I too could write a lot on this but from the point of view of a breastfeeding counsellor and midwife rather than mother… but my short comment is focused on weaning. I’ve been around long enough to see a range of advice in this respect being ’fashionable’ a word I use deliberately. Personally I believe that the WHO advice is no less … anyway the answer for me rests on that simple idea of being naturally led - learned through attachment parenting (no matter what you think of this parenting strategy, it is informed by nature…) When a child is learning the world from its mother’s lap it creates the perfect opportunity to experience everything from a safe space - when it comes to food this means helping itself to whatever she has in front of her. This manifests as a child trying all sorts of foods (and non foods) as you say in the mouth, but doesn’t necessarily mean eating/swallowing - that comes when they’re ready… each child will be different. I was lucky enough to eventually experience this with my 3rd child, who was ‘weaned’ entirely on ‘finger-food’ ie only what he could pick up himself (which included barbecue ribs before 6 months)… A very complex subject well done for sharing such useful information Milli.
thanks Lynn! I think I'm not alone in that I actively waited for a particular date (6 months) before allowing my children to eat any solid foods and as you say, that's not very baby led is it?! We did do the baby led thing and let them pick it up and feed themselves but not til 6 months. I can't remember exactly if I was a bit more laid back by child 3, but I know that I purposefully avoided giving him any of the typical 'allergic' foods, which was the absolute wrong thing to do!
Another “Lactation Lynn” here! I also wonder if the early exposure to microscopic bits of Mom’s diet via breastfeeding “counts” in this department. That said, my own leaky gut meant that kiddo #1 got a lot more exposure than he should have, and he was a mess for a long time. Cleared that up before kiddo #2, and she fared much better. #1 was not interested in solids until he was almost a year old, and then #2 was happy to do some plate grabbing and have that limited exposure you describe, where things go into the mouth, but they don’t necessarily go any further than that.
That's a really good question - and in my case because of the eczema I was breastfeeding BUT cutting out food groups from my OWN diet in an attempt to help the eczema. All completely the opposite (probably) of what I should have been doing! But I felt completely alone and abandoned by medics to be honest! The dietician kept trying to get me to go to formula and the health visitor offered disability benefits!! So I was just winging it really!!
How interesting! I am intolerant of dairy and gluten. When I was born (1983) they said I was born "too quickly" so rushed me off to an incubator - apparently rather than giving my Mum the chance to breastfeed I was given formula, my family has a history of dairy and gluten intolerance (my grandfather is coeliac)
I had horrible eczema as a baby and my Mum has always put it down to this first intake of a dairy as essentially my first meal when realistically I shouldn't have eaten it.
I introduced dairy when I left home for uni, at first I seemed to get away with it, but gradually over about 8-10 years I developed really bad eczema again and my asthma became debilitating, I also gained a lot of weight. I cut out gluten and dairy and gradually recovered over the space of about 6-12 months. I've tried eating it again or just lapsed in times of stress over the last 9 years and always found I quickly deteriorated so I've stopped again!
I've raised my children gluten and dairy free because my eldest used to projectile vomit if I'd had any dairy so I cut it out and thankfully that stopped! She had a tiny gluten breadstick at about 11 months old and her previously perfect skin broke out all over her arms 😭 if she eats anything accidentally now (age 8) she gets really badly blocked ears, so whilst the avoiding things is awful I think she's learning sadly that it's easier than not being able to hear!!!
It must be such a hard balance of introducing things and also allowing for the reactions that might be awful!! I'd love to know more about how the processing of food that now happens affects allergies too - I don't suffer so badly in France for example if I dare to have a pastry from a bakery as I would here!
I think there is a difference between intolerance and allergy (this is mentioned in the podcast) but I am not 100% clear on what the difference is.
I think the fear of allergic reactions is probably making things worse as parents may feel anxious (as I did) about introducing certain foods - but if we introduce them early enough we will be pre-empting the formation of the allergy.
The processing side is really interesting. There is a series on Netflix with Michael Pollen called Cooked which is interesting, the one on 'Air' is all about bread, and how the way we make bread has changed so much in recent years, and how this is likely to be the key reason for 'gluten intolerance' - check it out! xx
I'll have a listen to the podcast to see if I can understand!
I used to say that I was allergic but these days when it comes to eating out it's easier to say intolerance or you end up with a glass of water and salad to choose from on the menu 🫣 I will have to learn the difference! I must admit I've never been tested it was done by reaction really, I removed it and all the side effects went away (gradually mind!)
