Adventures of an Allergist Mommy

This afternoon, Son #1 showed me an art project that he made at daycare- a conglomeration of sand and paint and glitter. Son #1: Mommy, look I made a picture for- Me (interrupting): It's beautiful, honey! Thank you! Me (thinking to myself): Oh gosh, he's going to be so proud of this one... How am I going to recycle it without him noticing? Son #1: Mommy, it's not for you. I made this picture for Selena Gomez (Disney teen queen). Me: Oh! Okay... well, it's very nice. I'm sure she'll love it. Me (thinking to myself again): Oh no. I have just been supplanted as my son's most loved woman. Selena Gomez, you better watch your back, little lady.

The evidence is mounting that the fungus responsible for athlete's foot and ringworm- trichophyton, may be playing a role in severe asthma... A Japanese study published in the Journal Chest examined rates of allergic sensitivity to this fungus in asthmatics and non-asthmatics, as measured by presence of IgE antibody in the blood specific for trichophyton. 32.4% of patients with severe asthma were sensitized to trichophyton, 15.8% of patients with moderate asthma were allergic, and only 4.9% of patients with mild asthma were sensitized. Interestingly, the rates for allergic sensitization to other common environmental allergens (cat, dog, mixed molds) did not differ significantly between the different groups of asthmatics. Similar associations between trichophyton and asthma have been noted in Venezuela and Turkey as well. Antifungal treatment in these patients has been shown to improve asthma severity. Bottom line? Although probably not a major issue for well-controlled asthmatic

The following post is courtesy of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) and the Allergy & Asthma Network- Mothers of Asthmatics. Thank you! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning healthcare professionals and the public about a shipment of a nebulizer medication that was recently stolen. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) and Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) urge patients using the nebulizer medication Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution 0.083% to check the medication's lot numbers (see "What to look for," below). Police reported that on approximately Aug. 5 a tractor-trailer containing a 35,760-carton shipment of Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution 0.038% belonging to the RiteDose Corporation was stolen in McKinney, TX. Anyone who comes across this product should notify the authorities immediately (see contact information below). The product is now illegal and may no

Short post today: My son and I shared a Reese's peanut butter cup yesterday. As parents of peanut-allergic children know, this is no small victory. I am hopeful that in the not too distant future, oral immunotherapy will make the above scenario a reality for more children.