Buy ASTHMA ALLERGIES CHILDREN: a parent’s guide by clicking here. It is also now available as an iBook here and on Nook, and finally on Sony eReader. Allergic Living Magazine calls it “a must-have resource.” Our new eBook, Children’s Allergies and Asthma: One of Nature’s Dirty Tricks is now out as a Kindle edition for $2.99. You can buy it here. It is also out as a Nook edition, which you can buy here. And an iBook here. This easy-to-read, easy-to-browse edition is comprised of 89 pieces out of the more than 250 original blog posts published on this website. Makes a wonderful gift for your Kindle, Nook, and iPad-carrying friends.
The book Food Allergies: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western Science and the Search for a Cure is now for sale at Amazon.com. ebook editions are now out on Scribd and Nook. More news on paperback sales and other ebook platforms to come. For more on this book, click Traditional Chinese Medicine in the navigation bar above.
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New book about the work of Dr. Xi-Min Li, co-authored by Dr. Li herself Read about the pioneering work of this Chinese scientist to adapt the world’s oldest medicines to the world’s modern epidemics.
Allergy sufferers hate Immunoglobulin E (IgE) In this, the 50th anniversary of its discover, two scientists investigate the evolutionary purpose of this antibody.
Food allergy patients are ready for new emergency treatment The CEO of a start-up talks about his company’s coming alternative here.
Do skin prick tests sensitize patients to new allergens? Allergist Dr. Maureen Egan analyzes this old worry here.
LEAP Study after a year What do we know? Dr. David Stukus discusses it here.
Emergency anaphylaxis is a threat for biphasic reactions, requiring long observation, but with food challenges not so much Three distinguished researchers worry that allergists will use emergency data to justify doing fewer challenges. One of them, Dr. Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn of Mount Sinai, discusses the threat in a new guest editorial.
Licorice–a triple-edged sword A staple flavoring for foods around the world, licorice is also a potent herbal medicine. However, the same things that make it effective for treating some diseases also make it a dangerous additive to tobacco. Read more here.
President Teddy Roosevelt was America’s most famous asthmatic A distinguished doctor and a descendent looked back at T.R’s illness here.
What did the pharmaceutical industry do to make us mad in 2015? We take a look in this editor’s note with the help of WC Fields.
How does itchy skin affect the rest of the family? New research shows how infant eczema takes a toll on household health here.
Autoinjector Safety is On Lots of Minds An emergency room physician names Julie Brown talks about what she has learned about EpiPen accidents and why they happen here.
A Chinese Scientist Won a Nobel Prize in Medicine Our Contributor Dr. Xiu-Min Li analyzes her achievement.
How Many People Lost Their Lives to Bad Air in China? Elizabeth Muller of Berkeley Earth tells us about the toll taken by that infamous gray air in a guest editorial.
Trust the Experts? Our friend Jessica Martin, PhD neuroscientist, dissects a popular article about airborne anaphylaxis by a scholar and finds it wanting in this new guest editorial.
Peanuts by Prescription Will one of the world’s cheapest foods find happiness as an expensive drug therapy? Read about this financial and pharmaceutical alchemy here.
Why Does the Atopic March Start With the Skin? This fact of allergic life is little understood. Read more here.
Office food challenges frighten many patients and parents Mount Sinai allergist Dr. Scott Sicherer addresses the common fears in a guest post
Advair Again Every few years a journalist goes after the leading asthma medicine. Is it as dangerous as they make it sound? Dr. Paul Ehrlich analyses the real issues with the blockbuster drug.
Why Are Food Allergy Tests So Equivocal? Read about the history of hazelnut testing in an Editor’s Note, here.
Asthma in India–the Epidemic in the World’s 2nd Largest Nation Read about it.
Schoolwork Suffering? The links between allergies, disordered sleep, and poor school performance are frequently overlooked. Dr. Ehrlich writes about it here.
Do the Sinuses Have Their Own Protective Microbes? Dr. Paul Ehrlich discusses this new wrinkle in the microbiome. Read it here.
