The Roby Institute Blog

Parents of children with food allergies know to be vigilant at Halloween. But even someone who hasn’t previously exhibited allergy symptoms can suffer a bad reaction from something dropped into a trick-or-treat bag.

The good news – particularly for the estimated three million Americans who have nut allergies – is that more people are turning away from sweet treats at Halloween.

Dr. Charlotte Casterline, Kingston, a board-certified allergy and asthma specialist, said even children who have no allergies could suddenly have a reaction.

“They could have a new allergy to something old. A child could be eating peanuts for years; it does not mean the next piece of nut won’t cause a reaction,” Casterline said.

The most important thing a parent can do – regardless whether their child has a food allergy – is inspect a Halloween treat bag thoroughly before allowing children to enjoy the items collected.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology this year sent out a nationwide press release urging children and parents to watch out for hidden foods that could trigger allergic reactions, specifically anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction with symptoms that include headache, nausea, vomiting, sneezing, coughing, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, and itching all over the body.

More severe allergic reaction symptoms include difficulty breathing, and a drop in blood pressure.

Nazziola said he has not seen allergic reactions to Halloween candy in the emergency room, but said parents should keep an eye out for allergic reactions such as rashes, wheezing, and swelling of the face, lips and tongue.

“Most allergies, the thing about them is they are unpredictable,” Nazziola said.

Dr. Richard Garri, emergency room doctor at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, said he finds most parents of children with allergies know to inspect candy they accumulate at Halloween and thoroughly read through the ingredients. He also noted, however, that allergies can emerge in a surprising way.

“An allergy can occur at any point in time. People eat strawberries for years, then one day have an allergic reaction,” Garri said.

Peanut derivatives and even food coloring can cause allergic reactions, Casterline said. Even fruit such as apples – which many would consider a healthy trick-or-treat alternative – can cause allergies.

The AAAAI reports that the most common causes of food allergies in children are peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts), eggs, milk and soy. That crosses out even cupcakes for some kids.

“It’s a hard time for kids with food allergies. School is hard because of the parties – any holidays are hard,” Casterline said. For those with nut allergies, especially, “Anything that says the word nut has to be avoided. Some items have trace ingredients with nuts.”

“It’s important to educate the child, teachers and relatives too. Relatives are a big problem. Sometimes they do not understand the complexity of the allergy and say ‘oh, this little bit of nut isn’t going to hurt you,’ ” Casterline said.

Research has shown that individuals who have acne frequently have very oily skin as a result of the increased levels of testosterone and androgen in their body. As a result, many skin experts now believe that a proper balance of estrogen and androgen hormones are required in order to have an acne-free skin. On the other side of the coin, if a hormonal imbalance of these hormones does, in fact, occur acne does tend to be one of the side-effects.

The connection between acne and hormones starts in young adult-hood, if not earlier. Between the ages of 19 and 24 individuals frequently get acne lesions not only on their face but also on their chest and back. Unfortunately, most people have face acne, more than anywhere else, which makes it all the more painful to look in the mirror.

The connection between hormones and acne goes further as it is believed that acne occurs once the body starts producing androgen hormones. It is this hormone that encourages that sebaceous glands in the skin to enlargen and produce oil and sebum. What occurs then is that the sebum moves to the hair shaft until it reaches the outside layer of the skin. As this process occurs the sebum connects with bacteria which results in a blockage of the hair follicle. This blocked hair follicle becomes the very unwelcome breeding area for bacteria which results in acne and all its horrible side-effects.

Hormones provide many critical functions in the body. They regulate many every day processes like growth and sleep. That is why a hormonal imbalance can have so many side effects including the onset of acne. Generally speaking, if your hormones are balanced acne should not occur.

The hormone and acne connection also explains why acne occurs in teenagers and adults all over the world. Acne usually occurs during the onset of puberty in teenagers as this is when androgen hormone production starts. The menstrual cycle and also pregnancy play a role in the development of acne in many women. In fact, studies have shown that acne that usually gets worse during a woman’s menstrual cycle is not something that a woman is likely to grow out of.