Amusing Ourselves to Death

[EastStang]

You know this is one of my pet questions. What happened between 1954 and 1980 that created so many kids with ADD, ADHD which weren't there before that. Did they just fall through the cracks, did they figure out how to cope, or what? There were no kids in my high school on any type of prescirption drug for attention disorder. Obviously some did coke, pot, acid, meth, etc for recreation. The second pet question is peanut allergies. I don't recall anyone being allergic to peanuts when I grew up (shellfish, yes, chocolate, yes) but not peanuts. Now it seems there are tons of them. Even Lone Star had to stop putting peanuts on tables. Was there some group of recessive genes unleashed in the late 20th Century? Did West Virginians impregnate all our women? Inquiring minds want to know.

[mrydel]

You know this is one of my pet questions. What happened between 1954 and 1980 that created so many kids with ADD, ADHD which weren't there before that. Did they just fall through the cracks, did they figure out how to cope, or what? There were no kids in my high school on any type of prescirption drug for attention disorder. Obviously some did coke, pot, acid, meth, etc for recreation. The second pet question is peanut allergies. I don't recall anyone being allergic to peanuts when I grew up (shellfish, yes, chocolate, yes) but not peanuts. Now it seems there are tons of them. Even Lone Star had to stop putting peanuts on tables. Was there some group of recessive genes unleashed in the late 20th Century? Did West Virginians impregnate all our women? Inquiring minds want to know.

I have no answers other than the LoneStar one. They pulled the peanuts because the shells were being thrown on the floor and people were slipping. It was asking for a law suit and possibly there was one or two. Here in North Little Rock they have made peanuts available again but you have to have an extra bucket for the shells and use it.

[abezontar]

You know this is one of my pet questions. What happened between 1954 and 1980 that created so many kids with ADD, ADHD which weren't there before that. Did they just fall through the cracks, did they figure out how to cope, or what? There were no kids in my high school on any type of prescirption drug for attention disorder. Obviously some did coke, pot, acid, meth, etc for recreation. The second pet question is peanut allergies. I don't recall anyone being allergic to peanuts when I grew up (shellfish, yes, chocolate, yes) but not peanuts. Now it seems there are tons of them. Even Lone Star had to stop putting peanuts on tables. Was there some group of recessive genes unleashed in the late 20th Century? Did West Virginians impregnate all our women? Inquiring minds want to know.

I think we don't beat children enough.

[Glenn Sosbee]

Question: With about 300 gun injuries per day in the U.S., and about 80 deaths per day resulting from those injuries, why do we dwell on incidents such as the terrible tragedy in Virginia?

Answer: Because we find entertainment in it. Read Neal Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death, a book which was required reading a few years back for incoming SMU freshmen.

If 80 out of those 80 deaths per day were homicidal killers being shot to death by law abiding people protecting themselves and others, then I would really be amused.

[ponyboy]

What happened between 1954 and 1980 that created so many kids with ADD, ADHD which weren't there before that.

The second pet question is peanut allergies. I don't recall anyone being allergic to peanuts when I grew up (shellfish, yes, chocolate, yes) but not peanuts. .

Obviously, there is simply the issue of greater visibility to ADD, ADHD and nut allergies. But there have been real and substantial changes for the worse in our diet in the last 50 years. A major culprit is high fructose corn syrup. The cliffs' notes on this subject is that the intake of sugar -- especially sugar that is converted so quickly to glucose like hf corn syrup -- increases intestinal permeability to the point where foreign proteins and toxins quickly jump the gap and into blood circulation much, much more easily that if a low sugar meal had been consumed. Proteins in wheat and lectins in beans such as peanuts quickly, easily and in greater volume than ever before have access to the bloodstream. In the case of ADD, the gluten in wheat mimics very well the protein sheath around brain cells and in a case of mistaken identity, the body sets its autoimmune system on overload to get rid of the foreign proteins from gluten and ends up attacking itself. The result is ADD, ADHD, and other similar brain ailments.