My friends son was allergic to eggs and they did the "ladder" and he is now ok with them but he still doesn't eat things as it's almost like he fears being sick 😓
I'll give it a watch. I make my own gluten free sourdough but I've wondered if I can get hold of some less processed flours if I might get away with gluten as I have eaten gluten free sourdough as an experiment and seemed to get away with it!!
Yes there is a real problem that these kids end up with psychological blocks about food isn't there? I did really worry when writing the recent book that I would be adding in more anxiety to all my kids about food. Hopefully not. At the moment he loves food but he does REALLY worry when we eat out. Often they make mistakes and it makes him so anxious :-(
Oh I wish you could do a deep dive into Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), my daughter has been diagnosed with it and information about the hows and whys are simply non-existent. Part psychological, part intolerance/allergy, part neurodivergent behaviour. If you join the ARFID UK group on Facebook it is filled with parents just at a loss for what to do with little to no help at all. We know that it isn't an eating disorder such as anorexia (although some trusts are trying to force feed some kids which simply makes it worse) but what triggers and feeds it isn't understood. I have often wondered if there are allergies or intolerances in there which have at least triggered the fear of food that has then become hugely powerful.
Really great, thanks for sharing. I am a functional medicine doctor (in the world of functional medicine, doctors have been talking about eczema, allergies, the risks of "excess hygeine" etc for decades), though it is also true that the idea of exposing small amounts of trigger foods early on is new data. I think the big things are microbiome support - as the gut fine tunes the immune system early in life. This starts in pregnancy, so lots of fermented foods, exposure to nature during pregnancy is important. And then in early life, exposure to soil microbes, variety of environments, minimising overcleaning and chemicals/toxins. Stress also plays a role in immune system development.
It sounds like you did a lot of "right" things, similar to myself - my 7 month old has much milder eczema than yours did, but is waking up a lot at night scratching. He has been fully breastfed, exposed to nature and soil, and I also supported my microbiome during pregnancy. But I also experienced a lot of stress in my pregnancy, so who knows. I;m sure there is a lot more we don't fully understand, but these basic tips and what you've mentioned in your post are a great start. There is really an epidemic of allergy and eczema that simply did not exist hundreds of years ago, and A LOT has changed in our environment...I think the best we can do is try to mimic the ancestral environment we evolved in as much as possible...
You are right there are so many things we don't understand. One thing I wonder about is water birth. With child 3 I had a water birth in a particular kind of pool that you can fill days before and keep heated - like a hot tub. We had to add some sort of chemical to the water I think? I cannot remember. But that worries me now as I think it could have impacted his microbiome. :-(
I believe stress can definitely play a large part in developing allergies. At the age of five or six I suddenly developed severe hayfever which always turned into severe asthma, totally ruining every summer until my early 30s.
But it wasn't until I was in my 60s and reading about allergies from the point of Traditional Chinese Medicine -- associated with an "over-excited" Triple Warmer meridian -- that I connected the onset of my hayfever with an incident at an open air swimming pool, the Lido in Charlton Park on SE London.
My father took me to Charlton Lido to teach me to swim. First he stood in the shallow end, a few yards away, & told me to swim to reach him. But I didn't know that he kept moving backwards -- so I got more and more desperate that, however hard I tried, I couldn't reach him: and didn't seem to be moving.
Then we were standing at the side of the pool, with a lot of small boys milling around, pushing each other into the water. Suddenly a violent shove in the back pushed me into into the water, out of my depth -- it was terrifying, swallowing & inhaling water, thrashing around trying to reach the shallow end. But I just managed it.
There was a very strong smell of cut grass and pollen: surrounding the pool itself, the grass in the park was being cut at the time.
Later I discovered that it was my father who had pushed me into the water, out of my depth. He believed in "the school of hard knocks" -- so he made sure I got some.
Our family GP told me that my hayfever & asthma was the worst of all of his patients, except for his own son. So we each had a "Rybar" inhaler (now in the Science Museum) with a big black face mask and rubber bulb that you squeezed, to pump air to atomise "Rybarvin" liquid, poured from a bottle into its central plastic tank.
And every summer, Dr Ryves tested the latest anti-histamine on us both. He was called out more than once in the middle of the night, when I had a particularly bad asthma attack that scared my mother. He would give me a foully sweet tablet to stick under my tongue, & the attack would subside. Children were not hospitalised for asthma in the late 1940s and 50s as they are now.
I also remember an episode from when I was about 15, of standing on the doorstep having forgotten my key to the house. I was struggling to breathe, having gone with Girl Guides on a hiking trip without asking permission from my mother or telling her where I'd gone, so I was scared that she'd be angry. And I noticed this being scared seemed to make my asthma worse: which made me more scared, that she'd be even angrier. Which made the asthma worse -- in a positive feedback loop.
