Category Archives: Food Allergy & Families

Eosinophils & Mast Cells, Food Allergy, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis, Food Allergy & Families

Food Without Fear

What a great name for a new book by Dr. Ruchi Gupta! And the book contents are also wonderful, and well worth reading. The subtitle to the book is “Identify, Prevent, and Treat Food Allergies, Intolerances, and Sensitivities,” and it is these extra topics that make the book so enjoyable to read.

In case you haven’t heard of Dr. Gupta, here is a snippet from the bio on her website for the book: “Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Clinical Attending at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Gupta has more than 17 years of experience as a board-certified pediatrician and health researcher and currently serves as the founding director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR). She is world-renowned for her groundbreaking research in the areas of food allergy and asthma epidemiology, most notably for her research on the prevalence of pediatric and adult food allergy in the United States.”

It was Dr. Gupta’s research in 2019 that found that over 10% of adults in the USA are estimated to have a food allergy. It was also Dr. Gupta whose research estimated that 8% of children in the USA have a food allergy, and to make things even more personal for her, she is a food allergy mom.

I have been in the food allergy community for over 20 years helping my son to manage his life threatening allergies. I can’t remember a book I’ve read on the topic of food allergies that also includes: FODMAPs, FPIES, EoE, OAS, GERD, Autoimmune disorders, Alpha-Gal, and Chemical Sensitivities. Some of these topics are taboo in the medical world, but Dr. Gupta tackles all of them, and she gives information that I haven’t read before anywhere.

She also goes into the Microbiome and its affect on the immune system – one of my favorite topics! She delves into the question of whether we Moms are to blame for our children having food allergies, and lets us all off the hook. Thank goodness!

There is great information about the Western diet and its impact on inflammation in our body and the gut-brain axis. Additionally, she discusses the nervous system and the vagus nerve, which is such a welcome subject when discussing the immune system, and is only recently being discussed by Western medicine doctors.

The only topic that I wish was discussed in the book was Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). So many people mistake the symptoms of MCAS with food allergies, and there is a definite difference. You can read more about MCAS on my website here.

Even if you’ve been in the food allergy community for years, I think you’ll find this book educational, and you will likely learn something new!

Note: I was not paid in any way to write this review of the book. As with any book featured on my website, I personally read the book and decide whether it fits my AllergicChild.com audience and also meets the standards of truth necessary for any family managing food allergies.

Food Allergy, Food Allergy & Families

What the FASTER Act Means to Us!

You have likely heard of the Faster Act of 2021, but just in case you need a little more information about how it will affect those with sesame allergies, let me just say – it has been a long time coming.

First, a little history: When my son, Morgan, was diagnosed at 18 months old in 1997 with food allergies, there was no labeling law in affect. We went home from the doctor’s office with a diagnosis of peanut and egg allergies, and I decided to start making as much of his food from scratch, because I couldn’t trust that the label on any food accurately listed the correct ingredients. And any type of cross contact during the manufacturing process was an even further dream of getting that information!

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) of 2004 went into effect on January 1, 2006. According to the FDA website, “Congress passed this Act to make it easier for food allergic consumers and their caregivers to identify and avoid foods that contain major food allergens. In fact, in a review of the foods of randomly selected manufacturers of baked goods, ice cream, and candy in Minnesota and Wisconsin in 1999, FDA found that 25 percent of sampled foods failed to list peanuts or eggs as ingredients on the food labels although the foods contained these allergens.” Good thing I was being cautious about labels on food products!

The ‘major food allergens’ that were required to be listed in plain English with FALCPA were: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. These are known as the Top 8 in the USA. Other countries required different foods to be labeled on products manufactured in their country, and some of those countries included sesame.

Morgan got diagnosed with a sesame allergy after he endured a severe hive reaction from eating chicken nuggets at McDonald’s. We had a skin prick and blood allergy test performed by our allergist, and she wanted to see if he was allergic to sesame, since those little sesame seeds can appear in food and be almost undetectable. Sure enough, he was severely allergic, and we have been monitoring labels and calling customer service telephone numbers for food manufacturers for the last 20+ years. And let me tell you, it is VERY difficult to find a bread that doesn’t have cross contact issues with sesame!

At one time, I tried to make my own gluten-free bagels since our daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I figured that these bagels would also work for Morgan, and we would know that they didn’t have any sesame in them, nor any possible cross contact in our safe kitchen. After hours of work trying to make a masterpiece, the bagels turned out less than ideal – better for use as a hockey puck or a door stop than for eating!

Since then, we searched for a safe bread in the grocery store, hoping to find one that didn’t also have sesame seeds on a different bread in their manufacturing line. We would then call the company and ask if there was ANY chance that the bread would cross with sesame in their plant. Sometimes we would find out that there was another product that contained sesame that was also run on the same lines. Sometimes we’d be lucky and find a safe bread! For years, Morgan used Roman Meal bread for sandwiches and for a hamburger bun because we couldn’t find any safe hamburger buns in any of our local grocery stores.

The FASTER Act – Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, and Research Act – not only requires that food manufacturers list sesame on a label beginning January 1, 2023, but also provides for more research on the prevalence and economic costs of food allergies. The food label must list sesame in ‘plain language’ and will become the ninth food allergen to be labeled, allowing those of us in the USA to rename the Top 8 to the Top 9!

President Biden signed the Act into law on April 23, 2021.

Morgan and I cheered upon hearing that! And he so looks forward to being more confident of his food choices knowing that sesame will soon be labelled!

Emotional Aspects of Food Allergies, Food Allergy, Food Allergy & Families, Interviews

Not Today, Butterflies! A Book About Food Allergy Anxiety

A great new book by Nicole Ondatje was published this week. Read below for an interview with Nicole about this great new children’s book!

Nicole, you have a new book out called, “Not Today, Butterflies! A Book About Food Allergy Anxiety.” What gave you the idea to write this book?

My nine-year-old daughter has severe anaphylactic food allergies. At age four, she started experiencing anxiety about her annual allergy skin prick tests, attending birthday parties, visiting family, and eating at restaurants. Searching online, I could find children’s books regarding food allergies and a handful of children’s books regarding anxiety, but there weren’t books that specifically and directly addressed food allergy anxiety in children. So, I started researching techniques to help children manage their anxiety, and testing which approaches helped my daughter the most.

