Itching

I understand the itching I am thirty something and have had the same issue with hives.
I had to make a daily diary of things I ate and changed my laundry detergent to Dreft.
for the calming of the hives I tried Aveeno bath it is an oatmeal based product you add to luke warm water and soak.
It is wonderful!!
It calms the itch and helped me function.
hope that helps.

Have you tried Aveeno baths? My daughter had a bad rash once from an allergic reaction and that stuff worked well to relieve her itching. You can buy a box that has like 3 packets of oatmeal bath in it at Walmart or Target and it's not that expensive. Just dump it in a warm bath, let her soak and rinse. It seemed to work very nicely for my daughter. Good luck!

Hi Deenah,

First of all congratulations on going to school and still doing all of the other things you need to do. I have done it myself and it takes TONS of dedication and persistance- keep it up!!

Now about your daughter. One thing I think of is that her immune system is overloaded. She might not actually have been allergic to the antibiotic, but it might have been the breaking point for her body. All allergies are is an overreaction of our bodies to outside stimulus. I had this issue with both of my older two boys.

One thing that overloads her body is our household cleaners. You can greatly help her system by switching to all natural cleaners with no chemical in them. Any natural food store or you can go to WWW.MELALEUCA.COM and purchase fabulous product off of their site. A friend of mine told me about their products and my husband and I were so desperate that we switched over ALL of our products at once. Within a week all of their symptoms were gone. It wasn't that they were allergic to a specific thing, it was that they were being exposed to too many chemicals and medicines.

If you have any questions, please let me know, best of luck!

A.;)

SAHM to Max 6, Adien 4, and Owen 2, plus two exchange students from Korea and Vietnam who are 16 and 17.

I have been introduced to a wonderful chiro that does nutritional testing. It's called Nutritional Response Testing. Feel free to do some research on that. I have had amazing results with whole food supplements. Dr. Jennifer Dotto has also been a patient before becoming a practioner. She had issues with skin and allergies and was able to eliminate all "drugs" and getting them body back to taking care of itself naturally. Feel free to contact her at ###-###-####. She also does informational seminars on Tuesday evenings and that might be a great way to be introduced to her and what she is able to do for patients. Please feel free to use my name L. as a referral. She gives discounts for initial consultations.

Hi Deenah,

I have 17 allergies to prescription medications. My daughter is following in the same path at age 18. I know what it's like to try and find the right thing to take without making more trouble. I was on prescriptions that couter affected the side effects of other prescriptions.

Our daughter has severe excema and we found out it was due to using a certain laundry detergents.

Can you think of anything that you changed right around the time the lymph nodes started swelling? Laundry soap, air freshener, softener sheets, cleaning products?

My friend who is an EMT told me about this store called Melaleuca, that has environmentally friendly products. Ever since we switched out all our products our daughter has not had any breakouts at all. And it's been over 8 years.

Our son has asthma. He hasn't had an outbreak in 8 years.

Please let us know if you found something that worked.
I have done a lot of research being that I myself have many health issues and also so many allergies to prescription meds.

J.

I am a 56 year old Granny. I have had a severe allergic reaction of swelling and hives (2 times in the last 3 yrs) after using antibiotic with a sulfa base. Was her meds a sulfa base? I how need to check all meds for sulfates. Like band aides and neosporin ect. Water was also a factor. Some bottled water has sulfate added and it can be in water natural. I drink only distilled water now.I was having a reation showering in sulfer ladden water too. (as did my girls age 4 and 9 yr) Check the base type of antibiotic used. good luck Granny

Hi Deenah,
I don't know if I can completely help you out, without having seen your daughter, but I am currently in my dermatology residency and it sounds to me that your daughter fits into a defintion of chronic urticaria. This could be caused by a myriad of things---infection (as simple as a common cold virus or something else) or medication or allergies, etc., etc. Usually antihistamines are the treatment of choice---including Benadryl, Zyrtec and Atarax. Often, these go away over the course of a few months. Given my background, I would be hesitant of seeing a chiropractor to treat this problem---what your daughter has is a skin and immune system issue, not a musculoskeletal problem. Hope this helps!

