Early Detection of Allergies – It’s In the Blood

Solving any good mystery is a bit like a pulling a string. You begin to pull and more and more string follows, but the goal is always the same, to find the beginning. Allergy research is a lot like this.…

Cross Reaction Allergies – Banana Menace

Food allergies seem to be everywhere, but there is a certain segment of foods that can cause allergic reactions and aren’t as commonly discussed as nuts, dairy, or even wheat, which gets a disproportionate amount of attention given the fraction…

2015 Fall Allergy Tips – Halloween

With October quickly drawing to a close, there are a few news and notes worth mentioning. For people with allergies and asthma, ragweed is wreaking havoc, particularly in the south. Drier conditions have helped to create an ideal situation for…

Viaskin Peanut Allergy Patch Fast Tracked by FDA

Over the last few years there has been a lot of “good starts” when it comes to novel treatments of allergies and asthma. From a vaccine for cat allergies to bronchial thermoplasty for asthmatics, there have been a myriad of…

Peanut Allergy Patch 2015 – Update

Big news was shared early last Sunday at the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting in Houston, TX on a new therapy against peanut allergies. A research team from Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Kravis Children’s…

Happy Valentine’s Day 2015… We Hope!

We are just a few short days away from Valentine’s Day, the perfect date night for you and your beloved, or simply a day to spoil yourself. I’ve definitely celebrated a few Valentine’s Days while single, keeping it humble with…

Tis The Season: Nuts & Alcohol

As the season of family get togethers and office parties draws nearer, now is a great time to go over a few things regarding foods allergies and two things that commonly appear at these types of gatherings – alcohol and…

Gut Bacteria Key to Allergy Development?

In the last two years, there has been an incredible amount of research into what is called the human microbiome – the wide variety of microorganisms that live on and in us. It is still a difficult concept for many…

Allergy-Free Nuts? Maybe Not As Far Off As You Think

Tree nut and peanut allergies are some of the most common as well as some of the most commonly discussed food allergies. Without fail, every year we hear at least a handful of stories about those who are severely allergic…

Top Four Allergens Hiding in Your Wine

At the end of a stressful day, I like to go out on my porch with a glass of wine and enjoy the relative peace. It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day pace of things and fail…

Celebrities Sneeze Too!

Many people tend to idealize sports figures and celebrities, but like the occasional photos in your local supermarket tabloid show, they have problems and deal with everyday challenges just like the rest of us. This Friday I

PowerRecipes with Rachel – French Toast

One Saturday morning, Marsha and I decided to make a breakfast of champions – French Toast, fresh-squeezed orange juice and bacon. We had our grocery list ready with bread, bacon, eggs, cinnamon, oranges, and almond milk. ‘Why almond milk?’ I…

Five Helpful Food Allergy Halloween Tips

Morning frost, warm afternoons, fall foliage, and specials on candy all add up to one thing – me loving this time of year. As one of my favorite times, the only downside for me is those oaks in the front…

A Growing Food Allergy Community – Guest Post

Over the next several weeks, we are going to introduce you to other members in the allergy, asthma and eczema community. As the first in our guest series, Lisa Rutter is the founder of the No Nuts Moms Group. From…

Ask an Allergist – Round Two Allergy FAQ’s

As our second installment of Ask An Allergist, we answer questions about food desensitization, avoiding asthma triggers and bird dander allergies. Take a look, and if you have questions you'd like us to answer, send them along via the methods…

Top Tips for Food Allergies in School

As we welcome in August, teachers across the U.S. are headed back to prep for the coming school year. That signals kickoff of back to school shopping but also fresh worries for parents about food allergies. Over the last few…

U.S. House of Reps Approves Anaphylaxis Bill

Sorry for the delay folks. I spent the last week or so in the Big Apple visiting some of the sights. Despite having spent over a month there off and on in the past, the last time I was there…

Wedding Day – Nothing to Sneeze At!

I came across an article that, this week, particularly resonated with me. While I am not getting married, my roommate is. After nearly a year of planning, she and her fianc

Peanut Oil and Peanut Food Allergies

If you’re allergic to peanuts or nuts in general, chances are you’ve wondered about the oil they use for cooking at restaurants. Five Guys and Chick-fil-A are probably the two most well-known examples that use peanut oil in their fryers.…

Easter – The Hunt for A Good Egg

With Good Friday and Easter just around the corner, most of us are finishing the final preparations for either dinner, Easter egg hunt or some type of family activity. In my household, my parents would put together Easter baskets then…

Food For Thought: Allergies & Genetically Modified Food

This morning while I was getting ready for work, I had the NPR news app running on my iPad. I like to listen to it since it's short enough but broad enough that it at least gives me quick roundup…

Cross Reactivity – Unrelated Links

When it comes to allergies, rarely are they isolated or singular. Often there are groupings, like allergen punches in bunches, that can affect the body. Peanut allergy sufferers are often allergic to other types of tree nuts, or those allergic…

Overcoming Allergies – Dana Vollmer

With the Olympics in full swing, millions around the world watch each day as athletes from across the globe compete. For those of us who sometimes feel that allergies and asthma are a problem we deal with on our own,…

Sir, Put the Strawberry Down, Slowly

Despite the topsy-turvy weather, I hope this summer is treating everyone well.