 When she turned five, my daughter enrolled in a clinical trial for the peanut patch, adding blood draws and food challenges to her long list of anxiety-provoking situations. My approach was to help her write and illustrate a story in which she overcame her fears of going to her peanut patch appointment by being brave (and getting a sweet treat afterwards). She felt that the story, called “Rosy Goes to the Doctor,” helped her prepare for future appointments. That is how I was inspired to write a children’s book to help my daughter and other children like her who struggle with the daily challenges of living with a food allergy.

The illustrations in the book are wonderful. Did you do the artwork also?

I love the illustrations! Bumblebee Books and Olympia Publishers provided me with an illustrator named M. Das. I felt that it was important that the illustrations were somewhat realistic and included imagery of a human child to whom children could truly relate, rather than a fictitious animal character. My daughter and I worked together to provide the illustrator with detailed descriptions of each character in the book and what we wanted to see on every page. It was really neat to see our words come to life in the drawings that came back to us.

As the parent of a child with food allergies, how much of the book was written from you or your daughter’s personal experiences?

All of it! Both my husband and I have an anxiety disorder that we have to manage, and we experience additional anxiety about our daughter’s food allergy. Our daughter has experienced terrible anxiety in anticipation of her allergy appointments, going to play dates and birthday parties, being different from her friends and schoolmates, and speaking up to friends as well as strangers about her allergy. It breaks my heart that she lives each day with this nagging fear about the lurking danger of her food allergy. Our approach has always been to educate and empower her to learn what she can do to keep herself safe. As a family, we have tried all of the “Ways to Help Your Child Manage Anxiety” included in the back of the book (except the proximity food challenge and happy visit), and we’ve practiced them for many years to learn what techniques help us the most.

 I love the birthday party situation in the book where Quinn has to speak up for herself. I felt butterflies for her! How did you teach your daughter about handling such a situation?

It started with reading a lot of children’s books about food allergies together and having an open dialogue with her. In fact, our first ever food allergy book was your book “Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children’s Story of Peanut Allergies”. We read books that encourage speaking up about your food allergy, like “The Peanut Pickle” by Jessica Jacobs, and “Food Allergies and Me: A Children’s Book” by Juniper Skinner. We read books that help you prepare for a social event and learn how to stay safe, like “The No Biggie Bunch” series by Dr. Michael Pistiner, and “Joey Panda and His Food Allergies Save the Day” by Drs. Amishi Murthy and Vivian Chou. We read other books about calming anxiety in children, like “Don’t Panic, Annika” by Juliet Clare Bell and “Sea Otter Cove: A Relaxation Story” by Lori Lite. We also encouraged our daughter to practice speaking to strangers about her allergy by having her place her order at restaurants and ask about their food allergy practices, and by participating whenever we trained friends, family, school staff, and caregivers on managing her food allergies (in fact, these were practices we learned from you and Morgan!).

 It took several years and many birthday parties before any of us felt reasonably calm about the experience. We still follow the same process of checking with the party planner ahead of time on what food will be served, reading all of the ingredient labels, staying away from foods without a label, and making sure we have two epinephrine auto-injectors with us. As my daughter has gotten older, it upsets her more to bring her own safe treat and eat something different from the other kids at the party. Sometimes we are able to work with the other parent or bakery to ensure the shared party treats are safe for my daughter to eat. But we continue to work on helping her accept being “different” from her peers. Maybe that will be my next book topic!

In the Notes to Parents in the back of the book, you mention teaching a child mindfulness. What’s the best way that you’ve found to have a child be willing to try this skill?

Number one is finding the right tools, and number two is setting an example by practicing mindfulness yourself in front of your child. I’ve included a number of mindfulness tools for kids in the back of the book, but two additional tools that we love are “The ABCs of Yoga for Kids” learning cards and “50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus, and Calm” cards. We practice these cards together, often before bed. A great book to help teach your kids about mindful belly breathing is “Sea Otter Cove: A Relaxation Story” by Lori Lite. We sit and practice different breathing techniques together, starting when we are already calm. As a parent, I absolutely loved Dr. Kristen Race’s “Mindful Parenting” book along with all of her amazing techniques for busy parents and the entire family. My child has witnessed firsthand how I can maintain more peace and levelheadedness when I am disciplined with my daily meditation practice. When I am feeling particularly frustrated or stressed in front of my child, she sees me stop, pause, and take a breath, or blow out an elongated breath, or remove myself from a heated situation and find ways like reading, listening to music, or taking a bath to calm myself. She also sees me push myself to do something in spite of my fear, and I help her recognize all of the instances in which she has been brave despite her food allergies.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

I truly hope that this book helps children and families with food allergies. It’s based on my own personal experience, research that I’ve done through books, conferences, webinars, and meeting with a child psychotherapist whose own child has food allergies. Before publication, it was vetted by that same psychotherapist as well as my child’s board certified asthma and allergy doctor.

Thank you.

Thank you Nicole!

Eosinophils & Mast Cells, Food Allergy & Families

Happy 20th Birthday to AllergicChild!

Twenty years ago this month, I started AllergicChild.com. The Internet was still barely beyond the idea stage, and there were VERY few websites pertaining to food allergies.

I had just written my book, “Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children’s Story of Peanut Allergies,” which my husband and I had self-published. It was the first edition of the book, and several newspapers across the US and Canada had run an article about the book giving out our office telephone number as a way to buy it. I was getting phone calls from numerous families managing their child’s peanut allergies wanting to make a purchase. Hence the need for a website to reach across the world, and to help with lowering the number of phone calls!

The website opened up a lot of communication with families trying to figure out how to send their child to school safely; how to go to worship services and how to explain food allergies to extended family members. I literally received hundreds of emails every week asking me every question you can imagine about how to manage their child’s food allergies.

I answered every email I received. I knew that I had one of the few websites on the Internet that had information about food allergies, and people were always so thrilled to be able to reach a real person who would answer their questions. And many times, I had questions for them as to how they were managing issues that we had yet solved. It was a healthy exchange of ideas.

The website soon included pages detailing our experience of sending our son to preschool. He turned 4 years old the end of January in the year 2000, and we had several months worth of preschool stories to share. I continued to add pages to the website with other experiences as we tried to navigate life safely.