[Nacho]

I don't know about all that PB but their definitely is an increase in the diagnosis of the attention deficit disorders. May have somethig to do with treatments. You probably didn't see many of these kids in your HS because they had dropped out. There is a wide range of severity of these problems. Some are fairly minor and some quite severe. The minor ones probably struggled through HS and got a job or even went to college while the severe ones really struggled to do what they were able to do. Another great mystery is autism. Why is it so much more prevalent now? Many people want to believe that immunizations are the cause but there is absolutely no scientific evidence to back that up. Maybe it is simply diagnosed better. I don't know. It does however seem to be increasingly more common. As far as allergies to peanuts. You got me. My advice is not to eat them if you are allergic to them.

[ponyboy]

Peanuts are a New World legume and were first domesticated in South America about 4000 years ago. It's no surprise that many people have serious issues with them as there has been insufficient time for adaptation to their consumption by the overwhelming majority of humans on the planet.

As for ADD, changes in dietary patterns in the last 50 years -- particularly the increase in sugar and refined grain consumption -- have brought us a corresponding increase in those who have this disorder.

Overdiagnosed? I'd suggest we're underdiagnosing. And it's a shame we drug kids instead of fixing the source of the problem: diet.

For interesting reading, see here: http://thepaleodiet.com/articles/Cereal%20article.pdf

[jtstang]

Peanuts are a New World legume and were first domesticated in South America about 4000 years ago. It's no surprise that many people have serious issues with them as there has been insufficient time for adaptation to their consumption by the overwhelming majority of humans on the planet.

That sounds like Darwin.

[Nacho]

Evolution only counts for peanuts. Sorry pb. Couldn't resist.

[EastStang]

Hmm, if it is a new world legume, then why do the vast majority of people not have legume allergies? Why does one kid in a family have them but others do not? And I suspect that the number of people with shellfish (i.e. iodine) allergies is pretty much equal to the number with peanut allergies and iodine is a basic element of this planet and shellfish are probably the least evolved creatures (if you believe in evolution). I suspect that it is the fertilizers, chemicals, pollution, etc. that impact food allergies since more of those items are used today than ever in the history of the world. Cocoa is a new world plant as well. And there are people with allergies to chocolate, but probably similar to other allergies. I'm beginning to think I'm allergic to beer. That makes me very sad.

[mrydel]

I am allergic to beer. It makes my belly swell.

[ponyboy]

Hmm, if it is a new world legume, then why do the vast majority of people not have legume allergies? Why does one kid in a family have them but others do not? And I suspect that the number of people with shellfish (i.e. iodine) allergies is pretty much equal to the number with peanut allergies and iodine is a basic element of this planet and shellfish are probably the least evolved creatures (if you believe in evolution). I suspect that it is the fertilizers, chemicals, pollution, etc. that impact food allergies since more of those items are used today than ever in the history of the world. I'm beginning to think I'm allergic to beer. That makes me very sad.

I'll take this one piece at a time, EastStang.

"why do the vast majority of people not have legume allergies?"

They do in a way. Gas is not a natural response to food.

"And I suspect that the number of people with shellfish (i.e. iodine) allergies is pretty much equal to the number with peanut allergies and iodine is a basic element of this planet and shellfish are probably the least evolved creatures (if you believe in evolution)."

First let me say that I am a conservative, evangelical Christian and I believe in evolution. I also believe in teleology.

It's irrelevent how much the shellfish themselves have evolved or not. Shellfish allergies are caused by the fact that humans have not been eating them long enough to fully adapt to their consumption. I eat them with no problems, my wife does not. Not sure about the kids yet.

"I suspect that it is the fertilizers, chemicals, pollution, etc. that impact food allergies since more of those items are used today than ever in the history of the world."

I agree that these all have a big impact on human health.

"Cocoa is a new world plant as well."

And is really not a food but a psychoactive drug similar in many ways to cannabis.

"I'm beginning to think I'm allergic to beer. That makes me very sad."

It's how I found out about my gluten intolerance. Made me very sad too.