I have only begun to discover BookTalk.org, but look forward to learning more. As a father, husband, author, and business advisor my plate is usually full. But when I do get moments to myself I enjoy writing, reading, and engaging with others on a variety of topics including sustainability, business, politics, and current affairs.

Approximately five years ago my son was diagnosed with severe food allergies. He also has bad asthma, eczema, and other challenges. There are more than 19 million people with food allergies in the U.S. and an estimated 8% of which are children. It was an incredible learning curve (that is still a work in progress) to come up to speed on how best to care for our son. His health has brought great change, but my wife and I have embraced the challenge and in the process have found great sense of purpose, passion, and resolve. I was in the process of "working" on my first book when our son was diagnosed. Five years later, "The Sustainability Generation: The Politics of Change and Why Personal Accountability is Essential NOW!" was published (see, www.thesustainabilitygeneration.com). My son gave me incredible hope, courage, and strength to complete my first book.

For every book published there is a personal story to be shared. I look forward to discovering and hearing the enriching stories of others, and welcome the opportunity to share more about my own.

Welcome to BookTalk.org!

Is your son allergic to peanuts? So many people these days have peanut allergies that I have to wonder if this is a new phenomenon or only one that is now being properly identified and diagnosed. It is a serious problem for sure.

Hello Chris,

Thanks for the note. My son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, and eggs. He also has asthma and eczema. His allergies to certain foods are severe and can cause an anaphylactic response, thus he carries an EpiPen. He is now 5 years old and his allergies have not yet subdued. We recently took him to a research hospital to get 2nd and 3rd opinions on how best we can help him. In our research and experience there is no specific cause of food allergies and no cure. In fact people can develop food allergies anytime during their life. We are hopeful that our son might outgrow some (or all) of his allergies, but we are also mindful that he may not, and that he will have to learn to self-advocate and manage his allergies.

Regarding you point, I believe there are two things happening simultaneously. First, there is a higher incidence of food allergies being confirmed/diagnosed. Second, part of that is due to greater awareness and "better science" / diagnostic capabilities in the testing for food (and other) allergies. From most information my wife and I come across, it appears the rate of increase in food allergies is increasing in young children and adults. Thus there may be "more going on out there" than we really know. As people become more aware of their health and lifestyle, they also become more understanding of issues like food allergies. It certainly is a challenging problem as you point out. Thank you for asking Chris.

All the best,

Mark

Peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, and eggs?

So much is made from milk and eggs. What a challenge. But a parents love can see them through just about anything. Let's hope he outgrows the allergies in whole or even in part. In the meantime stay strong and I wish you luck.