Food Allergy Passed on Through Donated Organs and Bone Marrow Transplants

I recently posted a blog at Peanut Allergy.com that may be of interest. Check out "Peanut Allergy Passed Through Organ Transplant".

Go ahead...I'll wait...

I know- strange right? While bizarre, hopefully it will lead scientists to some answers for us about how food allergy works in the body.

Final days to vote for Camp TAG in the Pepsi contest. Summer camps for kids with food allergies...nice!

Nestle Recalls Popular Halloween Candy- Beware!

While searching through your child's bag after a night of trick or treating, be aware that Nestle® has recalled their fun size packages of Raisinets due to undeclared peanuts. Check here for the specifics on the recall.

Are you getting regular recall alerts for foods that have been contaminated with allergens? The scary thing is that I receive numerous recall announcements each week. There are many sites to help you stay on top of these alerts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers e-mail notices, Twitter announcements, and of course "there's an app for that" for food and drug recalls. For specific food allergy alerts, sign up on FAAN's site. 

Don't forget to vote for Camp TAG today!

Food Allergy Products Discounted for Big Savings

Dealing with food allergies sure can be expensive, can't it? From special allergen-free foods, life saving medications and products like medical bracelets, it's not cheap to be safe.

 

Enter FAAN's E-Discount Place. Here are just some of the great offers you'll find:

• 15% off at Divvies
• up to 25% off at MedicAlert
• 15% off at Sweet Alexis
• 10% off at Vermont Nut Free
• Free copy of Allergic Living Magazine

So, check it out and start the week off with some money-saving offers.

And don't forget about Camp TAG. Register your vote for this idea to fund allergy-friendly camps across the US. Vote every day through Oct. 31. I just placed my vote!

Easy Fundraising for Food Allergy Research

Here's an easy way to raise money for FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network)- rate restaurants.  AllergyEats counts on peer review to provide a listing of allergy-friendly restaurants across the United States. The more people who participate in the ratings, the more valuable it will be for all of us. The database currently lists over 600,000 eating establishments.

To help, simply go to AllergyEats, sign up, and rate restaurants. For every restaurant rated, AllergyEats donates money to FAAN.

Simple and effective. I like it!

Another great thing to do today- CampTag is currently #32 in the Pepsi Good Idea Contest. Vote every day until the end of October for the "good idea" of opening food allergy friendly camps across the country!

Now, don't you feel empowered about all the good things you can do for those with food allergies?

Enjoy your day.

Support Funding for Food Allergy Research

I am so excited about all the food allergy research the past couple of years! As I've mentioned before, we've finally exited the black hole, where for nearly 10 years, there was very little study in the area of food allergies. The message we were all given was, "if you're allergic to it, avoid it". That's it. There were no other options.

Finally things are turning around.

Dr. Robert Wood, Director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, is the Principal Investigator in 24 clinical studies in hopes of learning more about food allergy and finding a cure. From studies into the use of oral immunotherapy and sublingual therapies, to research into the effective ways to deal with adolescent food allergies to decrease deaths in this high risk group, Dr. Wood and his team are forging ahead on many fronts.

So, how can we help?

Consider a financial contribution to Dr. Wood's research team. I know- money is tight for everyone, but as we look ahead to the hoilday season, I can't think of a better gift for our children (and adults) with food allergy than hope for a cure. When grandparents ask what they can give your kids this Christmas, consider asking them to make a contribution in your child's name. Rather than buying one more action figure, take that money and send it off to be used for research.

If you are able to make a financial contribution, make a check payable to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and send it to:

Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Development Office
Attn: Jennifer Balzano
100 N. Charles Street, Ste. 200
Baltimore, MD 21201

Be sure to include a note with your donation stating that your gift is in support of Dr. Wood.

Just think, our dollars can go toward a cure for food allergies. No more worrying about cross contamination and allergic reactions. No more label reading for allergens. No more kids feeling left out at birthday parties and other celebrations.

I can't think of a better investment.

Flu Vaccine for People With Food Allergy

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) has issued a statement about egg allergy and the flu vaccine after re-examining three studies. The conclusion?

We need more studies.

And thus a multi-center clinical trial is presently underway in the US.

Really? We still don't have enough information on this?????

Now, there is some good news. Many vaccine manufacturers are listing the amount of ovalbumin (egg) on their inserts. This means doctors can seek out low ovalbumin vaccine for their egg allergic patients.

The other finding is that most people with egg allergy do tolerate the vaccine. However, the numbers of severely egg allergic subjects in the study was low, and so it is with caution that researchers can recommend the flu vaccine to this sub-group.

So, it makes sense to explore this again this year. Talk to your allergist. Can they get low egg vaccine? What are the risks vs the benefits of the vaccine? What have they seen in their practice so far this flu vaccine season?

At this point we've done what we always do- the rest of the family gets the vaccine in the hopes of protecting the non-vaccinated egg allergic family member. We see the allergist in two weeks, though, and this is on my list...

...again...

Is it so hard to come up with a flu vaccine without growing it on chicken eggs? Sigh...