In December of 2005 I began to send out a monthly newsletter. Blogs had yet come into being, and this was the best way to share food allergy news with our followers. My son was almost 10 years old by that time, and he had his own column in the newsletter called “Morgan’s Corner” where he answered questions. Readers would send in inquiries about how Morgan dealt with the emotional aspects of food allergies, such as bullying or being left out of activities. The American with Disabilities Act had yet to be amended to include eating as a major life activity, and sadly schools were not as aware of accommodations to keep children with food allergies involved in all of a classroom’s curriculum.

We had a lot of information on our website about how to read a label to ensure your child was safely avoiding their allergen since labels had no laws governing what had to be listed. In January of 2006, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) became effective. This changed our family’s ability to be able to read an ingredient label and know what was in the food. Labels still had a long way to go to become as reliable as they are today, but it was a great starting point!

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 became effective January 1, 2009. Morgan had been attending a school that was very aware of 504 Plans and had already placed him on one at the start of kindergarten in the fall of 2001. This Act helped many other students across the US have access to accommodations where school districts weren’t as educated about food allergies.

Facebook seemed like a good place for us to extend our reach, and in 2009 we started our AllergicChild group on the platform. It has grown organically up to over 13,000 followers today.

In 2011, we started the blog that I continue to this day. Morgan has added many of his own experiences to the blog including middle and high school trips, preparing and going to college, studying abroad in college, and being in the work world. Raising a good self-advocate was my primary purpose as Mom, and that took all of his 18 years of living at home!

We added a category of Eosinophils & Mast Cells to the blog in 2013 after both my daughter and I got diagnoses. We found there is a big overlap in families who have food allergies, to manage these issues and even celiac disease too. And we continue to share our experience and our hope for a cure.

Thank you for coming along for the ride these past 20 years! We couldn’t have done it without your support, emails and readership. Hopefully we’ll have a cure for food allergies so we won’t need to be here in another 20!!

Food Allergy & Families

Food Equality Initiative (FEI) Provides Food Allergy Hunger Relief

FAI

Food Equality Initiative (FEI), based in Kansas City, Kansas, provides hunger relief for those with celiac disease and/or food allergies through its pantry of safe foods for families in need. As its website states, “Food Equality Initiative, Inc. (FEI) is a recognized non-profit, public benefit corporation established in 2014 by Emily Brown and Amy Goode, to support the low-income food allergy and Celiac communities by providing safe, healthy gluten free and allergy friendly food, nutrition education and advocacy.”

For those of us managing either food allergy or celiac disease, we know how expensive it is to purchase safe foods. Yet, imagine if you couldn’t afford to purchase safe foods for your child! And to make matters worse, when you went to a food bank, there were no safe foods for you to obtain. Or imagine if you applied for WIC (Women Infants & Children) only to find out that there are no substitutions for peanut butter, milk or whole wheat bread. This is why FEI was created.

FEI is advocating for WIC substitutions in addition to the following, as quoted from their website:

  • Establish best practices for the charitable food system to identify, sort, store, and distribute special diet foods
  • Establish nutrition policies that reflects the needs of food insecure individuals with special diets in school and community settings.
  • Push for legislation that provides Insurance coverage of gluten free and allergy friendly foods for a medically necessary diet.

The amazing part of FEI is that not only do they have a pantry in Kansas City for families with food allergies & celiac disease to shop in. They could also box and ship safe foods to families requesting such from around the USA if they had more funding. This all costs A LOT of money!

This is where FEI could really use the assistance of the food allergy community. There are many areas of the USA where families are in need of having a pantry of safe foods set up, similar to what FEI has created in Kansas City. If you have the desire to create this in your community, please contact FEI through their website here.

Donations of money are always appreciated.  You can donate directly to FEI on their website here.

If you’re reading this blog post and need assistance in affording safe food, please click here for more information about qualifications.

I applaud Emily Brown and Amy Goode on creating this wonderful organization, and I encourage each of you to support families in our community that can’t afford to provide safe foods for their children by donating your time or money to FEI.

For more information about FEI, you can read this article or this article by Allergic Living.

Food Allergy & Families, Holidays & Food Allergies

The Wonderful Sit By Me Bakery!

I’d like to introduce you to Steve & Angie of Sit By Me Bakery, a Branson, Missouri based company that creates wonderful cakes, pies, bundtlettes, cupcakes and cinnamon rolls that are baked without wheat, dairy, egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, seeds, potato, corn, and yeast! And they deliver!

Steve and Angie (2)

For those of you who have attended the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference in Denver, you got to taste these wonderful treats! Not only are they delicious, they are also beautiful!

FAblogcon (2)

Hello Steve & Angie! Could you please share with us what food allergies your family manages?

Hi! Thank you for interviewing us! I (Angie) am allergic to milk, tree nuts, lettuce, and yeast. Steve is allergic to eggs, soy, and corn, and lives with Celiac Disease. Our oldest son is allergic to tree nuts. Our youngest son is allergic to tree nuts, soy, shellfish, and a long list of seeds.

How did Sit By Me Bakering come into being?

I write a blog about mental health and chronic pain issues, and Steve is an environmental scientist.

A year ago while at Enchanted Grounds, a coffee shop that sells board games, and hosts gaming meet-ups, I turned to Steve and asked if he thought we could open a similar establishment, geared toward the food allergy community. He said yes! That’s how Sit By Me Bakery was born.

Are your children part of the baking process? What do they think about this wonderful business? 

While they do cook and bake, our sons do not help with business baking. They are, however, willing to be taste-testers, which seems like a great job, but actually requires a good measure of courage! They are excited about our business and we’re grateful for their interest and encouragement.

How did you find yummy recipes for cinnamon rolls, cakes, bundtlettes, pies and cupcakes without the top 8 plus without yeast, corn, seeds, potato and corn?

We started by converting old, basic recipes from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, but it didn’t go well. We read a lot, studied ratios, and began building recipes from scratch. Our current bakes are the culmination of five years, countless tears, and many, MANY experiments in the trash! Remember those taste-testers I mentioned? You can thank them for our delicious bakes! They worked very hard!

Bundtlettes (2)

What is your best selling item?

When we first began, people mainly purchased cupcakes, but now cinnamon rolls are the clear winner! We often hear, “it’s been years since I had a cinnamon roll!” or even more touching, “my child has never had a cinnamon roll, and now they can!”

Do you plan on having a store front in the future?

Our vision is a commercial space where we serve desserts and coffee, and host meet-ups for food allergy individuals and families. It would also be great to meet the needs of more people by shipping bakes and getting our mixes onto market shelves.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to share? 

