by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on August 15, 2011
Immunology celebrates its 100th birthday this month
Written by Joshua Feblowitz
One hundred years ago, a British scientist by the name of Leonard Noon attempted to treat hay fever by injecting patients with of small amounts of grass pollen. Inspired by successful vaccines for diseases like smallpox, Noon hoped to cure patients of their allergy by helping them build up an “active immunity” to the pollen.
In his laboratory at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, Noon carefully prepared “pollen extracts” to test his theory. To study patients’ reactions to pollen, he sprinkled the extract directly into their eyes – undoubtedly a very unpleasant experience, as anyone with seasonal allergies can imagine. Finally, he injected patients with the extract over several weeks in increasing amounts, successfully reducing their sensitivity to the pollen.
Noon’s 1911 study represents the first successful example of allergen immunotherapy, a treatment that involves gradually exposing an allergic person to an allergen to coax their immune system into tolerating the substance. Although Noon never uses the word “allergy” in his original paper – at the time the term was just 4 years old—his discovery marked the beginning of a new era for allergy research and treatment. Today, allergen immunotherapy continues to be employed by innovative researchers around the world, including right here at Children’s Hospital Boston. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on August 4, 2011
Written by Joshua Feblowitz, a Thriving contributor who has lived with severe food allergies his whole life.
image: flikr/Amarand Agasi
As food-allergic children reach their teens, they face many new challenges in allergy management, including a first date and even a first kiss, both of which hold hidden dangers. For parents, these romantic milestones can be especially stressful because they happen outside of their watchful, protective view.
Unfortunately for food-allergic teens, dating frequently involves dining out and all the potential allergens that come with it. In addition, research and personal anecdote has shown that kissing can sometimes cause a cross-contact reaction. On top of these dangers, teens are generally known to take more risks when it comes to their allergies or feel self-conscious about them. As a result they may resist previously established rules around exposure, or be shy explaining their dietary needs, which can lead to trouble.
So, what’s a worried parent to do? The simple truth is, as teens start dating (and being more socially independent in general), they must also start learning how to manage food allergies on their own. Here are a few things you can do as a parent to help navigate this transition safely, smoothly and with minimal conflict: Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on June 16, 2011
For many of us, buying organic snacks and toting recyclable grocery bags is the extent of our eco-conscious consumer habits. But for the extremely earth friendly, there’s a eco-shopping trend gathering steam called BYOC (bring your own container), where shoppers bring glass jars and containers with them to market to fill with products like coffee, grains, olive oil and even natural household cleaners. Most items are available in bulk, without all that pesky packaging.
From an environmentalist standpoint BYOC makes sense. Less packaging means less cereal boxes in our overcrowded land fills, fewer plastic bottles lingering on for the next few millennia and tree-lined streets free of plastic bags entwined in their branches.
How strong is the risk of contamination in non-packaged food?
It could also lead to more healthful eating. Eco-friendly stores tend to lean toward natural products, so if you’re shopping BYOC style, you’re far more likely to have choose between two types of whole grain cereal than between Fruity Pebbles and Lucky Charms.
From a parental point of view, one of the real advantages to BYOC shopping could be the lack advertising aimed at your kids. Take a stroll down an aisle at your local grocery story and you’re likely to see hundreds of cartoon characters hocking unhealthy food directly to your children. You can try to explain to a six-year-old that just because Dora the Explorer is featured on a box doesn’t mean it has to go into the cart, but don’t expect the conversation to go smoothly. Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on June 15, 2011
image: flikr/pinkmoose
Depending on who you ask, peanuts are as much a part of baseball as the National Anthem and the seventh inning stretch. (After all, no one takes you out to the ball game for carrots and celery sticks.)
But despite their long-standing tradition as the game day treat of choice, there are plenty of young baseball fans who want nothing to do with peanuts, Cracker Jack or any other nut heavy treat: Children with peanut allergies.
