Food Allergy Issues One of Top Restaurant Trends in 2010

The National Restaurant Association lists gluten-free and food allergy-conscious meals within their top ten list of trends for 2010.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk into a restaurant and ask to see the dairy, egg and nut-free menu? Then wouldn't it be even more wonderful to know that whatever is ordered will be prepared by a specially trained staff to avoid cross-contamination and accidental allergens?

This is a trend that I hope sticks and spreads.

Here's the complete list of restaurant trends.

Food Allergy Reactions

Do you carry more than one dose of epinephrine in the event of an allergic reaction?

A recent study shows certain risk factors associated with the need for more than one dose. One surprise...a history of asthma does not appear to be one of those risk factors.

People requiring more than one dose tend to be younger and tend to present with wheezing, cyanosis (bluish/purplish tinge to the skin), arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), nausea, vomiting and shock. Those who present with hives are less likely to require a second dose.

Check out the full abstract and think about whether more than one dose of epinephrine is right for you or your child.

Food Allergy Assistant Wishes Everyone a Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit

Curing Food Allergies in the Allergist's Office

I spoke to our allergist last week. She told me of research to take what has been learned through desensitization studies at hospitals like Boston Hospital and transfer those procedures to doctor's offices. This would mean going to the allergist's office every day (perhaps this is done over summer break or every day after school) for increasing amounts of the offending food. The patient would be monitored for an allergic reaction before being sent home.

The original hope was to be able to desensitize at home like we currently can do with allergy drops for environmental allergies. There are concerns about the risks, though, which is why plans are moving forward for instead desensitizing in the physician's office. Our allergist was optimistic that this would be available in the next 2-3 years.

How great would this be. While I realize desensitization hasn't worked for everyone, it does work for many and offers a real solution for a cure.

A cure...that continues to be my Christmas wish and I'm more hopeful than ever.

New Epi Injector?

Have you heard that there's talk of a new method of injecting epinephrine to combat an allergic reaction? The long tubular injectors may be replaced with a device that resembles more of a card.

While I'd personally like to see no need for any type of epinephrine injector, a smaller unit that is easy to conceal would be better- especially for tweens and teens who need to carry their medication.

Stay tuned for more information.

Food Allergies and Travel Abroad

I like free stuff.

Anyone traveling in another country with food allergies should know about food allergy cards. Allerglobal lets you create your own personalized card. For free. Simply check off the allergens from the list and choose from over 25 different languages.

Even if you're not traveling, it's pretty cool to learn how to say or read your allergens in common languages. "Amendoim" is "peanut" in Portuguese.

Go ahead, play around with it!

Food Allergy and Stuttering

Have you ever heard of this?

There may be a link between stuttering and food allergies. Some researchers think that certain foods, such as gluten, peanut butter and sugar may cause speech disfluency. They advise stutterers to consult a gastroenterologist to try to determine if food may be causing the stutter.

I don't know...

Here's the article. See what you think. Any personal stories to share?