Enlarged Tonsils and Lymph Nodes may suggest infection but often are caused by food allergy and resolved with diet revision.

The lymphatic tissues of the nose and throat (lymph nodes, tonsils, adenoids) are the primary sites of immune response to in-coming food materials. It is not surprising then to find the tonsils and adenoids enlarged in an allergic child. Interactive maps

Find and palpate the cervical lymph nodes ("glands") on either side of the neck. This lymphatic tissue is typically enlarged with food allergy and may swell dramatically to mark a food reaction.

This lymph node swelling is often attributed to infection - either bacterial or viral. Antibiotics are often prescribed in vain and repeatedly without the physician realizing the diagnostic error (it is food allergy, not infection!).

The allergic origin of the lymphatic enlargement becomes more apparent after repeated or prolonged episodes.

Some children have very large lymph nodes and physicians are inclined to do biopsies to check for more serious disease such as lymphomas or leukemia.

It actually makes sense to think that prolonged stimulation of lymphatic tissue by food allergy could contribute by some unlucky misadventure to the development of lymphatic malignancies.

The best idea in any case is to assume food allergy and do diet revision to remove the cause of the lymph node activity.

Brief Note on Delayed Pattern Food Allergy

In this section we are discussing delayed food allergy, not the more obvious immediate food allergic reactions. Delayed patterns of food allergy are not so obvious and generally go unrecognized. Allergy skin tests do not show this problem nor do blood tests for antibodies such as RAST or ELIZA. Delayed patterns of food allergy are responsible for causing specific diseases such as asthma and eczema and also common but ill-defined illness patterns in children. Lymph node swelling and tonsil enlargement are associated with these delayed food allergy patterns.

There are many ways for food problems to interfere with a child's normal functioning and to promote disease. We assume that several problems interact in a complex manner to produce the symptoms and dysfunction that we seek to remedy. It is always necessary, therefore, to correct nutritional problems by complete diet revision using the the Alpha Nutrition Program. A children's rescue starter pack combines this program with the Book of Children in printed or eBook format with a 500 Gram jar of Alpha ENF, our complete nutrition, food replacement formula.