Immunologist/Allergist

Hello Everyone,

My son is allergic to peanuts and eggs. It is time for him to be tested again and we are having trouble finding a specialist in Hong Kong. Does anybody know of anyone.

Thanks in advance

Hi Nygirl, I'm known as the mom obsessed with allergies because it has been such an issue in my life -- my oldest child has anaphylactic peanut allergy and is allergic to many other types of protein as well, including dairy and egg. Unfortunately, just FYI, once your child has shown a true, systemic reaction to a substance, it will never be put back on a "safe" list. RAST testing can determine the degree of the allergic response to some degree, so that for instance it may give a hint whether your child can tolerate small amounts of an offending substance (e.g. my daughter is also allergic to cola, but she can drink small amounts if she's willing to have a bit of a stuffy nose). Peanuts are among the most dangerous allergy because of its unpredictability -- an allergic child can have no reaction one time and a death-causing reaction the next. Needless to say, if your child has an allergy, he does need to be under the care of an allergist / immunologist! We were referred to Dr. John Simon in Prince's Bldg in Central. He's not technically an allergist, but his approach and treatment was as sophisticated and more personal than our Ph.D. / M.D. immunologist / allergist in the USA.

Hi Meiguoren,. Can I get Dr Simon's number from you. Does he do testing in his office or at the hospital? Does it take forever to get in to see him?

THanks

You should be able to get Dr Simon's number from Directory Enquiries (Tel. 1081). Once you're through to his office the receptionist can give you the info you require

We were referred by another physician, so you may need a referral.


Dr. John Simon

Phone: 852 2521 2567

1501 Prince's Building

Central, Hong Kong


His nurse speaks English, you can call and talk to her about his specialt(ies) and whether you need a referral etc. We saw him after my daughter's second hospitalization for food allergies and "stuff" related to tummy upset, and hundreds of things had been ruled out (e.g. she was tested for gall bladder stuff, cystic fibrosis, etc etc). We knew there were food allergies, and we had done elimination diet so we knew a lot of them, but she was still having a lot of tummy pain. He did RAST testing (which was expensive and involved several vials of blood) and sent it off to a private lab for analysis. When the test came back also showing allergies to dust and feathers, etc, he went through procedures on how to eliminate these from the house. We also found out things we never would have guessed, like that she's allergic to kidney beans. Somebody asked which part of cola she's allergic to, well, it's the cola bean itself. When she eliminated the offending foods, she truly did feel a lot better. Funny that the peanut allergy didn't show up at all on the RAST testing. But since she had a prior anaphylactic peanut reaction, there will never be a time in the future where peanuts are considered safe -- test or no test -- according to the medical professionals. We theorize that the peanut allergy didn't show up because it's been so many years since there was any exposure (my allergist in the USA told me that I needed to be "obsessed" about making sure she was not exposed to peanut), there are no current antibodies circulating in her blood. I just hope that if she is ever accidentally exposed, this lack of current antibodies will give her a "one bite" chance, because the anaphylactic attack was really scarey, including her lips and fingers turning blue from lack of oxygen!

Thanks Meiguoren,

You are right to remain obsessed because our son's cousin was told his peanut allergy had 'gone' (after prick and blood test confirmed). They too were told to always avoid it. Well they did but unfortunately one night he had a bite of fried rice at a party which unfortunately contained peanuts. He had a severe anaphylatic shock and was hospitalized and then had a second episode a few hours later when everything wore off. This was a big lesson for all of us as we had all got blase about it. I can imagine how scary it was when your daughter had her attack and I know you would not want to go through that again so unfortunately you have to be obsessed. Thanks again for your recommendation

You could also try Dr Adrian Wu who covers allergies - tel. 2818 0180.


Lynne - 2849 0328

There are different kinds of allergies. And, there are also food intolerances which are technically not allergies.


Typical medical allergies look at the Immunoglobin E, with their RAST / Skin prick test. That accounts for the anaphylactic type of allergies, ie those acute emergency kind reactions, including swelling of airpipe resulting in short of breath and could be fatal.


Yet, underlying most chronic allergies as eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic fatigue, etc are Immunoglobin G (= IgG) mediated allergy. They don't show up in RAST / skin prick tests. Most common IgG allergens are eggs, dairy, wheat, soy (yes!!) and nuts. They don't take your life, but make one chronically unwell. And it often take a few hours to a few days to show their reaction. That means, you wouldn't experience a clear immediate reaction after an egg sandwich, or a glass of milk once in a while. But you may 'pay' a few days later. So, you need to avoid them altogether for a few days to a few weeks to see the difference and be clear of the influence from the offending food. Unfortunately, few medical allergists are open to this fact.


Just google for IgG + allergy for more info about this.


Another important aspect of allergy is digestive health. Look into 'leaky gut syndrome' too. An inflammed intestine, which can be caused by vaccination in the susceptible kids, can lead to insufficiently digested protein to get into the blood stream triggering unnecessary allergic reaction. Sugar, dairy, trans fats in general promote all kinds of inflammation, including the gut. In contrast, a healthier gut can be achieved with good quality probiotics, enzymes, digestive acid and essential fatty acids.


After all, however, is the mental health. When stressed, anxious, or in a bad mood, an allergic individual is more likely to react. This is where homeopathy, hypnotherapy, meditation, relaxation techniques, NAET, etc. has a lot to offer.