Food Allergies For Dummies

Robert A. Wood, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics and International Health and Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, he completed his residency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed an allergy and immunology fellowship. Dr. Wood is an internationally recognized expert in food allergy and childhood asthma and has published over 100 manuscripts in scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, as well as two books and numerous book chapters. He is Deputy Editor of the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, was Associate Editor of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He is on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. He personally cares for over 4,000 patients with food allergy and has a special interest in this topic as someone with a severe, lifelong peanut allergy. Joe Kraynak is a freelance author who has written and co-authored dozens of books on topics ranging from slam poetry to computer basics. Joe teamed up with Dr. Candida Fink to write his first book in the For Dummies series, Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, where he showcased his talent for translating the parlance of psychiatry into plain-spoken practical advice. He then tackled Flipping Houses For Dummies with legendary real estate pro Ralph Roberts to produce the ultimate guide for real estate rehabbers. In Food Allergies For Dummies, Joe returns to the doctor’s office with world-renowned allergist, Robert Wood, MD, to pen the definitive guide to living well with food allergies.

"I would thoroughly recommend this book to all serious allergy sufferers" (Women's Fitness, September 2007)

• Foreword xxiIntroduction 1About This Book 2Conventions Used in This Book 3What You’re Not to Read 4Foolish Assumptions 4How This Book Is Organized 5Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals 5Part II: Progressing from Hives to Hope: Diagnosis and Treatment 5Part III: Living Well with Your Food Allergies 6Part IV: The Part of Tens 6Appendixes: Allergy-Friendly Recipes and Other Treats 6Icons Used in This Book 7Where to Go from Here 7Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals 9Chapter 1: Breaking Out with Food Allergies 11Pinning Down Food Allergy: What’s an Allergy, and What’s Not? 11Defining food allergy 12Identifying imposters 12Meeting the Many Faces of Food Allergies: Signs and Symptoms 13Investigating the Conspiracy: Allergens and Other Contributing Factors 14Digging up the root cause of food allergy 14Playing the blame game 14Labeling Your Maladies with a Doctor’s Diagnosis 15Finding a food-allergy savvy allergist 16Navigating the diagnostic process 17Considering food intolerances 17Battling Back with Medications, Modifications, and Other Therapies 18Modifying your diet 18Muffling your symptoms with meds 19Confronting the alternative (therapy) crowd 20Getting the Lowdown on Potential Futuristic Cures 22Living Large with Your Food Allergies 24Unmasking Common Food Allergy Myths 24Chapter 2: Turning Allergies Inside Out: Probable Causes and Common Symptoms 27Finding Out What’s Wrong with Your Food 28Pinpointing problematic proteins 28Separating logic from lore 29Finding Out What’s Wrong with You 33Going wild: Immune systems gone wild 33Debating the nature or nurture question 35Triggering allergies through exposure 36Exploring the Sudden Rise in Food Allergies 38Examining the hygiene hypothesis 38Investigating other possible suspects 39Gauging Your Child’s Risk for Developing a Food Allergy 40Following the guidelines 40Weighing the age factor 41Exploring Common Signs and Symptoms 42Getting under your skin 43Taking a breather: Respiratory reactions 46Having a gut reaction literally 46Uncovering anaphylaxis: The shocking story 47Taking the focus off of food allergy 50Chapter 3: Spotting the Usual Suspects: Wherefore Art Thou, Allergen? 