Generic Epi Injectors for Allergic Reactions

 There is growing concern among those in the food allergy community about the rising number of epinephrine auto-injectors coming into the market. Now, you may remember that I expressed much excitement when Auvi-Q joined EpiPen as another option for people requiring an epi-injector. I liked the idea of choice and competition. I'm not going back on that, but with two more units ready to hit store shelves, we need to make sure that parents, teachers, school nurses, coaches and others are educated about what an epi-injector looks like and how to use it.

 To start, I'd like to direct you to a well-written post over at Kids With Food Allergies. "Important News about Epinephrine Auto Injectors", written by Dr. Angela Nace, of Jefferson University School of Pharmacy, clearly outlines the differences between the types of auto-injectors that will be available. I particularly appreciate the easy-to-read chart included in the report.

  
After you've digested the information by Dr. Nace, there are a few other things to consider:

• which epinephrine injector works best for your family?
• will you have more than one type of injector on hand?
• what are the out-of-pocket costs associated with each type?
• how will you make sure that care-takers are aware of the different types and how to use them?

One other thing to think about is that with the availability of a generic epi-injector, doctors and pharmacies may be obliged to give out the generic, depending upon insurance or the way the prescription is written. Be clear with the doctor and pharmacy about the type of epinephrine auto-injector you want.

Angela Nace is Field Coordinator for Experiential Education, Department of Pharmacy Practice, at Jefferson University School of Pharmacy. - See more at: http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/available-epinephrine-auto-injectors-new-generic#sthash.Q0OaWZpA.dpuf

Angela Nace is Field Coordinator for Experiential Education, Department of Pharmacy Practice, at Jefferson University School of Pharmacy. - See more at: http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/available-epinephrine-auto-injectors-new-generic#sthash.Q0OaWZpA.dpufAngela

Angela Nace is Field Coordinator for Experiential Education, Department of Pharmacy Practice, at Jefferson University School of Pharmacy. - See more at: http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/available-epinephrine-auto-injectors-new-generic#sthash.Q0OaWZpA.dpuf

Angela Nace is Field Coordinator for Experiential Education, Department of Pharmacy Practice, at Jefferson University School of Pharmacy. - See more at: http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/available-epinephrine-auto-injectors-new-generic#sthash.Q0OaWZpA.dpuf

Angela Nace is Field Coordinator for Experiential Education, Department of Pharmacy Practice, at Jefferson University School of Pharmacy. - See more at: http://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/available-epinephrine-auto-injectors-new-generic#sthash.Q0OaWZpA.dpuf

Low Allergy Milk

Milk Safe for Milk Allergic?

I'll admit that I'm a little wigged out about genetically modified foods. For right now, my opinion is that I want it clearly marked so consumers can make their own choices. That said, I'm intrigued by the news of a genetically modified cow that can produce milk without beta-lactoglobulin - a whey protein to which some people are allergic.

Researchers were able to interfere with the RNA of a cow, that went on to birth a calf that doesn't produce milk with any detectable beta-lactoglobulin. (Said calf was also born without a tail, but researchers believe that is unrelated to the genetic modifications...still wigged out). Researchers will now watch to see if the genetic modification will be passed on through future cow generations.

Of course more research is needed and low allergy milk will probably not be found in grocery dairy cases in the near future. Read the abstract in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (full text copies may be purchased) and check out the article in the BBC that originally caught my attention. The ability to remove the protein that is causing allergic reactions is appealing to me as long as it is done safely and ethically. We shall see where this leads...

Pinning for Food Allergies

Food Allergy Pinterest Board

Nope, not pining for food allergies (who would do that?!), but pinning for food allergies on Pinterest has become all the rage. If you're not on Pinterest because you are waiting to be invited, the wait is over. A few weeks ago, Pinterest opened their doors to everyone. Just sign up here with your Facebook, Twitter or email account.

Do I really need another social media outlet? My thoughts exactly, but I can say that I enjoy the visual boards and find information on Pinterest that I'm not finding elsewhere. How about this Food Allergy Detector from knegadesign.com? Interesting idea that might be something to keep an eye on in the future. Just search "food allergies" for tons of printables, recipes and products. It's a virtual bulletin board and a fun, visual way to keep track of information. Come visit!

Allergy Free Eggs

It may seem a little science fictionish, but researchers at Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Australia believe they can modify the proteins within egg whites to produce chickens which will lay allergy-free eggs.

Maybe we can also answer that age-old question- "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 

In this case, the egg wins.

