Preparing to Be a Birthday Party Guest

Most parents drop their kids off at a birthday party with a "have a great time" and "BEHAVE". Parents of children with food allergies have a whole different procedure. My child is getting too old for me to hang out at the party. He wants some independence, and I agree. As he has entered his tween years, he wants to be "like everyone else". Can't say I blame him there either. I started preparing for the bowling alley birthday party a day in advance:

1. Call bowling alley to find out what food is served at late afternoon parties. Ask for ingredients of hot dogs and rolls. (I will also read the labels myself upon arrival at the party.)
2. Make  cupcake and frosting (to eat when birthday cake is served).
3. Make sure food allergic child is aware of safe food choices.
4. Upon arrival, talk to birthday child's parents- explain allergies (symptoms and sign of a reaction), demonstrate use of EpiPen using trainer, give cell phone number in case of emergency, make parents aware of safe foods.
5. Tell child to have a great time.
6. Leave.
7. Check cell phone a dozen times to make sure I haven't missed a call.
8. Pick up happy and safe kid.

Whew! Another milestone.

Exciting Breakthrough in Food Allergy Treatment

Using a specially designed molecule (HBL), researchers at Notre Dame believe they have found a way to block allergic reactions. The molecule can be introduced into the blood stream at which point it attaches to mast cells, so the offender (food protein, medication, insect venom) is unable to attach and set off the chain reaction that can lead to an allergic reaction.

"We believe HBL has a very high potential to be developed as a preventative medication," said Tanyel Kiziltepe, a research professor at Notre Dame.

At the present time, researchers believe the molecule will be most helpful in emergency situations such as when emergency room doctors don't know if a person is allergic to a medication. They could administer the medication and the molecule at the same time to perhaps prevent a reaction.

The full article is in the September issue of Chemistry and Biology and is available for purchase.

Update on Food Allergy and Flu Vaccine

My egg allergic son successfully received the flu vaccine for the first time. No reactions at all! The better news is that our allergist told us this would be the last time we needed to worry about egg protein in the flu shot. There was only a small amount of protein this year, and next year there will not be any, according to her conversations with various manufacturers of the vaccine.

This is great news for everyone with an egg allergy!

In other news, our allergist shared that the office will begin peanut desensitization sublingually this December. She said that milk and egg desensitization should be ready in the office in a year or so. The process involves placing a liquid or tablet under the tongue every day to get the body accustomed to the protein. The therapy can be administered at home, with occasional trips to the office when protein amount is increased.

I'm feeling so hopeful about all of this! There have been many successes with SLIT (Sublingual Immunotherapy) in research studies, and some offices around the country have begun successful programs as well.

Truly, it has been my dream for there to be no need for my food allergy blog and website. I'm getting closer to being put out of business and I couldn't be happier for my food allergic child and the millions of others with food allergy.

In the meantime, I'll keep writing and we should all stay vigilant to keep those with food allergies safe.

Egg Allergy and Flu Vaccine Recommendations

It's flu vaccine time again. We've never gotten the flu shot for my egg allergic son, but this year the consensus in the medical community seems to be that most people with egg allergy can tolerate the vaccine. We will be doing a flu desensitization at the allergist's office on Monday. That involves a skin test with a control and the actual vaccine. Depending upon the results of that, the vaccine may be administered all at once, or in smaller doses.

We always have the doctor's office order Thimerasol-free flu vaccine for our family. No need for extra mercury, right? I found this link recently that lists each flu vaccine manufacturer and the amount of egg (ovalbumin) and thimerasol in their serum.

Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about egg or mercury in your shot.

...and wish us luck on Monday...

Book Review of Food Cures by Joy Bauer

I recently had the opportunity to review a revised and updated #1 New York Times Bestseller book, Food Cures, by nutritionist Joy Bauer.

One of the first statements made in the book is "Life is hard...food should be easy". Those of us who deal with food allergies every day know that sometimes food makes life harder. While this book doesn't directly address food allergies (although there is a very helpful chapter on celiac disease- more on that later), it does help us "think like a nutritionist". Many of the tips like "pre-plan meals" and "load up on vegetables" are universal and easily fit for food allergy families.

Food Cures looks chapter by chapter at 17 different food issues ranging from diabetes to migraine headaches to celiac disease. Each issue is thoroughly explained and text boxes with FAQ's give a more personal flavor to the information. Every chapter then offers meal plans, several recipes, and a web address for more information.

Of special interest to some Food Allergy Assistant readers may be Chapter 18 on Celiac Disease. The chapter includes a list of common foods and food additives that may contain gluten. The included meal plans would be especially helpful for someone just starting a gluten-free diet, or for someone looking to add to their gluten-free repertoire'. The recipe for gluten-free gingerbread muffins sounds delish.  More celiac info is available on Joy's site.

At over 500 pages, Food Cures offers practical assistance for a wide range of issues we all face. Everyone needs to eat, and Joy doles out information and tips in a very palatable manner.