Hi Deena-
I"m a med. prof. and a wellness coach.
First- see a dermatologist if she has a rash- they might know best over an allergist or pediatrician.
Find one with peds experience.
We have doc. recommended products for immune boosting- safe for kids- my sister used them for a rash of unknown origin stemming from an allergic reaction to unknown source- just keep it in mind.
I'm heading out of town until Mar. 8 but would be happy to talk with you via email or when I return.
B. Jarmoluk
____@____.com
http://www.mydietshop.org
mom of 6 1/2 yo twin girls

The immune system can take a while to sort itself out. I've heard of hives and itching being related to hypothyroidism. Histamine problems are our immune system kind of attacking something in us. It's usually the skin or mucus glands. It's uncomfortable.

I'm really surprised that a doctor would give a child antibiotics for swollen lymph glands. I had them all the time as a kid and my son gets them from time to time and it's just shows that the body is fighting something the way it's meant to. Unless it's 'The Mumps' or combined with throwing up, diarrhea or a constant high fever, I wonder why the doctor prescribed something like that??

Anyway, don't take your child off medications unless you check with the doctor that prescribed them first that it would be ok.

Itching can be helped a great deal with warmish (NOT HOT) baths with oatmeal or baking soda. Both have a very gentle effect on the skin and can help relieve itching and swelling.

Chiro's and Osteos can sometimes encourage how fluid circulates in the body and this can help a lot of different things, but the body still has to heal itself to a large degree and what they do is help facilitate that. (so can a good massage and a warm bath) I'm sure they would tell you NOT to stop medication prescribed by her doctor.

Try baths with oatmeal. It will feel a bit slimy. Don't rub dry, just pat dry. Keep the water temperature just warm. Don't put anything else in the water, like bubble bath or soap. You could give her a little doll with lavender in it to sleep with. The scent can be very calming.

Persist with the medication for her immune system. If you have questions, talk to the doctor who prescribed them. I'm sure he can find out what sort of time frame for recovery is realistic and ask him what other patients on this medication have experienced. It doesn't sound like he explained things very well, but I'm sure she's not the first child he's treated after a bad reaction to antibiotics. If he won't be frank with you, see if his nurse will be. Go back to him and talk and ask if perhaps a topical cortisone cream could help.

Hi,
Did they do allergy testing??? Like the skin test? Do they know what she is allergic to?? Why didn't he think it was allergies??? I'd get more opinions. I run a business that gears toward natural help for problems....although the cause of the problem would be nice to know. If it's allergies the OPC's are good.......unless it's some other problem or food allergy?????
Hope it works out!

Hi Deenah,

My soon-to-be 3 year old had a similar incident and was tested for food allergies (wheat, dairy, soy, nut). It turned out he was/is allergic to wheat and once we removed it from his diet the rashes went away and he hasn't had to go to the pediatrician for antibiotics in over a year! Check out this website about 'Wheat Gluten Sensitivity or Intolerance' the symptoms and effects. Don't be afraid to really 'dig in'. Lots of great info - www.celiac.com.

Ask your allergist if they have other testing methods in addition to blood draw (i.e. fecal) for potential food offenders. Gluten (wheat protein) or ceasin (dairy protein) seem to be the worst food allergy offenders. If your allergiest replys no, go to www.enterolab.com and order your own test to be done. My whole family was tested via Enterolab. They were excellent and efficient to work with.

Let me know if you have any questions ..... and best wishes!

Hi Deenah,
My heart goes out to you!
My experience with my son was horrible hives everytime he ate wheat or gluten (and then they lasted for days after the one exposure). My son, daughter and myself all adopted a gluten free diet (no wheat, rye, barley, oats and the other "cousin" grains to wheat).
Things that are helpful for us:
Wheat and Gluten free diet (always)
Gluten Free oatmeal in the bathtub when they are especially itchy
Emu oil on his skin when itchy

I purchase most of my things at Fresh and Natural or Whole Foods (both in the Twin Cities, MN).

I hope this is of some help to you.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
I wish you the best. Good for you for seeking out additional answers for your child. :)

G. H.

Two things come to mind. I know there's a medication one can take for itching. When I had my emergency C-section, they gave it to me b/c the anesthesia made my whole body itch uncontrollably for two or three days. I scratched so much, I gave myself scabs. So, that's one possible source of relief -- it doesn't cure the source problem, but it might help with the discomfort.