But when my mother answered the door, she wasn't angry, only concerned to see me in such a state -- greatly escalated by anxiety, while standing on the doorstep. Her lack of expected anger was a big relief: though I was still having a bad asthma attack.
I learnt also from "Eden Energy Medicine" that you can pacify an over-excited Triple Warmer by "holding" a particular acupuncture point near the wrist -- but I've forgotten which one.
I'm a former IBCLC (1990-2020, now retired) and in my experience, eczema – which is, in itself, a physical manifestation of a food allergy – is one of the most distressing conditions that a mother and baby might have to cope with. The baby’s itching and discomfort, often accompanied by constant crying (characterized as “colic”), snuffly breathing, wheezing, signs of abdominal pain, mucousy or bloody stools, are often unbearably hard for both mother and baby to experience. The baby may become difficult to feed, either behaving as if he is constantly starving, even though he gains weight well, or he may start to behave as if the breast is “poisonous”, arching and screaming during the mother’s attempts to feed him, so that then his nutrition actually does become compromised over time. He needs to be held constantly, and screams whenever he is put down. Mothers, and fathers become unbelievably stressed and distressed due to lack of sleep, and because their efforts to love and comfort their unhappy baby are clearly so incompetent – these babies are hard work.
One of the original causes of eczema is exposure of a baby’s immature gut to foreign proteins, most often cow’s milk (bovine proteins) and foods and liquids containing them, eg cheese, cream, yoghurt, chocolate, baked goods and processed foods. A common source in our Western societies, where bottle-feeding is seen to be normal, is cow’s milk based infant formula. Less than 1% of our babies reach six months without having been exposed to at least some formula-feeding. And even breastfed babies may be exposed to bovine proteins secreted in the milk of a mother who has dairy products in her own diet, and herself may also have a history of eczema, asthma, hay-fever or other autoimmune conditions. These “foreign” proteins are ingested by the baby and absorbed through his naturally “porous” intestinal mucosa, and into his bloodstream where they can set up a sensitivity which can last for life. The greater the quantity, the higher the risk of inflammation and damage, the greater the severity of the allergic response and the longer it can take to heal – if ever.
The baby’s immature intestinal mucosa allows him to absorb into his bloodstream antibodies/immunoglobulins that a mother produces in her own milk to protect and immunize him against infectious organisms until gut closure occurs, around the first half-year of life, and until his own immune system becomes fully functioning, which can take several years. Thus all reputable policy-makers including the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months (the baby should receive no other foods or liquids, not even water) and continued partial breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. Well over 99% of mothers who receive up to date guidance and skilled assistance, when necessary, are able to achieve this evidence-based goal.
Mothers need to receive information about the real importance of initiating and ontinuing to breastfeed in order to prevent allergies such as eczema. Mothers whose babies begin to show signs of eczema can be helped to return to exclusive breastfeeding, even by inducing lactation or relactating when necessary. And mothers who are already exclusively breastfeeding can eliminate all bovine proteins from their diet and perhaps other foods which they know causes their own allergenic symptoms. Mothers who have managed by doing this, to reverse eczema and all the other symptoms in their allergy-prone baby have described the improvement in the baby’s skin and disposition as “a miracle”. They describe the transformation as “like having a different baby”. This is not easy, of course, but it’s worth it. We need to warn mothers. Thank you, Milli Hill, for highlighting what can happen and for starting the conversation about what we can do.
Thanks Pamela. I would say though (and all cases are different) that we had none of the difficulties you describe. In spite of how he looked, my eczema baby was as bonny and sunny in his disposition as you can imagine. He was cuddly, loving, and loved his boobie! He was exclusively breastfed to 6 months and then continued to have BM til aged 4. None of this helped his eczema, even when I cut out dairy, then wheat, then egg, until I was stick thin and my hair was receding!! The only thing that helped was the Dr Aron creams and thank god we found them. In his case, if I had known about the likelihood of allergies as described by Dr Lack, I would have thought very seriously about introducing allergens to him, and maybe before 6 months. xx
This post breaks my heart. As an allergy mom and an eczema mom and someone whose worked in the alternative medicine space for nearly a decade, this information isn't new; it's just largely overshadowed and actively suppressed by larger institutions. I'm not trying to be political but that's *truly* what happens. Praying for you and your boy and his allergies today. I urge you to look into oral immunotherapy, the microbiome and healing intestinal permeability.
Thank you! I am looking into oral immunotherapy but as we live rurally it's quite an undertaking financially since it seems to also involve trips to London. That's why I'm initially trying with the Natasha trial, but will also consider going private.
