# Peanut butter snack + girlfriend's peanut allergy = kiss of death **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 28, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083 "2005-11-28T18:01:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/21 "2005-11-29T07:01:49Z")
:: boggle :: This is just… unbelievable. And I agree… pressing attempted murder charges against the joking force feeders would be the best way to go. (The bumbling incompetents _might_ only merit manslaughter charges.) ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/22 "2005-11-29T08:48:20Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > So here’s a question for you, **Hokkaido Brit** : how much do you run into nuts in Japan? If I send my daughter to visit her cousin, how much fear do I have to live in? The real problem there is that she’s now allergic to all legumes as well, so I guess it’s pretty hopeless really. But I would love so much for her to be able to travel when she’s older; I guess by then she’ll be responsible for herself, but it’s hard for me to think about letting her go right now. > > Oh well, this is really rambly, but I sure feel for that family. The trouble is here that soy is in EVERYTHING, and soy is a legume, isn’t it? A bean? It is a stabliser in so much. She would have to learn the characters and read every single label, and then it might not be safe because some ingredients are not listed here, the regulations are not so strict as the US. Last year it became law that five allergens be listed, and soy is one of them, but who knows if all companies actually obey the law?? Also epi pens here are only available to adults and only for bee sting allergies (go figure). Luckily I have a wonderful pediatrician who suddenly realised that I myself have an AWFUL bee sting allergy and need that pen… (It is legally dodgy if kid dies having been administered it but I’ll face that if and when.) Epi pens also only last about 6 months so it’s hard to stock up with them. I would say that until she is at least an older teenager, fully aware of her problem and THAT SHE IS NOT INVINCIBLE (my friend’s brother died because he didn’t take care, it was too much bother and uncool at 17…) then she should not come to Asia. Nuts abound, as do nut oils. However Japan is probably safer than Thailand and Vietnam etc where nuts are a huge part of the cuisine. Good luck ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/23 "2005-11-29T11:23:57Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I think another problem here is that people hear the word “allergy” and think “get a rash” or “get hives” or “get a stuffy nose and runny eyes”. “Allergy” isn’t usually associated very closely with “die”. > > That doesn’t make the scoffers/forcefeeders/tricksters any less assholes, though. That’s part of the problem - allergies really do range from the mildly annoying through to sudden death. Then we have the folks insisting that _this_ is a “true allergy” and _that_ is a “mere intolerance”. Hey, if eating it makes you feel like crap you shouldn’t eat it, that simple. And no one should be force-feeding it to you. I know at work some folks were thinking I was some sort of nerotic-psycho-hypochondriac because of my picky, paranoid eating habits but never an actual reaction for 7 or 8 years… until I accidently ate the wrong thing. It didn’t require a trip to the hospital, but did involve vivid color changes and itching and time in the Ladies’ and me getting out my bag of medications. Oh, gosh, she’s _right_ - she _really does_ get sick when you feed her the wrong thing! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/24 "2005-11-29T11:54:08Z")
> [@Mama Tiger](#): > > I knew a woman who, growing up, knew she was allergic to eggs, but also thought she was allergic to hamburgers because every time she ate a hamburger her mother fixed, her mouth would swell up badly. It wasn’t till she was an adult – and this had happened _multiple times_ – that she learned what the problem with her mom’s hamburgers was – her mom would mix an egg in with the meat to “prove” she didn’t really have the allergy! > > People can be utter and complete – and obviously occasionally lethal --idiots about other peoples’ allergies. Have to wonder if her mom was in that group of people who have the mistaken notion that allergic people use “allergy” to mean “I don’t like the taste”. Yes, there really is a crowd of folks out there who believe that - I’ll say “I can’t eat that, I’m allergic to XYZ” and they’ll say “But there’s so little you won’t be able to taste it! You won’t notice it at all!” Um… it has _nothing_ to do with taste. And if there’s so little of XYZ in the dish, why do you need XYZ in there at all? That’s part of the hell of food allergies - I actually _like_ the taste of some of the things I’m allergic to. How awful to have a craving for something but never be able to eat it, on possible pain of death! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/25 "2005-11-29T14:51:34Z")
According to this [New Jersey hospital](http://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com/113907.cfm), “The prevalence of childhood peanut allergies appears to have increased in the past few decades.” :dubious: Could this be explained by better diagnostic science or by more machine-processed food products (ie: peanut allergens getting into more foods)? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/26 "2005-11-29T15:04:21Z")