Thank You to Colorado’s food allergy, Celiac Disease, and EoE community! We look forward to growing into a bakery that not only delivers your birthday cakes, but also invites you into a safe space for a slice of pie and a coffee.

Thank you Steve & Angie!

Nicole’s Note: I ordered a cake from Sit By Me Bakery for my son’s 21st Birthday to be delivered to his apartment near the University of Denver  (when the company was still located in Denver) to surprise him. I’ve always had to bake cakes for him because of the cross contact issues in all the bakeries near our home in Colorado Springs.

2017-01-26 13.19.44

My son said the cake was absolutely delicious – it’s the chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and ganache on the top – and a wonderful way to celebrate his birthday with his 3 roommates!

*** UPDATE ***

Angie and Steve experienced a sudden change of circumstances and subsequently moved their family and business back to their previous home of Branson, Missouri in January 2018. Their storefront bakery will open in Historic Downtown Branson in May 2018, and they look forward to serving both the local community and tourists. They visit Denver frequently, and have plans to make deliveries a part of those trips. In addition, some Sit By Me Bakery treats will soon be available for mail order! Angie and Steve thank the food allergy community for their continued support.

New Address:

Sit By Me Bakery

200 N Commercial St, #210 Branson, MO 65616

Eczema & Rashes, Food Allergy & Families

Kiss Freely with Allergen Free Products!

KF_logo_roundlabel2

Kiss Freely products are free of the 8 major allergens and then some!  They avoid the use of other potential allergens such as sesame, shea butter, peas,coconut, avocado and sunflower seed. Below is an interview with Jennifer Kurko, the Founder of Kiss Freely, to find out about these wonderful products.

Hello Jennifer. Can you tell us how you thought of creating Kiss Freely?

My oldest daughter was diagnosed with multiple food allergies when she was 9 months old.  I really thought we were beginning to navigate life with food allergies pretty well.  Until one night when I kissed my daughter on the cheek and she broke out in horrible hives.  I knew it was not from the food I had eaten because we keep a house that is free from her allergens.

It actually wasn’t until a few days later that I realized it was my lip balm.  It contained almond oil,  Up until that moment, I had not thought to look at what was in personal care products.  I went through everything in the house and threw out almost all our lotions and lip balms.  All my makeup.  I wasn’t able to find a safe line of products and as most food allergy moms know, you are already making a ton of food so making my own lip balm didn’t seem like too much of a stretch!

From there I began making body butter and make up.  Friends began asking me to make them products.  My daughter one night at dinner said, “I can’t be the only one who needs special lip balm.  You should sell them.” We formed Kiss Freely so that people who did need “special” lip balm and other products would have those options.

What allergies do you manage in your household?

My oldest daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, beef and sesame.  My youngest daughter is allergic to eggs and is in the process of being tested for EoE and celiac disease.

What makes Kiss Freely so special for the allergy community?

Kiss Freely is unique in that it is the only cosmetics and personal care items to cater to the food allergy community.  It is top 8 free.  I also took great care to make sure we did not include other highly allergic ingredients so we are free from a lot of thing such as coconut, sunflower, corn.

I completely understand cross contamination.  Our workshop is top 8 free.  We use dedicated equipment for all our products.

I also wanted the products to be as natural and environmentally friendly as possible, so all our products are vegan.  We use organic ingredients whenever possible.

I also take custom orders.  They are my favorite because I know someone is able to participate fully in an activity or finally wear their favorite color lipstick after years of being allergic to it.  I make a ton of custom dance orders and I am in the process of making the black under eye color for a young baseball player. I cry every time I get a picture of the person wearing our products.

What is your top selling product(s)?

Orange lip balm is our best seller.  Our face paint is a close second though!

 lipbalm_orange (2)

 

I love the face paint that you sell. Have you had any customers that can’t tolerate this product? 

It was so nice to see so many kids get to use face paint for the first time! We have not had any customers who could not tolerate it.  I try to use the least amount of ingredients as possible in every product.  The products are simple, natural and  that really helps most people be able to tolerate the ingredients.

I see that a portion of your income goes back to food allergy organizations. Which non-profits do you support?

We have supported FARE and FACCT both locally and nationally.  We also really like to be involved with supporting local allergy  and advocacy groups.  That’s the wonderful part of growing as a business is being able to give more back and be able to make a bigger impact in the food allergy community.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

We are always looking to create new products.  We hope to have shampoo and mascara in the next few months.  Longer term, we hope to create a safe sunscreen.​

Thanks so much Jennifer! 

Note from Nicole: My daughter, who has celiac disease and a mast cell disorder loves these products. She too has had multiple reactions to other makeup and has thoroughly enjoyed the products made by Kiss Freely.

Food Allergy & EpiPen, Food Allergy & Families

Comparing the available Epinephrine Autoinjectors

There will be 3 epinephrine autoinjectors on the market effective February 14, 2017: the EpiPen, Adrenaclick and the Auvi-Q. All three devices are available in a Junior strength for children, and an adult strength.

Listed below are the pros and cons of each of these devices based upon my experience and upon the information available on their websites:

epipen2pack

EpiPen manufactured by Mylan

The EpiPen has been around since 1977, and owned by Mylan since 2007. There has only been one recall that I’m aware of, which was in 1998 when Meridian Medical Technologies manufactured the device. Almost 1 million devices were recalled since they weren’t providing effective doses of the medication.

The EpiPen training video states that the device needs to be held for 3 seconds after administration.

Pros:

  • The EpiPen currently has the largest share of the market, which means that more people have been trained on this device than any other.
  • A trainer comes with every prescription.
  • The used EpiPen has the needle protected with the orange cap.

Cons:

  • The price! Currently the brand name 2-Pak is around $600+ without a coupon. The generic EpiPen will cost you $300, and no coupon is available.
  • With a generic EpiPen available, and the Adrenaclick (generic epinephrine), your insurance company may not cover the brand name drug.
  • The size. Carrying a 2-Pak is bulky, and many young men really balk at this.
  • The short lifespan. Generally the EpiPen expires within 12-14 months, and you’ll likely have to ask the pharmacist for the furthest out expiration date to get this.

generic-epi

Adrenaclick manufactured by Amedra Pharmaceuticals

The Adrenaclick has been on the market since mid-2013. The training video states that it needs to be held for 10 seconds after administration.

