Dear Sharon,

Allergy testing of any kind is a very inexact art.  My husband, for example, has a very severe dairy allergy - bordering on anaphalactic - and yet his skin test for dairy is absolutely negative.  Some of the things that he skin tested positive for seem to have no effect when he eats them (usual effect is throat swelling, coughing, asthma-like attacks).  We did blood testing as well, and I have to say that when all was said and done (and at great expense), I am skeptical of it all.  The best way to judge is to look for a reaction - that is how we have come up with a basic list of good and bad foods.  There still seem to be some missing pieces, but that is not uncommon with very allergic individuals.

If baby is doing well on Zyrtec, then why think about weaning.  If mom wants to get baby off meds, I would suggest that she do the elimination diet thing and see what happens.  There is a lot of info about this around, but basically she eats a restricted diet until baby's symptoms get better or clear - usually rice, some fruits and vegetables, chicken, lamb (the basics differ a little depending on whose program you are on.)  Once the baby stays good for a while, start adding foods, one at a time, one day at a time and look for a reaction.  Dairy is still the number one offender most of the time, so I would start there, no matter what the allergy testing says.  Eliminate all dairy for two weeks and see what happens.

Also, look at the environment, especially with respiratory stuff.  Are there animals in the house?  Is there a lot of dust and mold?  Keep things clean, bare floors, plain cotton bed linens.  Maybe an air purifier would help, at least in the room where baby does the most sleeping (we tried to keep my asthmatic son's bedroom as a kind of "safe" room in the house - no animals allowed, bare furnishings, air purifier).

Quitting breastfeeding is the worst thing this mom could do in terms of her child's future health.  There is lots of stuff in the archives about this.  She needs more information (and less allergy testing, IMHO).

Warmly,
Sharon Knorr, BSMT, ASCP, IBCLC
Newark, NY (near Rochester on Lake Ontario)
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