The question of healing intestinal permeability intrigues me but I'm yet to meet anyone who will tell me how to do this, especially in an 11 year old, apart from vague things like, 'eat bone broth'. If you have anything more concrete I'd love to hear it! xx
In my practice we address the gut microbiome (first through testing, then via antimicrobial/probiotic therapy), immunoglobulins, bio therapeutics including glutamine, butyrate, etc. I'm in the states otherwise I'd be glad to help more directly. I'd recommend you seek out a Functional Medicine provider in your area
I'm the new mom of a not-quite-four-month-old, and at least some of this is penetrating into the mainstream. I was advised to seek out allergens while breastfeeding in the hopes that it would familiarize my baby's system with them. I haven't seen the eczema link specifically, but warnings against skin exposure of allergens are everywhere. And my pediatrician advised against giving any significant quantities of food before six months, but did suggest letting him "play with a smear of peanut butter".
I am curious about generational effects. I was born via c-section and have severe allergies (environmental, thankfully) despite no family history of allergies. My son was born vaginally, but was the microbiome he inherited from me still unusual due to my birth? Is he getting primed for allergies because he's getting my body's antibodies against grass and pollen through my milk? I did get a bit worried when he got snuffly right as my allergies peaked for the season...
That’s so good to know that people are starting to think differently! It feels like there is SO much to learn though doesn’t it. The whole microbiome thing…someone said something to me once as well about how I was formula fed, so even though I breastfed my babies, I could have issues with my gut wall and then my milk is made from my blood…I didn’t quite understand that and I still don’t…but it’s fascinating and I hope they get to the bottom of it and fast. I think 1 in 10 Western kids have a food allergy now…if it gets even worse we could be in a real pickle with it.
What an awful experience for you, Milli, and you baby. So glad you found a cure and his skin has been improving. It must be so stressful receiving many conflicting explanations and recommended cures.
Yes it is really stressful actually! Part of the modern experience though - eroded trust in experts coupled with everyone / google having an opinion about stuff! xx
I was fortunate enough to happen across a book called 'Brain Health from Birth' while pregnant. I remember in particular the introduction to the book noted that most of the studies mentioned in the book had been done in the last few decades and that the advice given to expectant mums was woefully behind and didn't align with more recent findings. The book helpfully listed all the studies so I could investigate further which i loved. It really impacted the way I thought about environmental impact and that it starts so early in the womb!
A friend of mine has two daughters. The eldest was born perfectly healthy, the second had SEVERE eczema, and was found to be allergic to her mother's BREAST MILK. Testing showed allergies to a very long list of foods. My friend is amazing, though did it tough, and largely alone, for many years, despite being in a happy marriage. She cooked every meal her daughter ate for many years (even for school camps), but there were still incidences of anaphylaxis and the accompanying trips to hospital. She is now 18 and the list of allergens has shortened, some naturally and some after treatment, but there is still a 3 hour window required after eating before kissing. She is a happy, otherwise healthy, funny, resilient, smart, talented, and beautiful young woman, and I am so proud of her and my friend.
Epigenetics as well as the microbiome work suggests the intergenerational impact of the loss of breastfeeding, firstly in the Western world but latterly globally has driven the exponential rise in allergic disorders
My mum who has been a nurse for 30 odd years has always spoken about asthma, eczema and allergies being somewhat related so perhaps this has always been known even anecdotally within the nursing community.
I’ve been really lucky, my little girl who is nearly a year now, doesn’t seem to have any issues and was born via c section. She has been exposed to all allergens from five months through baby led weaning. In fact I didn’t even think about it until my cousin (mother of three) said ‘you’re brave’ when she saw her tucking into egg mayonnaise that this could have been an issue. It’s definitely something encouraged more widely to try everything when I have been looking for guidance with our weaning journey, of course you still get old skool parents that wince when you tell them she loves peanut butter in yoghurt! We have also kept washing to a minimum (once a week) and we let her get in to most things to continue to develop her immune system. It seems Old Dexter dog might be helping which is reassuring too!
Sounds like you went through a nightmare, Milli. Glad your son's eczema cleared up.
I live in an area with an allergy research centre. My son (born 2001) was part of a cohort that were tested for allergies regularly pretty much from birth (and I participated in questionnaires during pregnancy, and at intervals after he was born until he was at secondary school). Presence/absence of eczema was part of the studies. I was aware as the results were released that the advice was changing as the result of studies, and I'm so glad the research is continuing and improving over time. My son never had any issues, luckily, but children in his school year group who did have allergies were identified early and got help as a result of the studies, even while ongoing.
