On Sun, 25 Jul 1999 14:15:15 EDT Katherine Murray <[log in to unmask]> writes: >I am interested in how many people's children react to food allergies in >behavioral ways. Count us in! Alyssa has also tested negative to everything, so they term it an intolerance. So far we've done quite a few skin tests, but have the paperwork get a RAST test done. Interestingly, the different foods tend to have slightly differing reactions. Some are immediate, so delayed, but almost all have a behavioral component. She's a sweet little girl (although she's 2 which comes with it's own issues) when allergy free, but just impossible when reacting. This also happens with her environmental allergies. It's almost always accompanied by bright red cheeks and itching (like she has fleas). A dose of antihistamine can calm her down quickly. I've talked with my allergist several times about the behavioral reactions. The link is controversial, but he doesn't doubt my word. He just warns me not to take every occurance of acting out to be an allergy reaction. It's generally pretty easy to tell the difference. Other major triggers are hunger and fatigue. The allergy one is the only one with red cheeks though. The allergist agrees that disrupted sleep and other factors due to the allergies can add to any irritablility. He says the itching seems to be the most unsettling in kids. Kathy P. ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.