Peanut allergy cure 2015: doctors advise to let babies eat peanuts

Allergic reaction to peanuts can cause several adverse medical reactions like hives, itchiness, swelling and sometimes, it can even lead to death. Being a parent, it is a frightening thought to have your kids exposed to allergens. But according to a new study, peanut exposure at a young age can actually be the best desensitization treatment.

TIME Magazine writes that based on a research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), limiting access of children to peanuts can give them more problems in the future. The team suggests that it is better to recommend products containing peanuts to children four to 11 months old. To avoid choking, infants can have creamy peanut butter then whole peanuts once they turn four.

According to statistics, there are about five percent children in the US who have peanut allergy, which is slightly higher than the one to three percent of children worldwide. Based on the study done last February by NIH, there has been a significant 81-percent decrease in the risk of experiencing peanut allergy among infants who have been given peanuts earlier in their life.

Fox 2 Detroit News notes that because of the study, there is now scientific proof that medical and health experts can recommend the introduction of peanuts or peanut-containing products, which in turn can help guide parents of high-risk infants.

Dr. Brian Schroer, a pediatric allergist in Cleveland Clinic Children's, explained that the study can help prevent the occurrence of peanut allergy later in life. However, he recommended skin testing to peanuts if their kids suffer from eczema or having severe food allergies before fully introducing peanuts at home.

In related news, the same principle in peanut desensitization treatment is being used by a healthcare facility among older children in Florida, News 8 Channel reports. Dr. Hugh Windom, an allergy specialist, said that through the use of oral immunotherapy, patients who are known to be allergic to peanuts can help fight the condition by consuming peanuts under strict supervision.

This is what Sarah Frank, a seventh grader, is currently doing to help her stop being allergic to peanuts. She has discovered her condition when she was just ten years old and from that time, she has required special attention in school especially in activities and events that require food. Dr. Windom explained that even though patients need to take the medications for the rest of their lives, they are still hopeful that patients will one day be fully tolerable to peanuts.