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!

Not so fast. Most likely, this is a big “no, no” if you have an infant with a severe milk protein allergy.

Recently, a small study of 19 children was released from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center on oral immunotherapy for allergies. The researchers were able to desensitize children with an allergy to milk protein by giving them a very small amount and gradually increasing the quantity to build up a tolerance.

For those of you with infants, be aware that this study is focused on older kids who can’t have milk, but whose allergies are not severe enough for them to need an elemental formula, like Neocate.

This is also a study that will likely launch other studies.

I wanted to explain that difference for those parents who might have been confused. If your infant has a severe milk protein allergy, please consult your doctor before changing his or her diet.

John Hopkins is currently studying oral immunotherapy in children with an egg allergy.

For more information, check out this Los Angeles Times blog entry.

And as always, feel free to send any questions my way!

- Nita

All the more reason to be allergy aware! The Center for Disease Control recently released a study on food allergies and children. The federal study, called “Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence and Hospitalizations,” is very extensive.

Here are a few of the highlights:
- Four out of every 100 children have a food allergy. That’s about 3 million kids!

- There has been an 18% increase in children with food allergies since 1997 with 1 in 26 children having food allergies.

- The number of children hospitalized for food allergies jumped from 2,600 in the late 1990s to 9,500 annually in the most recent years.

And to see all of the key findings, click here.

Also, here is a great Washington Post blog entry on this topic. It provides real life issues and examples that allergy parents face.

As we always say, be careful with allergies! Keep a watchful eye and make sure everyone around your allergy prone child is just as vigilant.

Be well,
Dr. Y