The other thing is mega-dosing of vitamin C. I used to do landscape design and gardening and was often exposed to poison ivy, oak, etc. The only thing I found to be effective to get rid of it and to help relieve the itching was mega-doses of vitamin C. I tried all the lotions, creams, and steroid creams/shots. As an adult, I took three 1000-unit pills a day. You can experiment/research an appropriate dose for your child. Vitamin C is peed out of your system; meaning, it doesn't accumulate and reside anywhere in your system if you take too much -- unlike, say Vitamin A, which if taken in too much can become toxic for a person. So, I'd suggest giving the vitamin C to your daughter to see if it helps.

Good luck.

Hi Deenah- I was just getting ready to post a question about my son. I read your post- do the hives go away or do they stay? Are they isolated or all over- my son went throught this and it seemed to be unexplainable by almost every Dr. We actually went as far to have a biopsy done on one of them to make sure it wasn't cancer or lukemia. What the doctors have told me is that it is called Uticaria Pigmentosa- it is a histamine allergy. The doctors have said that he should out grow this by the time he is in his early adolesent years. We watch these "bumps" as we call them, and if at some time they do itch we stick with the Benedryl. The doctors say there is not much they can do for it but just watch and see if they go away. You might want to check into this- it is a rare thing but not harmful to the child unless it is developed in later teen-age years. Good Luck-

I've had chronic hives since junior high. It sucks. I do chiropractic too for other reasons, but it's never helped my hives (I don't think). I'm on a prescription anti-histamine, which I've taken every day since about 8th or 9th grade.

One thing that I keep hearing OVER and OVER again that works is allergy elimination NAET. You can google it and find a practitioner in your area. I was going to get this done a few years ago (totally natural and painless, and testimony after testimony says it works), but since it's homeopathic, it of course is not covered by insurance. At the time, we simply didn't have the money. Now we do, but my hives aren't as bad as they were a few years ago, and I seem to always spend our money on something else. But you might want to look into it. I don't think it's THAT expensive. And if she's got chronic hives now, she'll likely have them for life. That's what I was told. Which means she'll be on medication for life.

By the way, no allergy tests show me as allergic to anything either. But I do know that when I lived in different states (the Carolinas, Florida, or CA for a visit), my hives got a lot better. I'd still get outbreaks if I didn't take my antihistamine, but I could get away with taking one pill every three or four days, whereas here I sometimes have to take a pill twice a day.

WOw. We had the same thing when our now 6 yr old had a round of antibiotics. He was 2 at the time, and it took 9 mos for the hives to resolve. It was chronic idiopathic urticaria. Hives, from an allergic reaction reaction to his antibiotic. It did resolve in 9 mos., we were on zyrtec 2x a day for 9 mos. And it resolved one day just like that. Hang in there. We did have a thyroid panel done every year since I read many articles that stated sometimes these things spin off from a latent hypothryoidism. At 3 yrs old, he did finally have an abnormal thyroid panel and he's been on synthroid since and doing fantastic. It'll all work out. There's tons of great info. on the hives and the thyroid connection. It'll be alright, it feels extremely scarey when you're in it, because it seems like everything they eat or do or touch triggers the hives. What they are is in a very sensitive state with their immune system overreacting to everything. SO, things that cause histamine naturally (fruits and vegetables and soome grains and dairy) really get blown out of proportion with histamine at this time. Have faith, it will resolve.

I own my own business making homemade bath products on the side. I started doing it because my ex-husband suffers from severe Psoriasis and I suffer from mild Eczema. I use a milk/oatmeal bath everytime I have a flare up. All you do is buy some powdered milk and mix it 50/50 with rolled oats that have been ground up in a coffee grinder or food processor until they are fine. I use 1 cup of the powdered milk and 1 cup of the ground oats for my bath so for a child, since you use less water I'm assuming, you would probably cut that in half. The oatmeal is a natural soother for itchiness as well as the milk. It also works for poison ivy, sumac and oak. Now that will only temporarily releive the itching so as far as long term care I'd try switching to all natural soaps. Soap that you buy in the store is really detergent-yes even the so-called lotion bars have detergent in them. I would also reccomend that you use a soap with Orange Essential Oil as it has natural skin healing properties. If you are interested in purchasing it feel free to contact me or you could also look online. You could use goat's milk soap as well to help soothe her skin.

