Have you experienced problems with people who do not fully understand what it means to have a food allergy? From the waiters at your favorite restaurant to a schoolmate on the playground, those who do not understand the severity of food allergies could unknowingly put your food allergic child in harm’s way.

A report published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that food allergy knowledge in the general public is poor, especially when it comes to knowing the difference between food allergy and food intolerance.

One of the most alarming misconceptions highlighted by the report is that “almost half of participants erroneously believed that a cure exists for food allergy, and more than two thirds stated that a daily medicine could be taken to prevent a food allergy reaction. They also tended to overlook the necessity of strict allergen avoidance: more than 40 percent of participants indicated that other means exist to prevent life-threatening reactions.”

Unfortunately, it is up to the food allergy community to raise awareness and educate others about the severity of the condition. Here are a few tips to help you inform others about your little one’s food allergies. The more people know about food allergies, the more likely they are to be vigilant about helping your child avoid potential allergens.

• Schedule a meeting with your child’s teachers and caretakers to go over the basics and put a plan into place to help avoid an emergency.
• Ask teachers and students to participate in the “Be a PAL” Program, which teaches five simple steps kids can take to keep their classmates safe.
• When you dine out, bring “chef cards” with you to alert the wait staff and those in the kitchen of your child’s allergies.
• Remind people that a food allergy is different from food intolerance, which does not involve the immune system and is typically not life threatening like a food allergy.

Have you had experiences with the general public not understanding the severity of your child’s allergy? I encourage you to help support other food allergy families by sharing some of your stories here and telling us how you handled the situation and any additional recommendations you may have.

-Christine

Neocate is now on Facebook!

Has your child missed out on summer camp fun due to his or her food allergies? If so, he/she may soon be able to have the traditional camp experience in a safe environment. Starting in the summer of 2011, food allergic children and their siblings will be able to attend Camp T.A.G., a weeklong day camp in Illinois, Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland and Texas.

The food allergy-friendly camp will feature a Registered Nurse on staff, allergy-safe snacks, educational activities, games, sports and crafts, and a Parent Education Day.

To learn more about Camp T.A.G., and to request a camp in your location, visit the original post on GoDairyFree.com.

-Nita

Neocate is now on Facebook!

We’ve posted before about Oral Immunotherapy, but since our last update about research by Johns Hopkins, a few more positive studies have been conducted. These studies show hope that Oral Immunotherapy could someday lead to a more effective treatment for those suffering from various food allergies.

If you are not familiar with Oral Immunotherapy, it is essentially building up a tolerance to a certain allergen by ingesting small quantities of it and gradually increasing the amount of the allergen the patient can safely eat. As you can imagine, this is a risky process and should not be attempted at home, but might become a refined enough treatment to one day be used by doctors in treating food allergies.

Though the thought of being able to get rid of allergies is exciting, it’s not quite time to start celebrating. The studies conducted have been relatively small, and not 100% successful. Some of those involved in the process have had anaphylactic reactions, and others have just been unsuccessful in increasing dosage. It’s also not clear whether patients need to keep on eating the allergen to maintain tolerance.

While a lot of research still needs to be done to determine if Oral Immunotherapy is a viable treatment, the idea that individuals with food allergies may not have to avoid certain foods for the rest of their lives is exciting. To read a recent story from the Washington Post about a 9 year old girl with severe milk allergies who has successfully undergone immunotherapy, click here.

You can also check out how many clinical trials are currently being conducted by doing a search at the National Institute of Health Clinical Trials Web site.

Let’s hope these studies go somewhere, and be sure to update us on any other promising allergy treatments out there that you hear about!

-Mallory

Neocate is now on Facebook!