Pros:

  • The cost at CVS pharmacies. With a $100 coupon, the cash price is $9.99.
  • The lifespan. Adrenaclick’s have an expiration date at least 24 months out.
  • Less bulky than the EpiPen.

Cons:

  • No trainer comes with the package. You will need to contact the company and request to have a trainer sent to you. You can do so here.
  • Fewer people have been trained on the Adrenaclick in school systems and elsewhere. This may change as more people purchase the device and bring it to school, etc.
  • The cost at approximately $400 with high deductible policies if you don’t purchase the device at CVS.
  • The needle is exposed after use.
  • You need to pull both tabs off of both ends of the device before administering it. This can make for confusion as to which end to use for injection, even though it has a red tip. Seconds count in an emergency, and a layperson may have more difficulty with this.

auviQ-eai-device

Auvi-Q manufactured by Kaleo Pharmaceuticals

The Auvi-Q was originally manufactured by Sanofi, and was introduced in January of 2013. A recall of all devices occurred in October of 2015 when two dozen of the devices were suspected to have not administered the correct amount of medication. Sanofi no longer manufactures Auvi-Q. Instead Eric and Evan Edwards, the inventors of the Auvi-Q, brought the manufacturing back to their company, Kaleo Pharmaceuticals. Both Eric and Evan, and their children, have life threatening food allergies.

The Auvi-Q training video states that the device needs to be held for 5 seconds after use.

Pros:

  • The device can talk anyone through the administration of epinephrine.
  • A trainer comes with a prescription.
  • Size. It’s about the size of a thick credit card, which makes it easy to carry in a front pocket for men.
  • Cost. Kaleo is promising $0 out of pocket cost, even for those with high deductible insurance!!
  • The needle is not exposed after use.
  • The makers of Auvi-Q have food allergies themselves, as do their children. In other words, they are one of us – the food allergy community AND they have a social conscience when it comes to pricing autoinjectors.

Cons:

  • The previous recall may be on some people’s minds; however, with the manufacturing moved in-house, I believe this issue has been resolved.
  • The lifespan of at least 12 months. But if you’re paying $0, I don’t believe that’s as big of an issue!
Food Allergy & Families

Be Prepared – Shelter in Place with Food Allergies

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Today in Colorado Springs, we’ve been having horrifically high winds. So high, in fact, that some residents in our city have been asked to “Shelter in Place”. windstorm

Several years ago, I wrote about Emergency Planning for Food Allergies & Asthma, but I geared the blog post more toward having to leave your home in an emergency.

Shelter in Place requires that you remain in your home or the location where you currently are situated. This can be very problematic if you haven’t stocked up on your child’s safe foods or medications at home; or if you are stuck in a store without an EpiPen!

Here are some of the ways that we have ensured that we are always prepared should a Shelter in Place be activated for our home, or activated when we have left our house:

  • Discuss with your family every individual’s needs, and have a box, envelope or carrying case for all items listed below.
  • Always have two unexpired epinephrine autoinjectors on hand. (This means that autoinjectors are always carried, even if eating isn’t planned). At home, we have at least two more as a backup, plus multiple sets of expired EpiPens, just in case!
  • Have a working nebulizer, along with unexpired medications, and clean apparatus tubing and mouthpieces. This is difficult to keep on your person when leaving your house, so we had an inhaler and spacer with us at all times, when our son was younger and his asthma was more active.
  • Have extra asthma medications and spacers on hand.
  • Any other medications that your child may need – Benadryl, Zyrtec, etc. – need to be on hand and within expiration dates. We always keep at least a 30 day supply of all medications.
  • Keep safe foods in large quantities on hand. Running down to the last slice of safe bread, or allergen-free milk, before re-ordering will make for grumpy children. And it will inevitably occur when you can’t run out to the store, or when Amazon is unable to deliver!
  • Now is not the time to try out new foods. Sticking with standard favorites, and products that you know are safe will mitigate any cross contact with an allergen.
  • Always bring a cell phone with you when you leave your home. If you end up sheltered in place, you can contact other family members to let them know where you are.
  • When our son was younger, we never left the house without safe snacks tucked into my purse.
  • Many customers in Colorado Springs lost power for hours of the day today. This is a VERY unusual situation in our city; however, if this occurs frequently in your location, be prepared! Obtain a battery operated nebulizer, or if you have to, have a generator on hand.

The key with food allergies and asthma is to ALWAYS be prepared – at home or away from home. Hopefully, you will never experience a shelter in place, but if you plan beforehand, the experience can be a mild inconvenience instead of a tragedy.

Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis, Food Allergy & Families, Interviews

Allergy Superheroes!

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allergy-superheroes

Hello Dean & Eileen! I’m thrilled to be able to interview you today about your company, Allergy Superheroes. I love the empowerment that comes for kids with food allergies being superheroes. 

Eileen: Thanks Nicole! We love focusing on the positive too. There’s no better analogy for food allergies than kryptonite. If Superman can have a weakness and still save the day, then our kids can too!

Please tell us how your company came into being.

Dean: When our boys were diagnosed with food allergies, it wasn’t really a life-altering experience like it is for most new families since Eileen has a lifelong experience with it. But when they started school we became acutely aware that the rest of the world doesn’t really get it yet. When we realized the kryptonite analogy, we combined our love of superheroes with that positive message to help get the idea of food allergies across and spread awareness.

I especially loved the teal leaf bags you had available for Halloween. What are your highest selling products?

E: Our teal pumpkin products did really well this past October, especially the candy buckets. In general our slap brasingle-dose-benadryl-bottles-allergy-superheroes-food-allergy-2celets do really well (and we’re about to release them in more allergens) and everybody loves our single-dose liquid medicine bottles.

slap-bracelets-food-allergy-superheroes-2

Born out of my desire not to carry a full (not to mention heavy) bottle of liquid Benadryl with me all the time, those have really made my purse lighter and everybody else loves them too. But my personal favorite is our “I have a kid with a food allergy, you bet I’m a SUPERMOM” travel mug.

D: I sometimes wear the slap bracelets even though I don’t have any food allergies. It helps to spread awareness and they’re a lot of fun!

What food allergies do your two boys have? 

E: Our older son is allergic to egg and peanut, though he is finally starting to outgrow the egg and he’s been handling it in baked form for a little more than a year. Our younger son is just peanut. Both of them have a big question mark around some of the tree nuts though, because introducing those has been problematic because of my allergy to them.

How do they feel about being a part of your company?