I'll share my story, which sounds quite similar. About 14 years ago I had bronchitis, for which I was prescribed amoxicillin. Within 48 hours I was so itchy I wanted to tear my skin off my body. It got better as soon as I got off the amoxicillin.

About 2-3 months later, I broke out into hives. And I kept getting hives. I saw my regular doc, an infectious disease specialist, and a dermatologist. Finally I saw an allergist and he put me on -- you guessed it -- Zyrtec, along with a few others, and my hives got under control.

Here it is 14 years later, and I still get hives unless I take my daily medications. Right now I take ranitidine, fexofenadine, and atarax. The bad news is that no one ever figured out what caused it, and I still have the problem without meds. The good news is that the daily meds control it completely and I'm fine.

I have never heard another story like mine until your story about your daughter. I really hope she doesn't have it long term! And I hope you can get relief for her.

Good luck!

Deenah,
Yes nerves can cause hives. And, not that there is a relation, being a single mom myself, who works full time and was going to school full/part time, it really does put more stress on our kids than we think it does. My son, now 7, had some very adverse adjustment reactions to me being gone and busy all the time when I was in school, and I tried to wait until he was asleep to go do my homework.
I would suggest to keep seeing doctors until you get an answer you are comfortable with as far as your daughter is concerned. When you find the right answer, you will know.
Good luck

See if the rxs cause it and see if she has a high white blood cell count.
My family had these sytsems for years and we found out we are allergic to our own blood cells to cancer because we was misdignosed and dosed.
I wish you luck.
D.

I would highly recommend finding a professional in the natural medicine field. Whether is it a doctor, chiropractor, or nutritionist who specializes in natural healing, they will be able to direct you to a specific, age appropriate, non-drug induced treatment. They will offer safe, prove and effective treatments that are designed to heal the body, not just cover the symptoms.
I have used natural medicine for myself and both of my children for 8 years and cannot tell you how they have saved our health. I am grateful to have our health restored and have learned through them how to maintain my health.
Your daughter is obviously allergic to something, whether it is internal or external elements, however, you will be able to find out directly what the cause is. Taking antibiotics only covers the problem and causes other problems.
My daughter had terrible hives and was continually in the school office because of them. My daughter's diagnosis was environmental toxicity. Short explanation: she is allergic to perfume, chemicals and any man-made cleaners, glues, etc. Once we cleared everything out of our home, we were able to re-build her system to good health and restore her own confidence. We couldn't do anything about the terrible air and chemicals used at school (other than send her own soap), but we were able to change her home surroundings and re-build her system to benefit her enough to keep her hives at bay at school. Once she was old enough to switch to another school, her health got even better.
We also altered her diet to provide her with the most optimum immune building nutrition and also cleansed her of the toxins that still re-sided in her body.
If you do not get to the root of the problem, her general health will continue to suffer, her risk of cancer sky-rockets and more problems will generate. Once young girls reach the age of menstruation and puberty, their health is even more critical.
I wish you the best as you search to make your daughter a healthy little girl.

This may be a long shot, but check into parvovirus...not the fifth's disease, but perhaps a different strain. I had it as a teenager, and it started with flu/mono type symptoms for which I was put on antibiotics. However, after a week on the antibiotic, I broke out in a full body rash/hives. Then they rediagnosed as an allergic reaction to antibiotics. I was put on steroids, and the full body rash decreased, but I would still break out any time I would get warm or do physical activity. My sister had the same problems around the same time. We discovered we we're both exposed to puppies with parvovirus, and looked into the symptoms, which ended up matching. It sounds a lot like what your daughter is dealing with.

Apart from that, I do have friends who regularly have brought their child to a chiropractor since birth. They only say positive things, but I suggest finding a chiro who is well trusted with children--ask your friends.

hi try oatmeal soap bar it is all natural and it stops the itching it has calidal stuff in it it is also used for people who have psorisis and excema too .

ps My 10 yr old daughter broke out from an anti biotic also and then I gave her benydral and that was wose cause I found out that she is also allergic to the benadryl , if your giving her benadryl stop and see if it clears it .it could be that she too could be allergic to benadryl also . C. n

Deenah,
I have taken my son to a chiro who also does other alternative practices. I find that when my regular Docs have no idea and have me running in circles, my chiro can figure out what's going on and make suggestions that really work. I see Ginger Dunivan at Acorn Chiropractic. She works with lots of kids and is wonderful!!
http://www.acornchiro.com/
Good luck. What a frustrating situation.
S.