Another theory: [This cite](http://www.immunetolerance.org/research/allergy/trials/lack.html) says the allergy has increased among kids who have been _kept away_ from peanuts by concerned adults _in case_ they might be allergic. :rolleyes: Any stats on whether it’s more common in populations with overprotective mothering? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/27 "2005-11-29T17:24:10Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Another theory: [This cite](http://www.immunetolerance.org/research/allergy/trials/lack.html) says the allergy has increased among kids who have been _kept away_ from peanuts by concerned adults _in case_ they might be allergic. > > :rolleyes: Any stats on whether it’s more common in populations with overprotective mothering? You know, I get really really really tired of being accused of being overprotective and paranoid and hysterical. I’m overprotective _now_ because I have to be in order to keep my kid alive–which isn’t exactly _over_protective but realistic. I wasn’t before. I didn’t keep my kid in a bubble or away from all things dirt-related. We simply got unlucky. The preliminary signs showed up when she was 6 months old, before she consumed anything besides breastmilk and a few baby foods–long before we ever got to peanut foods. It makes people feel so good to be able to blame parents for their kids’ health problems. Then they can reassure themselves that it will never happen to them, beause they are _good_ parents. I seem to recall that homosexuality and autism were also blamed on bad mothers. **Hokkaido Brit** , I kind of figured that would be the case. Thanks for the info. _sigh_🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ILovCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@ILovCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ILovCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/28 "2005-11-29T18:04:19Z")
I hope you don’t think I am making light of the situation. I did this to myself by over exposure I believe. Mom had nothing to do with it. One year in college all I ate was movie popcorn, I would go the movies nearly every night and eat the popcorn for my evening meal, I would eat air-popped corn for lunch. No breakfast. The year after that I started to become intolerant of corn and all of its by-products except syrup (why not corn syrup? no idea I just thank god). Now almost any form of corn in food and medications will produce the COLON-BLOW effect. Then the stomach and intestines also try to leave my body through the nearest exit. Then I feel as if my innards are burning and cramping. Th CB effect kicks in after 4-12 hrs and the rest of the discomfort takes 12 hrs to resolve itself. I READ labels. I have to repeat myself at restuarants-they listen better than families. I refuse desserts at family gatherings and question everything in the meal. I believe that the a\*\*holes that do not understand need a bout of food poisoning to get a better idea of what, “I cannot eat XYZ” truly means. There is a child in our neighborhood who for Halloween says,“I’m allergic to peanuts and chocolate-Trick or Treat!” Thank goodness for the sour candies. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/29 "2005-11-29T18:59:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Have to wonder if her mom was in that group of people who have the mistaken notion that allergic people use “allergy” to mean “I don’t like the taste”. This one, I really don’t understand. Take my sister, as an example. She genuinely is not allergic to coconuts. She doesn’t claim to be, and if she accidentally eats some, it doesn’t cause her any illness. But, she really really doesn’t like the taste. There have been times when my mom and I have been eating something, and my sister spits it out in disgust, and sure enough, unbeknownst to any of us, there’s coconut, way down on the bottom of the list of ingredients. And do you know how we react to this? _We don’t try to serve my sister anything with coconuts in it!_ Certainly, this is not as critical as with an allergy, so we’re not quite as diligent with reading ingredients, and sometimes, accidents happen. But we don’t deliberately feed her anything with coconut in it, because that would just be inconsiderate. As far as our deliberate choices go, it doesn’t matter whether a person is genuinely allergic, or just doesn’t like something. Either way, the appropriate response is to not give that food to that person. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/30 "2005-11-29T19:37:22Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > The girl was 15. There’s nothing funny about this situation. If she had died of cancer, the first person who said something like “Well, at least she didn’t have any hair for the morgue’s cosmetician to worry about styling!” Would get roasted. Is it bad that I just laughed my ass off at this? I’m sorry. Different people have different feelings about gallows humor. But man, that hair thing is some funny stuff . . . ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/31 "2005-11-29T21:34:20Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > You know, I get really really really tired of being accused of being overprotective and paranoid and hysterical. My apologies. I certainly didn’t mean to single you out, more the subculture of mostly well-to-do, educated, urban/suburban, super-achieving, ultra-worrying “My kid’s GOT to get into the A No. 1 kindergarten or his chances at Harvard are ruined” stereotype of parenthood. I actually hadn’t read your post (and several others), not that that’s any excuse, or supposed to make you feel any better… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/32 "2005-11-29T21:42:13Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > > [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > > > The girl was 15. There’s nothing funny about this situation. If she had died of cancer, the first person who said something like “Well, at least she didn’t have any hair for the morgue’s cosmetician to worry about styling!” Would get roasted. > > Is it bad that I just laughed my ass off at this? > I’m sorry. Different people have different feelings about gallows humor. But man, that hair thing is some funny stuff . . . Actually, hair styling at the funeral home was one of the first things that my mom, sister, and I chuckled over after my father’s death. He always had his hair parted on a particular side, and I think the only time I saw his hair not like that was in old photos of him in the Army with buzzed hair. Mom had provided them with a photo for the viewing, but when we looked at him in the casket, his hair was unparted and combed back. The three of us all agreed that this must be changed, and I said he’d be likely to come back to haunt us if we let him be seen and buried like that. The comment happened to strike us enough to chuckle a little about it, because it did look seriously wrong to us. (And I’m sorry but I found the crack about superpowers to be funny. I’m going to hell, I guess.) ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/33 "2005-11-29T21:54:37Z")
