| Description |
xii, 195 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Contents |
Introduction : the problem of the peanut allergy -- Part 1. The mystery of the peanut allergy epidemic -- 1. From idiosyncrasy to multibillion-dollar industry -- 2. Risk factors -- Geography -- Peanut consumption -- Atopy -- Th1/Th2 paradigm dysregulation -- Age of onset -- Birth month -- Gender -- Race -- Mode of delivery and intestinal flora -- Maternal age at delivery -- Socioeconomic status -- Large head circumference -- Heredity -- Immune system overload -- Vaccination -- "Outgrowing" peanut allergy -- Summary of risk factors -- 3. Theories -- Broken-skin hypothesis -- Ingestion hypothesis -- Toxin hypothesis -- Helminth hypothesis -- Hygiene hypothesis -- Part 2. A history of mass allergy -- 4. Rediscovering anaphylaxis -- Justified behavior in the first lancet vaccination -- A framework for mass vaccination -- The neglected role of the needle -- Serum sickness : the first man-made mass allergic phenomenon -- Discovery of food anaphylaxis -- The origins of the ingestion hypothesis -- The first outbreak of food anaophylaxis -- 5. The history of peanut allergy -- Peanut oil in penicillin -- Why peanut? -- Peanut oil in adjuvant 65-4 -- Peanut-allergy acceleration -- Part 3. Peanut allergy at the crossover point -- 6. Absorbing the costs -- Ingredients -- The peanut oil label debate -- Homology of peanut and haemophilus influenzae -- Type B -- Vaccine antigens as an adjuvant -- In creating peanut allergy -- Toxicity of Hib-DPT in creating allergy -- The Australian example -- The Vitamin K1 prophylaxis -- Idiosyncrasies : the ability to detoxify -- 7. Rationalizations -- The crossover point |
| Summary |
From the publisher. Why is the peanut allergy an epidemic that only seems to be found in Western cultures? Over four million people in the United States alone are affected by peanut allergies, while there are no reported cases in India, a country where peanuts are the primary ingredient in many baby food products. Where did this allergy come from, and does medicine play any kind of role in the phenomenon? After her own child had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter, historian Heather Fraser decided to discover the answers to these questions. In The Peanut Allergy Epidemic, Fraser delves into the history of this allergy, trying to understand why it largely develops in children and studying its relationship with social, medical, political, and economic factors. In an international overview of the subject, she compares the epidemic in the United States to sixteen other geographical locations, finding that in addition to the United States, in countries such as Canada, the UK, Australia, and Sweden there is a one in fifty chance that a child, especially a male, will develop a peanut allergy. Fraser also highlights alternative medicines and explores issues of vaccine safety and other food allergies, making his book a must-read for every parent, teacher, and health professional |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
"Note: this book is not intended to replace any information provided by a physician"--T.p. verso |
| Subject |
Food allergy.
|
|
Food allergy -- History.
|
|
Peanuts -- Health aspects.
|
| Author |
Levatin, Janet
|
| LC no. |
2011013696 |
| ISBN |
9781616082734 paperback |
|
1616082739 paperback |
|
