Quote:Originally posted by LisaM:
[b]
I've noticed that conversations get heated on this board whenever anyone suggests an alternative treatment...[/b]
I think this is because so many of us have had the existence of so-called alternative treatments used against us. How many of you have heard:
"If you just (fill in the blank), your child's allergy will be cured".
or
"Does he really need to have the Epipen with him at all times? I know someone with PA and they just (fill in the blank)"
Yes, there is research going on about other treatments. But for now, none of this is proven or recommended.
Cathy

I`m still trying to figure out how he saw his own vocal cords, M.D. or no M.D. I guess physicians can get rid of all those laryngoscopes they usually use when they need to see vocal cords, since there is apparently a way to see vocal cords without using one.
Seriously, we have several physicians on this board. None of us post medical advice, and it usually comes up that we are a physician in some other context such as Off Topic.

I certainly wouldn't trust a doctor who didn't advocate use of the epi-pen. That said, N8 could easily be "innate", rather than NAET.
I've use inhaled epinephrine to arrest swelling of the palate, tongue, and throat. It did help, especially when I could not get to my epi-pen in time. I've used a combo of inhaled epinephrine and first gen antihistamines (not benadryl, though, I'm allergic to diphenhydramine) and had success.
But the epi-pen should be the first line of defense if the option is there. I'm an adult and can make my own decisions and I recently had a situation where I *needed* an epi-pen and couldn't find any of mine (recent purse switching). Inhaled epinephrine saved my life, but I'd have rather had the injectable.
For your children, treatment should be proactive and *fast*. Life is precious.
ygg

Dr. Shipko - I think your expertise in panic/anxiety issues would be of great help to many of us. Parents of food allergic children have some of the highest stress levels of any group(I think there was even a published journal study about this). I think the strong reactions from members that you have recieved illustrate how passionate we are about keeping our kids safe. It is a lifelong worry.
My son is 6 and yesterday I let him spend the whole day with his best friend's family. Of course a "normal" six year old would have already done this, but my son has life threatening food allergies. I had to really trust the people he was with, and even then, the whole day I felt sick to my stomach and nervous.
Also if you do a google of NAET you will understand the reaction your user name caused!
Be well.
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mom to Ari(6) - severe nut allergies, asthma, you name it - and Maya (8), mild excema

well i'll jump in here also..i am trying very hard to undertand a couple of things..
1. i live near about an hour from boston, never did know that boston university had an e.r.? my impression it was a college.ie university unless of course it has change in the past decade or so? not?
2. if someone with a severe, severe ana reaction to the point that nothing works for that person, how on earth could you possibly have the time to drink gallons of water throw up ,use dristan, and look at your vocal cords?? ive seen reactions, experienced one with my dd and believe me there is only time to inject epi and you better be dialing 911 at the same time. i do know first instinct with ana reaction is almost panic, throat closing chest heavy etc.. you get the picture. i know that all i think about is injecting and praying that i dont die or my dd doesnt, god knows i wouldnt have time to do all of the above. JMHO. i'll happily stick to the advice of my doctor, and the 911 operator and the paramedics thank you. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
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i think i must be wearing a "wonder where they went bra".

I was an attending in emergency medicine at a Boston University Hospital.
whoops i stand corrected...but none the less i still cant see how anyone would have the time to do all the stuff the good dr. recomemded if the reaction was/is severe severe.. gonna go google the hospital name still doesnt strike me as a familar hospial..but i am probably wrong there...
ok googled..Boston University Hospital founded in 1855 is an affliate now of boston university teaching school of medicine. hmm i learned something new..still sticking to my guns on the other stuff though..
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i think i must be wearing a "wonder where they went bra".
[This message has been edited by jmarcustry (edited June 14, 2006).]

