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.