Allergen-free Thanksgiving Stuffing Ideas

Here are some great allergen-free Thanksgiving stuffing ideas from kidswithfoodallergies.org! stuffinghttp://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/top-8-allergy-free-stuffing-recipes-Thanksgiving

Can peanut allergic people eat peanut oil safely?

For a peanut allergic person, it is not safe to eat cold-pressed, expressed, or extruded peanut oil, which are sometimes represented as "gourmet oils" -- these tend to contain the highly allergenic peanut protein. On the other hand, it has been shown that peanut allergic individuals can safely eat high-temperature, heat-processed, fully refined peanut oil (refined, bleached and deodorized), which means the proteins in the oil are stripped out during the processing.  

Certain restaurants such as Chick Fil-A do offer detailed information regarding their use of only this highly refined peanut oil, which is generally safe for peanut allergic patients.  However, in the absence of such detailed information, we would advise avoidance of peanut oils if you are severely allergic to peanuts.   

A list of foods that may be hidden sources of peanut protein is available at http://www.foodallergy.org/page/peanut-allergy.

For more on testing for peanut and other allergies, go to SouthBayAllergy.com
Source: FAAN

 

Awesome new site for food allergy patients - The Allergy Menu

This is a new searchable database of recipes where food allergic individuals can enter the foods they need to avoid (among the most common food allergens such as milk, egg, wheat, peanut, sesame, tree nuts), click a button and voila! A series of recipes that would be safe and allergen-free for them.  It costs $297 per year for a subscription -- which seems pricey at first, but in fact that is less than a dollar a day to get rid of the hassle of trying to navigate through recipe books and hundreds of labels to figure out what would be safe to eat.  Very nice idea, something we have needed for a long time!

Click here for the link.

Visit our website at: www.southbayallergy.com

Halloween Haunts Parents of Students with Life-Threatening Food Allergies

As ghosts and goblins race through neighborhoods chanting, "Trick or Treat", parents of children with life-threatening food allergies, called anaphylaxis, feel shivers of fright and real terror according to Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), the leading patient education, advocacy and outreach organization. For good reason. They've seen that one bite of the wrong treat can turn a fun-filled evening into a nightmare at the hospital.

 

Even so, AANMA president and founder Nancy Sander says it is possible for parents and their food allergic children to be smart and have fun on the wackiest dress-up night of the year. "It's a great time for parents to remind children what their food allergens look like and not to eat any unapproved candy or treats until they get home—as well as to reinforce the need to keep two epinephrine auto-injectors everywhere, every day even if that means tucking them in your costume or goodie bag (or asking Mom and Dad to carry them)."

Anaphylaxis Community Expert (ACE) Teams nationwide are helping young people develop independent thinking skills necessary to prevent and respond to food allergy accidents. Volunteer teams are formed by local allergists, school nurses, registered nurses, PAs, and parents through a program developed by AANMA and the American College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. This school year, ACE Teams have trained daycare providers, EMTs, school faculty and staff--as well as at-risk students and patients--how to identify and respond to an anaphylactic emergency.

"Fun begins by eliminating the fear of the unknown. We start with a qualified diagnosis, a written plan, parent and student education to prevent future episodes and training to know when and how to self-administer epinephrine auto-injectors." says Katie Marks, MD. "Our goal is to teach school children the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and when to ask for help."

This Halloween, ACE Teams are helping parents and students learn age-appropriate food allergy anaphylaxis prevention and emergency self-management skills.  At-risk students who complete free one-on-one or small group ACE training programs at schools, community and worship centers receive free Epi Everywhere! Every Day!^TM bag tags and stickers.  To learn more, please contact local ACE Team member Anna at anna@southbayallergy.com or 310-371-1388 ext 15.

About ACEs

The Anaphylaxis Community Experts (ACEs) program is developed by Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), sponsored by Mylan Specialty, LP. The ACEs program goal is to save lives through showing parents, teachers, school nurses, emergency responders, and others how to recognize and respond immediately to anaphylaxis symptoms.

http://aces.aanma.org 

Oral Allergy Syndrome

Sometimes my mouth tingles when I eat melons - is this a food allergy?

If you also happen to be allergic to ragweed pollen, you may be experiencing a type of allergy called "oral allergy syndrome".  This occurs when eating fruits or vegetables containing proteins that are cousins of pollen proteins, especially during that specific pollen season.  So eating melons during the early fall, when ragweed pollens are high, can result in itching or tingling of the lips or mouth.  People with birch pollen allergy may react in this way when eating apples.  

Are these symptoms dangerous?

Unlike peanut or shellfish proteins, which often cause serious allergic reactions, these fruit proteins are rapidly broken down by enzymes in your mouth or stomach, making it very unlikely that they will make it into your bloodstream to cause a severe reaction.