Quote:Originally posted by AnnaMarie:
[b]Not arguing with you Ellen, but wanted to point out, epinephrine is not given in a vein for anaphylaxis. It is [i]intra-muscular[/i].[/b]
Ooops, big mistake. But I hope everyone understood what I was trying to say (If an epi doesn't work, why would Dristan?)
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Ellen
Allergic to Shellfish/ Mom to Jesse 9/01 who has PA
Sometimes I just want to say "blah blah blah blah blah."

Quote:Originally posted by Corvallis Mom:
[b]I would say that (as a long-time poster on the boards) the real reason for the hostility was that several assumptions were made regarding the motivation and identity of the original poster... based on things said in the first post.[/b]
Yeah, I can see that now.
I'm getting off topic here....but about alternative medicine....yes, it would be very annoying to have someone suggest that your child could be "cured." Advice like that is pretentious and also minimizes the seriousness of PA. But I was getting the sense from some posts that some members feel like they can't even broach the whole topic of alternative medicine...but maybe that isn't the case....I haven't been on the board long enough to get a sense of the dynamics.

Quote:Originally posted by LisaM:
[b] Yeah, I can see that now.
I'm getting off topic here....but about alternative medicine....yes, it would be very annoying to have someone suggest that your child could be "cured." Advice like that is pretentious and also minimizes the seriousness of PA. But I was getting the sense from some posts that some members feel like they can't even broach the whole topic of alternative medicine...but maybe that isn't the case....I haven't been on the board long enough to get a sense of the dynamics.[/b]
I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself. I was upset at the post because the information is potentially dangerous and was presented in a way that made it appear there was substantial medical support for this information. I think alternative medicine can be a good choice for certain conditions/circumstances. I have tried some alternative treatments for my daughter's allergy & asthma. However, during an asthma attack or anaphalaxis that alternative medicine goes out the window. I do only what has been proven to stop this life threatening progression.
Momcat, you mentioned you e-mailed the Dr. Did you e-mail him at his professional address on his Web site? I am having a hard time believing that it is Stuart Shipko actually posting and not someone hijacking his name. From the information I have gotten on the internet, he is not only a practicing doctor but an expert witness in many trials and it seems odd to me that someone with so much experience with the law would post medical information on the net. Not only would he be concerned with his liability, but his credibility could be put into question at a trial (or am I watching too many law shows?)
If you read some of the advice he has on power-surge, it's written with a much more cautious tone than the posts on here:
"I'll give you my thoughts on how I would proceed . . ."
"I [b]would try [/b]to avoid . . "
"I [b]would consider[/b] the use . . ."
"Ultimately you [b]might[/b] be better off . . ."
And he doesn't appear to be the type of person who would write "Drystan spray [b]rocks.[/b]" He appears to have a much more proefessional tone in all his writings and an online chat transcript that I have read.
It seems that this was written by an person uneducated in this area who chose phenylephrine because it sounds like epinephrine. There was (probably still ongoing) an internet urban legend about antifreeze in baby wipes. This is not true, it is just that the ingredient in Baby wipes has a similar chemical name to the chemical name of ant-freeze. This thread made me think of that urban legend.

Quote:Originally posted by ElleMo:
[b]Momcat, you mentioned you e-mailed the Dr. Did you e-mail him at his professional address on his Web site? I am having a hard time believing that it is Stuart Shipko actually posting and not someone hijacking his name.
It seems that this was written by an person uneducated in this area who chose phenylephrine because it sounds like epinephrine. [/b]
ElleMo, I had the same feelings of surprise that this is the same Dr. Shipko. So yes, I did go to his website and use the email address there. I did not use the email address in his profile.
I also looked up phenylephrine. It is not exactly "synthetic epinephrine" but it is a related drug and a vasopressor (constricts blood-vessels to reverse low blood pressure). It seems to be used in decongestants, eye-drops and intravenously during anesthesia to reverse low blood pressure.
[url="http://www.americanregent.com/PDF_For_Products/Phenylephrine%20IN0299%20Rev.%205-01.pdf"]http://www.americanregent.com/PDF_For_Products/Phenylephrine%20IN0299%20Rev.%205-01.pdf[/url]
Cathy