E: They love it! Modeling usually requires bribery of chocolate to get everyone through it, but they love being part of this and they know it’s something special. We have overflowing file folders of the artwork each of them has drawn of our characters.

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D: Our boys are really into superheroes, so they love the idea behind the business and our characters. They wear their food allergy superhero shirts a lot and love helping to come up with new ideas on how to spread awareness. It really is a family venture!

Can you share a story of superpower one of them has enjoyed in life?

D: Our oldest is very active and outgoing. He has no issues with talking about his food allergies and spreading awareness about them. When a birthday party comes up, his friends know about his allergies so they make sure their parents talk to us so that their birthday treats will include him! He also loves to draw and we can see him doing a lot of the artwork side of the business when he gets older!

Eileen, you have had food allergies all your life. What was it like growing up in the 1980’s with food allergies? 

E: Different, very different. There are times that I look back and just shake my head. I actually wrote a blog post a few months ago about how my “food allergy mom” life is easier than my mother’s was, where I highlight a bunch of resources and improvements. This could really be the subject for a novella since so much has changed, but some major points:

It was harder to get diagnosed and get proper medication–I had an anaphylactic reaction to eggs at 12 months, but the only prescription I received upon leaving the ER was for Benadryl (it wasn’t OTC), and we weren’t sent to an allergist or even told to avoid eggs (my mom avoided them anyway.) I had some smaller reactions and then another anaphylactic one to nuts in the months before my 4th birthday, and then I was finally prescribed epinephrine, but I wasn’t tested for allergies until I was 6. (By then there was no trace of an egg allergy.) And that was the only testing I had done as a child.

Most people hadn’t heard of food allergies. I did a lot of explaining and so did my parents, but it was rare to encounter anyone who had previously heard of allergies or could accommodate them.

There weren’t very many of us. I was unique in my dietary struggles, though I don’t remember feeling down about it very often. I was in middle school before I finally met one other kid who had food allergies. (I think my mom secretly hoped we’d become best friends and look out for each other, but he and I never hit it off.)

Epinephrine was carried in single doses and was basically seen as a last resort. We weren’t told to use it unless things got really bad. The whole concept of always having two doses and using epi “first and fast” is actually a pretty new concept (and one I’ll confess that I struggled with. Benadryl got me through so much in my youth, so the thought of using epi preemptively and then sitting around bored in the ER for 4+ hours was something I did not get behind for a long time.)

We didn’t have the internet. As a result, news of food allergy deaths seldom reached our ears so our perception of the risk was less. That may have put us at greater risk, but probably also reduced our anxiety level. But on the other hand, we didn’t have many resources available to us, either. My mom used to receive a monthly newsletter from a now-defunct allergy and asthma organization, and most of the articles were on asthma. If she’d had access to the community we have today, I’m sure our lives would have been a lot different–certainly a lot less isolated.

D: Nowadays, awareness is growing, but there is so much more work to be done. It’s hard to fathom going through that with virtually no awareness or support at all. The kids and parents of that time period and earlier are real superheroes in my book!

How did you manage to stay safe in school, dating, eating out without the awareness that’s available today?

E: I’m going to start by saying that I was pretty lucky to “only” be allergic to tree nuts. If I’d been allergic to, say, dairy or wheat, or if egg had stayed with me, I’m sure things would’ve been a lot harder, because I would’ve encountered them a lot more. Tree nuts aren’t as widely used, so my life was not as restrictive as it could have been.

My mom considered it a victory to actually get my EpiPen into the nurse’s office, though she has repeatedly expressed doubt that anyone there would’ve known how and when to use it. We put a lot less emphasis on inclusion back then and mainly focused on “do what you need to do to stay safe.” The world isn’t nut free, and my mom wanted to make sure I understood that I couldn’t always participate in shared treats. When foods came into the classroom I would ask questions, and sometimes I would just do without. I don’t think I ever had a backup stash at school. I don’t think that even occurred to my parents.

I think I started self-carrying around 5th grade, which I’m pretty sure made my parents feel safer. I had a fanny pack that year, then somewhere along the line I just switched to carrying it in my backpack. I don’t have very distinct memories of any of that, it just sort of happened when it happened. I got a fairly good handle on what I shouldn’t eat by then, and I can’t recall any school-related reactions beyond early elementary school.

Telling boyfriends about my allergy was definitely a priority. We had a “no kiss” rule growing up if my parents ate something I was allergic to, so that transferred over to dating. Generally, I would tell guys that they shouldn’t eat nuts while we were out. I wasn’t forward enough to add “or you can’t kiss me,” at least not early on, but no one ever challenged my rule, either. I can’t say I put any thought into what they’d eaten previously–but then, the first supposed “peanut butter kiss of death” didn’t happen until I was in my 20s, so that was another danger that I simply wasn’t aware of, nor did I fall victim to it. But I didn’t date a whole lot, either.

(Dean here, she was worth not eating any tree-nuts before or during our dates for that goodnight kiss!)

Something else that is very different today is awareness of cross contamination. Some might argue that cross contamination doesn’t have much awareness, but when I was little there was none–and I mean none. We were never warned against it by our doctors, foods never labeled for it, and the general principle we lived by was “don’t eat anything with nuts actually in it.” We knew you couldn’t pick nuts out, but even the concept that you couldn’t use the same knife was something we learned (painfully) the hard way. There were a handful of reactions from my childhood that we traced to contamination as we struggled to figure out the concept, and some other “mystery” reactions that must have been from CC.

Kissing, cross contact–basically, these things had to happen a few times before doctors, patients, the news, and lawmakers figured out the pattern and started doing something about them.

So when it came to restaurants, we did a lot of educating. It wasn’t uncommon for me (or my parents) to explain what food allergies were to restaurant staff–and after we learned about shared knives and foods touching, we told them not to do that, either. Whether any of them actually took precautions in the back is debatable–but on the other had we were pioneers, laying the foundation policies that restaurants are adopting today. It’s a wonder that we ate out at all–but without the internet shoving food allergy deaths in our faces every few months, the danger of that happening also seemed farther away. At times we coasted through on ignorance and luck.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

E: It’s been great getting to be part of this community since we started up a few years ago–it’s such a welcoming and positive space. I also blog at www.allergysuperheroesblog.com and I started that up because I wanted to share my perspective of dealing with two generations of food allergies–my outlook is different since I’ve been through it myself, but caring for your allergic child is definitely different than managing your own allergies, too. Most of the time we don’t see the after effects of the things we’ve done, but it’s really all about helping people. On the rare instance that we get feedback that we’ve helped someone, or given good advice, or made someone feel more confident about the future, that’s when we know that we’re doing the right thing. We love all of the connections we’ve made over the past few years!