Researchers at Deakin, in collaboration with CSIRO in Geelong and the Poultry Co-operative Research Centre, state that there are four proteins in egg white that cause allergic reactions. They have found a way to effectively switch off those allergens in the egg, which will make a chicken that will then lay eggs free of allergens.

This could lead to a flu vaccine free of egg allergen and may even lead to bakery items and other commercially available foods that can be labelled as containing "allergen-free eggs". 

While the research is expected to take another three years to complete, there is a possibility of allergy-free vaccines in five years. 

This leads me to wonder if allergens can also be switched off in peanuts, dairy and other foods that cause allergic reactions for many people.

Stay tuned!

Baked Milk and Egg Recipes for Dairy and Egg Allergic

Bake with Dry Milk

So is anyone working on allergy-friendly recipes that introduce baked milk and baked egg for those with dairy and egg allergies? 


This Twitter feed from Dr. Browdash at the 2012 Western Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (WSAAI) meeting says, "70% of children who are allergic to egg or milk can tolerate extensively heated forms of the protein (e.g. cookies, cake).


We've gotten the go-ahead from the allergist, but I'm getting a little bored with my chocolate cake recipe into which I add one egg now. The guidelines are: bake for a minimum of 30 minutes at a temperature of at least 350 degrees. This means no cookies or cupcakes (not in the oven long enough), my favorite granola bar recipe is out for the same reason too. Cake seems to work well as I can substitute the additional eggs called for in the recipe. I'm not doing well with the baked milk at all, although we've had some success with commercially available breads like Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl, although I would prefer to make from scratch so I can control, and then increase the amount of dairy protein as tolerance increases.


This is an untapped area. Anyone else exploring this? I'd love some suggestions!

Help for Parents of Food Allergic Kids

Allergy and Asthma Network is a great resource for parents. They have two new videos available that may be helpful. The first one features Chef Ryan Hutmacher, owner of Centered Chef. He finds a family in the grocery store who is struggling with a long list of unsafe foods. Chef Ryan helps them develop a plan for making safe home cooked meals.

The second video is a panel discussion that tackles real situations related to food allergy that come up in our schools. They discuss things like peanut-free tables and self-carrying of epinephrine.

Both videos are about 30 minutes long and packed with great information.

Find both videos at Life Links for Parents.

Planning Ahead for Thanksgiving Dinner

Food holidays are always challenging when you need to plan around food allergies. By keeping things simple and planning ahead a delicious holiday meal is easy to achieve. Here are some tried and true Thanksgiving tips and recipes:

• I always brine our Thanksgiving turkey. Honestly, this will be the moistest, most flavorful turkey you've ever had. Check out my article, "How to Brine a Turkey".
• Our side dishes are simple. For mashed potatoes, I reserve some of the potato water to beat back into the boiled, softened potatoes. Dairy-free margarine, a little seasoned salt and some pepper and we're good to go. We enjoy my sweet potato recipe and I serve a variety of vegetables like green beans, corn and raw veggies including red pepper, carrots and grape tomatoes. 
• I usually make bread in the bread machine or serve biscuits. Homemade stuffing isn't too tough to tackle. Follow this Cook's.com recipe using safe bread and margarine.
• It's always fun to make a few dessert selections. I have some of our favorites under the recipe tab of foodallergyassistant.com if you're looking for new dairy, egg, peanut and nut-free ideas.

Start gathering recipes and planning now for a low(er)-stress holiday meal. I'd love to hear how you've adapted some of your family favorites to accommodate food allergies!

Food Allergy Blog Carnival

Ladies and Gentleman....Step right up to the latest edition of the Food Allergy Blog Carnival! Feast your eyes on the wonders of living with food allergies. Tantalize your senses with allergy news from around the world. Join us on the wild, gut-wrenching ride of "Life with Food Allergy".

Enter our attractions- new and old- and prepare to be astounded and amazed:

Diane says, "More and more people are seeking a healthier lifestyle. Indeed, recent events in the economy have served as a wake up call for more than finances; for some, it is clear that fundamental changes need to be made in the way they live. Check out her "Top 50 Blogs to Help You Live Healthy".

Fred writes for Parenting Squad and wants to share his article about research on children and milk allergies.

The Allergy Kid Mom wonders if Nut Allergies Equals Poor Health.

We also have Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket who muses about adding protein to baked goods in a recent post.

Lisa offers her family's review of Sunbutter. She says, "My daughter was just diagnosed with a nut allergy. We are trying to figure it all out. We gave Sunbutter a try and here is what we thought.

