This was an article written about my friends son Brent!
Laura, we are so proud of you and Brentson for sharing your story.
Brentson also has a law named after him in Tennessee!
And I know that Laura will not stop there.
Our prayers are with you Brentson, you and Travis will be healed one day!
I love you both.
SARA SCHAEFER MUÑOZOctober 2, 2007
In fourth grade, Brentson Duke went grocery shopping with his mom, and when he saw a sign above the aisle that said "peanut butter," he had a bout of anxiety so severe it set off an asthma attack.
"I tried to talk him through it and said 'words won't hurt,' " says his mother, Laura, a day-care administrator outside Nashville, Tenn. But soon after that incident two years ago, Brentson grew so anxious he wouldn't return to the supermarket, and he begged to skip school. His mom says his pediatrician eventually prescribed Valium to control his frequent panic attacks.
FOOD FEARS
Advice for easing children's anxieties over food allergies:
• Keep daily life as normal as possible; encourage socializing.
• Compartmentalize the fears; set aside time to discuss and then move on.
• Teach ways to be proactive in staying safe, such as choosing their own safe snacks.
The source of Brentson's anxiety: A couple months before, he had had an allergic reaction to peanuts at school, which made his throat swell and landed him in the emergency room.
As the number of children diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies grows, so does an insidious side effect: the extreme anxiety they can develop around eating, socializing or even a trip to the supermarket. The problems can come after a bad allergic reaction, or simply as children grow old enough to comprehend that their allergy can be fatal.
The government doesn't track the number of Americans with food allergies, but researchers at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine estimate the number at 12 million, based on data from various U.S. studies. Common allergens include shellfish and peanuts. Reactions can range from relatively mild symptoms such as mouth-tingling or hives, to more severe problems, such as wheezing, swelling of the throat, or a dangerous drop in blood pressure. A study published in 2003 by Mount Sinai researchers found that the number of children with peanut allergy had doubled from 1997 to 2002, from one in 250 to one in 125. Food allergies account for an estimated 30,000 emergency-room visits and 100 to 200 deaths a year, researchers say.
Mental-health experts and doctors say most food-allergic children have some anxieties about accidental ingestion, but successfully manage them and lead normal lives. For others, worries can become crippling. Children who have had an allergic reaction may become fearful of going to school or parties. They may skip meals, or wash their hands over and over, fearing skin contact with the allergenic food. Parents and doctors say the worries can also take a physical toll, causing headaches, insomnia, weight loss and stress-induced vomiting. "You end up with something similar to a post-traumatic stress disorder," says Scott Sicherer, an associate professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai and author of a book on food allergies in children.
Lynn Schneider's family was on vacation when her nine-year-old daughter suddenly began to refuse almost all food. It was surprising, her mom said, because her daughter had calmly dealt with her legume and peanut allergies in the past. The child would eat only brands of crackers and cookies she knew, and would read the label over and over.
"No matter how much we tried to reassure her, she was afraid she was going to die," Ms. Schneider says.
DISCUSS
Readers, do you have children -- or do you know children -- with serious food allergies? What's the best way to address these issues? Are schools doing an adequate job of addressing the food-allergy problem?
Share your thoughts.
Psychologists say it's not uncommon for children with conditions like food allergies or chronic diseases to exhibit stress or depression around the ages of 7 to 10. They are old enough to understand the serious health risks they face, but can be too young to effectively manage their fear. Anxiety tends to be pronounced in kids with food allergies, perhaps because the danger is so immediate, says Mark L. Goldstein, a child clinical psychologist and adjunct professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Parents are left walking a fine line between encouraging normalcy and caution.
"There is a monster under the bed," says Ms. Schneider, whose daughter began eating full meals again but remained very anxious for several months. "It can be challenging to know what to say, and how to say it."
Dr. Goldstein urges parents to normalize the child's life as best they can by encouraging extracurricular activities and sleepovers, for example. He advises compartmentalizing the discussion of the allergy, setting aside 10 minutes a day to focus on it and then moving on. Getting the child involved in staying safe, such as having him or her pick out safe snacks, educate friends and learn how to use an emergency shot of epinephrine, helps create empowerment and quell anxiety, he says.
Anne Muñoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, an advocacy group in Fairfax, Va., says that with younger kids, it's important to reassure them that an adult -- parents or a teacher -- is in control and will keep them safe. If parents find themselves overwhelmed with their own worry, she says, they should consider counseling, because children can pick up on their anxiety.
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