Nut Allergies and Children: How Others React Is Causing a Call for Increased Regulation.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I found this thread simply amazing. Further details could get me banned, but suffice to say Paul you are truly a wonder.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

you do realize the idea that a child is going to die/have a severe reaction from 'air exposure and/or physical contact' is a hyperbole for the most part, right? If anything the reaction would be an irritation/very minor.

Without direct ingestion of the product, it's extremely rare to have someone who is exposed to the product have a major episode from it.

So speaketh Paul the medical doctor. It's "rare" so it's not a problem. Beautiful.

[sandinista! 1,816]

you do realize the idea that a child is going to die/have a severe reaction from 'air exposure and/or physical contact' is a hyperbole for the most part, right? If anything the reaction would be an irritation/very minor.

Without direct ingestion of the product, it's extremely rare to have someone who is exposed to the product have a major episode from it.

i've met kids for who that is not hyperbolic at all. and i refill prescriptions all the time for epi-pens, for kids whose allergies are severe enough that they and the adults around them have to be trained to jab a huge needle into their leg if they passively come into contact with all kinds of allergens, and that contact can be completely inadvertent on their part. while not as common as "i have to eat this peanut to get a reaction" types of allergies, they nevertheless do exist, and can kill people. not just puking, not feeling crummy for a few days-they can die.

Smart kid. Smarter than many around these parts.

empathy is a dying art, but some people do still have it. i'm glad he's one of them.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I require no special accomodation to survive, I have no physical restrictions, I require that no one else be restricted to accomodate me and my condition is not a genetic mutation that will be promoted by accomodation.

You presumably required emergency treatment to survive your heart attack? Surely if you believe that kids with these allergies should be allowed to die off, how might that be different from someone who thinks that you'd be allowed to die because your heart condition amounts to weakness?

[nane1104 146]

you do realize the idea that a child is going to die/have a severe reaction from 'air exposure and/or physical contact' is a hyperbole for the most part, right? If anything the reaction would be an irritation/very minor.

Without direct ingestion of the product, it's extremely rare to have someone who is exposed to the product have a major episode from it.

Your logic is beyond unreal. I think I will from now on consider such statements irrelevant.

Edited August 18, 2011 by nane1104

[nane1104 146]

and how. fwiw, i discussed this very issue with my 10 year old, peanut butter loving, elementary school attending son. at his private school, there is a child with peanut allergies, though the severity of this child's allergies are not bad enough to require a full on peanut ban, there is some separation in the lunch room, where kids who brought peanut products eat at a "nut table". when i asked him if there were a child there though whose allergy was severe enough that he couldn't inhale any peanut particles or residual peanut would cause a severe reaction so it would be necessary to not bring any peanut stuff to school, he said that wouldn't be a problem with him, he could just enjoy peanut stuff somewhere else. when i asked him what he thought about people saying eating peanuts was more important than keeping that kid from getting hurt or killed, he said those people sounded like jerks.

Kudos to your son and kudos to you for teaching him good values! We need more families like that!!

[slim 1,525]

it is a small sacrifice that results in a huge benefit for someone else.

Wasn't the Patriot Act justified in the same way?

they should look at the issue from a humane angle instead of insisting on what their rights or legal duties are.

That's your opinion. But the fact is people do not have to look at issues from a humane angle unless they choose to.

See, the beauty of our rights are we do not have to support humanitarian causes unless we choose. The problem we have today is many folks in society believe we're obligated to impose government regulations to insure humanitarian causes are supported.

Not eating nuts doesn't feel like an imposition to me

Nor does wiretapping or surveillance.

Actually, I'm usually paid via medicaid.

Shocker.

In all seriousness, I don't get what the big deal is. If I can help someone to live a somewhat normal life = go to a regular school, attend classes like everyone else, why would I not make this small personal sacrifice and leave the PBJ sanwich at home?

I totally agree with this. I too would make that personal sacrifice if I knew it would help someone.

But... don't make a regulation prohibiting it. Ask me to do it.

What if I'm trying to deal with a kiddo who is profoundly mentally handicapped and, say, she pees her diaper and I have to change it. Fortunately, you will never need to teach your children because you have a very "light" handicap. I hope you and your children will never have to deal with *my* child's unfortunate handicap which, sadly, includes pissing her pants, moaning, crawling, etc. Obviously, she should be taught how to deal with her needs but she has the cognitive capacity of a 3 month old, at the best. And she's twelve years old.

So THAT is empathy and consideration. Also, #### you.

You're not making the school include her in regular classes are you?

Yet, for some reason, that "special" kid is considered different than the "special" kid with the allergy. I guess there are different levels of "special."

and how. fwiw, i discussed this very issue with my 10 year old, peanut butter loving, elementary school attending son. at his private school, there is a child with peanut allergies, though the severity of this child's allergies are not bad enough to require a full on peanut ban, there is some separation in the lunch room, where kids who brought peanut products eat at a "nut table". when i asked him if there were a child there though whose allergy was severe enough that he couldn't inhale any peanut particles or residual peanut would cause a severe reaction so it would be necessary to not bring any peanut stuff to school, he said that wouldn't be a problem with him, he could just enjoy peanut stuff somewhere else. when i asked him what he thought about people saying eating peanuts was more important than keeping that kid from getting hurt or killed, he said those people sounded like jerks.

