The Allergy Fix

Canadian filmmaker Bruce Mohun explores a question that has baffled parents and scientists in recent years: why are so many of today's children allergic to foods that barely caused any health concerns a generation ago? More than three times as many children have allergies and intolerances to certain foods today than 20 years ago, with peanuts, shellfish, and dairy goods being the chief culprits. The Allergy Fix doesn't offer a comprehensive answer; some research is presented concerning the low percentage of food allergies in rural areas involved in organic farming, but no solid conclusions. Nor is there any focus on why certain foods spark health issues while others do not. What the film does do, however, is document a variety of treatments currently employed to mitigate allergy risks. Some of these are a little extreme, most notably the voluntary absorption of parasitic worms through the skin. Others require much patience, including an extended therapy in which young food allergy patients are slowly provided incremental increases of problematic foods until their immunity levels strengthen. This latter strategy is shown to work—although the fact that one former peanut allergy patient now loathes the peanuts he was required to eat on a daily basis suggests some downsides. An interesting look at a hot-button topic, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)