When did it become fashionable to have an allergy?

[Loosehead]

It seems very trendy these days to have an allergy, I think people say they are allergic to X simply because they don't like it not because it induces anaphalactic responses. So is it just a form of snobbery? I mean when I was a kid allergies where rare, real ones so what has happenned to us that now makes us so susceptable to "allergies"? Or is it as I suspect another branch of the wonderful world of Total B0110ck5? Not having a go at the real cases!

[spurslady]

The allergies I have do induce anaphylactic responses. I am allergic to Penicillin the last time they gave it me by mistake in hospital it nearly killed me, also Wasp and bee stings which have the same effect. I carry a Epipen just in case.

[PinkFizz]

lol- I know EXACTLY what you mean. At my son's new school I had to sign a lette saying his packed lunch would not contain and nut based products whatsoever as they allegedly have 5 children with a nut allergy!! The whole school is a nut free zone. My mother in law works in a school and the office has a wall lined with epi-pens that have never been used.

Reminds me of the Lee Evans dvd where he says soon we will all be runnung round jabbing ourselves with pens cause we wll now seem to go into anaphylactic shock as soon as somebody 5 miles away opens a packet of peanuts.

[PinkFizz]

No disrespect meant to true allergy sufferers whatsoever. I mean society in general.

[Englishbird]

I used to work in event catering, and things people 'can't' eat are definately on the increase. I do think a lot of it is fashion or trends.

Having said that, I have become allergic to sweet peppers in the last 3 years, never was before and actually quite liked them, but they now make me vomit and give me severe stomach cramps. It was suggested to me that it may not be the peppers that I am allergic to but whatever they grow them in, i.e. pestercides (sp?)

I'm not desperately keen to try organic peppers due to aforementioned vomiting! but there may be something in it.

[Loosehead]

I've found that I'm allergic to Stella, I mean 12 pints and I start feeling all dizzy!

[carrust]

My only allergy is the smell of strong perfume & aftershave. I really suffer when I have walk past the perfume & make-up counters in department stores. I end up having a sneezing session & a runny nose, mind you, it's worth it ...having a laugh at the assistants with orange heads.

[Pippa68]

Some people don't realise there is a difference between an intolerance & an allergy.

[naz_nomad]

PF, I wouldn't say the whole school is a 'nut-free zone'

Quite the opposite.

Good job they don't have any one-legged pupils, your son would be very upset about having his leg off just so he could go to that school ... (you get the point I'm makng?)

[Trojanfarce]

I've a similar thing to Pinkfizz, my daughter is also banned from any nut type foods and her favourite sarnie is pea-nut butter. Apparently there's a couple of kids there with nut allergies, so everyone has to suffer.
I don't have an allergy to Stella like you Loose, in fact I find several pints makes me quite clever and adds another language to my repertoire. After 10 pints or so, I find I can talk fluent b0ll0cks.

[drchasuble]

I think that some of this increase is due in part to public paranoia:

Take antibacterial cleaning products for example. These products can (apparently) kill e.coli etc but they also kill any good bacteria on the chopping board too. These good bacteria are essential to help the body ward off viruses and bacteria. I do obviously see the necessity of these products in a place that is preparing food for the public but in the home (I may be wrong but surely most people don�t live in a filthy disease ridden pits?) are quite unnecessary.
And it�s shocking to think that a typical packet of salad leaves has been rinsed in a bleachy solution to kill off any errant greenfly or far from home slugs.

People aren�t letting their bodies build up resistance to bacteria or viruses so their constitutions are becoming weaker this, I believe, is being passed on to their children. There are huge amounts of children these days with terrible hay fever, eczema, asthma etc. I went to school in the 80s and we had one asthma sufferer in the whole school. Only one child out of 300.
Today�s proportion would be 20 times higher.

[MrsT]

I think it was about the same time that Unruly little brats became AHAD! and kids who are crap at spelling became dyslexic, they can all spell dyslexic though!

[PinkFizz]

lol @ naz.

Its like the packet of salted peanuts. What does it say on the side? " May contain nuts!!!!!!!"

Seriously!

[Loosehead]

Is that ADHD MrsT?