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Better All The Time

A cure for nut allergies?

Well, actually, it's only for peanuts, though for peanut-allergy sufferers (who seem to be sufficiently legion that it's affecting the lifestyle of the rest of us on airplanes and other places), that's a good thing.

I'm allergic to tree nuts, not peanuts (which are not true nuts, but legumes, like beans). And it caused me no little amount of grief when I was a kid, because the allergy was just unpleasant, not life threatening, so my parents wouldn't believe me. Part of the problem was that because I was truly allergic to cashews, walnuts, etc., I assumed that I was also allergic to peanuts. But I ate peanut butter with no problem, so my parents assumed that I was faking, and made me eat not just the peanuts but all the nuts, which would result in a swelling and itching of the mucous membranes in my mouth and throat, and a slight but vague stomach upset. But because it never resulted in a trip to the hospital, they never believed that I was allergic, and tormented me throughout my childhood until I left the house and took control over my own diet, at which point, being rational, I realized that if I could eat peanut butter I could eat peanuts as well. And I do.

Anyway, I hope that progress on this front continues, not because I think that I've been missing anything great from the other nuts, but because I will be able to eat foods (particularly Indian food, which seems to be kind of sneaky in this regard) without worrying about unpleasant consequences. And even more for those for whom the consequences go far beyond "unpleasant."

 
 

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8 Comments

memomachine wrote:

Hmmmmm.

You should have done what I did. I hated liver with a passion. Not one single bite could I pass my gullet because of my absolute hatred for that evil disgusting offal.

But my father and mother came from a generation, and stock, that put a lot of faith in the healthy properties of liver.

So whenever they tried to get me to eat liver I'd kick my dad really hard in the shins. Of course I'd get a beating but it was better than eating liver.

A truce came about when he finally asked me why the hell I kept kicking him.

Anonymous wrote:

I want a cure for Urushol allergy. This is what is in poison ivy.

I cannot eat cashews because I am so sensitive to it.

I also have an uncanny ability to spot poison ivy 30 yards away in thick woods.

John S wrote:

I discovered my allergy to pistachios when I ate a bite of some tasty middle-eastern thing.

Burning mouth, throat tried to swell closed - some anti-histamines and apparently small intake meant I could avoid a trip to Emergency.

Similar reaction, but milder, to cashews. Slightly similar reaction to walnuts. Won't eat -any- nuts; you all who like them, more for you!

Not allergic to peanuts, just hate the things.

II wrote:

But because it never resulted in a trip to the hospital, they never believed that I was allergic, and tormented me throughout my childhood

That explains a lot.

They were Democrats, right?

Rand Simberg wrote:

They were Democrats, right?

Actually, come to think of it, they were, but it doesn't really explain anything (I was, too, at the time--at least I voted that way). I'm not unhappy about my childhood in general, but that was one of the annoying things about it that wasn't my own fault.

Rand Simberg wrote:

Wickedpinto wrote:

P***Y!

Leaving aside the crudeness of this comment, I have no idea what it means, or to whom it is addressed. Try thinking before commenting next time.

John wrote:

My wife was told that (tree) nuts are a bad actor in the allergy arena. Apparently you can go along eating nuts with only minor or occasional reactions to them, but suddenly one time, and it can turn fatal.

Having said that, also, almonds are not true nuts, but are from the peach family. In fact both almonds and peaches were domesticated from the same wild tree.

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This page contains a single entry by Rand Simberg published on October 24, 2008 4:45 PM.

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