I too could write a lot on this but from the point of view of a breastfeeding counsellor and midwife rather than mother… but my short comment is focused on weaning. I’ve been around long enough to see a range of advice in this respect being ’fashionable’ a word I use deliberately. Personally I believe that the WHO advice is no less … anyway the answer for me rests on that simple idea of being naturally led - learned through attachment parenting (no matter what you think of this parenting strategy, it is informed by nature…) When a child is learning the world from its mother’s lap it creates the perfect opportunity to experience everything from a safe space - when it comes to food this means helping itself to whatever she has in front of her. This manifests as a child trying all sorts of foods (and non foods) as you say in the mouth, but doesn’t necessarily mean eating/swallowing - that comes when they’re ready… each child will be different. I was lucky enough to eventually experience this with my 3rd child, who was ‘weaned’ entirely on ‘finger-food’ ie only what he could pick up himself (which included barbecue ribs before 6 months)… A very complex subject well done for sharing such useful information Milli.
thanks Lynn! I think I'm not alone in that I actively waited for a particular date (6 months) before allowing my children to eat any solid foods and as you say, that's not very baby led is it?! We did do the baby led thing and let them pick it up and feed themselves but not til 6 months. I can't remember exactly if I was a bit more laid back by child 3, but I know that I purposefully avoided giving him any of the typical 'allergic' foods, which was the absolute wrong thing to do!
Another “Lactation Lynn” here! I also wonder if the early exposure to microscopic bits of Mom’s diet via breastfeeding “counts” in this department. That said, my own leaky gut meant that kiddo #1 got a lot more exposure than he should have, and he was a mess for a long time. Cleared that up before kiddo #2, and she fared much better. #1 was not interested in solids until he was almost a year old, and then #2 was happy to do some plate grabbing and have that limited exposure you describe, where things go into the mouth, but they don’t necessarily go any further than that.
That's a really good question - and in my case because of the eczema I was breastfeeding BUT cutting out food groups from my OWN diet in an attempt to help the eczema. All completely the opposite (probably) of what I should have been doing! But I felt completely alone and abandoned by medics to be honest! The dietician kept trying to get me to go to formula and the health visitor offered disability benefits!! So I was just winging it really!!
How interesting! I am intolerant of dairy and gluten. When I was born (1983) they said I was born "too quickly" so rushed me off to an incubator - apparently rather than giving my Mum the chance to breastfeed I was given formula, my family has a history of dairy and gluten intolerance (my grandfather is coeliac)
I had horrible eczema as a baby and my Mum has always put it down to this first intake of a dairy as essentially my first meal when realistically I shouldn't have eaten it.
I introduced dairy when I left home for uni, at first I seemed to get away with it, but gradually over about 8-10 years I developed really bad eczema again and my asthma became debilitating, I also gained a lot of weight. I cut out gluten and dairy and gradually recovered over the space of about 6-12 months. I've tried eating it again or just lapsed in times of stress over the last 9 years and always found I quickly deteriorated so I've stopped again!
I've raised my children gluten and dairy free because my eldest used to projectile vomit if I'd had any dairy so I cut it out and thankfully that stopped! She had a tiny gluten breadstick at about 11 months old and her previously perfect skin broke out all over her arms 😭 if she eats anything accidentally now (age 8) she gets really badly blocked ears, so whilst the avoiding things is awful I think she's learning sadly that it's easier than not being able to hear!!!
It must be such a hard balance of introducing things and also allowing for the reactions that might be awful!! I'd love to know more about how the processing of food that now happens affects allergies too - I don't suffer so badly in France for example if I dare to have a pastry from a bakery as I would here!
Interesting Lisa.
I think there is a difference between intolerance and allergy (this is mentioned in the podcast) but I am not 100% clear on what the difference is.
I think the fear of allergic reactions is probably making things worse as parents may feel anxious (as I did) about introducing certain foods - but if we introduce them early enough we will be pre-empting the formation of the allergy.
The processing side is really interesting. There is a series on Netflix with Michael Pollen called Cooked which is interesting, the one on 'Air' is all about bread, and how the way we make bread has changed so much in recent years, and how this is likely to be the key reason for 'gluten intolerance' - check it out! xx
I'll have a listen to the podcast to see if I can understand!
I used to say that I was allergic but these days when it comes to eating out it's easier to say intolerance or you end up with a glass of water and salad to choose from on the menu 🫣 I will have to learn the difference! I must admit I've never been tested it was done by reaction really, I removed it and all the side effects went away (gradually mind!)
My friends son was allergic to eggs and they did the "ladder" and he is now ok with them but he still doesn't eat things as it's almost like he fears being sick 😓
I'll give it a watch. I make my own gluten free sourdough but I've wondered if I can get hold of some less processed flours if I might get away with gluten as I have eaten gluten free sourdough as an experiment and seemed to get away with it!!
