CLASSICAL ALLERGIC DISEASES: HELEN’S STORY
Helen had eczema as a baby and began to have asthma attacks when she was about six. These got a great deal worse when she was eight years old, and on close questioning the doctor discovered that her parents had recently built an aviary inside the conservatory that was attached to their house. Skin-prick tests showed that Helen had a strong reaction to feathers, and when the birds were removed from the house her asthma settled down to its previous level. In the hope of getting rid of it completely, her parents replaced all feather pillows and cushions with foam-filled ones. Although this seemed to help a little, Helen still had asthma attacks once or twice a month. These frequently came on after parties or outings, and the doctor suggested that it might just be excitement
triggering off the attacks. Then her asthma started to become more frequent again, and as the attacks often took place at school, it was interfering with her studies. Helen’s mother began to wonder if foods that Helen only had at parties or at school, during breaks, were responsible. Crisps, squash and other food containing additives were obvious suspects as Helen was not given this sort of food at home. She agreed to go without these foods for a month to see if this had any effect. Within a few days her attacks virtually disappeared and tests with different types of additives showed that artificial colourings and sulphites could bring on an attack within a few hours. As long as she avoids ‘junk food’ Helen is now free from asthma.
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