GENETICS
Remember when Mom had all the answers? We do. Does your
child have a constant runny nose or sore throat? Does he or she exhibit
unusual behavior after eating specific foods? Have paint or chemicals in
new carpet made your child dizzy or nauseous?
These are questions that a parent can best answer. We believe that
parents are the very best at knowing when their child is feeling sick. And
we make a special effort to create a partnership between the parent and the
doctor. Listening is the first step to diagnosing a medical problem,
especially an allergy problem. Because children often will not or cannot
tell their parents if something is wrong, it is necessary for a doctor to
pay special attention to the observations that parents make every day. At
the offices of Richard E. Layton, M.D., we realize the important role parents
play in their child's health and well-being. That's why we've been
listening to parents for over 30 years. And helping children. So, if you
suspect that your child may be suffering from an allergy problem, call our
office. We will listen.
Family Ties: Genetics and Allergies There are several symptoms, however, that parents should be aware of and
which provide a good indication of allergies: Sleeping problems,
irritability, increased vomiting and colic, chronic diarhea, chrome nasal congestion and increased frequency of ear infections.
I have seen another interesting aspect to family allergies. Parents, who
have spent years making their children's needs a priority, often discover
something about their own health after their child's allergy evaluation.
Adults often attribute headaches, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms to
the stresses of work and family life. Once a child has been treated for
allergies, a parent may realize that the medical complaints they have may be
caused by an allergic problem similar to the one their child is
experiencing. Several years ago, I saw a ten year-old girl with multiple
medical symptoms including
fatigue, frequent colds, muscle pain, chronic cough, headaches and decreased
attention span. The girl frequently missed school and
complained of increased symptoms from December through March. Upon
examination at my office, the young girl tested positive to several pollens,
dust mites, foods and many molds. The child was
started on immunotherapy treatment and has improved significantly.
She now has a good energy level, improved concentration and attention span, and
no muscle pain. An interesting aspect of
his case is the child's mother. After taking care of her daughter's medical
problems, the mother became more aware of her own medical complaints. She
too had been experiencing multiple nasal symptoms, increased sore throats,
muscle and joint pain
and fatigue. She visited my office and tested positive to many of the same
pollens, molds and foods as her daughter. Immunotherapy has now significantly improved her health.
Every year many children and parents suffer needlessly from various symptoms caused by allergies. Despite its grand design and all of its
wonders, the human body is not perfect. It is subject to all of the sensory
elements of its environment. You and your child can be directly affected by the
food, water, air and internal
environment to which we are exposed.
Having a baby is one of the most exciting times in a parent's life. These
feelings of joy and anticipation, however, are often
accompanied by concerns over the health of the newborn child. The medical
community has increased public awareness about the many diseases that can be
transferred from parent to child. Some of these diseases include Cystic
Fibrosis, Sickle-Cell Anemia
and Hemophilia. One condition, however, is seldom mentioned to parents yet
affects millions of children born in this country
every year. That condition is allergies. The term allergy is most
frequently associated with an adverse reaction caused by inhalants such as
pollens (trees, grass, weeds, molds) and animal danders (cat, dog).
Allergies, however, are much broader in scope and are caused not only by
inhalants, but by the food we eat and chemicals present in our air, food
and water. Like genetic diseases, new parents should keep in mind their own
medical
history of allergies. It is generally accepted that children are more
likely to develop allergies if someone in their family has
them. In fact, if one parent has a history of allergies, 30% of his or her
offspring may develop allergies; if both parents have
allergies, the incidence increases to approximately 75%. It has been my
experience in the past that not only is this estimate accurate, but
frequently the parent and child will have similar types of allergies. So
what can a parent with allergies do for his or her child? A parent cannot
control the genetic likelihood of
allergies, but there are several things that can be done to prevent or
minimize future allergic problems.
Breast feeding for the first 6 to 12 months of a child's life will help prevent the onset of allergies. Parents should also make sure that their child follow a nutritional diet and should limit the amount of junk food, sweets, and milk that their child ingests. This approach will aid parents in decreasing the likelihood that their child develops allergies. How can parents tell if their infant has allergies?