Could Auvi-Q Be Gaining On EpiPen? West Virginia goes with the underdog in the state formulary. Read more.
What Happens When Allergic Kids Grow Up? Today’s birthday cupcakes give way to tomorrow’s cocktails as food allergy hazards. Also, marijuana being studied as an allergic hazard. Read about it.
Food Allergies are a Stubborn Problem, but How Fast Should Allergists Embrace New Therapies? Dr. Ehrlich examines this problem through the lens of his own practice here.
Our contributor Dr. Purvi Parikh named spokesperson for Asthma & Allergy Network Next time there’s a big allergy story, look for Dr. Parikh on your television. Dr. Parikh practices in New York City at Allergy & Asthma Associates of Murray Hill, and look for her byline here soon.
Should You Feed Your Infant Peanuts? The LEAP study burst on the world, but what did it really say? Dr. David Stukus analyzes what is says and what it doesn’t say in this new guest editorial. We thank Dr. Dave for his great work. Read it here.
Why Don’t More People Use Epinephrine for Anaphylaxis as Directed? Behavior collides with common sense. Read this analysis by our friend Dr. David Stukus.
Is There a Genetic Link to Fatal Anaphylaxis for African Americans? Dr. Paul Ehrlich takes a close look at the research to pinpoint the real culprit. Read about it here.
Crowd Sourcing Research We are taking an active part in helping a new, practice-based study of biomarkers to gauge the progress of food allergy treatment. Read what the participating doctors say here. Read more about it here. Donate here. Dr. Li continues to publish new research. Click here for the latest publications.
How Long Does it Take for Your Genes to Be Influenced by the Environment? Canadian researcher answer, “Not very.” In the time it takes to watch a movie, diesel fumes can alter the gene expression of your lungs. Read about it here.
The Darnedest Things Turn Up in Allergic Reactions Read about it in Blond Lung-Disease?
Are Too Many Doctors Testing for Too Many Food Allergens? Dr. Larry Chiaramonte agrees with prominent researchers who say we are. Read all about it here.
Is There a Rise in Anaphylaxis from Allergy Shots? Dr. Ehrlich explores reports of a connection here.
Conventional Wisdom in Medicine Changes Rapidly Dr. Paul Ehrlich explores the 180-degree shifts on the association of common drugs and pediatric asthma here.
How Do Old Docs Learn New Tricks? Authors of a continuing medical education article answer questions here.
Think the Battle for Cleaner Air Has Been Fought and Won? Think again, say Drs. Chiaramonte and Ehrlich in one of their rare joint bylined pieces.
Everything Old is New Again, but is That a Good Thing in Medicine? Dr. Ehrlich writes about a recent study on penicillin-allergy mythology.
Ever Think You know More About Allergies Than Your GP? You may be right! Read this piece by Dr. Paul Ehrlich
FARE Takes New Approach to Attract Science Talent to Food Allergy Research Offers cash for novel ideas and time to pursue them. More here.
What Does it Really Take to Get People to Follow an Asthma Action Plan? Pediatric allergist Dr. David Stukus discusses the problems of a Medicaid population in controlling their asthma in a guest editorial here.
The Farm Effect Comes to the City Dr. Larry Chiaramonte discusses whether mice and cockroaches can confer a degree of protection from allergic disease on infants in a new post here.
A Star is Born! Our contributor, Dr. Purvi Parikh made a last-minute appearance on Fox News and made a powerful case for public health. She refused to be baited into what the host admitted was an “ambush” about ebola, instead focusing on asthma and the flu. See it here.
How Many People Die From Anaphylaxis? Dr. Robert Y. Lin answers questions about his new research in a new guest editorial.
Can Preventing of Food Allergies Be as Simple as Moisturizing an Infant’s Skin? Dermatologist Dr. Peter Lio says not so fast in a new guest editorial.
