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Friday, July 25, 2008, 08:00
When I gave birth to my son back in 1996, like so many new mothers I was determined to feed my child healthy, home-cooked organic food.
So when he started developing eczema within his first year, I was concerned and baffled. But I put it down to the fact that his father and I both had sensitive skin as young children, and hoped it would be something he would grow out of.
By the time he was three years old, he had spent a day in hospital with a severe asthma attack, had started displaying the symptoms of hay fever and had recurrent ear infections. By the time he was five, he had endured pleurisy, severe chicken pox and glandular fever. During this time, he had been given at least two courses of antibiotics.
If I had to put my finger on a time in his short life when I believe his constitution changed, it would be then. I say this because his shape and his behaviour started to change.
Over the next year or so he started to put on weight inexplicably. Yet he was as active as all the other children and he ate a sensible, well-balanced diet, and I cooked everything myself.
By the time he was seven, I had decided to take him to see an allergist because the rash on his legs had become very severe and did not seem to be reacting well to any topical remedies or treatments.
He was tested using the Vega method. This uses a machine to measure the body's electrical resistance to substances.
It was discovered that he had candida, which is a yeast imbalance in the gut. We had to cut out all sugar and yeast. To cut sugar and yeast out of the diet of a seven-year-old is, and was, a huge struggle. To do it completely, is near impossible.
I now know this is the reason why allergy therapy supports your system with the use of supplements. They aid your recovery. The allergy therapy we received at the time simply involved dietary changes and probiotics, and not good ones at that. I have learned that with supplements you really do get what you pay for. They are worth paying for, they do make a difference, they do help you to feel better.
It was through this experience that I decided to train in allergy therapy, and graduated with a distinction.
During my diploma, I volunteered my son to be a case study for the course, as I knew he was still not as “vital” as he could be. His health had not improved sufficiently. He was becoming increasingly unfit and having to use his inhaler more often.
I was, by now, determined to get to the bottom of it. He had also developed a painful bone growth disorder that affects the heel. This was probably exacerbated by the extra weight he was carrying. In himself, he was not happy and was being teased at school.
He was tested as a case study. I then discovered that not only did he still have candida, but he was also intolerant to a lot of foods, predominantly all the gluten grains and cow dairy. Once I was over the shock of the enormity of the task in hand, I decided to embrace this effort wholeheartedly. I wanted my son's health back. I was embarking on a journey that would send me back to the culinary drawing board on many an occasion. I would have to leave the house prepared, just as I did during the days of weaning.
I truly believe the supplements at this stage were invaluable. They helped him, and helped me to help him. It was an intense journey. Finding yourself saying “no” to your child constantly around the area of food was, at times, difficult and emotional for both of us.
This was worsened by social gatherings, and I had to overcome the feelings that people thought I might be depriving him not just of food, but part of his childhood as well. There were moments when it was very hard to remain calm and focussed.
The important thing to remember about allergy therapy is that it addresses your body at that moment in time. Our bodies change and evolve all the time; in children this process is understandably much faster. I will always remember the day when he said that his joints didn't hurt any more, and apart from the problem with his feet, I hadn't even known that his joints were hurting him.
Eventually, when he started to feel better and lose weight, he began to truly embrace what he was doing.
He then started exercising more. We have since been lucky enough to find a trainer who has inspired him and advised him every step of the way. He is now thriving and training to become a triathlete. He is tall, slim, strong and very fit. He has achieved this himself. I managed and nourished him; he did the rest. I can only commend and congratulate his demonstration of such commitment at such a young age. I have had people tell me that they don't recognise him. The change in him is astounding. As his mother, it has been a joy to witness his confidence grow.
At home we are still gluten and cow dairy-free. Friends with children still come to eat and enjoy what they eat. He has regained a tolerance for wheat, which means he can now also enjoy going for a pizza with his friends and it doesn't make him feel ill. His skin, apart from the usual scrapes found on boys knees is looking so much better. His hay fever is now apparent only on those very “high” days, and I believe that his immune system is almost as fit as the rest of him.
This experience has been a learning curve for both of us. It has enriched our lives on so many levels. It is a journey we have shared together and we are healthier and happier with each other as well as individually.
For further information on allergy therapy treatments by Louise Marchionne, go to www.foodfitforyou.co.uk.
Al least it keeps one-or-two crazy people off the streets if nothing else!
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