My daughter's mood swings seem to directly relate to allergy flareups, yet no one has given me an answer as to whether they are related. She is 10 years old, and when these "symptoms" flare she is a mean, alternating with weepy, girl. When not in these moods she is a sweet, thoughtful child. Can her allergies be causing such a great change in her personality?

L.E.B.

At the age of 10, there's an excellent chance that your daughter is going through puberty. Even if the outward signs of puberty are not yet evident (body hair, breast development, menses and so forth), she may still be experiencing the hormonal shifts that precede these physical changes.
This explains why her emotions may be more labile than usual. But what is the connection with allergy flareups? Could allergy flareups account for her stormy emotions, even in the absence of puberty?

In the thick of an allergy attack, one's body experiences many changes. Allergy, ultimately, represents an inappropriate overreaction of the body's immune system to "foreign material" (such as pollen, cat dander and so forth). A not-bad analogy would be a police department that responds to a minor threat (such as a peaceful demonstration) with brutal force.

In the case of the immune system, the individual cells that make up the immune system emit a variety of chemicals that account for the well-known features of allergy: swelling, itching, pain, excessive mucus production, sneezing and fatigue. It is certainly possible that some of these chemicals may have a direct effect on the limbic system (emotional center) of the brain, but it is far more likely that the expressed emotions are an appropriate response to a physical condition. To put it bluntly, "I feel like death warmed over, and I am NOT particularly happy about it!" Some adults develop coping strategies that enable them to behave well even in the face of physical distress, but one cannot expect a child to do the same.

My advice: Take a page from the pop psychology of the late 20th century. Next time her behavior reminds you of Linda Blair in The Exorcist, acknowledge her feelings. "Darling, I think you may be angry (miserable, unhappy, etc.) because of these awful allergies. Let's see if we can find some way of treating these allergies so you'll feel better." She may not agree with the connection between her behavior and her allergies (children vary in their degree of insight), but she can at least agree with you that "feeling better" is a worthwhile goal.