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Sadly more and more children are suffering from allergies, and there are certain signs that indicate when allergies are causing or significantly contributing to health problems. Here's a short checklist of what to look out for. The more of these your child has the more likely they are to be suffering from allergies:

1. Dark circles or bags under the eyes making the child look permanently tired. In Chinese medicine this area of the face is linked to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are one of the main organs of the body involved in stress reactions, and exposure to allergens certainly produces stress in the body. Sometimes there is also a crease seen under the eyelids.

2. Dry, flaky lips Often the edge of the lip is an indistinct blur rather than there being a definite line between it and the rest of the face. Michio Kushi in his book Oriental Diagnosis says that different parts of the lip correspond to different parts of the digestive system. The upper lip represents the stomach. The lower part corresponds to the intestines. These parts of the body are often involved with allergic reactions particularly if the problem is with foods.

3. Sweaty feet The liver is the main detoxifying organ of the body. When it is not functioning properly or has to work overtime then the feet tend to be very sweaty. In allergic reactions the liver is coping with an overload of toxins.

4. One or both ears sometimes red and/or burning The reaction usually starts about one and three quarter-hours after exposure to the offending substance and lasts for about half an hour. I do not know whether it is significant if it is one ear or both ears, but the timing seems very precise. The redness usually lasts for about half an hour. This particular reaction can become a very useful self-help diagnostic technique if you pay attention to your child's ears!

5. Children with a tendency to allergies are often blond hair. They are usually pale; in fact so pale that sometimes they are suspected of suffering from anaemia. In some children this paleness is not at first sight evident, because they have very rosy cheeks either all the time or some of the time. Sometimes if you feel the child's cheek it will be hot and burning, or papery and dry.

6. A child with a lot of food sensitivities will often be a fussy eater. The parent will often say: 'My child would be happy if he could live on X.' The child is probably allergic to X, whatever that is. Frequently they become irritable and bad-tempered if they have to go without their favourite food for even a short period of time Breast fed babies are either difficult feeders or need to be constantly fed both day and night and may be difficult to wean.

7. Babies and children with food allergies are usually either very good tempered or very bad tempered first thing in the morning.

8. Very often there is a family history of allergies with near relatives suffering from eczema, hay fever, etc.

9. Allergic children (and adults) often like peculiar smells: they sniff felt tip pens or enjoy the smell of petrol (gas) at petrol stations. They are nearly always allergic to the smell they like so much and, like a drug addict, are seeking out a fix!

So what to do about it? Try visiting a therapist with a particular interest in allergies. I particularly recommend health kinesiology, which has a lot of success not only detecting allergies but also correcting them, so the child does not have to avoid the things he/she is allergic to.