Dear Lactnet people - What a pity that no one has mentioned
breastfeeding. What a lost chance for education...read and
weep.                                                                                                                               
.....Asthma and allergies jump to the forefront of this week's Special
Topics.

    Childhood Asthma And Allergies
    Outgrowing Asthma

                     Childhood Asthma And Allergies #Rx 259
                   Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs
                      ©Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. 1996 

When an asthma attack happens, the muscles around your airway suddenly
tighten. The passageway
narrows. You're left gasping for air. Researchers are finding it may not
be what's in the air – but what's
on your plate – that can trigger an asthma attack. 

Jimmy Szamski looks like any other two-year-old…but from the time he was
born, his mother Susan knew something was wrong. 

Susan Szamski, Jimmy's mother:
"There was something definitely wrong because he didn't have the pretty
skin like
a normal child has, he was always real rashed up and always real, real
bumpy,
itchy, wheezy… 

Every baby formula Susan tried made Jimmy sick. One day, a bite of a
fudge popsicle left him gasping
for air. 

Susan Szamski:
"It was to the point where I was crying because I had nothing to feed
him. No matter what I fed him, he
got sick." 

Then the Szamski's found Dr. Hugh Sampson at Johns Hopkins Childrens
Center. Dr. Sampson is
studying the effects of certain foods on children with asthma. 

                Hugh Sampson, MD, Pediatric Allergist, Johns Hopkins
Childrens Center:
                "There were foods they were ingesting that were
aggravating their asthma, and
                when we identified those foods, removed them completely
from their diet, the
                children's asthma got remarkably better." 

                Which foods caused the most trouble? Eggs, milk,
peanuts, soy, and wheat.
                Jimmy was allergic to all but wheat. Early tests suggest
that his baby brother
Andy may develop asthma and allergies, too. They tend to run in
families. But there is good news: 

Hugh Sampson, MD:
"Many of the children will outgrow their specific allergies. This is
especially true for foods such as milk,
egg, wheat and soy." 

Now that his diet is carefully monitored, Jimmy – and his parents – are
breathing
a lot easier. 

Susan Szamski:
"He's 100-percent better." 

Dr. Sampson estimates that 10-percent of kids with asthma have food
allergies
that aggravate their condition. If your child has skin rashes and asthma
that is difficult to control, diet
may be to blame. 

If you would like more information, please contact: 

    Debbie Bangledorf 
    Johns Hopkins Children's Center 
    Office of Public Affairs 
    111 Market Place, Suite 901 
    Baltimore, MD 21202 
    (410) 223-1731        ....................

                                           Sincerly, Toby