Saturday, March 30, 2013

Recent Food Allergy Research


Have you been following all of the of news coverage on immunotherapy research lately? Like most things related to food allergies, there seem to be some opposing views on this potential new treatment.

In case you missed it, The New York Times, Today Show, and Katie Couric recently featured a new approach for children with serious allergies to several different foods. The clinical trial, led by Dr. Kari Nadeau at Stanford, involves desensitizing patients to up to five different allergens by very slowly increasing their intake over time. Several children with severely allergic food allergies are experiencing great results and seem overjoyed with the success of the research.

On the flip side, other doctors such as Wayne Shreffler M.D. of Harvard Medical School have posted cautionary commentary on the risks of this type of study, citing that more research is needed to disprove this treatment will actually do more harm than good in the long run.
Supporting this concern is a report recently shared at the AAAAI annual conference highlighting another immunotherapy study with very different outcomes. The March issue of Allergic Living magazine summarizes disappointing findings of researchers investigating oral immunotherapy in milk-allergic patients. Results showed that for a majority of patients, desensitization wasn’t holding up. In fact, three to five years after completing an OIT study, Johns Hopkins University researchers said that many participants were more reactive to cow’s milk than they had been early in the course of treatment.

So what’s a food allergy parent to think? I’m personally thrilled research is being done on this topic. I’m even more thrilled it is helping some of the families willing to sacrifice their time and safety to partake in the study. (The New York Times article mentions some risky scenarios where epinephrine was needed. Yikes.)

Given that risk factor, - for me - I can’t say this is a treatment I would feel comfortable with for my child. I personally took immunotherapy shots for my seasonal allergies for years with absolutely no positive results. Then again, many other patients did. It’s hard to look at the smiles of 10-year-old Tessa Grosso after her recent treatment and argue that it hasn’t changed her life for the better …. immensely better.

So there you have it. Medical research is just another example of how food allergies continue to be a personal journey that is different for every individual.  Even so, I believe our common and collective goal will help us find the answer in my 9 year-old daughter’s lifetime. Until then, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to the many researchers and families who are working hard every day to help find a cure!

(See my earlier blog post on FAFH-2...another food allergy research study I learned about a few years ago that I hope is still progressing!)

Sunday, March 17, 2013


Start the hype -- the 2013 Gluten & Allergen Free Expos kick off next month! Thousands of attendees, vendors, presenters, bloggers and more will be joining together to share the latest in gluten-free and allergy-free products in the following cities:

  • Des Moines (April 6-7)
  • Chicago (April 20-21)
  • New Jersey (Sept 7-8)
  • Dallas (Oct 26-27)

I'm honored to be participating in the Chicago event's "author" portion of the show, signing and selling BugaBees books on Sunday, April 21st! Please join me and other great writers like Collette Martin (Learning to Bake Allergen Free) and many, many more.

Avoid long lines and buy your tickets in advance at gfafexpo.com.  Plus, see up-to-date schedules, class offerings, presentations and more on Facebook and Twitter. (Use the official hashtag #GFAFEXPO)

You won't want to miss out on this great opportunity....Hope to see you there!

Friday, March 1, 2013

March 1st is National Read Across America Day!

The National Education Association is building a nation of readers through its signature program, NEA’s Read Across America. Now in its 16th year, this year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources.

Today is the day to grab your kiddos and a good book or two! Here are some of my all time favorites (in no particular order):

1) Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman
2) All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant
3) The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
4) A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
5) Is There Really a Human Race? by Jamie Lee Curtis

And for teens and adults, I must recommend the book I just finished... An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff is the true story of an 11-year-old panhandler, a busy sales executive, and an unlikely meeting with destiny. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and provides clear-cut proof that kindness and generosity can do miraculous things. It will just make you want to be a better person!

Happy reading!