I know a few people, my mother included, who have peanut allergies. So, they’ve made me aware that labels in the U.S. sometimes read “contains peanut oil, or is made in a facility that processes peanut oil”, or something to that effect, since even a small amount of cross-contamination can be a problem. Are there any other common alergens for which they say “contains chemical X, or is made in a facility which processes chemical X?”, or are peanuts more commonly _that_ fatal to some people? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/34 "2005-11-29T22:13:14Z")
> [@ImaginalDisc](#): > > Are there any other common alergens for which they say “contains chemical X, or is made in a facility which processes chemical X?”, or are peanuts more commonly _that_ fatal to some people? I’ve seen labels like that for shellfish. Handy for me, since I keep kosher… > [@Chronos](#): > > And do you know how we react to this? We don’t try to serve my sister anything with coconuts in it!.. the appropriate response is to not give that food to that person. And I truly don’t get why anyone would even contemplate any other response. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/35 "2005-11-30T00:32:53Z")
I heard about a study a few years back saying that kids who were exposed to pets early in life were significantly less likely to develop allergies to animals. No cite, though. > [@ImaginalDisc](#): > > Are there any other common alergens for which they say “contains chemical X, or is made in a facility which processes chemical X?”, or are peanuts more commonly _that_ fatal to some people? Milk. Wheat. Eggs. Several others, I’m sure. Some of it is about allergic responses and I think some of it has to do with those who keep kosher or eat vegan. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/36 "2005-11-30T01:33:30Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > My apologies. I certainly didn’t mean to single you out, more the subculture of mostly well-to-do, educated, urban/suburban, super-achieving, ultra-worrying “My kid’s GOT to get into the A No. 1 kindergarten or his chances at Harvard are ruined” stereotype of parenthood. Not to be too snarky, but what does any of that have to do with this thread? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/37 "2005-11-30T01:39:37Z")
My goddaughter is allergic to bee venom. We didn’t find out until she was 7 years old, luckily. If she had been stung as a toddler, she might have died. As it was, only the fact that her mom is an RN saved her life. Lisa was able to get her to an ER before most parents would have realized what was happening. She now always has an epi pen in her house, and her purse, and at her daughter’s school. She would keep one in the car but heat breaks down the active ingredient… Anaphalactic shock is no joke. In my son’s preschool classroom, there are multiple notices about one child’s allergies to nuts, especially peanuts. It’s not just about what HE eats, but also what he makes during crafts, who he sits next to at lunch and what THEY eat, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/38 "2005-11-30T18:09:57Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Not to be too snarky, but what does any of that have to do with this thread? The connection is that the parents who say “My kid’s GOT to get into the A No. 1 kindergarten or his chances at Harvard are ruined” are allegedly the same ones who put their children in a bubble out of intense fear of them touching anything vaguely dirty, and then their kids end up with fatal allergies. It’s a valid point, as science has on a couple of occasions noted a general trend that kids exposed to allergens and grubbiness very early in life tend to be healthier later. **Beware of Doug** ’s post about the parental stereotype is meant to clarify what he meant by that, and also to clarify that he wasn’t accusing any specific parent of “causing” allergies through such methods, and also to note that it was indeed possible for children to develop allergies without being overly sheltered. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/39 "2005-11-30T18:15:02Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Not to be too snarky, but what does any of that have to do with this thread? The connection is that the parents who say “My kid’s GOT to get into the A No. 1 kindergarten or his chances at Harvard are ruined” are allegedly the same ones who put their children in a bubble out of intense fear of them touching anything vaguely dirty, and then their kids end up with fatal allergies. It’s a valid point, as science has on a couple of occasions noted a general trend that kids exposed to allergens and grubbiness very early in life tend to be healthier later. **Beware of Doug** ’s post about the parental stereotype is meant to clarify what he meant by that, and also to clarify that he wasn’t accusing any specific parent of “causing” allergies through such methods, and also to note that it was indeed possible for children to develop allergies without being overly sheltered. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083/40 "2005-11-30T18:31:46Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > Milk. Wheat. Eggs. Several others, I’m sure. Some of it is about allergic responses and I think some of it has to do with those who keep kosher or eat vegan. Dunno about vegans, but it’s not intended for people who keep kosher. That’s what [kosher certification](http://oukosher.org/index.php/kosher/displaycertified/) is for. Some of us, who are marginally less strict in our observance and will eat non-kosher-certified products after reading the label and determining that there are no ingredients in them that would make them non-kosher, use it that way, but it’s not intended to be used that way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peanut-butter-snack-girlfriends-peanut-allergy-kiss-of-death/333083.md?page=3)