Adventures of an Allergist Mommy

Ever wish there was an alternative to injections for emergency delivery of epinephrine for anaphylaxis? There is a research study underway assessing the use of a nasal epinephrine spray for allergic recations, and healthy adult volunteers are needed! Celerion is seeking healthy adult males and females to participate in a research study for the development of an Epinephrine nasal spray for use as an emergency treatment for allergic reactions. STUDY DETAILS: Healthy Adults Ages 19-65 One 4-night stay at Celerion Earn up to $3,000 for participation HelpResearch.com/NasalSpray 866-213-2965

I am sharing the following information from the Allergy & Asthma Network, because I believe we MUST do better at protecting vulnerable and high-risk populations from the COVID-19 virus. Communities of color are being disproportinately affected by the virus, not only in terms of infection rates, but also death rates and economic impacts. Achieving true equity in healthcare means understanding that resources must be allocated by need, not simply spread evenly throughout the population.  If you don't agree, please don't hate - educate!!!  You may be well-served by joining this free event, for which details are provided below. All too often, Black people experience more barriers to health based on their race. Many get sick or die because of these barriers. COVID-19 and asthma, for example, are more common among African Americans. How can we work together to improve the health of Black Americans? Let's start the conversation! Virtual Conference Black People Like Me: Asthma, ...

After nearly a year of pandemic-induced isolation and loss, we have recently had the announcement of not only one, but two, candidate vaccines with impressive efficacy data.  Although this provides a glimmer of hope that we will eventually find our way out of this crisis, it is essential to recognize that there will not initially be enough vaccine available to immunize the entire population. Therefore, the vaccine will be distributed to the public in phases. You may be wondering where you or those you love lie on this index. Although this stratification is subject to change, here is what we know so far. There will be 4 major phases for vaccine distribution: 1a. High risk health care workers (hospitals, long-term care facilities, etc.) and first responders (police, fire, EMT) 1b. People with 2 or more co-morbid conditions (eg: asthma, heart disease, immune deficiency), and older adults in congregate/overcrowded settings 2. Teachers & school staff, critical workers in high-risk...

Dear Food Allergy Families, Please consider participating in the following study intended to explore the psychosocial coping needs of families with food allergy. As anyone who is living with food allergies understands, the psychological impacts of living with a potentially life-threatening condition are incredibly important, but sadly, often given short shrift in the context of limited time available during healthcare maintenance visits. Participating in this study is an opportunity to contribute to our knowledge base about the strategies families utilize to cope with the diagnosis. Thank you! -AllergistMommy ____________________________________________________ We want to invite you to participate in an exciting study researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine are conducting to explore the thoughts, emotions, and coping strategies individuals and families have and use as they manage food allergies. Led by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, the goal of this r...

Sharing a recent post from my practice Facebook page, in response to concerns raised by the recent publication of a meta analysis on anaphylaxis rates during food allergen oral immunotherapy:  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30420-9/fulltext I hope my comments are helpful at proving some context for patients currently pursuing or consider food allergen desensitization therapy.  I am a non-alarmist by nature, and feel it is 100% possible to integrate new data without falling prey to the sensationalization of these publications by the media. It is frustrating to read in the news one day, "Researchers find CURE for peanut allergies!" (WRONG!!!) and the next day read "Experimental treatment for food allergy causes more life-threatening reactions than avoidance!" (Hmmm...a bit misleading). No nuance, no thoughtfulness, no concern for the impact of such a black & white approach to a decidedly grey issue. And why would there...

It's that time again... Back to School! I, for one, relish the newly found silence in my home in the afternoon. I am also happy in the confidence that my boys are learning and playing and enjoying school again. I like knowing that the sweltering days of summer will soon transition into pleasant autumn evenings. However, I know that back to school season brings on very different emotions for parents of children with life-threatening food allergies. These feelings range from fear and anxiety at being separated from a child with medical needs, to frustration with the necessary mounds of paperwork that constitute school health forms, and apprehension about what some might term "the little things": Will my child have someone to sit with at lunch? What if someone at the middle school starts a food fight, and throws a PB& J? How will my 5 year old handle it, when at the end of a long day of kindergarten, a classmate shares cupcakes with everyone as a birthday treat (eve...