Question:
I have an almost 7 year old son who is VERY difficult. His
personality ranges from oversensitive and surly to sweet and
affectionate, with moods changing at the drop of a hat. He
is very demanding and can be extremely negative and crabby,
yelling at anyone who is near. I have been very involved in
natural medicines for 12 years or so, and therefore never
gave him dairy products and fed him a natural, wholesome
dietalong with vitamin supplements. He has never received
(or needed) antibiotics and has not missed a day of school
ever. He has received organic soymilk since he was just
under a year (and breastfed for 2 years). I wonder if
anyone has experience with a SOY allergy? The only symptoms
are the personality traits/moods, never a rash or redness
around his anus. He does have a tendency toward gas.
Answer:
Why do you suspect soy, as opposed to other things in your son's diet? My two year old is allergic to soy (as was I as a child). He is also
allergic to dairy, egg, millet, & peanuts and has grown out of allergies to
berries, kiwi, and almonds. From what I read here on thewebsite, soy is a pretty
common allergy.
Not everyone will have the same allergic reaction to a substance. My son's
reactions are mostly intestinal - He starts out just acting cranky, angry
and defiant. Then proceeds to cramping, screaming, arching, gas, and
eventually diarrhea. He reacts to even small amounts of soy flour in things,
though he can tolerate some soybean oil and soy lecithin. We've never tried
soy milk.
Everyone recommends "Is This Your Child" by Dr. Doris Rabb. Have never read
it, though I remember seeing her on Oprah and Donohue when the book first
came out. It's supposed to be very informative on how to do an elimination
diet to try to identify foods which cause reactions.
Tracking down an allergen is a process of trial and error. It takes time and
patience. But if his reactions are allergy based, once you determine what
the source is, your son will feel better within a couple of weeks from
eliminating the trigger.
Has your son ever been tested for Celiac Disease? These symptoms seem
somewhat similar as what you have described. CD is an intolerance too
gluten. The body believes that gluten is a foreign substance and attacks the
intestines. I suspect gluten because you say you eat natural, wholesome
diets. Which is more than likely high in wheat and other offending grains
such as oats, rye and barley. People with CD can also have an adverse
reaction to soy and dairy products. This disease can be diagnosed by a blood
test. Talk to your son's Pediatrician. The primary symptoms of celiac disease are diarrhea, flatulence, weight
loss, and fatigue. I'm sorry, Jennie, the symptoms that Judy describes
do _not_ seem similar to celiac disease. Soy milk usually contain preservative which he might be allergic to.
I've the same problem with soy milk- I wish I could drink it. I have a similar situation. I also looked diet for an answer but nothing
seemed to help. The only thing that has changed my little girl is that I took
an extremely helpful parenting class put together by Growing Families
International. The class itself is called Growing Kids. It gave me awesome
insight on how I can react to her moods/personality and to teach my little girl
how to express herself in a different way than she had been.
