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 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 »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 7, 2010
A new study shows kids with food allergies are more likely to be bullied at school. Unfortunately, the findings were recently proven in Pennsylvania, where a student with a food allergy was threatened with an allergy provoking food. Joshua Feblowitz, a Thrive contributor who has lived with severe food allergies his whole life, comments on the study’s findings and offers advice to parents on how they can help protect their children from food bullies.
Joshua and his allergist, Lynda Schneider, MD
Having a child with food allergies poses challenges that go well beyond watching what he eats. Sometimes other kids (and adults) in your child’s life won’t understand food allergies; they may become overly anxious or not take the problem seriously enough. And sometimes, unfortunately, kids can be cruel. Bullies can use a victim’s food allergies to taunt, tease and even threaten.
A recent study, published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, found that one in four children with food allergies has experienced some form of food-related bullying. This type of bullying becomes more common as kids get older, with over 50 percent of food allergic kids in grades 6-10 reporting an instance of food bullying. In one particularly disturbing case, a teenager was suspended from school and charged with assault after purposely smearing peanut butter on the forehead of a nut-allergic student. Full story »
by Matt Cyr on June 7, 2010
Brett Nasuti, the 12-year-old Children’s patient who last year became the first person in the country to take part in a milk allergy desensitization study, is featured in a Boston Globe article today about the rise in food allergies – and why doctors and researchers are so flummoxed by it.
Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on May 30, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on April 18, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to this week.
Children’s researchers found that in many cases kids with egg allergies could receive flu vaccinations made from egg embryos, and that performing a skin test prior to vaccination may not be necessary.
Claire McCarthy, MD, shared her thoughts on bullying and why so many adults fail to recognize the signs that bullying is taking place.
Susan Rudders, MD, talked about her research which found that one EpiPen may not have enough of a dosage to help a child in an anaphylactic shock as a result of a food allergy.
A recent outbreak of measles in Vancouver, as well as newly released study on a 2008 outbreak in the San Diego area, are raising questions about intentionally unvaccinated children and the potential health threat and costs they could pose to the public. Ronald Samuels, MD, MPH talked to Thrive about the dangers of unvaccination as well as common misconceptions about vaccination.
Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten recently won a Pulitzer Prize for an article he wrote on parents who accidentally left their kids in their cars—with fatal results.
Read one family’s story about traveling from California to Children’s Hospital Boston, so their baby, who was born with esophageal atresia, could receive special treatment.
by Tripp Underwood on April 14, 2010
A recent study by Children’s Hospital Boston found that children who suffer from severe food allergies should carry two EpiPens, because the dosage found in one may not be enough.
Susan Rudders, MD, of Children’s Division of Allergy and Immunology was first author on the study, which found that 12 percent of 1,200 children monitored who suffered anaphylactic shock as a result of a food allergy needed a second dose from an EpiPen to fully recover from their reaction.
Based on the findings, Rudders suggests that parents who keep EpiPens on hand for their food allergenic kids carry a second dose with them in case it’s needed during a severe reaction.
The study, done in conjunction with Massachusetts General Hospital, was published in the latest issue of Pediatrics. It was reported on by Booster Shots–the Los Angeles Times blog, The Boston Globe and WebMD health news.