Alternative to Oral Food Challenge? Patients and parents fear them. Allergists don’t want to do them. But food challenges are invaluable for diagnosis. Can a blood test substitute? Dr. Paul Ehrlich analyzes the future of a research tool called the Basophil Activation Test in clinical practice.
What Can Food Allergy Experts Teach Us About Medical Care? PhD candidate Danya Glabau explores the subject in a new guest editorial.
Upcoming Events:
Nov. 1, Food Allergy Research Updates, Morrisville, North Carolina, organized with support from FARE by Tricia Gavankar. Features Dr. Wesley Burks on advances in food allergy immunotherapy, Dr. Xiu-Min Li on her work with traditional Chinese medicine, Dr. James Thompson on component testing, and Henry Ehrlich on aspects of Dr. Li’s work. For more information, click here.
Does Asthma Only Involve the Respiratory System and the Immune System? Neuroscientist Jessica Martin, PhD days the nervous system is key in this new guest editorial.
Electronic Devices Bring on New Epidemic of Itch Nickel in that mobile phone or pulse counter can lead to contact dermatitis. More
Fire Season Means Anxious Times for Asthmatics Our senior fire season correspondent, Caroline Moassessi, reports from downwind of California’s dry forests here
Confused by the DNA-EoE Connection? Our contributor Jessica Martin explains the science on her own blog, Food Allergy Sleuth.
Four Allergy Shots and Over Dr. Chiaramonte takes a look at another immunotherapy innovation.
Waiting to See the Doctor is a Pain, but Should Food Play a Part in Passing the Time? In this editor’s note, we take pot shots at a ridiculous idea.
Are the Non-Food Parts of Plants and Animals Also Allergenic? Dr. Larry Chiaramonte tackles the question of woods and shells and whether they are a problem.
Honesty is Supposed to Be the Best Policy, but Apparently Not When You’re on a Diet In this editor’s note, we go after those who lie about food allergies at restaurants.
This Website Just Turned Four Years Old Read why we’re celebrating here.
Why Is It So Hard to Interpret Food Allergy Tests? Here we take a novel approach to explaining the shortcomings of the different tests.
Can’t Take That Last Little Bit of Air? Maybe you have “anxiety breathing.” Dr. Ehrlich says it can pop up in many circumstances.
Immunodeficiency: the Other Side of Allergy & Immunology Dr. Purvi Parikh describes what happens to people with challenged immune systems and what can be done for them here.
Are Antibiotics Destroying Our Microbiome and Causing Allergies? New book explores this question and a lot more. Read a review of The Missing Microbes here.
Dr. Paul Ehrlich named top pediatric allergist (in private practice) in New York City–AGAIN For what seems like the millionth year in a row, Paul has made New York Magazine/Castle Connolly‘s list. Also named, our Mount Sinai friends Dr. Scott Sicherer and Dr. Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn. Congratulations all around.
Component Testing is State of the Art, but Can It Be Used to Predict Outgrowing a Food Allergy? Dr. Paul Ehrlich discusses it here.
William Frankland, 101-year-old allergist. reflects on the history of the specialty here.
Under-the-Tongue Allergy Treatments Approved Dr. Larry Chiaramonte reports on three pills that get FDA okay.
Is it Eczema, Herpes, Sunscreen, or Diapers? Star pediatric dermatologist James Treat, MD schools allergists on what may be ailing those itchy kids. See more here.
Sherlock Holmes and the Practicing Allergist Dr. Paul Ehrlich spots the source of a patient’s black eyes. More.
Who Speaks Best for Children With Food Allergies? Sometimes it’s the kids themselves. A six-year-old’s portfolio reveals her anguish here.
Overdose Medicine Takes the Express, While Access-to-Epi Takes the Local Dr. Paul Ehrlich asks why in a new blog post.
Will Food Allergy Patients Take Their Medicine? New Treatments raise compliance/adherence issues. Read more here
Is there such a thing as “leaky skin”? Dermatologist Peter Lio, MD explores the possibility that food allergies can start because allergens are introduced through the body’s largest organ in a new post here.