Rational Jenn offers up "an admittedly ranty food allergy post, in which "I question the advice to 'just teach' our kids about their food allergies. I realize the advice is often well-intended, but when the kids in question are still quite young, protecting them from their deadly allergens is more than simply a matter of education."

Vicky's Ickies brings us "More Than Just Inconsiderate Comments".

Ruth at BestAllergySites.com started a food allergy list after numerous questions from non-food allergic friends and family. She hopes these Food Allergy FAQ's helps you share information with your friends and family.

Janeen comes to us from WEGO Health with a special February Blog Carnival Post.

Jenny, author of The Nut-Free Mom Blog has a duet of offerings for our carnival. First, she says, "So many classroom parties, so much food! Here's my take on it". In a separate post, Jenny says, "the stakes are getting higher as my daughter does more things independently, but I still want to let her do things. This post, Concession Stands, Basketball and Letting Go, describes a recent outing and its positive outcome despite potential nut allergy pitfalls.

Thank you to all and enjoy the rest of your day!

Food Allergy Research and Resource Program

...or otherwise known as FAARP...has been around since 1995. Based out of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, FAARP has two missions:

To develop and provide the food industry with credible information, expert opinions, tools, and services relating to allergenic foods.

To develop and provide the agricultural biotechnology industry with credible information, expert opinions, tools, and services relating to novel foods and food ingredients including genetically modified products.

FAARP collaborates with others to share their experience and knowledge to improve the safety of food products for consumers with food allergies and sensitivities.

They also have a website full of great info ranging from general food allergy info to training programs for food manufacturing companies.

Check out FAARP

I love knowing that FAARP was created to ensure safety when it comes to allergenic food. They've got our back in a quiet unassuming way.

Food Allergy Movie

Are there people in your life who just don't get food allergies?

Check out this 83 minute documentary all about food allergies. Produced, directed, and edited by Kevin J. Lindenmuth, "I'm Not Nuts: Living With Food Allergies", clarifies the misinformation people commonly have about food allergies. Interviews with medical professionals and families bring a realistic viewpoint to dealing with food that can be dangerous to those allergic to it.

It would make a perfect gift for grandparents, teachers, doctors, child care workers and others who need to hear about food allergy issues from someone other than you.

Closing out Food Allergy Awareness Week

Don't forget the Food Allergy Twitter Party at noon and 10:30 pm (Eastern Time) today! Go to tweetgrid.com and type in #foodallergy.

As we wrap-up Food Allergy Awareness Week, check out this list put together by Linda Coss. She's right on target. In light of our experience this week, I must add a #11:

Better Methods to Diagnosis Food Allergies- skin tests are unreliable in most allergenic children. Blood tests give too many false positives. Food challenges are filled with subjective evaluation and are traumatic for the allergic person and their family. We need some kind or x-ray or MRI-type machine to scan for food allergies in a non-invasive way.

Is that too much to ask?

Here's Linda's list...

Top 10 Things Parents of Children with Life-Threatening Food Allergies Want

By Food Allergy Author Linda Coss

#10: Delicious and Easy Recipes – For those who must eliminate multiple and/or common ingredients, cooking can be an enormous challenge.

#9: To Be Able to Easily Dine Out – We understand that it is not easy to prepare allergen-free food in the typical busy restaurant kitchen. But it would be nice if we could easily get correct answers regarding what’s in the food.

#8: Nut-Free Flights – Airlines cannot control the food brought on board a flight by their passengers, but why must they serve little bags of peanuts? How about crackers, pretzels, raisins, licorice, tortilla chips, or just about any other popular snack food?

#7: Empowered EMTs – In many parts of the country emergency medical technicians do not carry – and are forbidden from administering – potentially life-saving shots of epinephrine. This is ridiculous.

#6: Appropriate ER Protocols – Because up to 40-50% of severe reactions are biphasic, those who go to the hospital for treatment should always be kept under observation for at least 5 hours. Unfortunately many emergency rooms discharge these patients as soon as they first stabilize.

#5: Understanding – We want the people in our lives to understand that we are not a bunch of paranoid hysterical oddballs who are making all of this up for the purpose of calling attention to ourselves and our children. Life-threatening food allergies are a very real condition. And yes, we really do have to take a lot of precautions to keep our kids safe.

#4: Knowledge – Currently the only treatment for life-threatening food allergies is complete avoidance of the offending allergens. Since food, and food residue, is everywhere, parents want to know exactly how to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. What steps do they need to take? What hidden dangers do they need to avoid?