Yes there is a real problem that these kids end up with psychological blocks about food isn't there? I did really worry when writing the recent book that I would be adding in more anxiety to all my kids about food. Hopefully not. At the moment he loves food but he does REALLY worry when we eat out. Often they make mistakes and it makes him so anxious :-(
Oh I wish you could do a deep dive into Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), my daughter has been diagnosed with it and information about the hows and whys are simply non-existent. Part psychological, part intolerance/allergy, part neurodivergent behaviour. If you join the ARFID UK group on Facebook it is filled with parents just at a loss for what to do with little to no help at all. We know that it isn't an eating disorder such as anorexia (although some trusts are trying to force feed some kids which simply makes it worse) but what triggers and feeds it isn't understood. I have often wondered if there are allergies or intolerances in there which have at least triggered the fear of food that has then become hugely powerful.
I've heard of ARFID and was worried one of my kids may have it at one point...sorry you are going through this. Perhaps I'll look into it in future. X
Really great, thanks for sharing. I am a functional medicine doctor (in the world of functional medicine, doctors have been talking about eczema, allergies, the risks of "excess hygeine" etc for decades), though it is also true that the idea of exposing small amounts of trigger foods early on is new data. I think the big things are microbiome support - as the gut fine tunes the immune system early in life. This starts in pregnancy, so lots of fermented foods, exposure to nature during pregnancy is important. And then in early life, exposure to soil microbes, variety of environments, minimising overcleaning and chemicals/toxins. Stress also plays a role in immune system development.
It sounds like you did a lot of "right" things, similar to myself - my 7 month old has much milder eczema than yours did, but is waking up a lot at night scratching. He has been fully breastfed, exposed to nature and soil, and I also supported my microbiome during pregnancy. But I also experienced a lot of stress in my pregnancy, so who knows. I;m sure there is a lot more we don't fully understand, but these basic tips and what you've mentioned in your post are a great start. There is really an epidemic of allergy and eczema that simply did not exist hundreds of years ago, and A LOT has changed in our environment...I think the best we can do is try to mimic the ancestral environment we evolved in as much as possible...
You are right there are so many things we don't understand. One thing I wonder about is water birth. With child 3 I had a water birth in a particular kind of pool that you can fill days before and keep heated - like a hot tub. We had to add some sort of chemical to the water I think? I cannot remember. But that worries me now as I think it could have impacted his microbiome. :-(
I believe stress can definitely play a large part in developing allergies. At the age of five or six I suddenly developed severe hayfever which always turned into severe asthma, totally ruining every summer until my early 30s.
But it wasn't until I was in my 60s and reading about allergies from the point of Traditional Chinese Medicine -- associated with an "over-excited" Triple Warmer meridian -- that I connected the onset of my hayfever with an incident at an open air swimming pool, the Lido in Charlton Park on SE London.
My father took me to Charlton Lido to teach me to swim. First he stood in the shallow end, a few yards away, & told me to swim to reach him. But I didn't know that he kept moving backwards -- so I got more and more desperate that, however hard I tried, I couldn't reach him: and didn't seem to be moving.
Then we were standing at the side of the pool, with a lot of small boys milling around, pushing each other into the water. Suddenly a violent shove in the back pushed me into into the water, out of my depth -- it was terrifying, swallowing & inhaling water, thrashing around trying to reach the shallow end. But I just managed it.
There was a very strong smell of cut grass and pollen: surrounding the pool itself, the grass in the park was being cut at the time.
Later I discovered that it was my father who had pushed me into the water, out of my depth. He believed in "the school of hard knocks" -- so he made sure I got some.
Our family GP told me that my hayfever & asthma was the worst of all of his patients, except for his own son. So we each had a "Rybar" inhaler (now in the Science Museum) with a big black face mask and rubber bulb that you squeezed, to pump air to atomise "Rybarvin" liquid, poured from a bottle into its central plastic tank.
And every summer, Dr Ryves tested the latest anti-histamine on us both. He was called out more than once in the middle of the night, when I had a particularly bad asthma attack that scared my mother. He would give me a foully sweet tablet to stick under my tongue, & the attack would subside. Children were not hospitalised for asthma in the late 1940s and 50s as they are now.
I also remember an episode from when I was about 15, of standing on the doorstep having forgotten my key to the house. I was struggling to breathe, having gone with Girl Guides on a hiking trip without asking permission from my mother or telling her where I'd gone, so I was scared that she'd be angry. And I noticed this being scared seemed to make my asthma worse: which made me more scared, that she'd be even angrier. Which made the asthma worse -- in a positive feedback loop.