Dr. Paul Ehrlich quoted in cable news piece on air travel with food allergies.
Medicine is a Tug of War Between What We Can See and What We Can Prove This account of a conversation between film director Martin Scorsese and writer Fran Lebowitz takes aim at the prevalence of asthma.
Food Allergy Symptom Journal
Our contributors Anne F. Russell BSN, RN, AE-C & Michael Pistiner MD, MMSc have written a downloadable food and symptom journal to be shared with your Allergy clinic team. Anne and Mike are non-stop innovators. Read more and find links to their Journal here.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis: What do we know and when did we know it? The term EoE comes up frequently in discussions of food allergies, but it is widely misunderstood. Read about it in our coverage of a talk by Dr. Mirna Chehade of Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Does Health Care Reform Diminish the Role of the Allergist? Au contraire, argues Dr. Paul Ehrlich, but they may have to tell the world why they are more important than ever. Read about it here.
EpiPen Online Training for Anaphylaxis and Allergies is now offered free of charge to individuals. Read what we said about the course here.
A Picture Worth More Than 1000 Words See cartoonist Elizabeth Bostic’s take on her morning allergy routine with her kids.
What Can Be Done to Make Allergy Shots Less Painful for Child and Parent? Read about it here.
Despite All the Asthma Research, There Are Huge Gaps in Our Knowledge In his first post of the New Year, Dr. Paul Ehrlich talks about what an allergist can do even if the big picture has holes in it.
What Can We Use to Stop the Itch Besides Topical Steroids? Chicago Dermatologist Dr. Peter A. Lio explores the field of new research on Atopic Dermatitis (aka eczema) in a Guest Editorial.
Will Allergy Drops Replace Allergy Shots? Not any time soon, argues Dr. Paul Ehrlich in his blog.
What Foods Trigger Asthma? Asthma and food allergies are not discreet disease categories. Dr. John Weiner returns to AAC.com to talk about how foods can trigger asthma exacerbations. Read about it here.
Seafood Allergy and the National Football League By coincidence, professional football players representing both Auvi-Q and EpiPen are allergic to the same thing. Read about it in Editor’s Notes.
Xolair + Oral Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Children Very Reactive to Peanuts Read about it on our Journals page.
Quote of the Day “In a study of junior and senior medical staff demonstrating the use of the EpiPen…16% of the physicians would have self-injected their thumb had they been using an actual EpiPen.” — Ronna Campbell, MD, from the Mayo Clinic Department of Emergency Medicine.
Do You Think Schools Need More Paperwork for Children Who Need Epinephrine? Dr. Paul Ehrlich puts on his Indiana Jones hat and goes off to battle red tape. Read about it here.
What Would You Ask Michelle Obama About her Daughter’s Peanut Allergy? Susan Weissman gives her questions in a new post. PS–Congratulations to Susan, whose wonderful book Feeding Eden: the Trials and Triumphs of a Food Allergy Family has now been published on Kindle. Order it here.
What Do You Do When Test Results Sound Too Good to be True? A food allergy mom didn’t expect component tests on three nuts to show progress. She asks what to do next in a new Parent Mailbag post, and Dr. Ehrlich answers here.
Are We Going Backwards on Asthma Treatment? Dr. Paul Ehrlich reflects on a recent fatality in a school with no nurse and skyrocketing costs for once-inexpensive drugs and what it may portend here.
What’s the State of Research for Curing Food Allergies? Our friends at Allergic Living give an expert round-up on current studies here.
Access-to-Epinephrine is an Idea Whose Time Has Come Our friend Lisa Horne of the Arizona Food Allergy Alliance discusses her group’s successful efforts to help push through a bill.
Does Chinese Medicine Hold Promise for a Cure for Food Allergies? The science is promising. Read about a forthcoming book that began with a visit to Mount Sinai researcher Dr. Xiu-Min Li on behalf of this website here.