51Naming the Common Culprits 52Condemning cow’s milk 52Cracking open the mystery of hen’s eggs 53Pointing the finger at peanuts 54Censoring soy 54Blaming the bakery: Wheat 55Shaking the tree for tree nut allergies 55Fishing for allergens in fish 55Prying into shellfish allergies 56Suspecting sesame, sunflower, and other seedy culprits 56Ingesting Allergens with Your Food 57Gauging how much it takes to trigger a reaction 57Predicting the severity of an ingestion reaction 58Calming the Fears of Contact Reactions 59Predicting the severity of a contact reaction 60Revealing the low risk of hidden dangers:From library books to monkey bars 61Refusing to let your allergies control your life 62Clearing the Air About the Risks of Airborne Allergens 62Recognizing the risk: When allergens take to the air 63Predicting the severity of an inhalant reaction 65Chapter 4: Picking On Peanuts: A Potentially Deadly Foe 67Investigating the Allergic Nature of Peanuts 67Probing the peanut protein connection 68Acknowledging the deadly risk 68Playing Find-the-Peanut on Your Plate 69Uncovering peanut’s favorite hideouts 69Dining out without peanuts 75Inhaling Peanut Dust: Airborne Reactions 79Ruling out airborne reactions in peanut butter and candy bars 79Designating peanut-free zones 80Spotting peanuts at bars and restaurants 81Mixing peanuts with baseball 81Steering Clear of the Other Nuts 81Part II: Progressing from Hives to Hope: Diagnosis and Treatment 83Chapter 5: Labeling Your Ailments with an Accurate Diagnosis 85Taking a Flyover View of the Diagnostic Journey 86Self-Screening for Food Allergies 88Taking a Trip to Your General Practitioner 90Why see your GP? 90Knowing what to expect from your GP 90Navigating the referral process 92Avoiding quackologists 94Seeking an Allergist’s Advice 94Tracking down a qualified food allergist 95Teaming up with your allergist for optimum results 97Getting the Skinny on Allergy Workups 98Making the most of your medical history 98Getting physical with a physical exam 100Poking around with skin tests 100Hunting for IgE with RASTs 103Weighing the pros and cons of RASTs and skin tests 105Looking for Clues with Additional Diagnostic Tools 106Daring a food to make you react: Food challenges 106Discovering your allergens by avoiding them 107Pursuing the causes of non-IgE mediated allergies 109Avoiding the untested and unproven 110Ruling out food intolerances 111Chapter 6: Concocting Your Own Avoidance Diet 113Setting Sensible Goals 114Drawing Up Your Avoidance Diet 114Maximizing your choices 115Determining how strict you need to be 116Decrypting Food Labels: Allergen-Savvy Grocery Shopping 116Going on an egg hunt 117Identifying the many faces of milk 117A peanut by any other name 117Spotting soy and soy products 118Shaking the tree nuts out of a label 118Recognizing wheat’s many aliases 119Smelling the fish on a label 119Cracking open mysterious shellfish labels 119Sifting out hidden sesame 119Approaching Warning Labels with Caution 120Deciphering the “This package may contain ” warning 120Decoding the “Produced in a facility ” warning 121Taking warning labels seriously 122Remaining cautious of foods you haven’t reacted to yet 122Feeding Your Nutritional Needs 122Attending to your infant’s needs 123Keeping your toddler on the right track 124Maintaining a healthy diet with children and adolescents 124Focusing on calcium intake for adults 125Taking Turns with a Rotation Diet 125Knowing when a rotation diet can benefit you 126Charting your game plan 126Chapter 7: Making It Stop: Finding Symptomatic Relief 127Pro-Acting and Reacting to Anaphylaxis 127Defending yourself against anaphylactic episodes 128Drawing up an anaphylactic treatment plan well in advance 129Dealing with Itchy Stuff: Eczema 133Dealing with More Itchy Stuff: Hives 134Alleviating Gut-Retching Food Allergies 135Treating oral allergy syndrome 135Easing the effects of eosinophilic gastroenteritis 136Muting the symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) 137Checking out remedies for allergic proctitis 138Caring for enterocolitis syndrome 138Alleviating the symptoms of celiac disease 138Catching Your Breath Asthma Symptoms and Treatments 139Treating a Chronic “Cold”: Allergic Rhinitis 139Chapter 8: Debunking Alternative Tests and Therapies 141Exposing Meaningless Tests and