A Vaccine Even RFK, Jr. Would Approve of

For a Deadly Allergy

I have many allergies - mostly skin, but also allergic asthma and other sensitivity reactions.

But, not peanuts. Peanut allergies were almost unheard of when I was young.

What changed?

The widespread use of a food product that was very uncommon when I was young - soy.

As both soy and peanuts are legumes, they can provoke reactions in the same people. Soy is in nearly every manufactured product - it’s almost as common as corn products.

Soy, in many forms, is common in Asian cultures. In Western civilization, few had any exposure to it as a food product, until the 60’s, when travel to Asia became a popular destination, and many brought back recipes for the cuisine. Asian cooking entered the lives of the average American, as did other uses of soy, such as substitutes for milk - and, in baby formula. And, that may have been a mistake.

Paralleling the rise of the use of soy-based food products has been the growth of peanut allergies. Both can cause reactions in vulnerable children.

There are many differences between soy and peanuts, though.

Soy reactions are generally mild, and, like most food allergies, wear off as the person ages. Babies who reacted badly to soy-based formulas in infancy, may find that they can easily tolerate it in small quantities as an adult.

Even cow’s milk allergies seldom cause more than stomach cramps and flatulence. Not pleasant, but not serious (unless you’re Leonard, from the Big Bang Theory, trying to impress Penny).

Peanut allergies, on the other hand, can persist into adulthood, and even a small amount can be life threatening, at ANY age. Even quick medical treatment is not enough to save some of the sufferers.

So, no, peanut allergies are not “in the kid’s imagination”. They are not “exaggerating their symptoms”.

Don’t play around. This year, for the first time, I separated the peanut-free candies out, and asked every kid (and their family member, if accompanied), if they had an allergy. The parents were uniformly grateful for my assistance. Ever year, they had to police their kids’ candies, not for poisoned treats, but for the presence of peanuts. Even a trace could be dangerous, and most kids could consume more than enough to harm them before parents could intervene.

But, now, there is hope - and it comes in a vaccine. It was thoroughly tested in clinical conditions, and there very definitely is a reductions in symptoms caused by accidental exposure, even at many times the likely dose of peanuts.

That would be a GREAT product to put through FDA testing, and one that could demonstrate that RFK, Jr. is promoting CAUTION about use of vaccines, and is not a nut eager to deny the useful of TARGETED meds to children.