by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on September 8, 2010
The following is the first post in series on food allergies and their treatment at Children’s Hospital Boston. Written by Joshua Feblowitz, a research assistant at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a freelance writer for Children’s, the series will chronicle Joshua’s severe food allergy history, his life-long treatment at Children’s and the outcome of an upcoming test which may prove he has finally out grown of one of his food allergies.
Due to severe food allergies, Josh carries an epipen and wears a medical alert bracelet at all times.
Growing up with food allergies can be a challenge. As a kid, I always needed to carry my EpiPen and wear my MedicAlert bracelet at all times; responsibilities which frustrated me and made me feel different. I took my own meals and snacks just about everywhere: barbeques, field trips, even summer camp. When we did go out I had to be exceptionally careful eating at restaurants, but as a shy kid I dreaded the drawn out conversations with wait staff, questioning them about every ingredient on the menu. While other kids were pouring through books on history, sports and adventure I became an expert in reading ingredient labels. My allergies to milk, eggs and nuts meant that danger lurked all around me.
Although only about 4 percent of Americans are affected by food allergies, they seem more prevalent today than ever. We recently finished an eight-part milk allergy series where we followed Brett Nasuti, a Children’s patient who last summer became the first person ever to go through a milk exposure desensitization trial. Check out the first video in the series.
If your children have cavities, it’s much more likely they’ll become adults with cavities. An Israeli study found that premature babies listening to Mozart were able to grow faster. Children born to mothers exposed to microbes during pregnancy may be less likely to develop allergies.
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 11, 2009
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
Canada is delaying its seasonal-flu vaccine program. Should we be worried? There are an alarmingly high number of glass-table injuries involving children. Six months after Children’s Hospital Boston’s Division of Emergency Medicine published a study on these injuries, new standards have been recommended in the production of glass-tables. A Children’s study showed that side effects or accidental overdoses of medications in children are more common than you might think. In part 7 of our milk allergy series, Robyn Nasuti shares her tips on keeping her kitchen safe. French Parliament wants to pass a law that would mandate a bold print notice when images have been digitally enhanced. Children’s Alison Field, ScD, who specializes in eating disorders, talks about what we can do to educate our children about images in the media. We follow one family’s story when they discovered their child, Ann Louise, showed signs of a congenital heart defect. Children’s David Ludwig, MD, addresses the soda-tax solution in an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times. The HealthMap team gives their weekly H1N1 update. The Mediatrician weighs in on what computer games, if any, are good for a 2-year-old.
Robyn Nasuti shares her tips on keeping her kitchen safe–no small feat, given that two out of her three children have severe food allergies. She also shows how she’s simplified home-made pizza night at her house.
Other videos and posts in the series
In last week’s video, we followed Brett Nasuti at school, where he runs Allergy Awareness Week to raise money for research. Brett is Children’s first patient to go through a new trial that could cure him of his severe food allergies. Hear what he and his classmates have to say.
Celebrity chef Ming Tsai, chef-owner of Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts, is passionate about improving restaurant systems so people with food allergies can eat out safely. The father of a son who has had multiple severe food allergies, Tsai talks about what he’s learned as both a chef and a parent here. Full story »
Brett Nasuti has battled bullies who have taunted him with put-downs like “peanut boy” and had to sit at the highly stigmatized ‘peanut-free table” at school. Even so, he could be the poster child for living well with food allergies. He’s even taken it upon himself to educate his peers by organizing an annual Food Allergy awareness week at his school, during which he raises money for food allergy research. Here, watch Brett in action and hear what his schoolmates have to say about what they’ve learned from him. Full story »
This week, watch the Nasutis take on their regular challenge of food shopping—no easy feat, considering that two out of the three children have life-threatening food allergies. Brett was born allergic to 15 foods, and his little brother, Nicholas, is allergic to 16. Their sister, Taylor, doesn’t have any food allergies, like her parents. In order to keep them all fed, Robyn makes three different meals every time her family eats, which requires her to drive to three different grocery stores. And the specialty foods don’t come cheap; dairy-free milk alone costs her $10 a gallon. “I spend about $850 a month on groceries,” Robyn says.
Do you have a Children's Hospital Boston story you'd like heard? By sharing your Children's story you can be a great source of inspiration and encouragement to families who are going through similar situations. And it’s a great way to find support by connecting with others. Share your story today »
Psychologist wins $1 million for showing that 
