Food is such a huge part of our society and school these days.  In school you have snack time, lunch and then all of the parties. You have 20 or more birthdays and then all of the holiday parties and after school activities.  YIKES, that is a lot of food!  Many schools still allow homemade baked goods into the classroom and the food allergic child is offered something else to eat or the mother of that child tries to emulate the other children’s cupcakes as best as she can.  Hats off to you moms, but your child is being excluded. Not cool!  And then you have the schools that require labels on any foods for celebrations.  This is great, but only for the peanut and nut allergic children.  And even then you have to trust that these people are checking the labels carefully before serving them to your highly allergic child.  

 I strongly believe that the best option for everyone is eliminating all food celebrations in the classroom.  My son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts so the label thing may work for him,
but what about the other kids in the classroom allergic to other food items, such as milk or eggs?  My main concern is my son, but I feel as if I should also speak up on behalf of the
other food allergic children. I really hate the idea of any child being excluded because of their food allergies. I just feel this is unnecessary and there are so many other alternatives. I understand that food celebrations are a big part of our culture, but food allergies are on the rise and things need to change.

A lot of people do not realize that just because an item has a label on it without a peanut and/or nut warning that it is safe to eat. This isn't the case. The FDA requires manufacturers to label the top eight allergens if they are an actual ingredient in that product, but they do not require manufacturers to use labels such as "may contains" or "manufactured in the same facility".  At this time, those statements are strictly voluntary and are not required.  Fortunately, the majority of large manufacturers are using these statements on their labels.  But it is always scary having a food allergic child try any new items whether they are prepackaged or not.  For this reason, my family sticks to larger manufactures and we do not try a lot of new products. 

The CDC has just announced that food allergies in children are on a rise and are a big problem.  It has become an epidemic and we will continue to see more and more kids at school with potentially deadly allergies to milk, nuts, eggs, fish and the list goes on and on.

At the FARE Leaders Summit in Chicago, Dr. Sicherer, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, was a guest speaker.  He talked about several studies that they are working on.  I know there has been a lot of talk about oral immunotherapy (OIT) on the boards and in the media.  I am not posting this blog to encourage or discourage you.  I am also not an expert on this.  I just want to pass along some of the information that he discussed.  You ultimately have to do what is
best for you and your family.

OIT is not a cure for food allergies.  At this time there is no cure.  While the studies look
promising, OIT is not FDA approved and Dr. Sicherer recommends waiting.  For some reason, allergist can still offer it.  It is also good to know that not every child is a good candidate for this type of treatment.  It depends on their allergy test results.  If your child tests high for his or her allergen then they should not be a candidate for this type of treatment. 

OIT is still very much in the experimental phases.  The hopes are that a child going through OIT can be desensitized enough that they can tolerate their former allergens.  If successful then the child would have to continue eating the required amounts of the allergen every day or they may become sensitized once again.  It is also important to note that you also need to keep the Epipen with you even if the treatment is successful.

For myself and my child, I think all of these studies and research are great and it makes me very excited for my son's future, but I also need more research before I will allow my son to participate in this type of treatment.  Thus far, I have done pretty well in not exposing him to his allergens.  So I still hold out hope that he will grow out of them one day.  I am scared to expose him in this way in fear that I would only make his allergen worse.  If one day this treatment gets FDA approved and my son's numbers go down then you can bet that I will sign him up.  But until then, I will keep reading and following along.

Here are some articles regarding Oral Immunotherapy:

Web definitions of OIT

Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy: Not Ready for Prime Time

The Allergy Buster
Can a Radical New Treatment Save Children With Severe Food Allergies?