But when my mother answered the door, she wasn't angry, only concerned to see me in such a state -- greatly escalated by anxiety, while standing on the doorstep. Her lack of expected anger was a big relief: though I was still having a bad asthma attack.
I learnt also from "Eden Energy Medicine" that you can pacify an over-excited Triple Warmer by "holding" a particular acupuncture point near the wrist -- but I've forgotten which one.
I'm a former IBCLC (1990-2020, now retired) and in my experience, eczema – which is, in itself, a physical manifestation of a food allergy – is one of the most distressing conditions that a mother and baby might have to cope with. The baby’s itching and discomfort, often accompanied by constant crying (characterized as “colic”), snuffly breathing, wheezing, signs of abdominal pain, mucousy or bloody stools, are often unbearably hard for both mother and baby to experience. The baby may become difficult to feed, either behaving as if he is constantly starving, even though he gains weight well, or he may start to behave as if the breast is “poisonous”, arching and screaming during the mother’s attempts to feed him, so that then his nutrition actually does become compromised over time. He needs to be held constantly, and screams whenever he is put down. Mothers, and fathers become unbelievably stressed and distressed due to lack of sleep, and because their efforts to love and comfort their unhappy baby are clearly so incompetent – these babies are hard work.
One of the original causes of eczema is exposure of a baby’s immature gut to foreign proteins, most often cow’s milk (bovine proteins) and foods and liquids containing them, eg cheese, cream, yoghurt, chocolate, baked goods and processed foods. A common source in our Western societies, where bottle-feeding is seen to be normal, is cow’s milk based infant formula. Less than 1% of our babies reach six months without having been exposed to at least some formula-feeding. And even breastfed babies may be exposed to bovine proteins secreted in the milk of a mother who has dairy products in her own diet, and herself may also have a history of eczema, asthma, hay-fever or other autoimmune conditions. These “foreign” proteins are ingested by the baby and absorbed through his naturally “porous” intestinal mucosa, and into his bloodstream where they can set up a sensitivity which can last for life. The greater the quantity, the higher the risk of inflammation and damage, the greater the severity of the allergic response and the longer it can take to heal – if ever.
The baby’s immature intestinal mucosa allows him to absorb into his bloodstream antibodies/immunoglobulins that a mother produces in her own milk to protect and immunize him against infectious organisms until gut closure occurs, around the first half-year of life, and until his own immune system becomes fully functioning, which can take several years. Thus all reputable policy-makers including the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months (the baby should receive no other foods or liquids, not even water) and continued partial breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. Well over 99% of mothers who receive up to date guidance and skilled assistance, when necessary, are able to achieve this evidence-based goal.
Mothers need to receive information about the real importance of initiating and ontinuing to breastfeed in order to prevent allergies such as eczema. Mothers whose babies begin to show signs of eczema can be helped to return to exclusive breastfeeding, even by inducing lactation or relactating when necessary. And mothers who are already exclusively breastfeeding can eliminate all bovine proteins from their diet and perhaps other foods which they know causes their own allergenic symptoms. Mothers who have managed by doing this, to reverse eczema and all the other symptoms in their allergy-prone baby have described the improvement in the baby’s skin and disposition as “a miracle”. They describe the transformation as “like having a different baby”. This is not easy, of course, but it’s worth it. We need to warn mothers. Thank you, Milli Hill, for highlighting what can happen and for starting the conversation about what we can do.
Thanks Pamela. I would say though (and all cases are different) that we had none of the difficulties you describe. In spite of how he looked, my eczema baby was as bonny and sunny in his disposition as you can imagine. He was cuddly, loving, and loved his boobie! He was exclusively breastfed to 6 months and then continued to have BM til aged 4. None of this helped his eczema, even when I cut out dairy, then wheat, then egg, until I was stick thin and my hair was receding!! The only thing that helped was the Dr Aron creams and thank god we found them. In his case, if I had known about the likelihood of allergies as described by Dr Lack, I would have thought very seriously about introducing allergens to him, and maybe before 6 months. xx
This post breaks my heart. As an allergy mom and an eczema mom and someone whose worked in the alternative medicine space for nearly a decade, this information isn't new; it's just largely overshadowed and actively suppressed by larger institutions. I'm not trying to be political but that's *truly* what happens. Praying for you and your boy and his allergies today. I urge you to look into oral immunotherapy, the microbiome and healing intestinal permeability.
Thank you! I am looking into oral immunotherapy but as we live rurally it's quite an undertaking financially since it seems to also involve trips to London. That's why I'm initially trying with the Natasha trial, but will also consider going private.
