As an parent with allergies, I was told when my children were young to avoid exposing them to potential allergens too early. The theory was that if they entered the world with my allergenic genes, then I shouldn’t tempt fate.
Recent studies have recently challenged the medical world’s opinion on this approach. Now there are is research which actually shows that children in societies where they introduce allergenic foods (like peanuts) early actually have less incidence of disease development later!
I’ve been wondering about this. What’s the difference? Is it just early introduction of allergenic food, or are there other factors that could affect the onset of allergy?
In my own case, I look at the differences between my two children. My daughter has never developed allergies – although she was like many babies, and didn’t like certain substances passing through my breastmilk. (Most parents will sympathetically nod at the mention of ‘colic’.) In her case, I had to avoid dairy and tomatoes – and as long as I did so, she was a happy baby. As she got bigger, she began to tolerate the majority of foods well – although we did have a few sensitivities treated with NAET at the same time that my son and I were treated. (I figured that a dose of prevention was worth the proverbial ounce of cure.)
She was nursed until she was just over 32 months old. In our western society, this is a very long time – although some cultures still practice breastfeeding for much longer than that.
The World Health Organization fully supports extending breastfeeding to 2 years and beyond. We know now that breastmilk is doing more than just comforting baby – it is helping all the major systems in the body to mature, including the digestive system and immune system.
My son’s babyhood was very different. When he was an infant, I had an undiagnosed thyroid issue that limited my milk supply. Although I did nurse him, I also had to supplement with formula, because I just didn’t produce enough breast milk.
To nurse at all, I had to focus almost continuously on my milk supply:
- I pumped after most feedings.
- I took two different herbal supplements.
- I took a prescription medication called Domperidone that helped to increase breastmilk supply.
- I drank a lot of fluids – religiously.
After 10 months of this, I was exhausted. My son was a poor sleeper and I was a first-time parent at 40. I made the decision to wean.
Within 6 weeks of being weaned, my son developed his first allergy.
Now, all of this could be a coincidence. They are two different children and perhaps the genes they inherited meant my son would have allergies and my daughter would not. However, there is a lot of research to indicate that extended breastfeeding has a significant protective affect on children – including avoiding allergies.
