Blood Types Cause food allergies? | ADHD Information

My son has food sensitivities as well - dairy, salicylates .. among others. Having said that, it isn't CAUSING ADHD .. it's just another mimicker. With a modified diet I'd 'dx' him more with ADD oppose to the ADHD he was given. IMO

Today, I went to our local natural/ home remedy store. They wanted to know what blood type is my son. They are guessing (probably correct) that he is blood type O. (I am that). Anyway, they said that Blood Type O can have allergic reactions to wheat and dairy products causing hyperactivity and attention problems? My son drinks tons of chocolate milk or milk, tons of yogurts, and eats a cheese sandwich every day on wheat bread... They said he should basically be on a modified Atkins diet where he only eats protein... Has anyone heard of this? My son (almost 6 years old) also has hayfever/ seasonal allergies and asthma- he thinks food allergies can be causing additional problems, HUH? I have not heard of this before... AND, they gave me some protein shake mix to try, Sea Buddies sugar free CONCENTRATE! pills, and Newton Homeopathics Detoxifier. The concentrate pills will allow him to stay focused and decrease the attention problems and the detoxifier is supposed to get rid of toxins in the body. I just paid .00 and I am curious if anyone has heard of this or has had any success with this???? Thanks.

I don't know if food allergies can cause ADHD, but food SENSITIVITES can, you betcha! My son really reacts to Taco Bell Fire sauce and Twizzlers. He also had exact allergies to milk and wheat. We had to get everything from the co-op at the time, and cook a lot. He's ok with wheat now, but we still keep him off of cow's milk and he drinks rice milk. Either way, food issues can cause discomfort in many ways, so it makes sense. And yes, can also cause asthma and upper respiratory issues. Both my son and I have dairy problems, and I was soooo sick all of my life. When he started reacting to dairy, my light bulb went on and I realized I too had problems with milk. I stopped, and never drink milk anymore. That was the first year I've really been healthy. Food allergies can be tested for.

Just a word of caution, health food store staff seem to prey on desparate moms who are eager and enthusiastic to help their children. I havn't heard of the things you mention, but it might be a good idea to write down the products they recommend, go home and research the product and the ingredients, and then make an informed decision. Or it can really cost you a lot of money. Do some good research after you get the correct diagnosis, and consult with a physician who is experienced in nutrition for you son's specific problems before messing too much with his diet.

calicorose38846.5822222222I guess that I need to pay more attention to these food sensitivites. The health store wants me to eliminate dairy and wheat for 3 days and see if I notice a difference in his hyperactivity. My mom has a book for me to look at about body and blood types and various food groups that may cause reaction. I definitely need to change his diet- too much sugar, wheat, and dairy! Any good "diet" books out there? How about the Feingold Diet? I haven't personally heard of the blood type connection to allergies.

But I did want to share this: Both myself and my ADD son have been tested for allergies about 3 times (using the skin-prick method), and NEVER shown any reaction. But it got to the point where it was so obvious for both of us that something was wrong that I modified our diets to remove dairy. Huge difference. We also both suffer from pollen allergies big-time - didn't show up on the test.

I guess there is a fine line between flat out "allergy" and "sensitivity". Either that or what they test for is just too specific.

My son seemed to outgrow his dairy sensitivity, so he started on dairy again a few years later and was fine for a while.

Then he had what the pediatrician described as "puberty-onset dairy allergy" at age 11, which is apparently very common. So off dairy again ... but something still wasn't right. His diet consisted of 4 things for a few weeks - he was a trooper to put up with such a boring diet. He was better, but still something was off.

So I finally took him to a well-respected Naturopathic Physician and they did Vega testing. Sure enough, dairy showed up as a big problem, as well as MSG and red food dye (I'd figured that one out myself) ... but worst was CORN. Of course it had been one of the 4 things still in his diet. We immediately took him off everything corn-related (it's in a LOT of stuff - like 99% of candy, much to his dismay - but better that than wheat, I say). Within 2 days it was like having a new child. The boy who had always come in last place came home and told me about passing all of the other kids in a running race that day! And it had never shown up on the official testing done by 3 different Allergists using the traditional method.