#3: Clear Labels on Packaged Food Products – If there is a chance that a product may contain an allergen that is not included in the ingredient label, the package should say so. But if not, companies should not put “may contain” verbiage on the package.

#2: Safe School Environments – Our kids are not learning disabled and do not need “special education.” But they do need a school environment that is not covered with allergenic food residue, and teachers who are prepared to recognize and treat an allergic reaction.

And the number one thing parents of children with life-threatening food allergies want?

Drum Roll.....

#1: A Cure – Most of all, we want a cure. A real cure – the type of cure that would result in our children being able to eat whatever they wanted to eat, without any risk of an adverse reaction.




Ms. Coss is the author of “How to Manage Your Child’s Life-Threatening Food Allergies,” as well as two popular food allergy cookbooks, “What’s to Eat?” and “What Else is to Eat?” – both of which provide recipes for cooking without dairy, egg, peanut or tree nut ingredients. All three books are available at www.FoodAllergyBooks.com, at Amazon.com, and at various retailers nationwide.

Monday Review- Grill Charms

This Monday Review is brought to you by Grill Charms- think wine charm for your grilled meats.

Founder and mom, Leslie Haywood, had an "A-ha moment" when her husband mistakenly gave her the extra-hot Jamaican grilled chicken, instead of the mild chicken she requested. Leslie created Grill Charms to help barbecuers everywhere identify different preferences and dietary needs.

Back in February, Leslie sent me a Grill Charm from her Pink Collection (these charms benefit breast cancer research- love that!). Finally a balmy week-end arrived and we pulled out the grill. I must admit to feeling skeptical at first that these little charms would stay in ground beef. They did. Even through my clumsy burger flipping. It worked great for my grilled chicken the next night too. It was very easy to identify the meat with the charm.

So, how does this relate to food allergies? Of course, depending upon the specific allergy, special precautions must be made when barbecuing. Marinades may contain unsafe ingredients for a person with food allergies. Certain seasonings may be unsafe and foods may look the same on the grill. By inserting a Grill Charm, mix-ups are avoided.

A few tips when grilling where food allergies are a concern:
Consider several layers of foil between the food and the grate. This prevents contamination from the grilling surface.
Use separate grilling tools to avoid cross-contamination.
Do not mix up the meats. A tool such as Grill Charms will help keep meats differentiated.

Check out Grill Charms' website. They offer several collections for steak doneness, seasoning types, Charmed Life (may be great for food allergies) and the Pink Collection (10% of the proceeds from sales goes to breast cancer research). Individual charms can be ordered with free shipping.

Leslie is offering $5.00 off your order for Food Allergy Assistant readers. Type "grilling" as the coupon code when you place your order.

Great gift for Father's Day!

As always, visit the Food Allergy Assistant for more help dealing with food allergies.

Allergy Meds Dangerous for Those with Food Allergies

ELL (Eat Learn, Live) has put out a notice about milk ingredients in several popular allergy medications. For those with a dairy allergy, watch out for these medications containing dairy:

Zyrtec and Zyrtec-D Adult 10 mg tablets
Zyrtec Children’s Chewables (5mg & 10mg)

The Allergy/Asthma Information Association (AAIA) lists other allergy and asthma medications that contain milk:

· Singulair 4 mg granules & 10 mg tablets (not in the 4 mg or 5 mg tablets)
· Reactine, Aerius, Claritin tablets (not liquid form).
· Benadryl 50 mg pink/white capsule (not caplet, chewable tablets or liquid form)
· Prednisone tablets

These asthma medications also contain milk:
Advair
Flovent
Foradil aerolizer capsules
Oxeze turbuhaler
Spiriva capsules
Symbicort turbuhaler
Ventolin diskhaler, diskus, rotacaps

The bottom line is to read every label and question your doctor and/or pharmacist about ingredients in medicines.

I will be sending letters to the manufacturers of Zyrtec, Singulair, Claritin and Benadryl asking them to clearly state that the product contains milk and is dangerous to those with a milk allergy.

For additional food allergy information, visit the Food Allergy Assistant.

Food Allergy and Flu Treatment

The flu has arrived in our house. According to our doctor, the treatment of choice this season is Relenza®, an inhaled medication that must be started within 48 hours of flu symptoms. It can also be used as a prophylaxis- protecting against the flu. I wondered if this would be helpful for those with an egg allergy who are unable to ge the flu shot. According to the medication's website, it is recommended for those individuals. However, be warned, that this medication contains milk protein, so it should not be used by those with a dairy allergy.

For more information about food allergy, check out the Food Allergy Assistant.