D: It really is the most fantastic community to be a part of! We’ve met a lot of amazing people and we’re continually inspired by them. And when we get to meet them in person at conferences like FABlogCon, it truly is a SUPER experience.

Thanks so much!

Thank you Nicole, we’ve loved chatting with you!

Food Allergy & Families, Interviews, School & Food Allergies, Travel/Eating Out & Food Allergy

Disability Rights Attorney & Food Allergy Mom, Mary Vargas

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mary-vargas

Hello Mary. It’s wonderful to interview you today. Can you please tell us how you became involved in disability law, especially as it relates to food allergies and anaphylaxis?

I’ve been a disability rights lawyer for almost two decades. I started my career at the National Association of the Deaf doing disability discrimination litigation. When my own child was diagnosed with food allergies and subsequently turned away from a summer camp because of his allergies, my worlds collided. I found myself in the uniquely familiar position of advocating for inclusion but this time I was advocating for my son. I realized that if the child of a disability rights lawyer was denied access because of food allergies, there was work to be done.

What food allergies does your family manage?

I have three boys and only my youngest has food allergies – peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish.

What lawsuit(s) have you litigated that pertain to food allergies and anaphylaxis?

Stein & Vargas, LLP has a special interest in pursuing litigation that will create safe and equal access for people with food allergies. We’ve litigated a number of cases throughout the United States on behalf of people with food allergies who have experienced discrimination whether it be in employment, education, or access to programs and services. Among the complaints we have pending now are a complaint against Young Shakespeare Players East in which the United States Department of Justice has concluded that Young Shakespeare Players East discriminated against my 11 year old client on the basis of his food allergies and retaliated against my 13 year old client for advocating for her friend’s rights. We are also co-counseling on a case with Laurel Francoeur against Panera on behalf of a child who had an anaphylactic reaction after being served a grilled cheese sandwich that contained peanut butter despite notice that the sandwich was for a child with a peanut allergy.

From your experience as an attorney, is there anything that a food allergy family should be aware of or take action on to ensure the safety and inclusion of their child in school? 

The most important aspect of safety and inclusion at school for food allergic kids is the development of a strong and positive relationship between the school and the parents. The focus cannot be on highlighting where plans failed, but on building long term trust and commitment. Even the most knowledgeable and well-meaning schools will fall down sometimes.

You are a Co-Founder of  Allergy Law Project. How did that come into being?

Allergy Law Project was the brainchild of Laurel Francoeur who approached Homa Woodrum and I two years ago about the need for reliable legal information in the food allergy community. There is incredible power when parents of food allergic kids put their brains together for the good of the community.

I love the blog post called “A Seat at the Table – Bringing Allergy Friendly Food to Restaurants“. You said that’s the question you are asked the most. What can a family do, in the moment, if a restaurant forbids them to bring in outside food? Is it necessary to bring along the state law to reference or is there some other statement that can be used to allow outside food?

Generally, families can ask calmly and respectfully to speak with the manager. Explain to the manager that your party is looking forward to enjoying the food that the restaurant offers but your child cannot safely eat the food. If after calmly talking this through and explaining why it is necessary for your child to bring safe food in order for the rest of the dining part to eat at the restaurant the manager still refuses, you may need to go higher up the chain. You might send a politely worded letter to the restaurant owner to educate them about food allergies.

Many food allergy families are concerned about Donald Trump’s comments about “streamlining” the Department of Education and curbing the role of the Office of Civil Rights. What can food allergy families do to protect their child and do you think that is likely to occur?

I have grave concerns about the impact of the incoming administration on many aspects of the work we do. The Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education, the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Disability Rights Section all have a critical role in ensuring compliance with our federal rights. Significant cuts in staffing could jeopardize the ability of these agencies to safeguard rights and changes in philosophy could undermine enforcement actions throughout the United States. There is so much at risk and already resources are stretched tightly. I’m also concerned about the potential rollback of food safety regulations that has been threatened. My hope is that the allergy community has the potential to speak loudly and in concert to defend important rights.

If someone reading this feels they need legal advice pertaining to a disability law question, how can they contact you? Stein & Vargas, LLP’s website is www.steinvargas.com. Folks are welcome to contact me with questions through the website.

Thank you very much Mary!

Ms. Vargas is committed to ensuring full and equal access for all individuals. She has litigated cases pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act throughout the United States in federal and state courts.

Ms. Vargas also represents women who are denied access to reproductive care and coverage. She has successfully obtained full coverage of late term abortion claims through insurance appeals. She also speaks nationally on issues including women in law, movement building, discrimination, pain, food allergies and anaphylaxis, and reproductive rights. Ms. Vargas is a co-founder of and blogger for the Allergy Law Project.

Prior to joining Stein & Vargas, LLP, Ms. Vargas was a staff attorney with the National Association of the Deaf.  Ms. Vargas was a 1998 Skadden Fellow and a 1994 Truman Scholar. Ms. Vargas was the 2010 recipient of the Advocacy for People with Pain Award from the American Academy of Pain Management. She wrote for the American Bar Association, Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter.

Ms. Vargas obtained a B.S. in deaf education from the College of New Jersey, and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut, School of Law. While in law school, she was appointed to the Client Advocacy Board and served as student director of the Yale Law School, Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities Clinic.

Ms. Vargas is a member of the bars in Connecticut and Maryland.  She associates with local counsel around the country in bringing cases of special importance to individuals with disabilities.

Food Allergy & Families, Recipes for Allergy Safe Eating

AllergicChild.com & Food Allergy Mama, Kelly Rudnicki

Kelly Rudnicki

Kelly Rudnicki is the author of the The Food Allergy Mama’s Easy, Fast Family Meals, The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book,  and Vegan Baking Classics. She’s also the creator of the award-winning blog Food Allergy Mama. Her blog has twice been named Babble’s Top Food Blog and ranked #6 in Healthiest Eating. She has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, Windy City Live, WGN News, ABC News as well as in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Parents, Parenting, Shape, Family Fun, Woman’s Day, and others.