Oh my---I cannot imagine what you are going thru! I'm so sorry. You and your family are in my prayers.

I am an Arbonne consultant which is all pure & natural products formulated in Switzerland. You have an array of many symptoms and by no means am I a doctor BUT I did research skin rashes, allergies, and breakouts on Arbonne.com tonight and thought our ABC (baby care line) would be worth a shot. I can get you free samples immediately!!!

Rest assured, Arbonne's products are all pure, safe and beneficial so there are no risks of complications but if you daughter is still on meds, I would ask that you would get your doctor's blessing before you try.

If interested for samples, call me at 1-###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com

Good luck and I'm here for you!!!

hi, i work in a lab and was wondering if she was ever tested for strep and allergies to food additives or preservatives? Was she given injections of antibiotics or immunizations recently or around the time of onset of illness? These can have preservaties in them that people may be allergic to unknowingly. Egg proteins are used in alot of things and can cause allergy issues. Did she ever get an eosinophil count? These are a type of white blood cell that elevate considerably when an allergy process is happening? I hope this condition resolves soon! One thing you could look into if all else fails is accupuncture.
I am a single mom to one 11 month old girl.

Sounds awful for your daughter! I would seek out a Dermotolgist for anything skin related. They will do a skin scrape and allergy testing to rule out the possible topical things (laundry soaps, lotions..) that could be causing a reaction.

Have you thought of food allergies? I would try keeping a "food journal" of what she eats every day for a month along with notes if her hives seem better of worse. Food allergies are more common than you think. Plus, all those other allergy medicines she's taking are so h*** o* their stomaches and have many side effects. Make sure your Dr. tells you EVERYTHING to watch for as kids don't verbalize well.

On the chiropractic, I have used but have never heard of it being beneficial for hives.

Has your allergist considered looking into food allergies? These can often be a very difficult to track down source of many similar symptoms.

I'm so sorry that she is having hives so badly. As I was reading this I thought of my own experience this winter. I had a cold & then started itching on my chest and back. My skin was so irritated that the scratching left welts & it really hurt. I went to an allergist, g.p. and dermatologist. Did all the tests. No answers. I was miserable. It lasted for 6 weeks. Then I asked my child's dermatologist what she thought this had been and she told me that she suspected that it was a virus that triggered this. She has seen quite a few patients with these symptoms. What somewhat worked for me was Benedryl. Zyrtec was recommended later, but it was gone before I had that information. My father had something similar which also lasted about 6 weeks.

Anyway, I'm sorry that your daughter is experiencing hives. It is frustrating to try to find the answers. I hope her ordeal is over soon.

Oh Dear! I know what you are going through... My now almost 7 year old has has excema her whole life. We found out finally last summer that she has several food allergies, and she is allergic to almost everything in the environment! She takes Zyrtek and Nasonex by day, and Atarax at night.

Here's what works when she is having a major flare up (rare since she's been on Zyrtec):
*oatmeal bath - Aveeno
*lotion to keep her skin moisturized (though too much seems to backfire) - we use Aveeno Baby or Aveeno Daily Moisturizer
*eat more yogurt - it has those probiotics other people were talking about
*chiropractor - I don't know if it helped or not, but it's always a good idea, especially when sick!

Occasionally, hydrocortizone or Aveeno lotion with calamine will soothe an itchy spot!

It sounds like maybe the meds brought out an allergic reaction that was hidden before. If I were you I'd try an elimination diet and see if that helps. Take dairy out of her diet for a week or two and see if that helps. Then try wheat, etc. Hopefully you'll find something that is causing it. Think of what she's eaten within 2 hours before the breakouts.
One other thing you should look into is Olive Leaf Extract. It's a natural antibiotic and people have even used it for strep and things like that.
Hope this helps,
J.
Mom to 4 and soon one more through another adoption.