Here’s what “Mommy” said about the book:
“If you have a child that suffers respiratory issues, Asthma Allergy Children: a parent’s guide is definitely a must-have! ….This book can replace all of your other asthma and allergy reference guides and books that are collecting dust on your bookshelves!”
Tell your friends! It makes a lovely Valentine gift. For the full review, go here and scroll down to January 11.
High praise from the blogosphere! “I cannot tell you how valuable this book was…I learned so much great information in Asthma Allergies Children: A Parent’s Guide. I honestly don’t even know where to start….takes allergies and asthma, and their treatment, and explains it all in a very easy to understand format for parents. It’s a very easy and fairly non clinical read….as the parent of two children who have allergies and asthma I cannot say enough about this book. If you also have children with allergies and asthma, this is definitely one you need for your bookshelf.” Read more here
Asthma Allergies Children: a parent’s guide is…
“A veritable bible for parents of allergic kids.
I enjoyed Asthma Allergies Children tremendously. It is full of the kind of great stories that teach both patients and doctors more than mere facts. The science is explained in language you don’t need an MD to follow. This book should be kept right next to the antihistamines and epinephrine, and used even more frequently.”
—Dr. Lisa Sanders, author of Every Patient Tells a Story. Her NY Times column “Diagnosis” inspired the TV drama, ”House MD.”
(Asthma Allergies Children is now available in a Kindle edition)
AsthmaAllergiesChildren.com is the web companion to Asthma Allergies Children: a Parent’s Guide. (Terms of Use)
Authors Dr. Paul Ehrlich and Dr. Larry Chiaramonte are both pediatric allergists. The joint publication-website strategy is based on the fact that modern medicine moves faster than print, and that readers—both parents of asthmatic and allergic children and the doctors who treat them—will have many questions about the particulars of individual cases that cannot be answered in a book.
As they say in the book, the ranks of allergy specialists are dwindling even as the numbers of asthmatic and allergic patients are rising. The cost is immense. Asthma is the single largest cause of school and work absence. Allergic and asthmatic children disproportionately lose out on all the things that childhood is supposed to be about. But patients, patients’ parents, and their family doctors can make great strides in treatment if they are armed with up-to-date information and have regular communication with specialists. The book and website provide both.
Asthma Allergies Children is written in entertaining, anecdotal, down-to-earth language, and virtually every page has stories and observations that reflect both the science and art of some 70 years of combined medical practice.
“We hope that age and experience have given us wisdom that will benefit you the reader. And age hasn’t stopped us from learning. As you will read, both of us have devoted a considerable amount of time to bringing the best of allergy and immunology to underserved, high-risk populations, which has given us new insight into how chronic disease can be managed. Still, we have learned over many years that a child doesn’t have to be poor to have his life drastically diminished by asthma and allergies. We want to reach them all.”
—Dr. Ehrlich and Dr. Chiaramonte, From the Foreword to Asthma Allergies Children: a Parent’s Guide
AsthmaAllergiesChildren.com Features:
Dr. Paul’s blog
Insights from the front lines of clinical allergy practice by one of the foremost pediatric allergists in the nation, Dr. Paul Ehrlich
Dr. Larry’s blog
Dr. Larry Chiaramonte has been a pioneer in research, clinical practice, and has trained dozens of allergists in hospital practice. He looks at the big picture of science and policy.
Guest Editorial
Contributions by distinguished contributors on subjects that have large implications for asthma and allergy patients.
In the News–Tidbits from the wide world of asthma and allergies
In the Journals–Survey of scientific publications
New Science–The cutting edge of allergy and asthma research
Parent Mailbag–Readers! Ask the doctors about your children!
Physician Mailbag–All you non-allergy practitioners: ever have a question about allergy or asthma that arises in your practice? Ask them now!
The Site Does Not Provide Medical Advice
The contents of AsthmaAllergiesChildren.com are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, but to educate our readers as the basis for further discussion with their own doctors. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.