As the mother of five young children, one of whom with severe food allergies, Kelly also spends much of her free time advocating for food allergy awareness and improving school nutrition. She volunteers and speaks on behalf of food allergy organizations such as FARE, and helped write the food allergy guidelines for the Chefs Move to Schools Chicago, an initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Go for the Gold campaign to promote higher standards for food, fitness and nutrition education. Kelly also serves as a Parent Ambassador for Healthy Child, Healthy World.

She lives in Southern California with her husband and five children.

Kelly, can you please tell us what food allergies you manage in your children and how you found out about them? My 10-year-old son John was diagnosed at age one with severe food allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, peas and legumes. The only allergy he outgrew was egg at age three after a successful food challenge confirmation. We found out about John’s allergy like many other parents of food allergic children, a scary reaction. John was nearly a year old and ate one of his first finger foods, a Gerber Veggie cheese wheel which actually contains very little veggies but is coated in cheese powder. He immediately broke out into hives on his face, started coughing and then vomiting. It was a horrifying experience.

Kelly Rudnicki cookbook

What was your inspiration in writing your newest cookbook, “The Food Allergy Mama’s Easy Fast Family Meals“? After the success of my first book The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book, many of my blog readers routinely wrote me asking for my favorite family meals that are fast and allergy-friendly. As a busy mom of five, they wanted to know how I get meals on the table day in and out. I realized that there was a real need to have a practical family meal cookbook that is no nonsense, easy to use and produces delicious recipes every time. The bonus of this book is that many non food allergy families love the book just as much!

What meal is your children’s favorite? My family loves pizza night!

Are there any budding cooks in your family? As a mother of four boys I feel it is equally as important to teach them how to cook as much as my daughter. It’s an important life skill that can easily be taught by mastering a few simple cooking techniques and recipes. Cooking is the epitome of inner creativity, and something that should be fun, approachable and not scary. When people say they don’t know how to cook it is usually because they made a recipe that failed them, not the other way around. It’s wonderful to teach our children to feed our bodies good food made from the heart. And in turn they will teach their own children the importance of family mealtime and cooking. The ripple effect is amazing.

With 5 kids, do you make safe meals that everyone can eat? Or do you ‘short order cook’ a safe meal and then a meal for everyone else? If I was a short order cook, I would lose my mind! It’s hard enough as it is to cook one meal on a busy weeknight! I choose to make recipes that aren’t fussy, complicated or require a ton of ingredients. They are crowd pleasers. However, one child absolutely dislikes the main dish I’ve made for dinner, oh well. They eat the sides and move on. Parents shouldn’t feel obligated to make everything perfect for their children, it’s really OK to serve one family meal and be done with it. If anything, it teaches children to “roll with it”.

Since Mother’s Day is this month, can you share with us any special celebrations that your family has for this occasion? I usually take the day to go for a run and reflect on being a mother and what it means to me. The day I became a mother I was forever changed. Having children forced me to get out of my comfort zone and challenge me to be the best person I could be. I wanted them to watch and learn from not only my successes but most importantly my mistakes. There is no greater reward in my life than my children. I also take the day to remember my own mother, who passed away 16 years ago. My heart broke the day she died, and I don’t think you ever fully recover from the death of your mother. But you do learn, grown and become a mirror of what she was to you.

What can you share with us about sending in safe school lunches – anything wonderful and new for kids tired of the same old thing in their lunch bag? I recently discovered the greatest thing about making safe lunches your child will actually eat and enjoy…have them either help or make their own! I admit I stumbled upon this concept out of part desperation, part selfishness. One day I was exhausted, running in a million directions and literally too busy to spend the extra few minutes to make lunches for my four school aged children. My kids were lounging around waiting for me to take them to school and I had an A-ha moment….have THEM make their own lunches. I had rules; make a sandwich or something with protein, a veggie and a fruit. Cracker and snacks were optional. It was a true epiphany! The kids took ownership in their meals, and were proud to make lunches THEY liked. And it was fun for them to be creative in what they packed every day. I do check the end result to make sure there isn’t just frosted flakes packed. But they’ve done a great job and I think they have really learned the value of making your own meals.

Thank you for including me!

Thank You Kelly and Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Food Allergy & Families

What’s Your Family Tree of Allergies?

When our son, Morgan, was first diagnosed with food allergies at 18 months old, we weren’t too surprised given the Family Tree of Allergies that exist in our family. Yet, I hear from some parents who have no one in their family with allergies, and can’t understand where their child’s food allergies come from. There are many more possible causes than just genetics for food allergies, which you can find on our website here.

The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) states that asthma and allergies affect 1 out of 4 Americans, or 60 million people. Further, they report that allergies have a genetic component. If only one parent has allergies of any type, chances are 1 in 3 that each child will have an allergy. If both parents have allergies, the chances increase to 7 in 10 that their children will have allergies. Dr. Scott Sicherer, in his book, “The Complete Peanut Allergy Handbook” also states that “there is a 7 percent risk, or about ten times higher risk than normal, for developing a peanut allergy if one sibling has a peanut allergy.”

Allergies can be passed from parent to child. Children may inherit the tendency to develop allergies if either parent or any family member suffers from eczema, asthma, or food allergies. The specific allergy is not inherited from the parents, merely the tendency to be allergic. If neither parent is allergic research suggests that there is still a 5-15% chance that the child will develop allergies.

Research has also shown the children who have a genetic predisposition to produce excess IgE are at least 8 times as likely to develop food allergy when delivered by cesarean section. My son wasn’t delivered by C section, but out of four grandparents, one had severe asthma and hayfever, one has cold urticaria and hayfever, one had shellfish allergy as a child and one had no allergies. That’s a lot of genetics to overcome!

Between my husband and I, my husband really doesn’t have any allergies to speak of other than an allergy to cats. Me however, that’s a different story! I’ve been recently diagnosed with a mast cell mediated disorder. In other words, I have an abundance of mast cells in my body, especially in my stomach. I also have multiple IgE food allergies, environmental allergies and cold urticaria. Our college age daughter also has these same issues, so sadly I’ve passed my genetics on to her.

There’s so much more that our family understands now about allergies in the environment, food allergies and cold hives – so I don’t blame myself for my kids getting all these allergic issues. I do hope that someday we’ll find a cure, or at least be able to mitigate the most serious of allergic reactions, anaphylaxis.

In the meantime, at least I know what it’s like to have allergies and I can help my kids to stay safe!