Feeding Food Allergies

For anyone with severe food allergies, one of the most basic needs can feel like a perpetual challenge – eating. Eating out is a near constant worry, and even preparing your own meals can be difficult, particularly when first diagnosed…

Dining Out With Food Allergies

Dining out with food allergies can be a very daunting task. A quick search for online articles about dining out and food allergies reveals stories that range from some discomfort on the drive home to consequences far more severe. _Part…

New Legislation on Auto Injectors & Anaphylaxis in Schools

For parents of children with food allergies, having and auto-injector on hand is almost second nature. With severe food allergies the risk of anaphylactic shock after exposure to the offending food allergen makes having and EpiPen nearby and easily accessible…

Link Between Less Sunlight and Food Allergies?

Though milk is often fortified with vitamin D, from grade school health classes on we've learned that much of the vitamin D we receive is from exposure to sunlight. In addition to keeping bones strong and healthy, vitamin D and…

Are Schools Prepared for Allergy Emergencies?

The death of a first-grader in Richmond, Virginia highlights the possible unpreparedness of schools to deal with allergy emergencies. Ammaria Johnson had a peanut allergy. While out at recess, she broke out in hives and began complaining of shortness of…

Allergy Apps

Do you use your phone for everything from checking email and planning family menus to entertaining the children while clothes shopping and checking sports stats

Halloween Hazards

Today in our regular perusal of allergy-related news, we came across Five Surprising Health Hazards on FoxNews.com. In summary, the hazards highlighted were: Licorice can lead to heart attacks. The FDA recently came out with a warning that too much…

How to Keep Your Food Safe

The recent listeria outbreak makes it clear that being allergic to a food is not the only reason ordinary food might pose a severe health hazard. Below is a summary of food safety tips from the Centers for Disease control,…

Peanut Exposure in Unexpected Places

A question posed in the NYTimes.com Science section highlights the fact that those with food allergies must be on the alert at all times

Sloane Miller on Emergency Allergy Action Plans

Last week we reported on the death of a local Atlanta teen who, though habitually vigilant about his peanut allergy, experienced a fatal allergy attack. Today in CNN.com article Deaths are a reminder of food allergy dangers, Sloane Miller, MFA,…

Local Teen Dies from Peanut Allergy

I've mentioned before the fact that writing about allergies has drastically expanded my awareness of all kinds of allergies and their repercussions. The most tragic consequence of allergies is death, as illustrated in yesterday's Atlanta Journal Constitution article Teen dies…

Helping Food Allergic Kids Feel ‘Normal’

The Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board was born of one woman’s desire to help her food allergic daughter be safe yet still feel included in typical childhood activities, reports CNN in Making Food-Allergic Kids Feel Included. Concerned that her peanut…

Fighting Allergies with Food: Allergy Salad

Yesterday, in quick succession, I explored, joined, and became addicted to Pinterest, a ‘virtual pinboard,’ which lets users ‘organize and share all the beautiful things [they] find on the web.’ This morning I did a search for the term allergy…

Children with Food Allergies: Twice as Many as We Thought

Before I began writing for AchooAllergy.com, I had little involvement with allergies. I don't typically suffer from allergies myself (although I do have allergies when pregnant) and no one in my family has any food allergies. I wasn't writing about…

Peanut Allergy Triggered by Blood Transfusion

Children and adults with life-threatening allergies know all too well that precautions against an allergic reaction must be taken in every aspect of life. An extraordinary case of an allergic reaction related in the NY Times emphatically illustrates this point.…

Food Dyes, Allergies, and ADHD

As the number of cases of both allergies and ADHD disorders are on the rise, it's particularly interesting to examine factors that may be increasing the incidence of both conditions. One somewhat controversial such factor is the consumption of food…

Have Any Food Allergy Advice?

We recently had a mother write to us for advice and help with food allergy questions. Recently, she found out that her 3 year-old is allergic to dairy protein (specifically Casein) and nuts. One problem is that milk and cheese…

Flu Season Not Over Yet

The Washington Post warns today in Flu Season Heats Up that it is still flu season. ‘Don't let the warmer, brighter days fool you,’ writes Leslie Tamura. ‘Flu season is not over.’ In fact, director of the office of epidemiology…

Geographic Differences in Auto Injector Prescriptions – Sunlight, Vitamin D & Allergies

A study published in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests strong variation in the occurence of anaphlyaxis between northern and southern U.S. states, reports the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Southern…