Deenah: go to your local healthfood store and ask for the homeopathic med for hives. this has worked for toddlers and teenagers . Never failed. Even worked for the grandfather .Good luck. I am a grandmother of 21 and a retired RN

I go to a chiropractor that has helped me with many issues. I'm not sure about hives but they may have a solution with a natural approach. You can go to their website www.advancedhealth.topchiro.com and maybe find some answers. The antibiotics may have triggered other allergies in her, start by taking her off of milk and see if this will make a difference I have a 2 year and she can't even have buttermilk pancakes because her elbows flare up. Does she have eczema? Big red patches everywhere. A mix of aloe vera and virgin coconut oil works wonders, my kids all have eczema. May sting just a little at first but the broken skin has to heal. I use more aloe than oil, whip it with your mixer and be sure to soften up the oil for better blending. You can find these things at health food stores. One thing that antibiotics does to us is strip us of all our healthy intestinal flora and messes up our immune systems. Giving her a probiotic (health food stores) will help her too. I give my kids a brand called Nature's Way taking this everyday is great there are no side effects but if milk is the problem get one that is dairy free. You can also give this to your whole family. Another thing that triggers bad skin in my kids is oatmeal, grapes and sometimes if they are over loaded on tomatoes. Use all these in moderation. Eliminate them one at a time to be sure of what is, try to start with milk first. I give my daughter rice drink, or you can almond drink. I drink this myself because I'm nursing and cow's milk gives my nursing baby gas. It tastes pretty good. Many times when we get out of alignment lots of things can go wrong and maybe if she got straightend it would help. Try to find someone that deals with children, my children go to the chiropractor too. That is all I can think of, hope someone can help you. Do you know why her lymph nodes were swollen? I just wanted to add that getting her aligned may help other issues did she have a sinus infection. Lymph nodes tells us that something is wrong. Also those meds are probably causing side effects. If you log onto that website you can also email any questions that you have. Once again, I hope you can find an answer.

Have they checked her for food allergies? Just a thought. Also, I have heard of a med. called Vistaril (spelling?) (by prescription only) that has helped with itching..what about a steriod to help with itching? Keep us posted.

Try Activated Charcoal. This is a natural remedy that has been used for millenia to treat all sorts of ailments. It is highly adsorbent and will adsorb thousands of chemicals, pathogens, and more... It is non-toxic, and the worst that could happen is that she might become constipated, but only if she doesn't drink enough water after taking the charcoal internally (she should drink plenty of water afterwards). Visit www.BuyActivateCharcoal.com They have the products you will need if you can't find them at a local health food or drug store. Also, they have a lot of information available, and are very helpful, just send them an email if you have more questions.

I would have her take it internally using one of the following methods:
1.) Mix the powder form in water (about 1-2 teaspoon in 8-12 oz.) and have her drink the "slurry". This is the best method, but can be a bit difficult to get used to drinking. It is tasteless, but has a chalky consistency.
2.) Mix the powder in water and let it settle. Have her drink the water off the top.
3.) Mix it in with pudding or applesauce.
4.) She can take it in capsule form if she can't drink it or eat it (but it takes something like 12 capsules to equal 1 tsp. of powder).

Or get creative... just use whatever method you need to get it in her.

Also have her bathe in it (about 1-2 cups/bath tub). If she has open wounds from the hives/scratching, it may "stain" them temporarily, but it will not harm her.

Lastly, if she is still on medication. It is best to have her take it 1-2 hours before or after taking her medication so it does not adsorb the medicine before she has a chance to digest it. If you choose to use it long-term, it is best to have her take it 1-2 hours before or after meals also.

If her body is overloaded with toxins (which may be why she had swollen lymph nodes and is suffering from hives), charcoal should help clean her out. I would try this for a few weeks and see if she continues to break out.

Just a side-note, activated charcoal is a great remedy for diarrhea and vomiting (you may still vomit, but it helps get rid of the toxins that are causing you to vomit), bug bites/stings, and much more...

Hope you find some relief for her soon.
Sincerely,
H.

Deenah -

Take your daughter to an immunologist. This is different from an allergist - I did not realize this until a few years ago. My daughter had the similar problems, starting at a few days old, and was reacting to antibiotics and to other things that did not make sense. An immunologist can go a specialized blood work up that includes a complete immune system panel. In our daughter's case, her immune system was not working properly and was making her system do wonky things. Unfortunately, she was five by the time we found an immunologist and got her real problems diagnosed and treated, which meant years of extra pain, suffering and damage. She is now 12 and a half and for the most part doing well. Allergists and pediatricians are great, but they don't have the same kind of training and specialties as an immunologist, and don't find the underlying causes (and solutions) that the immunology specialist can.