As with all allergy symptoms, however, it is advisable to have any adverse reactions to a food checked out by an allergist for specific recommendations.

For more information, visit our website at www.southbayallergy.com.

Dr. Marks on TV!

Check out our very own Dr. Katie Marks in this speciality clip about Gluten allergies!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWeLIFEhXYM&feature=player_embedded

Dr. Marks on TV!

Dr. Katie Marks, our board certified allergist, expert and community resource, will be featured on an upcoming news segment about gluten allergies. Stay tuned for the link! Or visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/southbayallergy

Peanuts and Airlines

Which airlines do not serve individual packages or bags of peanuts?

Many airlines post a written peanut allergy policy on their website. After reviewing these policies and corresponding with airline representatives, FAAN has concluded that the following domestic airlines do not serve individual packages of peanuts in coach class:

Air Canada, Air Tran, American, Continental, Frontier, Jet Blue, Midwest, United, US Airways

Please note! This list includes only airlines that do not serve packaged peanuts (i.e., PEANUTS ARE THE ONLY INGREDIENT) in coach class. Some airlines may serve peanuts in first class or business class. Some airlines, such as Frontier, sell snack items (e.g., trail mix, candy bars) in coach class that contain peanuts as an ingredient and/or snack items that include a “may contain” advisory warning on the label.

As long as a passenger with peanut allergy does not eat these products or come into very close contact with them, the risk of reaction from skin contact or inhalation will be minimized.

Again, the most important strategy for avoiding reactions while flying is: DO NOT EAT AIRLINE MEALS OR SNACKS!

What about tree nuts?

Most airlines continue to offer, generally for sale, snack items that contain tree nuts. Other airlines, such as American, serve a warmed tree nut mix in first and/or business class, where the tree nuts are warmed in an oven during the flight prior to being served.

Source: FAAN

Top 10 Tips for Airline Travelers with Food Allergy

1. Do Your Homework: Before booking your flight, read the airline’s allergy policy. Many airlines post their policy on their website – find it by using the search function using the term “allergies” or “peanuts.”
2. Check the Airline’s Snack Offerings: For individuals with peanut/tree nut allergy, try to choose an airline that does not serve complimentary peanut/tree nut snacks with the beverage service. (Some airlines will serve a non-peanut/tree nut snack, such as pretzels, upon advance request.) This will greatly decrease the risk of exposure to peanuts/tree nuts during the flight. Keep in mind that no airline will ever give you a guaranteed peanut- or tree nut-free flight.
3. Notify the Airline of Your Food Allergy: When booking your flight, notify the reservation agent of your food allergy, and ask if your information can be forwarded to other personnel such as the gate agent, catering/food service, and flight crew. Reconfirm your food allergy at every opportunity with the ticket agent, and again with the flight attendants. 
4. Understand Policies for Carrying Medication on Board the Aircraft: For security purposes, keep your epinephrine/adrenaline in its original packaging and have your emergency plan with your medication. It is also recommended that you have your epinephrine prescription, and a travel plan or letter from your doctor confirming your food allergy and indicating you need to carry your medication and food/drinks with you.  Consider wearing medical alert identification indicating your allergies.
5. Inspect Your Seating Area: Ask the gate agent if you may pre-board the plane in order to inspect/clean your seating area. Wipe down the seat to help prevent contact reactions or inadvertent skin contact with food particles or spills. Eating food off a contaminated surface area could lead to accidental ingestion of allergens through cross-contact. Since some airlines are cleaned at the end of each day, consider choosing early morning flights, where the chance of seats containing crumbs or food residue is minimized.
6. Avoid Airline Food: Never eat airline food; pack your own food. However, you may want to check with the airline to see if there are any restrictions as to which types of food you are allowed to bring on board or to your destination.
7. Keep Your Epinephrine With You: Always keep your epinephrine/adrenaline with you; do not store in the overhead bin. Let others you’re traveling with know about your allergies so they know what to do in case of an emergency on the flight and where your auto-injector is.
8. Notifying Other Passengers: Consider informing passengers sitting in your area about your food allergy. Keep in mind, however, that the airline will probably not make an announcement to the other passengers, and that passengers can eat food they have brought onto the aircraft.
9. Respect the Flight Crew: Be courteous and polite with the flight crew. They are there to help you and we need to help educate them about food allergies without making unrealistic or unnecessary demands.
10. Always Be Prepared: Never take a risk with food, especially when in the air away from access to medical help

This list was created by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Alliance.

Common foods that cause allergic reactions

Any food can cause an allergic reaction, but only 8 types of foods cause 90% of reactions -- cow's milk, soybean, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.  

