence of life threatening allergies to some foods is increasing.  That doesn't mean that some of the "rise" in milder allergies isn't simply recognition.
 

[MrsJewelsRae]

My youngest son is completely unvaccinated and is anaphylactic to peanuts, eggs, milk and soy, we carry epi pens wherever we go.  My dd is also not vaccinated and she is allergic to penicillin.  I do wonder about a vax and allergy connection, but in our case it's not a factor.

[liqzierda]

One child, fully vaxed to age 4 except chicken pox vaccine. IgE allergies to peanuts and treenuts. IgG allergies to most common foods with life-threatening eosinophilic esophagitis. She is nine.

Second child, only five vaxes total, six years old now. EBF for almost two years. No food allergies at all.

[liqzierda]

BTW, my daughter's worst IgG allergy is to beef. DTaP has bovine serum in it. She got that at three months. Many vaccines contain food proteins. Just that should give one pause, given that even scratch testing can create food antigens in a never exposed child.

[scsigrl]

Originally Posted by liqzierda 
 even scratch testing can create food antigens in a never exposed child.

I would like to see your research on this.

[joybird]

Un-vaxed kids, lots of IgG allergies.  

I would venture to guess that the larger contributing factor to the rise in allergies is the rampant use of antibiotics in the past few generations.  They wreak havoc on GI flora, which is where the greater part of immunity happens.

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by joybird 

Un-vaxed kids, lots of IgG allergies.  

I would venture to guess that the larger contributing factor to the rise in allergies is the rampant use of antibiotics in the past few generations.  They wreak havoc on GI flora, which is where the greater part of immunity happens.

It would have to be pretty sneaky, then.  My oldest has 2 major food allergies and a few minor ones and a laundry list of environmental allergies, fully vaxed until 3 and ate mostly organic food while I ate mostly organic food, too.  (I'm thinking about the low-level antibiotics in non-org. meat, that's why I mention it.)  She never had antibiotics until she was 18mo or older and her allergies started as an infant.  While I wouldn't say you are wrong absolutely, clearly there is some evidence to the contrary.  My younger daughter, BTW, also fully vaxed until the age of 3 has no food allergies, though has a couple of environmental ones.  

So, back to the vaxes, more contrary information.  I have tons of allergies of all kinds, mild to intense (I'll reserve "severe" for the ones causing life-threatening reactions.)  So, in my case I think my girl's tendency to get allergies is hereditary.

I'm not sure whether there is a proven rise in allergies as a whole or just anaphylactic reactions.  ???  That's a sincere question, and probably hard to answer.
 

[JamieBrewHa]

I developed asthma and anaphylatic food allergies to thinks i'd never been allergic to before shortly after receiving Hep B, Meningitis, and Hep A vaccines as a an adult. I definitely think it played a role for me.