But as a recent Boston Globe article notes, the Red Sox and many other major league teams are making an effort to make their stadiums safer for their nut allergic fans. Fenway management recently made an outdoor, 226-seat section, completely peanut free for a game, and routinely sections off enclosed areas for fans with severe allergies that might not otherwise be able to attend. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on May 9, 2011
Joshua Feblowitz is a Thrive contributor who has lived with severe food allergies his whole life. In the following post he has advice for parents on how they can empower their food-allergic children to play a bigger role in their managing their allergies.
Joshua and his allergist at Children’s Hospital Boston, Lynda Schneider, MD
Growing up with food allergies, I always had to be aware of my condition, but felt confident that it wouldn’t hold me back. If I was visiting a friend’s house, I could pack a special snack. If foods were unfamiliar, I could read ingredient labels and recognize what was safe. And if there was a class party, thanks to a little extra work by mother… allergen-free treats for everyone! I was sure there wasn’t a situation that my parents and I couldn’t handle.
Today, I can appreciate that what appeared so simple back then was the result of how hard my parents worked each and every day. They were constantly vigilant about ingredients, but they also provided a world of support that went far beyond food. I know now that my allergies seemed manageable because they were looking out for not just my safety, but also my well-being.
As all parents of food-allergic children know, caring for them isn’t just about reading ingredient labels and cooking special meals. Equally important and challenging is the task of helping your child adjust and feel confident in managing their allergies themselves. In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 8-13), I talked with Jennifer LeBovidge, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Children’s Hospital Boston, to learn more about how parents can help their children cope with a diagnosis of food allergies. Here are some things you can do to help your child adjust: Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on March 28, 2011
Image: Flickr/Dan4th
Food allergies are in the news again, and the conversation is getting heated. For starters, there was some national coverage around a Florida first-grader who’s so allergic to peanuts that her classmates need to follow special rules to keep her safe. The safety measures go beyond separate lunch tables and restriction of class-wide treats like cupcakes; all the children in her class need to wash their hands every time they enter classroom, and rinse their mouths out after eating.
To adults, the rules may sound simple to follow, but for a room full of 6-year-olds, most of whom don’t understand how food can be deadly for some people, the steps aren’t always so easy to remember. In addition to strict safety standards around food in the girl’s classroom, the school recently brought in a peanut sniffing dog to make sure there were no hidden allergy triggers lurking elsewhere in the building.
It’s a lot of regulation and upkeep for a small school, and some parents say the extra teacher attention, class time and money spent on just one child is negatively affecting the rest of the class.
“If I had a daughter who had a problem, I would not ask everyone else to change their lives to fit my life,” said one parent at the school.
Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc
Over a thousand miles away in Chicago, there’s another food fight brewing. In January, the city’s board of education passed a mandate that would require elementary schools to serve free breakfast in every classroom, providing a much needed healthy meal to thousands of children from low-income families. No one opposes feeding hungry children, but there is a segment of Chicago’s parent population that’s vocally opposing the program: parents of kids with food allergies. Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on February 16, 2011
Eating out can be very stressful for families of children with food allergies
Sampling local restaurants is a great way for families to spend time together while getting out of the house. But if you’re the parent of a child with a food allergy, trusting the cooking to a total stranger is anything but relaxing.
“Dining out has always been a major source of stress and challenge for our family,” says Robyn Nasuti, the mother of two children born with significant food allergies. “It has isolated us from nights out with friends, and on several occasions we’ve had to walk out of restaurants after getting a blank stare from a manager or server when I mentioned all our food allergies.” Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 27, 2010
Joshua Feblowitz is a a research assistant at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Thrive contributor who has lived with severe food allergies his whole life. In the following post he offers advice for parents on how to make Halloween safer and more inclusive for kids with food allergies.
Halloween is a night filled with excitement, creative costumes, spooky decorations and, of course, lots and lots of candy. But for food allergic children, Halloween can be one of the most difficult and dangerous holidays of the year. Not only are there scary allergens lurking in every candy-filled trick-or-treat bag, it’s also a time your child is at risk of feeling left out of all the food-centric festivities. Full story »
