Childhood Allergies
Childhood Allergies—All You Need to Know About Your Child’s Allergy, Dawn Lim, 2011, 213 pages.
When Nicole was young, she would break out into hives every 2-3 months. Half her face would be swollen, parts of her thighs would have large red patches, and one of her eyes would get puffy and itchy.
It was really scary for us when it first happened. We rushed her to the PD and would hear that “don’t worry, it’s just an allergy”. She would be prescribed some antihistamine and the hives would go after 4-5 hours.
Each time she gets this allergic reaction, we would do investigative work with her school teachers to find out what she ate, what she touched, or what unusual thing she did. And we never could find out what it was! Oh how we wished we had this book then!
I pored through this book as I was curious to find out what Nicole’s allergy might be. I was initially hesitant as I’m a pure Arts person, and have zero inclination to science and medical know-how. What a surprise!
The book is so colourful with pictures of beautiful kids enjoying food, play and basically having a good time. And there are also clear photos of how to treat various allergy reaction, simplified pictures explaining how the body reacts, and cute cute photos of children who share their stories about their allergies.
The book covers common allergies like Asthma, Eczema, various Food Allergies, and Anaphylaxis. And each of the above is then sub-divided into chapters that cover the symptoms, treatment, FAQ and a My Story feature.
Then Part 2 of the book deals with managing the allergies. This includes the various common allergens, tests to take, myths and precautions. The writing is in-depth but done in such simple language that I can imagine a frantic parent would still be able to understand when looking for answers.
The author—Dr. Dawn Lim is a paediatrician who specialises in managing children with allergies. She writes clearly and presents it in a easy-to-read layout with attractive pictures. Her references and examples are all local, so this makes it very perfect for us Singapore parents to relate to.
Nicole has out-grown that unknown allergy. But with 3 kids being exposed to all sorts of food/materials/surroundings, I’m not taking the chance of being caught unaware again. This book will be referred to many times over, and I’m quite sure it would make be a must-have in many homes soon.
The book is priced at $35 and is available at all major bookstores.