The question of healing intestinal permeability intrigues me but I'm yet to meet anyone who will tell me how to do this, especially in an 11 year old, apart from vague things like, 'eat bone broth'. If you have anything more concrete I'd love to hear it! xx
In my practice we address the gut microbiome (first through testing, then via antimicrobial/probiotic therapy), immunoglobulins, bio therapeutics including glutamine, butyrate, etc. I'm in the states otherwise I'd be glad to help more directly. I'd recommend you seek out a Functional Medicine provider in your area
I'm the new mom of a not-quite-four-month-old, and at least some of this is penetrating into the mainstream. I was advised to seek out allergens while breastfeeding in the hopes that it would familiarize my baby's system with them. I haven't seen the eczema link specifically, but warnings against skin exposure of allergens are everywhere. And my pediatrician advised against giving any significant quantities of food before six months, but did suggest letting him "play with a smear of peanut butter".
I am curious about generational effects. I was born via c-section and have severe allergies (environmental, thankfully) despite no family history of allergies. My son was born vaginally, but was the microbiome he inherited from me still unusual due to my birth? Is he getting primed for allergies because he's getting my body's antibodies against grass and pollen through my milk? I did get a bit worried when he got snuffly right as my allergies peaked for the season...
That’s so good to know that people are starting to think differently! It feels like there is SO much to learn though doesn’t it. The whole microbiome thing…someone said something to me once as well about how I was formula fed, so even though I breastfed my babies, I could have issues with my gut wall and then my milk is made from my blood…I didn’t quite understand that and I still don’t…but it’s fascinating and I hope they get to the bottom of it and fast. I think 1 in 10 Western kids have a food allergy now…if it gets even worse we could be in a real pickle with it.
What an awful experience for you, Milli, and you baby. So glad you found a cure and his skin has been improving. It must be so stressful receiving many conflicting explanations and recommended cures.
Yes it is really stressful actually! Part of the modern experience though - eroded trust in experts coupled with everyone / google having an opinion about stuff! xx
You nailed it, Milli.
What a tough thing to reflect on!
I was fortunate enough to happen across a book called 'Brain Health from Birth' while pregnant. I remember in particular the introduction to the book noted that most of the studies mentioned in the book had been done in the last few decades and that the advice given to expectant mums was woefully behind and didn't align with more recent findings. The book helpfully listed all the studies so I could investigate further which i loved. It really impacted the way I thought about environmental impact and that it starts so early in the womb!
A friend of mine has two daughters. The eldest was born perfectly healthy, the second had SEVERE eczema, and was found to be allergic to her mother's BREAST MILK. Testing showed allergies to a very long list of foods. My friend is amazing, though did it tough, and largely alone, for many years, despite being in a happy marriage. She cooked every meal her daughter ate for many years (even for school camps), but there were still incidences of anaphylaxis and the accompanying trips to hospital. She is now 18 and the list of allergens has shortened, some naturally and some after treatment, but there is still a 3 hour window required after eating before kissing. She is a happy, otherwise healthy, funny, resilient, smart, talented, and beautiful young woman, and I am so proud of her and my friend.
How were your grandmother & mother fed as babies?
Epigenetics as well as the microbiome work suggests the intergenerational impact of the loss of breastfeeding, firstly in the Western world but latterly globally has driven the exponential rise in allergic disorders
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333717900_Milk_Matters_Book_One_by_Maureen_Minchin
My mum who has been a nurse for 30 odd years has always spoken about asthma, eczema and allergies being somewhat related so perhaps this has always been known even anecdotally within the nursing community.
I’ve been really lucky, my little girl who is nearly a year now, doesn’t seem to have any issues and was born via c section. She has been exposed to all allergens from five months through baby led weaning. In fact I didn’t even think about it until my cousin (mother of three) said ‘you’re brave’ when she saw her tucking into egg mayonnaise that this could have been an issue. It’s definitely something encouraged more widely to try everything when I have been looking for guidance with our weaning journey, of course you still get old skool parents that wince when you tell them she loves peanut butter in yoghurt! We have also kept washing to a minimum (once a week) and we let her get in to most things to continue to develop her immune system. It seems Old Dexter dog might be helping which is reassuring too!
Sounds like you went through a nightmare, Milli. Glad your son's eczema cleared up.
I live in an area with an allergy research centre. My son (born 2001) was part of a cohort that were tested for allergies regularly pretty much from birth (and I participated in questionnaires during pregnancy, and at intervals after he was born until he was at secondary school). Presence/absence of eczema was part of the studies. I was aware as the results were released that the advice was changing as the result of studies, and I'm so glad the research is continuing and improving over time. My son never had any issues, luckily, but children in his school year group who did have allergies were identified early and got help as a result of the studies, even while ongoing.
Thanks for this important post.