'Life in a Bubble' Leaves Kids with Food Allergies at Risk

Food allergies and anaphylaxis are on rise, as are peanut-free schools, baseball parks and airplanes. But is it possible or medically recommended to isolate food-allergic children from killer proteins?

This hot topic is spicing up communities throughout the U.S. and Internet forums. As the pendulum swings from irrational fear to the blatantly cavalier, school-aged kids with food allergies are left hanging in the balance.

This year, allergists and community members team up nationwide to help steer the debate with realistic expectations and evidence-based solutions. Anaphylaxis Community Experts (ACEs), a program developed by Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics in partnership with the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, conduct free local seminars to increase awareness about anaphylaxis and treatment and prevention strategies.

Food allergy anaphylaxis can be deadly but doesn't have to be. Our goal is to prevent death and anxiety due to anaphylaxis in our community.

A board-certified allergist should confirm which food allergens are responsible and assess risks for severe anaphylactic reactions. Parents are instructed to eliminate the food from the child's diet. But it's one thing to strip the kitchen cupboards bare of offending peanut protein, for example, and quite another to try to institute bans outside the home.

Designated areas such as 'peanut-free zones' can give a false sense of security. For children with life-threatening food allergies, the key is to identify and treat medical emergencies appropriately -- no matter where they are.

Teachers rather than trained medical professionals are often first on the scene when anaphylaxis happens at school. Most fatalities occur because access to life-saving auto-injectable epinephrine was delayed or nonexistent.

Latex Allergy

Latex, also known as rubber or natural latex, comes from the milky sap of the rubber tree, found in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Latex allergy is an allergic reaction to substances in natural latex. Rubber gloves are the main source of allergic reactions, although latex is also used in many other products -- here are some common places latex may show up in your environment:



At Home:

• balloons
• rubber gloves for cleaning house
• rubber erasers
• some computer mouse pads 
• rubber bands
• tennis shoe soles
• ping pong paddles
• foam rubber pillows 
• some "pillow top" mattresses
• koosh balls
• party "bounce" houses
• tires
• freshly resurfaced roads

At School:

• rubber balls on the playground
• rubberized playground surfaces
• rubber running tracks
• artificial turf fields
• mouse pads

Other:

• dental or medical offices where latex gloves are worn by staff
• restaurants or cafeterias where food handlers wear latex gloves
• some medical devices such as urinary catheters with a rubber tip
• latex condoms

It is thought that repeated exposure to latex and rubber products may induce symptoms in people prone to allergies.

About 5% to 10% of health care workers have some form of allergy to latex.  Many hospitals are now latex-free as this condition has become more prevalent in the population.


What Happens During a Latex Reaction?

There are three types of latex reactions:

• Irritant contact dermatitis.  Least threatening form, a non-allergenic skin reaction. Usually occurs as a result of repeated exposure to chemicals in latex gloves and results in dryness, itching, or burning of the skin.
• Allergic contact dermatitis. Results in the same type of reactions as irritant contact dermatitis, but the reaction is more severe, generally itchier, spreads to more parts of the body and lasts longer.
• Immediate allergic reaction (latex hypersensitivity). The most serious reaction to latex. It can include hay fever-like symptoms, conjunctivitis (allergic pink eye), hives, wheezing or chest tightness, swelling of the lips, eyelids, tongue or throat, difficulty breathing. Rarely, symptoms may progress to include rapid heartbeat, tremors, chest pain, low blood pressure, anaphylactic shock, or potentially, death.

What Should I Do During an Allergic Reaction to Latex?

If you experience severe symptoms, call your doctor or 911 immediately, or go to the nearest emergency room.

If you suspect latex allergy, we can help you decipher the causes of your symptoms.  Give us a call at (310) 371-1388 and set up a time to come see one of our allergy doctors.

5th Grader Saved by an Epi-Pen

A fifth grader experienced a severe allergic reaction while eating candy containing peanuts at school.  Luckily, he was treated with auto-injectable epinephrine by the school nurse and survived. Read the full story here http://bit.ly/wrhkoC

Would You Know the Symptoms of Life-Threatening Anaphylaxis?

Many of the deaths in the U.S. each year due to anaphylaxis, a sudden, serious allergic reaction, could be prevented if more people knew the symptoms and the immediate treatment needed to survive. 

To increase awareness of anaphylaxis, South Bay Allergy and Asthma have joined the national Anaphylaxis Community Experts (ACEs) educational program to present community awareness programs to schools, hospital grand rounds, PTA meetings, medical offices, Scouting organizations, EMS, fire and police departments, and more.

The first line of treatment is early administration of epinephrine. Most fatalities from anaphylaxis occur outside the home, especially when treatment is delayed.  Our goal is to show parents, teachers, school nurses, emergency responders and others how to recognize and respond to anaphylaxis symptoms the moment they begin.

