LAYTON - Every time Kelly Lindberg drank beer or ate an avocado, her esophagus closed down, making it hard to swallow. She also experienced constant itching and hives.
A skin test finally revealed Lindberg was allergic to barley, avocado and brewer's yeast.
"Since most breakfast cereal and bread in my cupboard contained barley flour or barley malt, that's why I was constantly itching," said the 48-year-old Layton resident.
Lindberg also discovered she has an allergy to aluminum, so she avoids cooking with it. Her son Orion, 11, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.
"When I was 2, my mom, my friend, my friend's mom and I were all at Arctic Circle," Orion said. "I ate an ice cream cone with chocolate on it. There was peanut butter flavoring in the chocolate and I reacted. I got hives around my mouth and I got really hoarse. My mom rushed me to the doctor and he said I was allergic."
The Lindbergs aren't alone. Dr. Douglas Jones, an allergist at Rocky Mountain Asthma and Allergy Clinic, treats numerous patients with food allergy. And the website www.foodallergy.org reports that more than 12 million Americans -- including 3 million children --live with some form of food allergy.
"The most common food allergies in children are milk, eggs, soy, wheat and peanuts," Jones said. "The most common food allergies in adults are peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. Symptoms can range from skin rashes, eczema, itchy mouth or throat, difficulty swallowing, diarrhea and vomiting to severe anaphylactic shock."
Some food allergies can also cause nasal congestion, triggering asthma attacks, Jones said.
According to the Utah Food Allergy Network, about one in every 20 children has a severe food allergy -- which equals about one child in every Utah classroom -- and the rate is growing. No one knows why it's growing, said Lindberg, who is also a board member of the network. There are several theories, but not enough long-term data to back them up.
Even contact counts
While many people may understand that eating a food you're allergic to can make you sick, most don't understand that even contact can cause a severe reaction, she said.
"So if one kid eats a peanut butter sandwich, then handles a toy, then a peanut-allergic kid picks up the same toy, the allergic kid may very well suffer a reaction," Lindberg said. "So if you invite someone with food allergies to your party, it's not enough to serve them something different than the other kids. It would be much safer to serve a safe food to all the kids so no one accidentally drips ice cream on the milk-allergic kid, for example."
Jones said there is a tremendous amount of misinformation and misinterpretation regarding food allergies, so it's critical that people seek appropriate resources and advice. He said schools also need to be aware of student food allergies and be ready to handle them promptly.
Lindberg agrees.
"I've found that educating kids, whether at school, play groups or parties, helps a lot. Even kindergarteners can understand food allergies," she said. "Many times I've seen school kids remind the teacher that so-and-so can't have that because it has milk in it."
Promising research?
Orion said the lunch workers at his school, North Davis Preparatory Academy, always make sure he and another friend with food allergies have a table exclusively to themselves.
"I read the labels to everything I eat," he said. "And if there isn't a label it doesn't go down the hatch. Even if I don't eat it, if I just touch it or if I inhale peanut dust I can have a severe reaction."
Jones said food allergies are diagnosed through skin and blood tests as well as patient history. He said doing testing that consists of large panels of food to screen for food allergies is not recommended or advised. Instead, seeing a board certified allergist is the best option.
"Currently, avoidance of the offending food is the only certain treatment," Jones said. "Individuals and parents of children with food allergy have to learn to read food labels appropriately and also ask a lot of questions when they are eating foods they have not prepared."
Jones said there is promising medical evidence regarding procedures that may make a person tolerant to the foods they are allergic to and may possibly make them nonallergic to them. The procedures are still being investigated and are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
"It's always important to have an emergency plan in place in case of an accidental ingestion or exposure to foods that one is allergic to," he said. "This includes carrying injectable epinephrine."
Terrifying, deadly
Jones also said he recommends parents ask what school policies are in place regarding food allergy and what safeguards they have to minimize risk to their children.
"There have been many reductions in the nursing staff in the school districts over the last couple of years. I would want to make sure there are staff appropriately trained to identify a reaction and also rapidly initiate appropriate treatment," Jones said.
Lindberg said it's important for people to let others know about a food allergy. It's equally important, she said, for people to know what a food allergy reaction looks like so they can perform lifesaving procedures, whether it's administering a quick dose of Benadryl or calling 911.
"Some people seem to act like food allergies are an embarrassing family secret," she said. "I think it's more rude to surprise a host by turning down what they cooked than to mention it to them ahead of time so they can accommodate you.
"Food allergies are real. They are terrifying. They can kill in a matter of minutes. The only defense we have is a well-educated community who understands how to keep unsafe foods away from an allergic person and what to do in an emergency."
Lean more about food allergies by visiting Lindberg's blog at www.foodallergyfeast.blogspot.com.
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