Major Study Underway

A major study involving thousands of children and the development of allergies is underway. Researchers are studying the idea that our life style is actually promoting allergies. This five year study out of the University of Helsinki will look at what is commonly known as "the hygiene hypothesis". The idea behind this theory is that the immune system will over-react to non-infectious proteins because we keep things so clean and antiseptic that, quite frankly, its bored. We'll wait to see what the results of this study show. In the meantime, keep up with the dusting and vacuuming. For the complete article, go to:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109164....

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Food Allergies and Bullying

It is articles like this that make my blood boil:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AllergiesNews/story?id=4659705&page=1The story features a peanut allergic teen being bullied by classmates. These classmates would put peanut products around her "to see her face swell up". She was repeatedly threatened by these bullies. The school was reluctant to take action and the parents finally filed a 504 Plan to make sure that any threats would be treated as discrimination. Food allergy bullying is on the rise. Again, the key is education. We need to make sure that students and adults understand the seriousness of food allergies. Swift action needs to be taken in the event of bullying. A food allergic child has enough to deal with- anxiety over every bite they take, carrying medication at all...

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New Initiatives

"Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy" is FAAN's (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network's) latest initiative brought to Capitol Hill this week. Basically, it is a call for national school guidelines, better public education, development of food allergy diagnosis and management, more funding for research and improved food allergy labeling on food items.The House of Representatives has already passed legislation for school guidelines and it is expected that the Senate will soon follow. More public awareness is up to those of us who deal with food allergies on a daily basis. We need to keep talking about food allergies and help educate others. As public awareness increases, awareness by healthcare professionals should also be on the rise. Hopefully the days of doctors telling us that our babies...

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Restaurant Challenges for those with Food Allergies

There are so many challenges to eating in a restaurant for those with food allergies that many choose not to do it at all. With proper planning and communication, though, the experience can be rewarding and safe. If you choose a restaurant close to home, call in advance. Talk directly to the chef and explain the food allergies. If you have any concerns that the chef is not taking this seriously, hang up and look elsewhere. If you feel comfortable after speaking to the chef, arrange a time to visit the restaurant. Choose a slow time so that you will get the one-on-one attention you need. Tell the server or hostess about the food allergies when you arrive. Let them know that the chef is expecting you. Ask questions and re-confirm the special arrangements needed. Thank the chef, server...

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Outgrowing milk allergy

When we learned of our son's dairy allergy, we were told that he would probably outgrow it by the age of three. When that didn't happen, we were told that he would certainly outgrow it by the age of five or six. When that didn't happen either, we began looking around and realizing that there seemed to be an awful lot of teenagers still holding on to their milk allergy. The largest study to date on milk-allergic children published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology supports our personal observation. Record numbers of students are entering college with a milk allergy. A little dis-heartening to those of us hoping for a quicker outcome.As this article discusses, milk allergy does not get the same respect as a peanut allergy. To sit a milk, allergic child at the "allergy"...

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Cure for Peanut Allergies?

Fox News just posted an article about a possible cure for peanut allergies to be available within the next five years. It sounds like Duke University is doing some work with peanut allergy and immunotherapy (desensitization injections). Working toward a cure is great news. More shots for children doesn't sound so good, but we'll take it to protect our food allergic kids. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network provides an opportunity to make donations toward research. Go here to make a donation: http://www.foodallergy.org/Research/researchdonate.htmlCheck out the Fox News story here:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354230,00.h...

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