He's exactly right. Those people do sound like jerks and I'm sure most of us would try our best to not eat peanut butter around a kid with peanut butter allergies. We'd eat at the "nut table" in order to stay away or, in this particular case, abstain from eating nuts at school.

However, voluntary abstinence is quite different than mandatory compliance.

[The_Dude 1,142]

You presumably required emergency treatment to survive your heart attack? Surely if you believe that kids with these allergies should be allowed to die off, how might that be different from someone who thinks that you'd be allowed to die because your heart condition amounts to weakness?

I can't wait to hear his response to this.

Wasn't the Patriot Act justified in the same way?

You just love trying to force that square peg through the round hole. Keep trying Slim, maybe in 40 year's it will actually fit.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Your logic is beyond unreal. I think I will from now on consider such statements irrelevant.

and YOU are the problem with society today by the fact that you'd rather force people to conform than look at the facts regarding airborne peanut allergies.

A PBJ sandwich. Hell several PBJ sandwiches in a room with a person who has a peanut allergy, is NOT going to cause a reaction.

Now, in a room with people opening bags of actual peanuts and shells being cracked into the air? That might be a different story. However the odds of having an severe reaction are very small, and it's more likely to be like any other allergy reaction anyone might have who's allergic to cat hair, dog hair, etc...

[The_Dude 1,142]

and YOU are the problem with society today by the fact that you'd rather force people to conform than look at the facts regarding airborne peanut allergies.

A PBJ sandwich. Hell several PBJ sandwiches in a room with a person who has a peanut allergy, is NOT going to cause a reaction.

Now, in a room with people opening bags of actual peanuts and shells being cracked into the air? That might be a different story. However the odds of having an severe reaction are very small, and it's more likely to be like any other allergy reaction anyone might have who's allergic to cat hair, dog hair, etc...

Actually, the problem with our society is people like you. Not your politics per se, but you seem to lack the capacity for empathy, reasoning or compassion beyond what fits in your narrow purview. Sad really.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Actually, the problem with our society is people like you. Not your politics per se, but you seem to lack the capacity for empathy, reasoning or compassion beyond what fits in your narrow purview. Sad really.

That's where you're wrong. I have plenty of empathy and compassion for people. HOWEVER, I lose that empathy and compassion when someone wants to shove a regulation or piece of legislation down my throat that forces me to be empathetic/compassionate towards something.

Empathy and compassion come from the heart. Not some bullshit piece of paper that demands it.

The problem with the left-wing whackjobs out there is that they don't believe that there's good in people, so they feel that people have to be forced into something. They'd rather have a society like that of North Korea that's obedient and does what they are told, rather than pure individualism where people can decide for themselves. There's plenty of hyprocrisy though in this (on the left and right mind you) about how it is good for everyone else, but not for them.

It's old. It's tiresome. It's plain absurd that the 'need' to control everything is there. That need derives from the idea that they're going to get hurt otherwise. It's hogwash.

[slim 1,525]

You just love trying to force that square peg through the round hole. Keep trying Slim, maybe in 40 year's it will actually fit.

In 40 years we may not be permitted to stick anything in round holes. We're going to lose our right to own square pegs as well if we keep this up.

Actually, the problem with our society is people like you. Not your politics per se, but you seem to lack the capacity for empathy, reasoning or compassion beyond what fits in your narrow purview. Sad really.

If there were only people like me in this country we wouldn't have welfare, housing, education, health or any of the other "great things" our government doles out today. Our urban areas would be vibrant and bright and America would be strong as a country with very low unemployment and no problems with economic recession.

That would really suck!

[^_^ 5,021]

If there were only people like me in this country...

We'd be spending 100% of our budget on the corrections system as opposed to healthcare and defense.

[The_Dude 1,142]

If there were only people like me in this country we wouldn't have welfare, housing, education, health or any of the other "great things" our government doles out today. Our urban areas would be vibrant and bright and America would be strong as a country with very low unemployment and no problems with economic recession.

That would really suck!

Slim, more people like you in this coutry is a terrifying thought. NO need for education or health services? So your utopia is a rendition of The Postman? Sorry, some of us aspire to more in life than hot pockets and crappy t.v. reruns. We need more education in this country, not less. If anything, you are living proof of that. Educated people tend to commit fewer crimes and lead more productive lives.

[nane1104 146]

and YOU are the problem with society today by the fact that you'd rather force people to conform than look at the facts regarding airborne peanut allergies.

A PBJ sandwich. Hell several PBJ sandwiches in a room with a person who has a peanut allergy, is NOT going to cause a reaction.

Now, in a room with people opening bags of actual peanuts and shells being cracked into the air? That might be a different story. However the odds of having an severe reaction are very small, and it's more likely to be like any other allergy reaction anyone might have who's allergic to cat hair, dog hair, etc...

What I am or not am is luckily not up to you and as far as your assessment about what can and cannot cause a severe reaction, Dr. Paul, is simply wrong.