Other Mumbo Jumbo 142Polling your cellular reactions: Cytotoxic testing 142Looking at your lymphocytes with ELISA/ACT testing 144Unclogging your energy fields with NAET 145Discrediting the claims of other dubious tests 145Demystifying Homeopathy: A Little Hair of the Dog That Bit You 147Deflating the Hype Surrounding Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs 148Addressing the Leaky-Gut Hypothesis 149Healing Yourself through Mind, Body, and Soul Manipulations 150Solving Allergies through Acupuncture or Acupressure 151Chapter 9: Exploring Cures from Mice to Man: Current Research 153Muting Allergen Sensitivities through Immunotherapy 154Grasping the concept of immunotherapy 154Getting your allergy shots but not necessarily for food allergies 155Going under the tongue with sublingual treatments 157Chewing on oral immunotherapy 158Battling back with modified protein vaccines 159Going sub-cellular with DNA vaccines 162Treating Your Allergies to an Ancient Chinese Herbal Remedy 162Fighting Back with Anti-IgE Antibody Therapy 163Investigating Other Futuristic Treatments 165Immunizing with immunostimulatory sequences 165Making the most of probiotics 166Part III: Living Well with Your Food Allergies 167Chapter 10: Living at Home with Your Allergies 169Dumping the Bad Stuff or Not 169Weighing the pros and cons of banning allergenic foods 170Quarantining suspect substances 172Stocking Up on the Essentials 173Cooking and Dining Safely in the Midst of Allergies 174Planning your meals 175Boning up on substitutions 175Reducing the risks of cross-contamination 175Grounding airborne allergens 176Cleaning the galley 177Organizing an Information Station 179Assembling an emergency kit 179Bringing your sitter up to speed 180Chapter 11: Eating Out and Traveling with Food Allergies 183Preparing for Your Outing 183Toting your allergy emergency kit along with you 184Packing a safe food stash 185Wearing a medical ID bracelet or necklace 185Taking Your Allergies Out to Dinner 185To eat out or not to eat out that is the question 186Locating allergy-friendly restaurants 187Chatting it up with the staff 188Studying the menu for safe dishes 190Stepping gingerly across the dessert menu 192Traveling with Your Allergies 193Plotting your course and itinerary 193Planning your meals 195Scoping out available healthcare providers 196Flying to foreign lands: international travel 196Flying with peanuts: avoiding peanuts on your next flight 198Cruising for a reaction 199Chapter 12: Conquering the Challenges of Daycare and Preschool 201Making the Big Decision: To Send or Not to Send 202Weighing the risks of daycare and preschool 202Considering the benefits of daycare or preschool 203Finding the Right Daycare Center or Preschool 203Shopping for allergen-free schools or not 204Assessing a facility’s knowledge and experience with food allergies 205Gauging the size factor 207Consulting the school nurse (or whoever’s in charge) 207Teaming Up with Your Child’s Daycare Center or Preschool 208Educating your child’s caregivers 209Establishing some basic lunchroom policies 211Making your childcare facility peanut-free 213Planning for possible emergencies 213Chewing on Some Snack-Time Issues 216Keeping Parties Fun while Making Them Safe 217Chapter 13: Sending Food Allergies Off to School: K-12 219Selecting an Allergy-Safe Educational Environment 220Home schooling: The ultimate in allergy safety? 221Assessing public versus private schools 221Making a Safe School Safer for Your Child 222Reviewing food allergy policies 223Pow-wowing with the nurse, administrators, and other staff 227Dealing with medications on school grounds 229Riding the school bus with food allergies 231Designating peanut-free tables and other seating arrangements 232Packing for Lunchtime: Cafeteria or Brown Bag? 234Protecting Yourself without Becoming a Party Pooper 235Taking Your Allergies on a Field Trip 235Going Behind the Scenes with 504 Plans 236Section 504 237The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 237The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 238Citing the law to gain cooperation 238Chapter 14: Empowering Your Adolescent or Teenager 241Fostering an Atmosphere of Empathy 242Acknowledging the injustice 242Feeling the sting of teenage teasing 243Dealing with restrictions and limitations 244Sizing up the situation: Newly developed or long-standing allergy? 