Anaphylaxis is a rapid-onset, whole-body, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It can happen to anyone at any time, but is more commonly experienced among people with risk factors. There are three major risk factors for fatal anaphylaxis:

·         -Allergic reaction to food, stinging insects or medications

·         - Presence or history of asthma symptoms

·         -Delay in administration of epinephrine

The affected person may experience cardiovascular shock and/or serious respiratory compromise.

What causes the allergic reaction? The answer may not be what you think. See an allergist. Get a strategy and reduce anxieties associated with anaphylaxis.  Forty-seven states protect students’ rights to carry and use auto-injectable epinephrine. We’ve created resources to help them and families coordinate students’ needs.

Every child at risk should have an anaphylaxis action plan on file with all schools and caregivers.  The plan should list symptoms and state that immediate action can be life-saving and outline what to do in order of importance.

For more information on the symptoms and treatment of anaphylaxis or to request an ACE awareness presentation for your group, contact our allergy nurse, Anna, at 310-371-1388 ext. 15.

The ACE program is a partnership of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), supported by Dey Pharma, L.P. 

Ingredient alert - Burger King onion rings

Burger King resturants would like to inform you that the new onion rings that became available in November contain wheat and milk ingredients. All ingredient declarations are available online on www.bk.com in the nutrition and allergen download section. This nutrition page provides the most up-to-date listing of all ingredients, allergens, and general nutrition information. For more information, contact Burger King at (305)378-3535.

Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Dip

1.8 oz. package of Tofutti Better Than Cream Chesse non-dairy cream cheese alternative

10 drops liquid stevia herbal sweetener (or substitute other sugar-free sweetener to taste)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
chopped pecans (optional, use only if not tree nut allergic)

Mix first six ingredients well. If used, top with chopped pecans. Serve with sliced apples.

Delicious and healthy!

Tragedy at School Without Epi-Pen

It is important to have immediate access to an EpiPen, which can be life-saving in a situation like this one.  See article below about a little girl in Virginia who died at school earlier this week, after ingesting a peanut containing food and not having early treatment with epinephrine.  Very sad to see such a preventable situation happen.   Please be careful and make sure your food allergic child's EpiPen is current and available at all times!

http://bit.ly/wUxxCY

Ingredient Notice - Mars

A new Snickers bar variety, called Snickers Slice n' Share, has a different allergen advisory statement than other SNICKERS bars. The Snickers Slice n' Share bar states "May Contain Tree Nuts and Wheat" because it is made on equipment that also uses these allergens. Other Snickers bars continue to state "May Contain Almonds" because they are made on different equipment. Snickers Slice n' Share, is a 1-lb bar, which is significantly larger than other Snickers bars.

Snickers Slice n' Share bars are available for the holiday season in CVS stores between November and February.

As always, Mars Chocolate North America urges you to read all labels for current allergen information. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please call (800) 551-0702.

Food allergy blood or skin tests are just a starting point

Allergy skin tests or blood tests (specific IgE to foods) are commonly used to diagnose food allergies in children, especially those with severe eczema.   However, these results are just a starting point -- oral food challenges in a systematic way are essential to developing a reasonable diet that will not trigger the eczema.  

While a large percentage of young children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) do have one or more food allergy triggers, and will improve with elimination of that food, often they will have several false positive results to other foods on skin testing or blood tests.

A 2011 study in the Journal of Pediatrics confirmed that 84% to 93% of implicated foods did not need to be avoided after oral challenges.  Of the 131 oral food challenges performed, only 11 were positive.

We feel that our job as allergists is not only to tell patients what they need to avoid, but also what is okay to keep in the diet.   It is often unnecessary to severely limit a child's diet, especially if based on the results of serum IgE testing alone!

Fleischer DM, Bock A, Spear GC, et al: Oral food challenges in children with a diagnosis of food allergy. J Pediatrics. 2011;158:578-583.

Island-Style Hot Chocolate (Dairy Free)

3 cups coconut milk

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (check label for dairy or substitute carob chips)

1 tablespoon sugar (or substitute 1 tsp. agave nectar)

1/2 medium-size banana (or substitute pinch of xanthan gum)

1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions:

Microwave 2 cups coconut milk on high for 2 minutes (cooking time may vary based on microwave wattage); stir in chocolate, sugar and cinnamon. In blender, blend 1 cup coconut milk and banana until smooth.* Mix all ingredients together and heat in microwave on high for an additional 2-3 minutes.

*If using xanthan gum, heat all 3 cups milk in initial step, add pinch of xanthan gum to mixture and stir before heating the additional 2-3 minutes.

For range top, heat coconut milk initially in saucepan to moderate-warm before following same ingredient-mixing instructions above.