My son has been suffering for his entire life, and I SO wish I'd been able to pin it down earlier. And it did affect his focus, because he was feeling yucky most of the time and having stomach aches, but he'd never really known any different. And we now know that the "croupy cough" that presented like asthma when he was smaller was actually his tonsils swelling from dairy or corn allergy/sensitivity/whatever you want to call it!

If you can find a good Naturopathic Doctor that isn't out to make a fortune selling you their "in-house" products, that would be the route I'd recommend. And like MegM says, elimination diets need at least 3 weeks, from what I've heard. That blood test is another method to look at (they don't do it here in Canada, only in the US I believe).

Sorry for blathering on so long. Good luck figuring it all out...

PB

I had one more thought this morning as I was out walking the dog and seeing fields of cut grass that was dried and looked like hay... I wonder if most folks with dairy allergies/sensitivities also have pollen allergies? Most that I know do, and it makes me wonder if it's the processing of the grass, thru the cow, into milk has any relevance? Just wondering out loud here!

Ddietmeyer: Does your son get strep-throat a lot too? My son was on the verge of getting his tonsils out, when the surgeon suggested taking him off dairy and see what happened (I had already just taken him off, so it confirmed my suspicions). Sure enough, no more strep. Yay!

He has has strep 2-3 times over the past 18 months. But, he claims of having a sore throat a lot which we figured was post nasal drip from the seasonal/ pollen allergies. A few times, I have taken him to the doctor for fever/ sore throat but the strep test was negative. He did get sick EVERY month for awhile- then I put him on echinacea & extra vitamen C which helped A LOT. Then, when I would take him off them, he would get sick within a week. He has now been on them since Sept 2005. I am a firm believer in echinacea and extra vit. C.PB- this is a great feedback. DAH! I am lactose intolerant so I pretty much avoid milk and eggs really effect me too! I did not think of any correlation between me and my son... And, Jimmy has severe allergies to pets and mold, pollen, and other seasonal things... And, he has asthma and gets the "croupy cough" too. Boy, he takes a ton of meds (Singulair 5mg, zrytec, Advair 250) and he still has symptoms of allergies. I always thought that kids have hives or swollen glands in necks, etc or need the shot etc for food allergies. Maybe Jimmy just has "sensitivities" or an allergy to certain foods and they are just minor (not fatal) especially since I am lactose intolerant. I will need to pursue this further and I will absolutely seek out a naturopathic doctor. And, I will need to cut out the dairy and wheat longer. Thanks again everyone!!! It is just amazing how much you learn from this site....

[QUOTE=PuckBunny]
I guess there is a fine line between flat out "allergy" and "sensitivity". Either that or what they test for is just too specific. [/QUOTE]

I should take my son to a Naturopath. I discovered his food sensitivities by doing a process of ellimination diet. It turns out there are several items his body can't handle. Also, there's a big difference between 'allergy' and 'sensitivity'. You can't use an allergy test to find food sensitivities.

I'd recommend eliminating dairy and wheat for a lot longer than 3 days! It can take a few weeks to see effects depending on the severity of the sensitivity. I have heard the theory about blood type and food sensitivity. No idea how scientifically valid it is. There is a blood test you can get that can help identify food sensitivities (so that may support the theory surrounding food sensitivity and blood type) -- it's about 75% - 80% accurate. The best way is to just eliminate the food from the diet and see the results. There's more info on all of this, by the way, on the Alternatives to Meds section of this board....... MegMaguire38847.5369560185I would definitely pay attention to what he reacts to - sounds like you have a handle on that. I am skeptical about all that type O stuff, but who knows?

I do have an allergist/ asthma doctor- maybe I will give him call to just ask. My nephew has severe peanut allergies so maybe there is something there. I imagine that he could possibly have a mild food allergy that causes hyperactivity but it would not effect his attention problems and aggressive behavior.... Good suggestion- I will check with our doctor.My daughter is severly allergic to peanuts. If you suspect your child has a food allergy(which is different form an intolerance), please make an appointment with an allergist to have them tested. Food allergies can be fatal, even ones that seem "mild" can have the potential of being fatal.