244Empowering Your Teen to Take on More Responsibility 245Getting a Little Help from Your Friends 247Mastering the Art of Acceptable Risk Taking 248Laying Down Some Safe Dating Guidelines 249Eating out 250Acquiring a few safe-kissing skills 250Chapter 15: Preventing and Outgrowing a Food Allergy 253Preventing Food Allergies: Hope or Hype? 254Stressing early intervention 254Focusing on baby formulas 255Clearing the smoke from the room 255Taking action to prevent the onset of food allergies and asthma 255Ranking the Likelihood of Outgrowing an Allergy Food by Food 257Charting your chances with cow’s milk 257Outgrowing an allergy to eggs 258Winning out against wheat and soy allergies 259Overpowering a peanut allergy 259Shaking a tree nut allergy 261Surmounting a seed allergy 261Overcoming other food allergies 261Whipping multiple food allergies 262Accounting for other allergic conditions 262Speculating on the Timing 262Prodding Your Allergy to Vacate Sooner 263Monitoring and Managing Your Allergies 264Safely Reintroducing the Problem Foods 266Confronting your allergies with food challenges 266Inviting problem foods into your home 267Part IV: The Part of Tens 269Chapter 16: Teaching Your Child Ten Key Food Allergy Lessons 271Finding Comfort in Numbers: Lots of People Have Food Allergies 271Decoding Labels and Asking Questions 272Teaching Your Friends a Thing or Two 273Sitting at the Cleanest Table in the Cafeteria 274Eating Off a Plate or Napkin 274Steering Clear of Sloppy Eaters 274Avoiding Lunch Room Food Swaps and Food Fights 275Stocking up on Some Healthy, Yet Yummie Snacks 275Asking for Help Immediately when You Start Feeling Funny 276Carrying a Health Emergency Card 276Chapter 17: Packing Ten Key Food Allergy Tips for Camp, College, and Other Outings 279Packing Fresh Medications 279Taking Your Allergy Free Diet on the Road 280Packing Emergency Information and Instructions 281Identifying One or More Point Persons 282Tweaking Your Emergency Plan 283Training Counselors and Other Personnel 283Giving Your Child a Refresher Course 284Choosing a Food Allergy–Friendly Camp 284Educating Bunkmates and Roommates 285Buddying Up with a Food Allergy Savvy Pal 285Chapter 18: Substituting Foods and Ingredients: Ten Common Dietary Substitutions 287Discovering Peanut and Peanut Butter Alternatives 288Replacing Milk, Ice Cream, and Yogurt 288Discovering a Better Butter 289Checking Out Some Cheesy Substitutes 289Trading in Your Chocolate 290Whipping up a Fake Egg Mixture 290Finding a New Staple: Wheat-Free Breads 291Breakfasting with Wheat-Free Cereals 292Baking Your Goodies with Wheat-Free Flour 292Discovering Safer Thickening Agents 293Chapter 19: Exploring Ten Outstanding Food Allergy Web Sites 295Tapping Online Resources at FAAN: Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network 295Communing with the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics 296Investigating the Food Allergy Initiative 297Poking Around in the Food Allergy Kitchen 297Visiting AAFA: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 298Accessing Anaphylaxis Canada 298Dropping in on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology 299Attending the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology 299Joining the Anaphylaxis Campaign 300Gathering Additional Information at AllAllergy.net 300Chapter 20: Responding to a Severe Reaction: Ten Do’s and Don’ts 301Identify the Symptoms 301Tell Someone Immediately 302Remain As Calm As Possible 302Respond Immediately 303Administer Medications 303Call 911 304Don’t Drive Yourself 304Call Your Doctor 304Call Family or Friends 305Review What Happened 305Part V: Appendixes: Allergy-Friendly Recipes and Other Treats 307Appendix A: Breads & Breakfasts 309Appendix B: Main Courses 313Appendix C: Snacks and Cookies 317Appendix D: Cakes and Desserts 323Appendix E: Glossary 329Index 335