Some related posts for those of you dealing with this for the first time:

Flu Vaccine Recommendations and Egg Allergy
Flu Vaccine for Egg Allergic
Still Confused About Egg Allergy and Flu Shots?
Guidelines for H1N1Vaccine and Egg Allergy
Flu Shot Season

Food Allergy Study Turns Off Allergic Reactions in Mice

Can the body be trained to tolerate proteins that cause food allergy reactions? Researchers at Johns Hopkins are one step closer to answering that question. They have found a way to turn off food allergy responses in mice. By feeding a modified food protein to food allergic mice, scientists discovered that the immune system was able to tolerate the offending food. Within five days, the mice were able to tolerate the food in an unmodified form!

Pretty cool, huh?

Researchers are now looking to see if there is an implication for humans. Check out the full article in Science Daily.

I love to read about this kind of progress and remain hopeful that this is another piece of the puzzle leading toward a food allergy cure.

Overprotective Parents and Increase in Food Allergies

I'm trying not to take offense with this article, but it's hard not too. I'm going to go with the idea that the writer was looking for a sensational headline to increase readership.

Yeah, that's it.

Here's the thing, medical doctors have been telling parents to delay introduction of certain foods and to read all labels to avoid any trace of highly allergenic foods. We've been told that our food allergic children could die if they eat even a tiny amount of their allergen. And people have died.

I realize that the latest research is beginning to show a different picture. Recent studies are showing that it may be better to introduce major allergens at a young age. This news article talks about a recent article in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Imunology. A study involving 2500 infants showed a lower incidence of egg allergy for the babies introduced to egg before 12 months.No other major allergens have been studied.

For now, stay in touch with your pediatrician and allergist about what is best for your baby or child.

Overprotective parents...geeeesh...we're just doing the best we can with the information we have. We're just being the best parents we can be.

Food Allergy Summer Camps

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is pursuing a $250,000 grant from PepsiRefresh to open camps in 11 cities for children with food allergies and their siblings.

FAAN needs our help.

The top two ideas get the money. This idea, called Camp TAG (The Allergy Gang), is currently ranked at 25.You can vote every day through Oct. 31. Let's get the word out and vote today for our kids with food allergies.

VOTE HERE.

Food Allergy Friendly Baking: The Divvies Bakery Cookbook

 
Lori Sandler is the founder of Divvies Bakery and the author of the Divvies Bakery Cookbook. She's also a mom of a child with dairy, egg and nut allergies, so everything in her gourmet bakeshop and in the cookbook are free of those major allergens.

I've shopped the Divvies online store for holiday treats (their BingGo! chocolate bars rival a Hershey bar and make a great Halloween treat) and I was pleased to find Divvies cookies in our Walt Disney World hotel when we vacationed there recently. The candies and cookies are, in a word- YUM!

Recently I had the opportunity to check out Lori's new cookbook. It is filled with over 70 recipes designed for bake sales, class parties and at-home celebrations.

Flipping through the pages the first time, my eye instantly caught the "Oh Fudge" recipe...
"Oh Fantastic" is more like it! No one would ever guess this is a dairy-free fudge! It's super-easy to make and satisfies that daily (okay, hourly) chocolate craving.

We also tried "Your Favorite Applesauce" after apple-picking this week-end. This is another easy one. The smell of baked apples wafting through the house soon led everyone to the kitchen to try some of this treat.

"Andrea's Mom's Granola Bars" was another hit. The Craisins® and chocolate chips added just the right flavors to this bar recipe.

Most of the recipes in the book call for ingredients found in anyone's pantry. This is a great baking book to have on hand. And get one for Grandma too so she can make cake and cookies that are safe for her grandchildren and worry-free for you.

Food Allergy E-Show Features Cybele Pascal

Check out a new e-show (that means a show that can be watched on your computer) by Cybele Pascal.

As the mother of a food allergic family and an author of two allergy-friendly recipe books, Cybele brings her knowledge to the world wide web.  Each month, The Eat Freely Show will feature recipes, as well as demonstrations and tips for those dealing with food allergies. The first episode is available now and offers a recipe for allergy-friendly pancakes.

Our family has enjoyed recipes from both of Cybele's cookbooks. Tune in each month for more great ideas in living with food allergy.

Epinephrine Use to Treat Food Allergy or Insect Sting Reactions

State laws vary in regards to whether non-medical personnel may administer epinephrine to a person experiencing anaphylaxis due to an allergic reaction. Recently, the WMS (Wilderness Medical Society) addressed this issue. The organization has taken the position that:

• outdoor instructors authorized to treat anaphylaxis should be trained to administer epinephrine
•  legislative change on the federal level should establish uniform protection in all 50 states

So, see that second bullet point? That means families need to know what the law in their state says about non-medical personnel administering epinephrine. In New York, for example, teachers and camp counselors are permitted to administer epinephrine after proper training. Other states strictly prohibit this. Good Samaritan Laws may cover people in some areas.

Ideally, a person with a known allergy that may lead to an anaphylactic reaction carries their own medication and self administers if necessary. That is not always possible though, especially for children experiencing a reaction. The laws need to protect helpers who may need to assist someone in a life-threatening situation.

Read the full WMS position and know the laws in your state.