> When I was going to grade school in the 70's you never heard one
> incident of a kid being allergic to peanut butter. While some of these
> peanut allergies actually do occur I think a lot of parents say their
> kids have a peanut allergy because they want the attention. If someone
> is truly allergic to peanuts then they should also be allergic other
> legumes such as peas. It's only been in recent years that you've
> really started hearing about the problem. I did read somewhere that if
> a nursing mother eats a lot of peanut butter she can give a peanut
> allergy to her baby. Luckily I was born during the time when formula
> was the baby food of choice.

It is in fact on the increase. They would have noticed if people were
dropping dead of anaphylaxis in school. Not only are there more now,
but the ones that pop up are worse. They are not sure why. The
hygiene hypothesis is one theory - it says we are so clean now that our
immune systems malfunction and attack the self or harmless substances
(peanuts, for example.) There is also the environmental theory. There
is more asthma too - both are autoimmune condtions - and the air and
water and food quality could have a lot to do with it. It would bring
on the condition in those genetically predisposed. They are canaries
in the well, so to speak, for the rest of us.

As for seeking attention: on peanut allergy boards there are tons of
posts in which parents of the peanut allergic agonize over being
introverts and/or shy and how difficult it is for them to constantly
have to speak up to protect their kids from the peanuts that are
everywhere, especially in gradeschool. In fact, because both
introversion and allergies are more prevalent among the HighQ
community, I would venture that you would find more allergies among the
introverted (and with other traits like myopia that also travel with
giftedness) in many cases. They do NOT seek attention.

Most would gladly give up this horrible condition that can kill their
children and that is so hard to control. Very few other conditions are
both so lethal while at the same time so doubted and derided and which
garner so little sympathy or assistance. Peanut allergic parents are
on their own and live in fear for their children (1/44,000 of a peanut
can kill for severe allergies) and are laughed at; are assumed crazy,
overprotective, and/or hypochondriacs; and are even the victims of
bullying (people purposely exposing their children to peanuts, leaving
peanut products on the doorstep, and that sort of thing.)
It also gets very tiring to hear how more important a peanut butter
sandwich for 5 meals out of the week are than their own children's
lives.

The ADA (Americans with disabilities act) guarantees the severely food
allergic equal access to education.

Also, it is actually quite rare to be allergic to peanuts and at the
same time, other types of legumes.

The jury is out about breastfeeding vs. formula, but it is thought that
early 'soy' exposure hurts when it comes to preventing food allergies.
There are also many reports that breastfeeding *protects* against
developing food allergies.