Dr. Matiz illustrated how common formaldehyde compounds are with the story of a small boy who presented with severe periorbital dermatitis. Patch testing revealed an allergy to formaldehyde.
His mother was instructed to avoid using products containing formaldehyde, but the boy improved only minimally. He also had asthma and was being treated with albuterol and Singulair (montelukast) chewable tablets.
A little research turned up the fact that the chewable tablets contain aspartame. The boy was switched to the granule formulation, which does not contain aspartame, and he improved.
One food that should be avoided is chocolate, since it can contain nickel, cobalt, and balsam of Peru.
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